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GO  M-' 

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D48r 
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GENEALOGY   COLLECTIOrsf 


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llfu'l^nilSmViriill'  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01075  7497 


ROBERT  B.  ROSS. 


LANDMARKS  OF  DETROIT 


A 

HISTORY   OF  THE  CITY 


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BY 

ROBERT  B. 

ROSS 

AND 

GEORGE  B. 

CATLIN 

REVISED^! 

3Y 

CLARENCE  -W'' 

/burton 

PUBLISHED  UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF 

THE   EVENING   NEWS   ASSOCIATION 

DETROIT 

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PREFACE. 


While  the  history  of  most  American  cities  is  rather  commonplace, 
there  are  a  few  which  furnish  a  story  of  facts  more  fascinating  than 
any  romance.  In  the  development  of  a  new  country  the  civilization, 
which  in  time  leavens  the  great  mass  of  barbarism,  works  from  a  few 
central  points.  In  North  America  Boston  became  the  nucleus  of  the 
New  England  colony,  although  it  was  not  the  first  settlement.  James- 
town was  the  first  settlement  of  the  Virginia  colony,  but  the  town 
never  attained  great  importance.  New  York  and  Philadelphia  became 
important  towns,  but  for  the  first  century  of  their  existence  their 
influence  extended  over  but  a  small  area.  Detroit,  from  the  date  of  its 
founding,  nearly  200  years  ago,  became  the  metropolis  of  the  region 
of  the  great  lakes  and  the  guardian  of  the  straits.  For  a  period  of  125 
years  Detroit  was  both  the  rallying  point  and  the  emporium  of  the 
West.  Three  nations  struggled  and  shed  their  blood  for  its  possession. 
Before  the  advent  of  the  railroad  it  was  almost  the  only  gateway  of  the 
vast  territory  between  the  great  lakes  and  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  French  outstripped  the  British  in  pushing  their  colonies  west- 
ward and  founded  Detroit  as  their  stronghold  for  the  defense  of  the 
great  lakes  in  1701.  After  fifty-nine  years  the  British  crowded  them 
off  the  soil  of  Canada  and  the  West,  leaving  them  only  Louisiana.  Then 
came  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  Detroit  was  the  headquarters  of 
British  operations  in  the  West.  From  this  military  stronghold  they 
maintained  an  Indian  warfare  upon  the  outlying  American  settlements, 
while  the  male  colonists  were  fighting  in  the  East.      In  1783  the  Ameri- 


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can  Revolution  ended,  and  the  treaty  of  Paris  acknowledged  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States  and  their  possession  of  all  the  territory 
east  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  the  Great  Lakes.  But  Great  Britain 
saw  the  important  position  of  Detroit  as  a  headquarters  for  renewing 
the  war  to  recover  the  lost  colonies  and  refused  to  fulfill  the  terms  of 
the  treaty.  During  the  next  thirteen  years  the  British  commandants 
at  Detroit  were  constantly  employed  in  setting  the  Indians  upon  the 
American  settlers  in  the  Ohio  valley,  and  stated  prices  were  paid  for 
the  scalps  of  hundreds  of  white  men,  women  and  children  at  the  fort  in 
this  city.  After  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  defeated  the  British  and  Indians 
on  the  Maumee  River  the  Jay  treaty  was  accomplished,  which  gave 
Detroit  to  the  United  States,  but  the  British  continued  to  incite  the 
Indians  against  the  Americans  and  afflict  them  in  various  ways  until 
the  war  of  1812  became  a  necessity.  Again  Detroit  was  the  center  of 
military  operations,  and  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  British  government 
was  to  secure  its  possession  by  treachery.  Perry's  victory  on  Lake 
Erie  compelled  them  to  evacuate  Detroit  in  1813,  and  since  that  time 
the  city  has  been  an  undisputed  possession  of  the  American  govern- 
ment. 

From  first  to  last  Detroit  has  been  a  city  of  thrilling  events.  The 
wars  with  the  Indians  were  all  centered  about  this  city,  and  it  was  here 
that  the  conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  the  greatest  leader  of  his  race,  was 
foiled,  although  it  succeeded  in  every  other  post  attacked.  These 
are  but  a  few  of  the  dramatic  events  which  make  up  the  history. 
The  development  of  the  city  as  a  commercial  power  is  no  less  interest- 
ing than  its  early  struggle  for  existence.  The  compilers  have  expend- 
ed much  conscientious  labor  upon  the  work,  and  have  spared  no  pains 
to  secure  exact  information  from  the  most  reliable  sources.  By  the  aid 
of  manuscripts  and  correspondence,  which  have  come  to  light  during 
the  last  decade,  many  standard  myths  and  fanciful  traditions  have 
been  dispelled  and  disproved.  It  has  been  the  aim  to  prepare  a  correct 
history  of  Detroit  in  the  narrative  style,  giving  the  natural  chronolog- 
ical order  of  events.     This  makes  a  work  adapted  for  general  reading 


as  well  as  a  book  of  reference,  a  book  which  it  is  believed  will  be  en- 
joyed by  readers  of  all  ages. 

To  avoid  diverting  the  attention  of  the  reader  by  the  use  of  foot 
notes,  all  explanatory  matter  and  references  have  been  incorporated  in 
the  regular  text  of  the  book.  Each  prominent  man  is  introduced  with 
a  succinct  biography  which  describes  his  personal  appearance  and  his 
most  striking  characteristics,  without  glossing  over  his  faults,  with- 
out detracting  from  his  merits.  The  co-relation  and  significance  of 
the  principal  events  is  also  shown  understandingly.  Landmarks  of 
Detroit  is  a  narrative  of  extraordinary  interest  for  which  the  compilers 
claim  no  particular  credit.  They  have  only  taken  the  natural  course 
of  events  and  combined  them  in  consecutive  order. 

We  desire  to  express  grateful  acknowledgments  to  Mr.  C.  M.  Burton, 
of  Detroit,  who  has  taken'  a  personal  interest  in  this  work  from  the 
first.  Mr.  Burton  is  known  everywhere  as  the  possessor  of  the  most 
complete  historical  library  in  the  West.  He  has  about  10,000  volumes, 
and  at  least  25,000  manuscripts,  which  relate  either  directly  or  indi- 
rectly to  Detroit.  He  has  complete  files  of  most  of  the  old  newspapers 
of  the  city  and  the  official  and  commercial  correspondence  of  the  early 
settlers.  The  correspondence  of  Cadillac  and  the  other  French  com- 
mandants, the  correspondence  of  the  British  commandants  and  later 
documents,  showing  the  development  of  the  western  territory  into 
States,  is  also  to  be  found  in  his  library.  All  this  priceless  material 
Mr.  Burton  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  compilers,  and  he  took  so  pro- 
found an  interest  in  the  work  that  he  revised  all  the  manuscripts  and 
the  proofs.  The  fact  that  this  matter  has  passed  through  Mr.  Burton's 
hands  and  has  met  his  approval,  is  the  best  recommendation  of  the 
work  we  can  offer.  The  matter  has  been  culled  from  original  sources 
in  order  to  avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  the  errors  which  have  crept  into 
standard  histories. 

Acknowledgment  is  also  due  to  Mr.  Richard  R.  ElHott,  who  fur- 
nished valuable  matter  regarding  the  history  of  the  early  Jesuit  mis- 


sion,  the  affairs  of  old  Ste.  Anne's  and  the  conspiracy  of  Pontiac.  That 
the  book  contains  many  errors  cannot  bed  oubted.  It  is  not  given  to 
man  to  produce  perfect  work.  Landmarks  of  Detroit  is  submitted  with 
a  confidence  which  is  supported  by  the  hard  and  conscientious  work 
which  has  been  expended  upon  it. 

The  compilers, 

Robert   B.    Ross, 
George  B.   Catlin. 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  Coming  of  Cadillac — He  is  Accompanied  by  Fifty  Soldiers,  Fifty  Civilians 
and  One  Hundred  Algonquin  Indians— Selects  Detroit  as  the  Most  Com- 
manding Position  on  the  Straits .   1-5 

CHAPTER  II. 

Early  Discoveries  in  North  America— Great  Britain  and  Spain  Held  the  Coast- 
France  Aimed  to  Secure  Canada,  the  Lake  Region,  the  Mississippi  River 
and  the  Unknown  West.— 1492-1701 6-13 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Great  Explorers — Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle — The  Cruise  of  Le  Griffon — 
Father  Hennepin  Visits  the  Upper  Mississippi — Daniel  Grisolon  Duluth 
Builds  a  Fort  at  the  Foot  of  Lake  Huron— 1669-1700 12-21 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Cadillac  the  Founder  of  Detroit — A  Clever  Gascon  Who  Has  Been  Much  Ma- 
ligned— He  was  a  Privateer  Preying  upon  the  New  England  Coast — Then 
Commandant  at  Mackinaw— 1668-1701 21-31 

CHAPTER    V. 

Cadillac  Foolishly  Quarrels  with  the  Jesuits  and  Lays  the  Foundation  of  all  His 
Misfortunes — He  Wanted  to  Sell  Brandy  to  the  Indians  in  Defiance  of  the 
Law— 1685-1700 32-39 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Indians  and  Coureurs  de  Bois — Characteristics  of  the  Indians  and  of  the  Half- 
Wild  Voyageurs,  Who  Were  the  First  Commercial  Travelers  in  America — 
1660-1700 39-47 


CHAPTER    VII. 

What  the  Pioneers  Found  at  Detroit — Events  Contemporaneous  with  the  Found- 
ing of  the  City — Description  of  the  Fauna  and  Flora  of  the  Region  as  De- 
scribed in  Ancient  Reports— 1701-1703 47-58 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Plots  and  Counterplots  between  Cadillac  and  His  Enemies— The  Merchants  of 
Montreal  Oppose  the  Development  of  Detroit  for  Fear  of  Its  Future  Rivalry 
— Detroit  was  a  Great  Beaver  Region 58-67 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Cadillac  Quells  a  Conspiracy — Agents  of  the  Company  of  the  Colony  Detected 
in  Stealing — Their  Friends  Support  Them — Cadillac  Summoned  to  Montreal 
for  Trial 67-76 

CHAPTER    X. 

Father  Del  Halle,  the  First  Pastor  of  St.  Anne's  Church,  Murdered  by  the  In- 
dians— Cadillac  is  Sent  from  Montreal  to  Punish  the  Murderer — His  Enemies 
Seek  to  Compromise  Him  with  the  Indians  and  with  His  Superiors — 1706- 
1708 ..-. 77-85 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Early  Official  Reports  on  Detroit — Cadillac's  Enemies  Plot  to  Have  the  Post 
Abandoned — They  Willfully  Misrepresent  Affairs  to  the  Government — 1701- 
1710 85-89 

CHAPTER  XII. 

First  Families  of  Detroit — The  First  Directory  and  Tax  List  as  Compiled  by  C. 

M.  Burton— Inventory  of  the  Property  Owned  by  Cadillac— 1701-1710  ...90-116 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

How  the  Confusion  Arose  Among  the  Names  of  the  Pioneers — Father  Christian 

Denissen's  Discoveries  Regarding  the  Changing  of  Family  Names llG-119 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Cadillac  is  Made  Governor  of  Louisiana — His  Apparent  Promotion  is  a  Scheme 
of  His  Enemies — They  Confiscate  His  Propert}'  and  He  Returns  to  France 
Ruined  and  Heartbroken— 1710-1720 119-124 

viii 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Pierre  Francois  de  Charlevoix  Visits  Detroit  in  1711 — Detroit  is  Declared  a  Most 
Desirable  and  Important  Post — Founding  of  the  Huron  Mission  at  Sandwich 
in  1728 _ 124-130 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Detroit  is  Beseiged  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Indians  from  Green  Bay — The 
Church  of  St.  Anne's  Burned — Hard  Fought  Battle  at  Windmill  Point  in 
Which  the  Hostile  Indians  are  Defeated— 1712  . 130-137 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

A  Feud  Commenced  Between  the  Huron  and  Ottawa  Tribes— The  Hurons  Com- 
pelled to  Flee  to  Sandusky — They  Return  to  Settle  at  Bois  Blanc  Island  and 
Later  at  Sandwich— 1735-1746 137-143 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Recreations  and  Occupations  of  the  Early  Settlers — Races  Between  the  Fleet 
French  Ponies  on  the  Ice — Attempt  to  Extend  the  French  Domain  in  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania— 1750-1760 143-148 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Feeble  Attempts  to  Strengthen  the  French  Outposts — The  Determination  of 
Great  Britain  to  Seize  the  French  Strongholds  Becomes  Apparant — 1755- 
1760 - 148-152 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Rise  of  William  Pitt  in  England — His  Aggressive  Territorial  Policy  Culminates 
in  a  Border  War — The  French  are  Beaten  at  Every  Point — Quebec,  Mon- 
treal, Detroit  and  Du  Quesne  Surrendered  to  the  British— 1755-1760     .  .152-162 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  British  Take  Possession  of  Detroit — Pontiac  Demands  Recognition  of  Them 
— The  Indians  Prefer  Frenchmen  Who  Treat  Them  as  Equals — They  Show 
an  Inclination  to  Attack  the  Newcomers— 1760 162-169 

CHAPTER  XXII.    ^ 

Pontiac,  the  Napoleon  of  the  Western  Indians — He  Conspires  with  the  Chiefs  of 
Sixty  Tribes  to  Drive  the  British  Out  of  the  Country— His  Plans  are  Be- 
trayed to   Commandant  Gladwin— 1761-1763 169-178 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Detroit  is  Besieged  by  2,()0<)  Indians — Murder  of  Captain  Donald  Campbell  and 
a  Number  of  Settlers — Massacres  at  Mackinaw,  St.  Joseph,  Miami,  Sandusky 
and  Other  Posts— 1763.... 178-190 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Detroit  was  Saved  by  Pretty  Angelique  Cuillerier  Beaubien — The  Belle  of  the 
French  Settlement  Learns  of  Pontiac's  Treachery — She  Tells  Her  Lover, 
James  Sterling,  and  Sterling  Informs  Gladwin— 1763 190-193 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  British  Home  Government  Neglects  the  Colonies  and  Detroit  Languishes  as 
a  Settlement— The  Selfish  PoHcy  of  the  British  Tradesmen  Was  the  Cause 
of  Most  of  the  Colonial  Troubles— 1763-1773 194-200 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Obstructive  Legislation  and  Excessive  Taxation  Breed  Discontent — New  Eng- 
land Settlers  Rise  in  Rebellion — Detroit  Under  Lieut.  -Gov.  Henry  Hamil- 
ton Becomes  a  Fire  in  the  Rear — The  "  Great  Hairbuyer"  and  His  Corrupt 
Rule— 1773-1775 .' 201-203 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Hamilton  Arms  the  Indians  and  Sets  Them  on  the  Ohio  Settlers — Human  Scalps 
Bring  £1  Each  in  the  Detroit  Commandant's  Office — Philip  Dejean,  Hamil- 
ton's Unscrupulous  "  Chief  Justice  "—1776-1777 204-212 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark  Captures  Vmcennes  and  Other  British  Posts — Ham- 
ilton Goes  to  Recover  Them  and  is  Captured — He  Narrowly  Escapes  Hang- 
ing at  the  Hands  of  the  Colonists— 1778-1779... 212-219 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

How  the  Fort  and  Settlement  Looked  During  the  Revolutionary  War — Charac- 
ter of  Houses— Costumes  of  the  Various  People — Drunken  Indians  and  Re- 
turning Raiders  with  Reeking  Scalps  and  Live  Prisoners  to  Torture  on  the 
Common 220-226 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Shocking  Butchery  of  Ohio  Settlers  by  the  British  Indians — A  Bill  of  Lading  for 
a  Shipment  of  954  Human  Scalps,  Which  Tell  a  Gruesome  Story — Reprisals 
by  the  Settlers — Shameless  Butcher}'  of  the  Moravian  Indians 227-23 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Martyrdom  of  Colonel  Crawford — He  is  Burned  at  the  Stake  by  the  Indians — 
Simon  Girty,  the  Renegade,  Scoffs  at  His  Agonies— Dr.  Knight's  Story  of 
the    Tortures 233-238 

CHAPTER  XXXn. 

Great  Britain's  Motives  for  Ignoring  the  Treaty  of  Peace — Determined  to  Hold 
the  Border  Posts  from  Which  to  Renew  the  War  on  the  Colonists — Why 
They  Held  Detroit  Unj  ustly  for  Thirteen  Years 238-244 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Indian  Wars  Following  the  Revolution — British  Influence  Causes  Constant  Vio- 
lations of  Treaties — Disastrous  Campaigns  of  Gen.  Josiah  Harmar  and  Gen. 
Arthur  St.  Clair— Mad  Anthony  Wayne  Wins  a  Signal  Victory— 1784-1792 
.244-251 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  British  Evacuate  Detroit,  July  11,  1796— The  Victory  of  General  Wayne  is 
Followed  by  the  Jay  Treaty — Death  of  General  Wayne — The  Northwest 
Territory  Created  before  Possession  was  Secured  by  the  Americans — Win- 
throp  Sargent  Gives  the  Name  of  Wayne  County  to  a  Great  Territory ...251-255 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Isaac  Weld's  Description  of  Detroit  in  1796 — Two-thirds  of  the  Residents  are 
French — Twelve  Trading  Vessels  Carry  its  Commerce — Jacob  Burnett,  Solo- 
mon Sibley  and  other  Notables  Arrive 255-260 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

Early  Ordinances  of  the  New  American  Town — First  Charter  Issued  in  1802 — 
Extraordinary  Precautions  against  Fire — The  First  Fire  Department  and 
its  Divisions  of  Work — A  Public  Market  Established  on  the  River  Front — A 
One-Man  Police  Force 260-268 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

Rule  of  the  Governor  and  Judges — Schemes  of  the  Rapacious  Land-Grabbers — 
John  Askin  and  Others  Attempt  to  Get  Possession  of  20,000,000  Acres  by 
Bribing  Congressman — Their  Schemes  Exposed — Governor  Hull  and  Judge 
Woodward 269-2 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII. 

Great  Fire  of  1805 — The  Entire  Town  Destroyed  on  June  11 — Three  Hundred 
Families  Left  Homeless— Relief  Measures  and  Grant  of  the  10,000  Acres — 
Judge  "Woodward  La^'s  out  a  New  City  on  the  Scale  of  Paris— The  Territorial 
Militia ---- - 276-284 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Bank  of  Detroit — A  Well  Planned  Swindle  which  Gave  the  Promoters 
Riches  and  the  People  of  Michigan  a  Bad  Reputation — A  Large  Amount 
of  Worthless  Bills  Circulated  but  Never  Redeemed — Early  Grand  Juries — 
1806-1808 - - - 284-293 

CHAPTER   XL. 

Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  Plan  to  Drive  the  Americans  out  of  the  West — They 
Rouse  the  Indians  to  .Hostility,  Intending  to  Unite  with  the  British — Gen- 
eral Harrison  Defeats  Them  at  the  Battle  of  Tippacanoe,  November  7, 
1811--.. 293-300 

CHAPTER   XLI. 

Causes  Leading  Up  to  the  War  of  1812 — Great  Britain  Persists  in  Impressing 
American  Sailors — Attempts  to  Cripple  the  American  Navy — Every  Nation 
Against  the  United  States — Affair  of  the  Chesapeake  and  the  Leopard — The 
Embargo  Act 301-305 

CHAPTER   XLII. 

War  Declared  July  19,  1812— Condition  of  the  Northern  Border— The  British 
Enlist  the  Indians — Michigan  Militia  Called  Out — Detroit  Volunteers  In- 
vade Canada  to  Capture  Maiden,  but  are  Recalled  by  General  Hull — De- 
troit Surrendered  with  a  Superior  Force  of  Men  and  a  Large  Quantity  of 
Stores 306-323 

CHAPTER   XLIII. 

Settlers  and  Garrison  of  Fort  Dearborn  (Chicago)  Massacred  by  Indians — Gen- 
eral Harrison  Rescues  the  Garrison  at  Fort  Wayne — General  Hull  Con- 
victed of  Cowardice  and  Incompetence  and  Sentenced  to  be  Shot — Sentence 
Suspended 323-329 

CHAPTER   XLIV. 

Massacre  of  Winchesters's  Troops  at  the  River  Raisin — Victims  of  an  Incompe- 
tent Commander  and  a  Treacherous  Enemy — Humane  Residents  of  Maiden 
Ransom  Prisoners  from  the  Indians . .  329-333 

xii 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

The  Campaign  in  Northern  Ohio — Gallant  Defenses  Made  by  Gen.  William  H. 
Harrison  and  Maj.  George  Croghan — Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Plans  to  Control 
Lake  Erie— Builds  a  Fleet  of  Ships  at  Erie 333-337 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 

The  Battle  of  Lake  Erie — Fortune  Favored  the  Heaviest  Artillery — The  Surren- 
der of  the  British  Fleet  Leaves  the  Lakes  in  Possession  of  the  Americans — 
Harrison  Prepares  to  Invade  Canada .- - 338-343 

CHAPTER  XLVH. 

Proctor  Runs  Away  from  Maiden — Tecumseh  Taunts  Him  with  Cowardice — 
The  British  Evacuate  Detroit,  Carrying  Away  the  Cannon  and  Military 
Stores— Battle  of  the  Thames— Death  of  Tecumseh— Flight  of  Proctor... 344-349 

CHAPTER  XLVni.    ^ 

Detroit  Occupied  by  the  American  Army — They  Build  a  Cantonment  of  Log 
Huts  West  of  Fort  Lernoult — Indians  Murder  Several  Residents — General 
Cass  Drives  the  Indians  Away  from  Detroit... 349-355 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Detroit  Begins  to  Develop  under  the  Peace  of  1815 — Road  Building  Begun — The 
First  Steamboat  Arrives,  August  27,  1818 — Sedate  Men  Lay  Aside  Their 
Dignity  and  Indulge  in  a  Frolic — Founding  of  Pontiac  of  1819 355-360 

CHAPTER  L. 

Michigan's  First  Delegate  to  Congress — Politics  were  Politics  Even  in  the  Olden 
Time— Father  Gabriel  Richard  Locked  up  in  Jail  to  Prevent  His  Candidacy 
— The  French  Residents  Give  Him  a  Plurality  over  his  Unscrupulous  Com- 
petitors....  360-365 

CHAPTER  LI. 

Detroit  under  a  new  Regime — The  Territorial  Ordinance  of  1823  Puts  an  End  to 
the  Autocratic  Sway  of  the  Governor  and  Judges — The  Ferry  Established 
by  Capt.  John  Burtis— The  Erie  Canal  Opened  in  1825-  Stephen  G.  Sim- 
mons Hanged  at  Detroit  for  Murder 866-372 

CHAPTER  LII. 

Michigan's  Early  Supreme  Judges — David  Irvin,  George  Morell  and  Ross  Wilkins 
— William  Woodbridge  and  His  Father-in-law,  Jonathan  Trumbull — Dr. 
Douglass  Houghton  and  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  Explore  the  Upper  Penin- 
sula and  the  Sources  of  the  Mississippi ..373-379 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

Cholera  Epidemics  of  Early  Days — The  Steamer  Henry  Clay  Brought  the  In- 
fection in  1832— In  1834  it  Returned  to  Claim  Over  700  Victims— Heroic 
Labors  of  Father  Gabriel  Richard  and  Martin  Kundig— 1833-1834 380-386 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Story  of  the  Toledo  War — A  Serio-Comic  Dispute  Which  Promised  to  End  in  a 
War  between  Ohio  and  Michigan — Michigan  Prepares  for  Statehood — 
Lucius  Lyon  and  John  Norvell  the  First  Senators  Elected  by  the  Legis- 
lature  - -..387-397 

CHAPTER  LV. 

Dr.  Douglass  Houghton  Begins  the  First  Geological  Survey  of  the  State — He 
Reveals  Some  of  the  Vast  Resources — The  Canadian  Rebellion — Causes 
Which  Led  to  the  Uprising  of  an  Oppressed  People — Exciting  Times  at 
Detroit,  Windsor  and  Sandwich... 397-404 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

The  Campaign  of  1840 — How  a  Word  of  Ridicule  against  General  Harrison,  the 
Pioneer  Soldier,  Set  the  Country  on  Fire  with  Political  Zeal — The  Creation 
of  the  Republican  Party — Conceived  in  the  Office  of  the  Detroit  Tribune,  It 
Was  Born  "Under  the  Oaks  at  Jackson".. 404-409 

CHAPTER  LVH. 

Constitution  of  1850 — It  Is  an  Example  of  the  Folly  of  Attempting  to  Legislate 
too  far  in  Advance  of  the  Times — It  Contains  a  Few  Excellent  Provisions  in 
Advance  of  the  Constitution  of  1835  and  a  Lot  of  Detrimental  Restric- 
tions  409-413 

CHAPTER  LVIII. 

The  Famous  Railroad  Conspiracy — First  Encounter  of  Michiganders  with  a 
"Soulless  Corporation" — High-handed  Measures  Provoke  the  People  to 
Anarchy— They  Burn  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Depot  at  Detroit, 
September  19,  1850 — Thirty- eight  Farmers  Arrested  for  the  Crime  and  a 
Number  are  Severely  Punished .414-418 

CHAPTER  LIX. 

Detroit  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion — How  the  People  of  the  North  Allowed 
Themselves  to  be  Disarmed — Detroit  Becomes  the  Rendezvous  for  Michigan 
Patriots  and  a  Rallying  Point  for  Advocates  of  Dishonor  and  Treason — 
Wild  Scenes  on  the  Campus  Martius ^ 418-430 


CHAPTER  LX. 

Money,  Banks  and  Finances — Governor  Mason's  Zeal  Leads  Him  into  Disastrous 
Financiering — Michigan  Mulcted  for  Millions  in  Early  Railroad  Building — 
How  Fraudulent  Banks  Kept  Afloat  in  Spite  of  the  Inspectors — The  Country 
Flooded  with  Wildcat  Money 431-442 

CHAPTER  LXI. 

The  Detroit  Metropolitan  Police  Department — Constables,  Deputy-Sheriffs  and 
Marshals  Preserved  the  Peace  of  the  Community  for  165  Years — The  Police 
Department  Has  Developed  Since  1865 — Detroit  House  of  Correction 443-446 

CHAPTER  LXII. 

History  of  the  Detroit  Waterworks — The  River  Always  the  Chief  Source  of  Sup- 
ply— Delivery  to  the  Consumer  First  Accomplished  in  Buckets;  then  in 
Pony  Carts;  then  in  Hollow  Tamarack  Logs,  and  Finally  in  Huge  Iron  Mains 
— Migration  of  the  Pumping  Stations 446-450 

CHAPTER  LXin. 

Development  of  the  Gas  Industry  and  the  Municipal  Lighting  Plant — From  Pine 
Knots  and  Tallow  Dips  to  Welsbach  and  Edison  Burners — Bitter  Competi- 
tion between  Rival  Companies  in  Gas  and  Electric  Lighting 450-455 

CHAPTER    LXIV. 

Cemeteries  of  Two  Centuries  in  Detroit — The  Heart  of  the  City  Built  on  the 
Bones  of  a  Forgotten  Population — History  of  the  Most  Notable  Graveyards 
— Thousands  Lie  in  Unmarked  Graves  Beneath  Public  Streets  and  Build- 
ings  455-459 

CHAPTER    LXV. 

Parks,  Boulevards  and  Breathing  Places  Maintained  for  the  People — History 
of  Belle  Isle  and  its  Various  Owners — Palmer,  Grand  Circus,  Clark  and 
Other  Valuable  Lands  Devoted  to  Public  Use— The  Older  Parks  Were  Once 
Swamp  Holes  and  Dumping  Grounds 459-463 

CHAPTER    LXVI. 

The  City  and  County  Poor  Department — Detroit  was  Slow  in  Providing  for  the 
Poor — The  Cholera  Epidemic  Filled  the  Town  with  Helpless  Orphans — 
Father  Kundig's  Herculean  Labors — Purchase  of  the  Black  Horse  Tavern 
Site— Horrors  of  the  old  Crazy  House. 463-467 


CHAPTER   LXVII. 

History  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Department — Fierce  Rivalry  of  the  Early  Volunteer 
Companies — The  Men  of  the  Hand  Engines  Surrender  to  the  Steam  Engines 
—Notable  Fires  of  the  Past  Century 468-479 

CHAPTER   LXVIII. 

The  Public  Library  and  the  Art  Museum— The  County  Officials  Withhold  the 
Library  Funds  for  Several  Years  and  Convert  Them  to  Other  Uses — Public 
Spirited  Citizens  Contribute  Liberally  to  Establish  an  Art  Museum  in  De- 
troit—Present Status  of  the  Two  Institutions 479-484 


CHAPTER   LXIX. 

Public  Sewers  and  Pavements — Developed  from  Open  Ditches  and  Corduroy 
Roads — There  are  Now  512  Miles  of  Paved  Streets  and  Nearly  as  Many 
Miles  of  Sewers 485-489 


CHAPTER   LXX. 

Freemasonry  and  Other  Secret  Benevolent  Societies — Military  Lodges  in  the 
Early  Days  of  British  Rule — The  Morgan  Excitement- -Odd  Fellowship  in 
Detroit 489-492 

CHAPTER    LXXI. 

Medical  Colleges  and  Hospitals — Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  Harper  Hos- 
pial  Developed  Together — Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Emergency 
Hospital — Charitable  Gifts  of  Walter  Harper  and  Ann,  "Nancy,"  Martin — 
Grace  Hospital  Founded  and  Endowed  by  John  S.  Newberry  and  James 
McMillan 493-498 

CHAPTER  LXXH. 

The  Era  of  Railroad  Building  in  Michigan — How  Detroit  Obtained  Communi- 
cation with  the  Other  Centers  of  Population — The  Campus  Martins  was 
Once  the  Railway  Terminal— Advent  of  Canadian  and  Ohio  Lines  Opening 
the  Way  to  the  Atlantic  Seaboard — James  F.  Joy  a  Leading  Spirit 499-506 

CHAPTER  LXXin. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  its  Early  Struggles  for  Existence — Founding  of  the  Board 

of  Trade — The  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  its  Troublous  Career .506-509 


CHAPTER  LXXIV. 

The  University  of  Michigan — The  Pedantry  of  Judge  Woodward — How  its  Rich 
Endowment  was  Wasted — The  Early  Schools  of  Detroit — The  Board  of  Ed- 
ucation   509-517 

CHAPTER  LXXV. 

Churches  and  Religious  Societies  in  Detroit — Ste.  Anne's  Was  the  Only  Church 
During  the  First  Century  of  the  City's  History — The  Moravians  in  1781-82— 
Protestant  Missionaries  Visit  Detroit  in  1800  —  Founding  of  the  Early 
Churches — Edifices  of  the  Various  Churches 517-535 

CHAPTER  LXXVI. 

The  Modern  Newspapers  of  Detroit — The  Tribune  and  the  Detroit  Free  Press 
Rival  Claimants  for  the  Honors  of  Seniority — Beginnings  of  the  Four  Dailies 
Now  in  Existence — The  Gazette  and  Other  Journals  of  the  Past — List  of 
the  Papers  and  Periodicals  now  Published  in  the  City 536-542 

CHAPTER  LXXVII. 

History  of  Detroit's  Street  Railways — First  Franchise  Granted  in  1862 — Short 
Lines  Prove  Losing  Ventures — Gradual  Combination  of  Lines  and  Exten- 
sions of  Service — The  Citizens'  Company's  Claims  of  Monopolistic  Rights — 
The  Contest  between  Mayor  Hazen  S.  Pingree  and  the  Street  Railway  Com- 
panies  542-555 

CHAPTER  LXXVni. 

Telegraph  and  Telephone  Communication — How  the  Numerous  Short  Telegraph 
Lines  were  Combined  into  Two  Great  Systems,  Affording  Communication 
with  All  Parts  of  the  World — Telephone  Lines  Developed  into  General  Com- 
munication   555-559 

CHAPTER  LXXIX. 

Detroit's  Marine  Interests  on  the  Great  Lakes — How  the  Great  Fleet  of  Lake 
Carriers  Succeeded  the  Birch  Bark  Canoes  of  the  Voyageurs  and  Fur  Traders 
— It  Was  the  Three  Small  Vessels,  Beaver,  Gladwin  and  Bear,  Which  Saved 
Detroiters  from  Starvation  During  the  Siege  of  1763 560-566 

CHAPTER  LXXX. 

Detroit's  Public  Buildings,  Commercial  Houses  and  Private  Residences — The 
City  Hall— The  New  County  Building— The  Federal  Building  and  Other 
Costly  Structures 566-573 

xvii 


CHAPTER   LXXXI. 

History  of  the  Small-Pox  Epidemics  Which  Have  Visited  the  City — Struggle  of 
the  Vaccination  Against  Popular  Prejudice — Ravages  of  the  Disease  at  Va- 
rious Times  Among  the  Poor  in  Densely  Populated  Portions  of  the  City. 573-577 

CHAPTER  LXXXII. 

Hotels  and  Taverns  of  the  Past  and  Present — The  Old  Mansion  House — Ben. 
Wood  worth's  Steamboat  Hotel — The  Michigan  Exchange,  and  Many  Others 
—Personality  of  the  Old-Time  Proprietors 577-587 

CHAPTER  LXXXni. 

Detroit  Militia  Organizations,  Past  and  Present — Sheriffs  of  Wayne  County 
Since  1796 587-591 

CHAPTER  LXXXIV. 

Amusements,  Recreations  and  Sports — Music  and  Drama — Detroit  Theatres 
Since  1798 — Horse  Racing,  Rowing.  Cricket,  Athletics,  Yachting,  Baseball, 
Bicycling  and  Social  Organizations ..591-617 

CHAPTER  LXXXV. 
Mayors  and  Common  Council  of  the  City  ef  Detroit 617-621 

CHAPTER  LXXXVI. 
Detroit  as  a  Modern  Commercial  City .622-629 


BIOGRAPHICAL ....631-872 


PERSONAL    REFERENCES 1-276,   Part  II 


INDEX. 

GENERAL 277-304 

BIOGRAPHICAL ....305-306 

PERSONAL   REFERENCES.... 307-311 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Alger,  Russell  A.,.-.   facing     40 

Anderson,  William  K., facing  376 

Andrews,  Myron  H.,  M.  D.,  ..facing  628 

Apel,  Franz  A., facing  636 

Armstrong,  Oscar  S..M.  D.,.. facing  638 

Barbour,  Edwin  S facing  200 

Barbour,  George  H facing  288 

Baumgartner,  F.  J-.  Rev., facing  400 

Baxter,  William  H., facing  643 

Beal,  Francis  R facing  644 

Bennett,  William  C, facing  460 

Berry,  Thomas, facing  240 

Bielman,  Charles  F facing  648 

Bishop,  Jerome  H., facing  650 

Blackburn,  Joel  S.,  M.  D.,    ...facing  508 

Bradley.  Herbert, facing  652 

Brodhead,  Thornton  F.,  Col.,  facing  216 

Brooks,  David  W. , facing  464 

Buncher,  Charles, facing  272 

Burroughs,  Samuel  Whiteside,  facing  657 

Campbell,   Henry  M facing  352 

Campbell,  James  V. , .facing     76 

Carstens,  J.  Henry,  M.  D facing  663 

Case,    George  F., facing  665 

Casgrain,  Charles  W., facing  666 

Catlin,  George  B  , facing  872 

Chandler,    Zachariah, facing     88 

Cheever,   Henry  M., facing  668 

Chittenden,  William  J.. facing  579 

Clark,  Joseph  H. , facing  592 

Chppert,  Frederick  J.,  M.  D.,  facing  672 

Conely,  Edwin  F.,  Col., facing  144 

Connor,  Leartus,  M.  D., facing  224 

Cook,  James  P., facing  677 

Crawford,  Samuel, facing  600 

Currie,   Cameron, facing  368 

Currie,  George  E., facing  679 

Davies,  Thomas  F.,  Rt.  Rev.,  facing  527 

Davis,  Edgar  A. , facing  683 

Dempsey,  Morgan  J.  P.,  Rev.,  facing  684 

Detroit  in  1708, facing     56 

Dick,  John  A. , facing  544 

Dickinson,  Don  M., facing  168 

Dickinson,  Julius  C,  M.  D., ..facing  408 
Dingwall,  George, ..facing  456 


Doherty,  James  G.,  Rev facing  689 

Doman,  Robert  F.  M.,  Rev., .facing  691 

Ducharme,  Charles, facing     64 

Du  Charme,  Charles  A., facing  312 

Duffield.  Samuel  P.,  M.  D.,... facing  493 

Du    Pont,  Antoine  B., facing  696 

Dwyer,  Jeremiah, facing  256 

Farrand,  Jacob  S. , facing  100 

Flowers,  Charles, facing  700 

Foley,  John  S.,  Rt.  Rev., facing  517 

Fox,  William  D., .facmg  702 

Eraser,  Elisha  A facing  604 

Gott,  Edward  A., facing  706 

Graham,  James, facing  548 

Greusel,  John, facing  708 

Griffith,  Armond  H., facing  484 

Gue,  Arthur  E..  M.  D.,.. facing  711 

Guelich,  Otto  E.  C facing  608 

Haass,  Charles  F.  W.,  Rev.,  ..facing  713 

Hahn,  Jacob  H. , facing  594 

Haigh,  Henry  A., ..facing  716 

Hamblen,  Joseph  G. , . . . facing  416 

Hamlen,   William  I.,   M.   D.,. facing  552 
Hanna,  Valentine  C,    Lieut. - 

Col. , facing  856 

Harsha,  Walter  S., facing  719 

Hayes,  Clarence  M.,   facing  720 

Hendrie,  George, ...facing  721 

Henry,  Albert  M.,    facing  344 

Hinsdale,  NehemiahC. , facing  725 

Hodges,  Henry  C.,. facing  152 

Holmes,  William  L., facing  612 

Humphrey,  Ira  G. , facing  731 

Hunt,  Wellington  Q., facmg  732 

Hutchins,  Jere  C  , .facing  556 

Ives,  Percy, facing  734 

Janes,  Oscar  A.,  Col., facing  424 

Johnson,  S.  Olin,  ..   facing  736 

Joslyn,  Charles  D., ..facing  738 

Joy,  James  F. , facing     52 

Jupp,  William  C, facing  74 i 

Keep,  William  J., facing  616 

Kelly,  Ronald, facing  744 

Kessler,  William  H.,. facing  746 

Knight,  Stephen  H., facing  560 


Lang,  Otto,  M.  D.,.. facing 

Lathrop,  Joseph,  sn,  D.D.S... facing 

Lawrence,  George  C. , facing 

Ledbeter,  Thomas, facing 

Leggett,  John  W.,... .facing 

Lennane,  John, . . facing 

LeSeure,  Oscar,  M.  D., facing 

Lewis,  Alexander, facing 

Livingstone,  William,  jr., facing 

Lodge,  Frank  T., facing 

Look,  William facing 

Lothrop,  George  V.  N., facing 

Lothrop.  Henry  B.,  Gen., facing 

McGregor,  John, .facing 

McLeod,  Alexander  L , facing 

McMillan,  James, facing 

McMillan,  William  C, facing 

McVittie,  Alexander, facing 

Marschner,  Ferdinand  W.,  ...facing 

Martindale,  Wales  C. , facing 

Marxhausen,  August, facing 

Maybury,  William  C.,... facing 

Mayhew,  David  P., facing 

Mehan,  John  D., facing 

Meigs,  Alfred  E., facing 

Mills,  Merrill  B. , facing 

Mills,  ]Merrill  L,    facing 

Moore,  George  William, facing 

Mulheron,  John  J.,  M.D., facing 

Newcomb,  Cyrenius  A., facing 

Ninde,  William  X.,  Rev., facing 

Owen,  Orville  W.,  M.  D., facing 

Paine,  George  H., facing 

Palmer,  Thomas  W. , facing 

Parker,  Aaron  A. , facing 

Parker,  Dayton,  M.  D., facing 

Parker,  Ralzemond  A. , facing 

Patterson,  John  E. , facing 

Pingree,  Hazen  S.,... facing 

Price,  Orrin  J., facing 

Ouinby,  William  E., facing 

Radford,  George  W.,.. facing 

Raymond,  Alexander  B. , facing 


472 
749 
432 
751 
752 
753 
564 
136 
539 
756 
759 
28 
392 
572 
7G3 
124 


769 
515 
540 
620 
773 
776 

248 
112 
328 
782 
320 
523 
786 
448 
16 
2G4 
468 
796 
624 
4 
804 
537 
384 
807 


Rich,  John  T facing  160 

Rogers,  Fordyce  H., facing  360 

Ross,  Robert  B.,... Frontispiece 

Safford,  Robert  C, facing  811 

Savage,  James,  Rev.,.. .facing  813 

Schmid,  John  A., facing  814 

Scripps,  James  E.,. facing  538 

Shaw,  John  T., facing  336 

Slocum,  EllioUT.,... ...facing  176 

Smedley,  John  H facing  818 

Smith,  Hamilton  E.,  M.  D.,.. facing  576 
Snow,  Edwards.,  M.  D.,  ....facing  820 

Snow,  Herbert  M. , facing  822 

Snow,  Frank  E facing  488 

Sprague,  William  C, facing  480 

Springer,  Oscar  M., facing  584 

Stacey,  William, facing  825 

Standish,  James  D., facing  184 

Starkweather,  George  A  , facing  829 

Stevenson,  Elliott  G., ..facing  280 

Stewart,  G.  Duffield,  M.  D.,.. facing  832 

Stoepel,  Frederick  C, ..facing  208 

Tarsnev,  Timothy  E., facing  835 

Taylor,' Elisha, .facing  232 

Taylor,  Joseph, facing  839 

Tefft,  William  H., facing  192 

Thurber,  Henry  T., facing  304 

Tuttle,  Jonathan  B., facing  843 

Van  Alstyne,  John  S., facing  844 

Van  Dyke,  Ernest,  Rev., facing  847 

Wadsworth,  Thomas  A. , facing  588 

Wagstaff,  Denman  S. ,  Col.,  ..facing  848 

Warner,  Carlos  E., facing  504 

Weadock,  Thomas  A.  E., facing  452 

Wilkins,  Charles  T., facing  853 

Wilkinson,  Albert  H., facing  512 

Williams,  Nathan  G., facing  855 

Wilson,  William  H.,  Capt.,... facing  859 

Wormer,  C.  C, 160,   Part  H 

Wurzer,  Carl facing  860 

Yawkey,  William  C, .facing  445 

Yearick,  Cincero  R., ..facing  860 


LANDMARKS  OF   DETROIT. 


CHAPTER   I. 


The  Coming  of  Cadillac — He  is  Accompanied  by  Fifty  Soldiers,  Fifty  Civilians 
and  One  Hundred  Algonquin  Indians — Selects  Detroit  as  the  Most  Commanding 
Position  on  the  Straits. 

On  the  23d  day  of  July,  1701,  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  Detroit 
River  gleamed  like  molten  gold  under  the  hot  summer  sun,  a  fleet  of 
birch  bark  canoes  suddenly  appeared  off  the  head  of  Belle  Isle,  and, 
propelled  swiftly  by  the  sturdy  arms  of  the  rowers,  bore  rapidly  down 
with  the  current  in  the  direction  of  the  high  banks  and  the  wooded 
slopes  along  the  western  shore.  Neither  friend  nor  foe  came  forth  to 
greet  the  intrepid  travelers,  who  thus  arrived  unheralded,  and  who 
were  soon  to  bring  to  a  welcome  termination  one  of  those  remarkable 
journeys,  at  once  the  necessity  and  the  extremity  of  pioneer  days  in 
this  great  northwestern  country,  of  which  Detroit  was  the  center  and 
most  important  post  during  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
The  route  of  these  weary  travelers  had  led  by  baffling  stages  for  sev- 
eral hundred  leagues  through  tortuous  streams  and  primeval  forests, 
whose  wild  grandeur  was  intensified  by  vast  solitude  and  whose  dangers 
in  the  way  of  marauding  bands  of  murderous  red  skins,  untried  rapids 
in  unknown  rivers,  and  the  fierce  assaults  of  wild  animals,  might  well 
appall  the  stoutest  hearts.  Thence  the  course  lay  along  the  waters  of 
the  mighty  inland  seas,  whose  limits,  whose  storms  and  whose  reefs 
and  shoals  were  to  these  hardy  invaders  of  the  wilderness  alike  un- 
known. Encamped  under  the  stars  by  night  and  guided  by  friendly 
voyageurs  by  day,  the  little  band  had  come  at  last  almost  to  their  long 
journey's  end;  and  never  was  time  more  auspicious  to  bid  a  welcome. 
History  records  that  the  newcomers  entered  Detroit  River  upon  a  day 


splendid  and  golden,  like  their  hopes  of  future  fortune,  and  that 
never  did  the  green  groves  edging  the  shores  present  a  more  superb 
appearance,  being  as  they  were  absolutely  guiltless  of  the  desecrating 
contact  of  the  hand  of  civilized  man,  his  rude  destroying  axe,  or  his 
leveling  plow,  and  being  furthermore  in  the  ver>  height  of  summer's 
gayest  livery  of  vivid  green. 

The  sight  the  travelers  gained  of  their  future  home  was  inspiring, 
and  yet  the  groves  edging  the  shores  where  lisped  the  peaceful  blue 
river  were  merely  the  border  of  a  mighty  wilderness.  Birds  of  rare 
plumage  caroled  forth  a  welcome,  and  the  breezes  whispered  of  peace 
and  rest.  Afar,  rising  here  and  there  to  the  bright  blue  skies,  soft  as 
those  of  sunny  southern  France,  curled  an  occasional  thin  column  of 
smoke,  marking  the  camp  fire  of  some  roving  band  of  Indians;  but  no 
human  sound  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  slumbering  shores  of  the  wide 
strait,  nor  disturbed  the  intense  serenity  of  the  peaceful  groves.  Had 
there  been  any  Indians  at  this  point  on  either  side  of  the  silent  stream, 
whose  currents  ever  ran  toward  the  mighty  ocean,  a  thousand  miles 
away,  they  could  have  seen  a  fleet  of  bark  canoes,  whose  occupants 
were  clad  with  unconventional  informality,  for  full  clothing  was  not  de- 
sirable on  that  warm  July  day.  There  were  twenty-five  large  canoes, 
occupied  by  one  hundred  white  men,  and  they  were  led  by  an  escort  of 
smaller  craft  propelled  by  one  hundred  Algonquin  Indians.  History 
and  tradition  aver  that  no  human  being  saw  from  the  shore  the  ap- 
proaching flotilla  at  this  point.  The  canoes  were  capacious  crafts, 
each  being  about  twenty-five  feet  in  length  and  having  a  beam  of  six 
feet ;  their  capacity  was  about  two  tons  each. 

The  uniforms  of  the  fifty  soldiers  (for  such  indeed  was  the  official 
station  of  half  the  travelers)  were  those  of  the  period,  common  to  the 
army  of  France ;  dark  blue  coats  with  white  facings,  the  garments  being 
fastened  at  the  neck  and  cut  away  tapering  toward  the  bottom,  with 
white  narrow  slashes  of  about  three  inches  in  length,  which  defined 
and  covered  the  unused  button  hole;  diagonally  across  from  shoulder 
to  hip  were  baldrics  of  white ;  and  knee  breeches  and  leggings  of  the 
same  color  completed  the  decorations  of  their  uniforms.  Some  of  the 
troopers,  with  a  touch  of  that  precision  in  dress  that  has  ever  been  a 
characteristic  of  the  French  nation,  even  retained  the  white  powder  on 
their  wigs,  despite  the  fatiguing  voyage  on  which  negligence  of  toilet 
would  be  entirely  excusable.  All  the  soldiers  wore  the  famous  three- 
cornered  chapeau  of  felt  or  cloth,   surmounted  with  three  feathers. 


The  three  officers  wore  substantially  the  same  uniform,  the  only  differ- 
ence being-  in  the  texture  of  the  cloth,  and  an  occasional  ornament  in 
the  shape  of  embroidery  on  the  hat  and  coat.  However,  it  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  a  canoe  voyage  of  forty- eight  days,  with  exposure  to  sun 
and  rain  and  with  camping  in  primeval  forests  at  night,  had  not  made 
sad  havoc  with  military  toilets.  Nor  could  it  be  expected,  therefore, 
that  these  half  hundred  soldiers  could  have  passed  a  dress  parade  in- 
spection at  the  hands  of  some  military  martinet.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
neither  privations  nor  dangers  had  dimmed  the  lustre  of  the  proud  flag 
of  France,  which  was  flaunted  to  the  breezes'  caress  at  the  stern  of  the 
canoe  of  the  expedition's  leader — a  field  of  white  with  three  golden 
fleurs  de  lis  on  a  blue  shield.  From  several  of  the  canoes  arose  the  in- 
spiring strains  of  martial  music,  the  drum  and  ear-piercing  fife.  Be- 
sides the  soldiers  there  was  an  equal  number  of  emigrants,  so  that  the 
expedition  numbered  one  hundred  in  all.  These  emigrants  were  agri- 
culturists and  artisans. 

In  the  first  canoe  sat  the  Chevalier  Cadillac,  leader  of  the  expedition, 
holding  a  small  telescope  in  his  hand  with  which  he  frequently  sur- 
veyed the  landscape.  He  was  a  man  forty  three  years  of  age,  of  dis- 
tinguished mien,  with  the  dark  complexion  of  the  south  of  France,  for 
he  was  a  Gascon ;  his  eyes  were  bright  and  piercing  and  his  expression 
denoted  courage,  persistency  and  buoyant  spirits.  His  face  bore  traces 
of  the  battle  of  life,  of  conflict  with  opposing  forces  and  of  exposure  to 
the  elements.  As  sailor,  soldier,  explorer  and  statesman,  he  had  al- 
ready made  many  pages  of  French  history.  Such  was  Antoine  Laumet 
de  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Lord  of  Dcnaquec  and  Mt.  Desert,  Knight  of 
the  Royal  and  Military  order  of  St.  Louis,  and  for  five  years  command- 
ant of  the  post  of  Michilimackinac.  He  surveyed  with  restless  eyes 
the  thickly  wooded  shores,  seeking  a  convenient  spot  for  disembarking. 
Every  available  spot  for  the  site  of  a  military  post  was  carefully  ob- 
served. Cadillac  wanted  the  most  commanding  situation  on  the  river; 
a  place  where  the  cannon  of  the  future  post  could  defend  the  stream  and 
keep  the  gateway  of  the  lakes  against  all  the  enemies  of  France.  The 
fleet  passed  down  the  stream  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  When  passing 
Grosse  Isle  the  commander  thought  of  founding  his  post  on  that  island, 
because  Paris  was  originally  founded  on  the  Isle  de  Paris,  but  realized 
that  such  a  location  would  make  it  difficult  to  transport  heavy  merchan- 
dise, wood  and  the  other  necessaries  of  life  from  the  main  land,  and 
that  at  times  the  running  ice  would  make  it  impossible  to  use  the  frail 


bark  canoes  for  outside  communication.  They  camped  on  Grosse  Isle 
that  night,  and  next  morning  the  voyagers  proceeded  up  the  stream 
again,  keeping  time  to  their  boat  song  with  the  strong  sweep  of  their 
paddles.  In  the  blazing  heat  of  the  afternoon  they  came  again  to  the 
high  terraces  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  about  two  and  one  half 
miles  below  what  is  now  Belle  Isle.  Cadillac's  canoe  was  pointed  toward 
the  beach  and  all  the  rest  of  the  flotilla  turned  likewise,  the  men  setting 
up  a  rousing  cheer. 

The  long  voyage  was  over.  It  had  started  forty  nine  days  before,  on 
June  5,  from  La  Chine,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  a  short  distance  above 
Montreal.  Entering  the  Ottawa  River  the  travelers  had  threaded  the 
windings  of  that  stream  for  more  than  three  hundred  leagues,  making 
upward  of  thirty  portages  Finally  the  party  reached  the  nearest 
point  to  Lake  Nippissing,  where  the  last  and  most  fatiguing  portage 
was  effected  to  that  body  of  water.  The  remainder  of  the  route  was 
down  French  River  to  Lake  Huron;  down  the  lake  to  the  head  of 
tlie  straits,  where  Duluth  in  1687  had  built  a  fort  which  was  burned 
down  two  years  later;  through  the  St.  Clair  River  and  Lake  and 
thence  on  to  the  Detroit  River,  a  land  and  water  journey  of  over  a 
thousand  miles. 

The  canoes  were  drawn  up  on  the  beach  and  the  provisions,  tools  and 
stores  taken  out;  the  latter  included  a  small  brass  cannon.  Camp  fires 
were  lighted  and  tents  pitched,  and  the  evening  meal  discussed.  The 
two  priests  led  in  a  vesper  service  of  song;  soon  the  shades  of  night 
fell  on  the  unwonted  scene,  and  the  travelers  laid  down  to  well  earned 
repose.  Next  day,  after  morning  mass  in  the  woodland,  Cadillac  made 
proclamation  that  the  land  and  the  waters  were  the  property  of  his 
majesty,  Louis  XIV.  The  building  of  log  cabins  for  the  settlers  com- 
menced and  on  the  following  day  the  work  of  erecting  a  church  was 
begun,  the  edifice  being  dedicated  to  Ste.  Anne,  for  it  was  the  day  on 
which  that  holy  woman  died.  The  commander  also  laid  out  a  quad- 
rangle for  a  fort,  which  inclosed  about  two  hundred  feet  on  each  side, 
situated  between  Griswold  street,  Jefferson  avenue,  Shelby  street  and 
the  river.  The  work  was  prosecuted  with  diligence  in  order  that  the 
fort  should  furnish  immediate  command  of  the  strait  and  the  opposite 
shore,  and  also  because  Cadillac  knew  that  the  winters  were  severe  and 
good  shelter  was  an  absolute  necessity.  The  new  settlement  was  close 
to  the  hunting  and  trapping  grounds  of  the  blood-thirsty  Iroquois,  who 
were  very  changeable  in  their  likes  and  dislikes,  and  so  numerous  that 


the  wiping  out  of  an  inadequately  protected  outpost  was  for  them  an 
easy  undertaking.  In  a  few  days  the  whole  space  of  one  arpent  square 
was  inclosed  by  a  substantial  stockade,  consisting  of  oak  pickets  fifteen 
feet  in  length  sunk  in  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  three  feet.  There  was 
a  gentle  slope  of  about  forty  paces  to  the  river  which  formed  a  very 
desirable  glacis.  The  best  authority  has  it  that  Cadillac's  fortified  vil- 
lage had  its  southeast  corner  on  the  south  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  about 
where  the  Palms  block  now  stands.  Its  northern  wall  reached  westward 
to  a  point  about  thirty  feet  west  of  Shelby  street.  It  was  bounded  on 
the  west  by  a  line  running  south  from  the  last  named  point  to  the 
river  bank,  which  was  then  a  bluff  nearly  forty  feet  high.  The  south 
wall  ran  along  this  bluff  and  the  maps  show  that  the  stockade  was 
laid  out  on  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  Inside  the  stockade 
there  was  a  clear  space  of  twelve  feet,  so  that  its  defenders  could 
quickly  assemble  at  any  threatened  point  of  danger.  The  picket  wall 
was  pierced  for  musketry  and  there  were  bastions  on  each  corner. 

And  thus  Cadillac  founded  Detroit! 

While  the  founder  of  the  city  was  threading  the  tortuous  windings 
of  the  Ottawa,  on  his  way  to  Detroit,  the  Iroquois  held  a  council  with 
the  British  authorities  of  New  York,  and  as  a  result  they  conveyed  to 
King  William  III,  of  England,  all  their  claims  to  lands  in  the  west  in- 
cluding the  Straits  of  Detroit,  which  they  called  Tjeuchsaghronde 
(Teuscha  Gronde).  This  was  done  to  exhibit  their  resentment  against 
the  claim  of  Frontenac,  the  French  governor,  who  answered  their  pro- 
test against  erecting  a  post  and  fort  on  the  Detroit  or  straits,  by  say- 
ing that  the  land  belonged  to  his  master  the  king  of  France.  The  con- 
veyance was  made  on  June  19,  1701,  five  days  before  Cadillac  landed 
at  Detroit. 

Robert  Livingstone,  an  English  trader  at  Orange  (Albany),  wanted 
his  government  to  establish  a  post  on  Detroit  River  in  1699,  and  he 
made  a  careful  report  of  the  advantages  he  had  noted  when  making  a 
trip  to  the  upper  lakes  during  the  previous  year. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Early  Discoveries  in  North  America — Great  Britain  and  Spain  Held  the  Coast — 
France  Aimed  to  Secure  Canada,  the  Lake  Region,  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
Unknown  West.— 1492-1701. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  sig-nificance  of  Cadillac's  expedition  and  his 
selection  of  Detroit  as  a  landing  place,  it  is  well  to  briefly  outline  the 
trend  of  colonization  in  America.  Columbus  landed  at  San  Salvador 
in  1492,  and  took  possession  of  the  Bahama  Islands  in  the  name  of 
Spain.  In  the  course  of  his  later  voyages  he  slightly  enlarged  his 
range  of  discovery  and  the  consequent  claims  of  the  Spanish  crown. 
Within  a  few  years  other  explorations  added  Mexico,  Florida,  Louisi- 
ana, Peru,  Chili,  and  other  South  American  territory  to  Spain  by  claim 
of  discovery.  Don  Pedro  Cabral,  a  Portuguese,  laid  claim  to  Brazil. 
The  British  founded  a  settlement  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1607,  which 
was  the  pioneer  colony  in  North  America.  The  French,  under  Cham- 
plain,  founded  Quebec  in  1608;  and  the  third  colony,  Manhattan  Island 
(New  York),  was  settled  by  the  Dutch  in  1610,  having  been  discovered 
by  Hendrick  Hudson  the  previous  year.  English  Puritans  founded  the 
Massachusetts  colony  in  1620,  while  the  British  government  laid  claim 
to  the  entire  coast  north  of  the  Florida  line  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  by 
virtue  of  the  discoveries  of  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  who  made  land- 
ings at  various  places  between  Greenland  and  the  South  Atlantic  coast. 
The  fever  of  adventure  and  exploration  possessed  F'rance,  Spain,  Portu- 
gal, England  and  Holland.  While  the  Cabots  were  discovering  Lab- 
rador and  Newfoundland,  Vasco  De  Gama,  a  Portuguese  navigator, 
skirted  the  coast  of  Africa,  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  reached 
the  East  Indies,  then  the  goal  of  all  sea  explorations  at  that  time. 
Gasper  Cortereal  followed  the  Cabots  to  Labrador  and  Newfoundland. 
Italy,  which  did  less  exploring  than  any  of  the  other  nations,  sent  out 
Amerigo  Vespucci  to  America  in  1499 ;  he  discovered  nothing  which  had 
not  been  discovered  before  his  arrival,  but  by  a  strange  irony  of  fate 
this  most  inferior  navigator  who  had  yet  crossed  the  Atlantic  gave  his 
name  to  a  continent  four  times  larger  than  Europe  and  the  new  world 


was  thereafter  known  as  America.  While  these  explorations  were  pro- 
gressing in  the  north,  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  the  Spanish  explorer,  was 
making  a  brilliant  page  in  the  history  of  America.  In  1519  he  accom- 
panied Davila  to  Darien,  where  the  latter  was  governor.  De  Soto  ex- 
plored the  coast  of  South  America;  joined  Pizarro  in  his  conquest  of 
Peru;  wrested  Florida  from  the  Indians  in  1540;  located  a  line  of  forts 
reaching  from  Florida  to  the  Mississippi,  which  he  discovered  at  a 
point  not  far  from  the  borders  of  Tennessee.  He  died  of  swamp  fever 
on  its  banks  in  April,  1541,  and  was  buried  in  a  weighted  canoe  in  the 
middle  of  the  great  river  in  order  that  the  savages  might  not  mutilate 
his  body. 

In  spite  of  the  sweeping  claims  of  the  English,  and  their  evident  in- 
tention to  crowd  out  all  other  claimants,  the  French  were  determined 
to  have  a  liberal  slice  of  the  territory  of  the  new  world.  In  1506 
Denis  de  Honfleur,  a  French  navigator,  entered  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, and  twelve  years  later  Baron  De  Lery  established  a  convict 
colony  on  the  barren  sands  of  Sable  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia, 
This  was  presently  abandoned  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  climate, 
and  then  John  Verrazano  made  a  superficial  examination  of  the  coast 
south  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  claimed  the  whole  territory  for  Francis 
I  of  Frarce.  So  far  the  French  explorations  were  unfruitful,  be- 
cause the  discoverers  found  that  they  had  been  preceded  by  navigators 
of  other  nations,  Jacques  Cartier  visited  the  coast  of  Newfoundland 
in  1534,  and  on  his  second  voyage  he  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the 
St.  Charles  River,  near  where  Quebec  was  subsequently  founded.  He 
traded  with  the  Indians  and  explored  the  region  about  the  river,  but 
finding  no  spices  or  precious  metals  he  went  back  to  France  with  dis- 
couraging reports  of  the  new  country. 

Although  the  ardor  of  the  French  was  dampened,  Cartier  returned 
in  1540  and  visited  what  were  to  be  the  future  sites  of  the  cities  of 
Quebec  and  Montreal,  the  latter  being  at  that  time  the  Indian  village 
of  Hochelaga.  He  built  a  small  fort  on  the  St.  Charles,  and  then 
French  enterprise  slumbered  for  half  a  century.  In  1598  the  Mar- 
quis de  la  Roche  added  another  failure  to  the  long  list  of  explora- 
tions made  by  his  countrymen,  but  a  more  competent  explorer  was 
ready  to  carry  the  flag  of  France  across  the  Atlantic,  and  plant  it  where 
it  should  wave  for  more  than  half  a  century.  Henry  IV  had  a  rather 
poor  opinion  of  the  new  world,  but  he  granted  the  request  of  M.  de 
Chastes,   governor  of   Dieppe,   to  found    settlements  in  the  St.   Law- 


rence  region.  De  Chastes  sent  an  able  substitute  in  Samuel  Cham- 
plain,  of  Saintonge,  who  sailed  from  Honfleur,  March  15,  1603,  accom- 
panied by  M.  Pont-Grave,  a  sailor  of  St.  Malo.  After  three  voyages 
and  nearly  five  years  of  exploration,  Champlain  in  1608  founded  Que- 
bec at  the  narrows  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  because  the  place  offered 
unusual  advantages  for  military  defense.  He  organized  a  settlement 
and  took  sides  with  the  Algonquins  against  the  Iroquois;  discovered 
Lake  Champlain,  the  majestic  sheet  of  water  which  bears  his  name, 
and  explored  the  valley  of  the  Ottawa,  which  was  the  first  highway  of 
his  countrymen  to  the  great  lakes.  He  reached  Lake  Huron,  em- 
barked on  its  waters  and  after  reaching  the  foot  of  the  lake,  made  his 
way  back  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  As  to  Champlain's  route  on  his  return 
from  Lake  Huron  to  the  St  Lawrence,  there  is  no  reliable  account. 
Having  made  his  journey  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron  over  the  route 
traversed  by  Cadillac  ninety  years  later,  it  would  appear  that  he  would 
very  naturally  have  entered  the  St.  Clair  River,  traversed  Lake  St, 
Clair,  and  passing  down  Detroit  River  would  have  made  his  return  to 
the  east  by  Lake  Erie.  Then  by  a  portage  around  Niagara  Falls  he 
could  have  reached  Lake  Ontario  and  eventually  arrived  at  the  future 
site  of  Fort  Frontenac,  which  was  established  on  the  site  of  Kingston, 
Ont.  It  is  a  plausible  theory,  because  he  was  a  man  who  appreciated 
the  value  of  water  communication,  which  was  the  only  means  of  trans- 
portation except  the  backs  of  the  coureitrs  de  bois.  The  light  birch 
canoes  could  be  propelled  swiftly  along  with  a  considerable  load  of 
furs  or  merchandise  In  the  trackless  wilderness  no  pedestrian,  except 
a  trained  Indian  runner,  could  equal  them  as  a  means  of  communica- 
tion, and  they  were  beyond  competition  as  carriers  for  the  early  com- 
merce of  New  France  In  spite  of  this  reasonable  conclusion  and  the 
subsequent  claims  of  Governor  Denonville  in  support  of  it,  there  is  no 
evidence  to  prove  the  discovery.  Champlain  was  spying  out  the  new 
country  for  the  purpose  of  making  France  the  mistress  of  the  north- 
western region,  which  as  yet  was  open  to  the  undisputed  claim  of  the 
French  crown.  Having  such  a  purpose  in  view  he  would  naturally 
have  made  a  careful  report  of  the  most  desirable  route  for  reaching 
the  upper  lake  region.  He  could  hardly  have  failed  to  appreciate  the 
beauty  of  the  straits  and  their  importance  to  future  commerce,  and 
among  his  papers  describing  his  discoveries  some  reference  should 
have  been  found  in  regard  to  the  two  rivers.  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  of  his 
voyage  on  Lake  Erie.     Thus  theory  and  reason  would  apparently  have 


led  the  explorer  to  follow  the  outlet  of  Lake  Hiiron  as  far  as  possible, 
upon  the  supposition  that  he  had  reached  the  head  waters  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River;  but  had  he  done  so  he  would  naturally  have  made  an 
enthusiastic  report  of  his  discoveries. 

The  establishment  of  the  colony  of  New  France  was  due  principally 
to  the  efforts  of  Champlain.  In  1620  the  new  world  was  made  up  of 
New  France  (of  which  Acadia,  afterward  Nova  Scotia,  was  a  portion), 
Newfoundland,  New  England,  New  Spain,  New  Brunswick  and  Nieu 
Nederlands.  Champlain  was  governor  of  New  France  from  1612  to 
1629,  and  again  from  1633  to  1635,  and  died  in  the  latter  year  at  Que- 
bec. In  1628  France  and  England  were  at  war.  Charles  I  of  England 
gave  Sir  David  Kirke,  a  French  refugee,  a  commission  for  an  expedi- 
tion against  Canada.  He  appeared  before  Quebec  that  summer  with  a 
small  fleet  and  demanded  a  surrender.  Champlain  made  a  show  of 
great  strength  by  cunning  deception,  and  Kirke  abandoned  the  siege. 
In  1629  he  came  again,  and  Champlain  being  in  desperate  straits  from 
lack  of  provisions,  clothing  and  ammunition,  was  compelled  to  sur- 
render all  Canada  to  England.  Champlain  went  to  England  a  prisoner, 
but  was  released.  The  treaty  of  St  Germain  en  Laye  restored  Canada 
to  the  French  in  1632,  and  Champlain  set  out  the  next  spring  with  three 
ships  and  once  more  took  command  at  Quebec.  He  began  his  ex- 
plorations when  he  was  thirty-three  years  of  age  and  was  one  of  the 
most  energetic  as  well  as  the  most  pious  of  explorers.  He  regarded 
the  Indians  with  due  respect,  and  he  believed  the  first  duty  of  the  state 
was  to  convert  them  to  Christianity.  He  was  so  strict  in  his  integrity 
that  he  never  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  which  offered  great  profit.  It 
was  his  ambition  to  make  New  France  a  thriving  agricultural  country, 
instead  of  a  trading  territory  for  amassing  riches,  and  as  far  as  he  was 
able  he  filled  the  settlements  with  farmers  and  artisans,  to  whom  seeds 
and  tools  were  provided.  But  he  was  greatly  hampered  by  the  com- 
mercial companies  who  sought  to  make  fortunes  quickly.  The  De 
Caens,  uncle  and  nephew,  who  were  granted  a  monopoly  of  the  trade 
of  the  colony,  were  turbulent  and  headstrong  in  their  opposition  to  Cham- 
plain's  plans,  and  acted  as  though  the  savages  were  the  legitimate  prey 
of  the  traders.  Champlain  saw  their  conduct  was  unbearable,  and  to 
get  rid  of  them  he  went  back  to  France.  As  he  expected,  the  settle- 
ment' became  too  hot  for  the  De  Caens  during  his  absence,  and  they 
had  to  leave.  At  Lake  Champlain,  in  the  combined  attacks  of  the  Al- 
gonquins  and  Hurons  upon  the  Iroquois,  Champlain   fired  his  ancient 


arquebus  with  deadly  effect,  and  the  sound  of  this  firearm  struck  ter- 
ror to  the  Iroquois,  as  they  believed  the  weapon  to  be  endowed  with 
supernatural  qualities. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  explorations  by  agents  of  the  government 
were  the  labors  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries.  Their  heroic  work  of  evan- 
gelization among  the  savage  tribes,  penetrating  to  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  wilderness,  and  carrying  the  cross  wherever  human  beings  could 
be  found,  makes  a  story  as  fascinating  as  the  most  thrilling  of  ro- 
mances. In  September,  1641,  Raymbault  came  to  the  Falls  of  St. 
Mary,  or  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  being  the  first  Jesuit  missionary  who  visited 
that  field,  and  the  first  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Michigan.  Next 
came  Fathers  Jacques  and  Bressani,  Jean  de  Breboeuf,  Chaumonot, 
Claude  Dablon,  Mesnard,  and  others.  In  1660  Mesnard,  an  aged  priest, 
reached  a  bay  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  where  he  estab- 
lished-a  mission  and  called  it  St.  Theresa;  the  year  following  he  ad- 
vanced to  the  bay  of  Che-goi-me-gon.  He  was  lost  in  the  forest  and 
never  seen  again,  but  among  the  amulets  of  the  Sioux  were  discovered 
his  breviary  and  cassock.  Another  French  Jesuit  was  Father  Claude 
Allouez,  who  founded  the  Holy  Spirit  Mission  at  the  bay  of  Che-goi- 
me-gon,  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior  in  1665;  also  one  ac  Green 
Bay;  and  also  explored  portions  of  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  M.  Louis 
Joliet  was  the  first  explorer  who  passed  up  Detroit  River  and  left  a 
clear  record  of  the  trip.  He  made  a  trip  from  La  Chine,  above  Mont- 
real, to  Niagara  in  July,  1669,  and  after  visiting  several  Indian  villages 
of  the  Senecas  in  that  vicinty,  he  set  out  with  three  canoes  and  a  com- 
pany of  seven  men  for  a  voyage  of  discovery.  In  his  party  were 
Fathers  Galinee  and  Dollier,  two  priests  of  St.  Sulpice ;  they  made  the 
trip  in  safety  and  passed  up  the  Detroit  River  to  Lake  St.  Clair  early 
in  1 670.  Reports  of  their  discoveries  are  but  meager,  but  in  the  pre- 
served correspondence  of  Father  Gallinee  there  is  an  account  of  their 
discovery  of  an  idol  on  the  banks  of  the  Detroit  River,  about  six 
leagues  from  Lake  Erie,  at  or  near  the  site  of  the  city  of  Detroit.  It 
was  a  carved  stone  image,  which  the  Indians  undertook  to  propitiate 
by  offerings,  as  it  was  supposed  to  exercise  some  influence  over  Lake 
Erie.  The  pious  fathers  fell  upon  it  with  great  zeal  and  destroyed  it 
at  the  expense  of  their  hatchets,  subsequently  scattering  the  fragments 
in  the  river.  Their  pious  zeal  destroyed  what  would  have  proved  a 
most  interesting  relic  for  the  Detroit  museum.  A  stone  idol  in  this 
part  of  the  country  would  appear  to  be  a  relic  of  a  race  much  older  than 

10 


the  Indians  who  occupied  the  territory  when  the  French  arrived — a  race 
whose  relics  are  rare  and  highly  esteemed  by  archaeologists.  They 
prepared  the  following  certificate  of  discovery  while  on  this  trip  and  it 
was  filed  in  the  archives  of  state  at  Quebec, 

"We  the  undersigned,  certify  that  we  have  seen  the  arms  of  the  king  of  France 
set  up  on  the  lands  of  the  lake  called  Erie,  at  the  foot  of  a  cross  with  this  inscription: 
'  The  year  of  salvation  1669,  Clement  IX  being  seated  in  the  chair  of  St  Peter,  Louis 
XIV  reignmg  in  France,  Monsieur  de  Courcelles  being  governor  of  New  France,  and 
Monsieur  Talon  being  intendant  for  the  king,  two  missionaries  from  the  seminary 
of  Montreal  having  arrived  at  this  place,  accompanied  by  seven  other  Frenchmen, 
who,  the  first  of  all  the  European  nations,  have  witnessed  on  this  lake,  of  which  they 
have  taken  possession  in  the  name  of  their  king  as  an  unoccupied  land,  by  setting  up 
his  arms  which  they  have  affixed  at  the  foot  of  this  cross.  In  witness  whereof  we 
have  signed  the  present  certificate: 

"  Francois  Dollier,  priest  for  the  diocese  of  Nantes  in  Britanny; 

"  De  Galinee,  deacon  of  the  diocese  in  Rennes  in  Britanny.'  " 

Father  Marquette,  another  Jesuit  missionary  and  explorer,  was  born 
of  an  illustrious  French  family  in  1637,  came  to  Quebec  in  1666,  and 
there  became  an  Indian  missionary.  He  learned  and  spoke  the  language 
of  the  three  great  confederacies — Algonquins,  Hurons  and  Iroquois, 
and  was  esteemed  the  greatest  of  the  Indian  missionaries.  In  1668  he 
established  a  mission  at  St.  Ignace  and  preached  the  gospel  to  2,000 
Indians.  In  1673,  at  the  request  of  Governor  Frontenac,  he  and  Joliet 
began  their  wonderful  exploration  of  the  Mississippi,  going  within  ten 
days'  journey  of  its  mouth,  and  ascertaining  that  this  stream  flowed 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Marquette  also  did  much  missionary  work  at 
Green  Bay  and  visited  the  Chicago  River  as  early  as  1674.  On  May 
27,  1765,  he  died  while  traveling  toward  Green  Bay,  from  the  country 
of  the  Miamis,  and  was  buried  in  a  sand  dune  near  the  present  site  of 
Ludington,  Mich.,  but  subsequently  his  body  was  removed  by  faithful 
Indians  to  the  mission  at  St.  Ignace,  where  it  was  buried  under  the 
altar. 

Records  of  early  days  in  New  France,  and  particularly  those  relating 
to  voyages  of  discovery,  are  but  fragmentary,  and  in  many  cases  there 
is  nothing  but  correspondence  of  officials,  who  had  no  active  part  in  the 
discoveries,  to  inform  the  later  generations  regarding  the  first  visits  of 
the  white  man  to  portions  of  the  Northwest.  One  reason  for  this  is 
that  the  explorers  had  to  traverse  dangerous  waters  where  they  fre- 
quently were  fortunate  in  escaping  with  their  lives,  and  many  papers 
and  journals  were  thus  lost  to   the  world.     There  are  vague   reports 

11 


concerning  a  trip  of  unknown  voyageurs  from  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
to  Lake  Huron  and  Mackinac,  by  way  of  Lake  Erie,  as  early  as  1659, 
but  the  names  of  the  travelers  are  unknown  and  the  report  Is  not  au- 
thentic. It  is  generally  supposed  that  previous  to  the  time  of  Joliet's 
voyage  cojcreurs  de  bois  had  visited  Detroit,  but  they  were  usually  illit- 
erate fellows  who  were  unable  to  leave  a  written  record  of  their  doings. 


CHAPTER  in. 


The  Great  Explorers — Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle — The  Cruise  of  Le  Griffon — 
Father  Hennepin  Visits  the  Upper  Mississippi — Daniel  Grisolon  Duluth  Builds  a 
Fort  at  the  Foot  of  Lake  Huron— 1669-1700. 

Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle,  a  native  of  Normandie,  and  a  fur  trader, 
was  ever  ambitious  to  extend  the  commercial  supremacy  of  France. 
After  various  explorations  and  a  visit  to  France,  he  built  the  "Griffon," 
a  ship  of  sixty  tons,  hewn  out  of  green  logs,  on  the  shore  of  the  Ni- 
agara River,  at  the  mouth  of  Cayuga  Creek,  above  the  great  cataract. 
La  Salle  was  an  ideal  explorer.  He  had  the  genius  for  discovery,  and 
went  to  his  destination  by  what  he  believed  to  be  the  most  direct  route, 
regardless  of  obstacles.  For  years  the  early  explorers  had  made  their 
way  to  the  great  lakes  by  the  Ottawa  River  route,  because  the  Indians 
of  Canada  and  those  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  lakes,  were  al- 
most constantly  at  war.  The  north  shore  of  Lake  Erie  was  avoided 
by  the  early  voyageurs  because  it  was  frequently  overrun  by  Indian 
scalp  hunters  from  the  Ohio  region.  Detroit  was  imdoubtedly  an  im- 
portant Indian  rendezvous,  being  a  beaver  region,  but  there  is  no  au- 
thentic record  of  any  attempt  to  establish  a  trading  post  south  of  the 
foot  of  Lake  Huron  in  the  seventeenth  century.  La  Salle  with  his 
small  company  of  followers  started  out  from  Fort  Frontenac  resolved 
to  solve  the  riddle  of  the  great  lakes.  He  no  doubt  believed  that  not 
only  were  they  all  connected  together,  but  that  they  also  communicated 
with  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  his  first  chosen  task  was  to  explore  the  un- 
known waters  of  Lake  Erie  in  spite  of  the  dangers  which  lay  before 
him.  He  began  felling  timber  on  the  banks  of  Cayuga  Creek,  where 
it  empties  into  Niagara  River.      The  Seneca  Indians  in  that  vicinity 

12 


showed  some  hostility  against  these  operations,  and  to  av^oid  a  collision 
La  Salle  sent  Sieur  de  La  Motte,  Father  Hennepin,  an  interpreter  named 
Brassart,  and  three  voyageurs,  to  Tagarondies,  the  capital  of  the  Sen- 
eca nation,  which  is  located  near  the  present  town  of  Victor,  Ontario 
county,  N.Y.  The  distance,  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  was  traversed  on 
snow  shoes.  The  Indians  said  they  would  oppose  a  French  settlement 
at  Cayuga  Greek,  but  would  not  prevent  the  building  of  the  vessel, 
provided  it  went  away  and  did  not  return.  The  work  of  building  a 
vessel  of  sixty  tons  capacity  was  steadily  prosecuted,  and  it  was 
launched  in  April,  1679.  The  Griffon,  or  Le  Griffon,  named  after  the 
heraldic  figure  of  La  Salle's  coat  of  arms,  then  set  sail  for  the  upper 
lakes,  with  La  Salle,  Henry  Tonty,  an  Italian  soldier  of  fortune, 
Louis  Hennepin,  the  fearless  Franciscan  friar,  and  Fathers  Zenobe 
and  Riboirdier  on  board.  They  left  on  August  7,  leaving  Father 
Melethon  in  charge  of  stores  at  Niagara,  and  after  coasting  along  the 
north  shore  of  the  lake  turned  up  the  Detroit  River.  The  Griffon 
reached  Lake  St.  Clair  August  12,  which  according  to  the  church  cal- 
endar is  Ste.  Claire's  day,  and  in  honor  of  that  pious  maiden  the  ex- 
plorer named  the  lake.  Some  writers  and  geographers,  including 
Judge  A.  B.  Woodward,  have  stated  that  the  river  which  bears  this 
name  derived  its  title  from  Capt.  Patrick  Sinclair,  an  English  officer 
who  built  a  fort  where  Pine  River  flows  into  it,  at  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  St.  Clair.  Some  of  the  geographers  have  also  made  the 
mistake  of  naming  the  river  Sinclair  in  their  maps.  They  were  thir- 
teen days  reaching  Lake  Huron;  they  called  at  Mackinac  Island;  and  at 
the  end  of  twenty-six  days  they  landed  on  the  shores  of  Green  Bay. 
Thus  it  happened  that  the  Griffon  with  her  crew  of  thirty  four  men, 
was  the  first  vessel  to  sail  the  western  lakes,  and  was  the  forerunner  of 
the  splendid  fleet  which  now  carries  the  commerce  of  an  empire  every 
year.  There  was,  previously,  at  least  one  vessel  on  Lake  Ontario,  but 
the  Griffon  v^^as  the  first  that  showed  the  way  of  commerce  through  the 
chain  of  the  great  lakes;  and  it  also  furnished  the  first  marine  tragedy. 
La  Salle's  long  absence  from  Montreal  and  the  dangerous  reputation  of 
the  country  into  which  he  had  plunged,  convinced  his  friends  and  his 
creditors  that  he  had  been  lost  in  the  wilderness.  While  they  had  be- 
gun to  divide  up  his  personal  property  among  themselves,  La  Salle  was 
loading  the  Griffon  with  furs  and  peltry  at  Green  Bay.  The  vessel 
sailed  away  with  her  cargo  in  charge  of  a  crew  of  six  men,  intend- 
ing to  land  at  the  launching  place  on  Niagara  River  and  forward  the 

13 


cargo  to  Montreal.  The  bold  explorer  and  his  companions  stood  on 
the  beach  of  Lake  Michigan  and  watched  her  tiny  sail  melt  away  in 
the  distance.  From  that  hour  no  tidings  were  obtained  of  the  missing 
bark,  its  crew  or  its  valuable  freight.  She  is  supposed  to  have  foun- 
dered in  a  September  gale  while  crossing  Lake  Michigan,  as  she  never 
reached  Mackinac  Island. 

As  soon  as  the  Griffon  had  departed  with  her  cargo,  which  represented 
all  the  fortune  of  the  explorer,  his  restless  spirit  urged  him  forward  to 
new  discoveries.  He  set  out  southward  in  canoes  and  followed  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River;  at  length  he 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River,  where  Father  Allouez  had 
founded  a  small  mission  among  the  Miamis.  There  he  built  Fort 
Miami  and  waited  in  vain  for  the  return  of  his  ship.  Again  his  spirit 
rebelled  at  inaction  and  he  pressed  on  with  his  little  company,  follow- 
ing the  river  into  the  Kankakee  marshes,  and  finally  by  portage  reach- 
ing the  Illinois  River.  Down  this  stream  they  came  upon  a  deserted 
Indian  village,  and  found  stores  of  corn  buried  under  the  wigwams. 
Loading  some  of  this  food  supply  into  their  canoes  they  proceeded  to 
Lake  Peoria,  an  enlargement  of  the  Illinois  River.  There  they  came 
upon  a  friendly  party  of  Illinois  Indians  and  erected  another  fort.  It 
was  evident  that  the  ship  Griffon  had  met  with  some  mishap.  Winter 
was  at  hand  and  the  handful  of  explorers  were  in  a  far  wilderness  with- 
out supplies.  In  token  of  his  discouraging  position  La  Salle  named 
the  fort  Creve  Coeur,  or  "  Broken  Heart."  Even  the  desperate  straits 
which  befell  this  expedition  did  not  crush  La  Salle.  Making  his  fol- 
lowers as  comfortable  as  possible  at  Creve  Coeur  he  set  out  with  three 
companions  to  make  the  way  back  to  Fort  Frontenac  on  foot.  It  was 
early  in  March ;  snow  covered  the  ground ;  hungry  wolves  lurked  in 
the  trackless  forests;  there  were  rivers  to  cross  and  vast  swamps  to 
tread — but  the  three  men  with  no  other  food  than  the  chase  afforded 
them  made  the  journey  of  1,200  miles  in  safety.  Arrived  at  Fort 
Frontenac,  La  Salle  learned  that  his  friends  and  agents,  supposing  him 
to  be  dead,  had  administered  his  estate  by  dividing  among  themselves 
what  his  creditors  had  not  seized.  He  set  out  again  for  Creve  Coeur 
with  abundant  stores,  but  on  arriving  there  found  that  the  Iroquois 
had  made  a  raid  against  the  place,  and  after  Tonty  and  his  followers 
had  abandoned  it  to  avoid  a  battle,  burned  it  to  the  ground.  It  took 
some  time  to  collect  his  scattered  followers  from  the  wilderness.  That 
fall  and  winter  of  1681  was  spent  in  preparing  for  an  expedition  down 

14 


the  Mississippi.  Making  an  early  start  he  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  in  April,  where  he  set  up  a  wooden  cross  with  an  inscription 
claiming  the  country  for  Louis  XIV. 

While  La  Salle  was  on  his  way  to  Frontenac,  Father  Hennepin,  ac- 
companied by  Anthony  Auguells  and  Michael  Ako,  boatmen,  started 
to  explore  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  but  were  soon  captured 
by  a  war  party  of  Indians.  They  were  taken  up  the  river  as  far  as  St. 
Anthony's  Falls,  which  were  named  by  Father  Hennepin.  Leaving 
their  canoes  at  the  future  site  of  Minneapolis,  the  Indians  took  their 
captives  up  the  St.  Francis  River  far  into  the  northern  wilderness  near 
the  head  of  Lake  Superior.  While  they  were  captives  in  this  territory 
Duluth,  accompanied  by  five  French  voyageurs,  arrived  at  the  village 
and  Father  Hennepin  and  his  two  companions  returned  with  them  to 
Montreal,  making  a  journey  of  about  2,500  miles.  They  were  six 
months  in  the  hands  of  their  captors. 

La  Salle  returned  to  France  with  glowing  reports  of  his  discoveries, 
for  like  most  other  enthusiasts  he  had  a  vivid  imagination  with  which 
to  embellish  his  facts.  Louis  XIV  commissioned  him  with  the  duty  of 
building  outposts  along  the  Mississippi  reaching  northward  so  as  to 
hold  the  connection  of  the  great  valley  with  the  lake  region.  La  Salle 
set  out,  filled  with  renewed  enthusiasm.  Three  vessels  and  a  force  of 
280  men  departed  from  Rochefort  to  be  guided  by  La  Salle  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  but  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  enter- 
prise there  was  trouble  between  the  explorer  and  the  senior  captain  of 
the  expedition,  M.  Beaujeu.  Beaujeu  was  jealous  of  the  leader  and 
either  through  treachery,  or  misfortune,  the  little  squadron  failed  to 
find  the  mouth  of  the  great  river.  A  norther  came  on  and  Beaujeu 
refused  to  obey  La  Salle's  instruction  to  work  back  along  the  northern 
coast  of  the  gulf.  He  proceeded  to  the  Bay  of  Matagorda,  on  the  coast 
of  Texas,  and  put  the  explorer  ashore  with  230  followers.  In  the 
heavy  sea  that  was  running  most  of  the  supplies  of  the  colonists  were 
lost  in  landing,  and  the  ships  sailed  away,  leaving  them  in  an  unknown 
and  desolate  country  almost  without  resources.  La  Salle  attempted  to 
lead  his  followers  by  land  to  find  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  but  the 
vast  swamps  and  the  intricate  network  of  bayous  proved  most  confus- 
ing. Swamp  fever  rapidly  thinned  their  ranks.  Then  an  attempt  was 
made  to  find  the  river  by  the  use  of  canoes.  This  too  failed,  and  after 
traversing  innumerable  bayous,  each  of  which  promised  to  be  the 
river,  the  expedition  turned  westward  across  the  plains  of  Texas  hoping 

15 


to  find  g-old  In  a  short  time  the  230  men  were  reduced  to  thirty- 
seven.  Failing-  to  enforce  discipline  by  gentleness  and  entreaty,  La 
Salle  began  to  use  harsh  measures,  and  the  company  was  soon  in  a 
state  of  mutiny.  Finally  he  set  out  from  the  valley  of  the  Colorado 
River,  accompanied  by  his  nephew,  Moranget,  and  fifteen  men,  with 
the  purpose  of  reaching  Canada.  Two  of  the  men,  L'Archeveque  and 
Diihaut,  quarreled  with  Moranget.  While  the  latter  lay  asleep  Litot, 
the  surgeon  of  the  party,  cleft  his  skull  with  an  axe,  after  which  several 
of  his  followers  were  also  killed  as  they  slept.  For  fear  of  being  called 
to  account  for  their  crime,  one  of  them  shot  La  Salle  dead.  Such  was 
the  end  of  the  greatest  explorer  sent  out  by  France  to  search  out  the 
new  world.  His  intelligent  reasoning,  his  boldness  of  movement,  his 
ingenuity  and  invincible  courage  in  surmounting  difficulties  in  the  face 
of  stupendous  obstacles,  stamp  him  as  one  of  the  greatest  figures  in 
American  history.  It  was  to  La  Salle  and  Champlain  that  France 
owed  her  possessions  in  America.  Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle  was  a 
Norman  with  all  the  characteristics  of  that  people.  He  was  large  of 
frame,  restless  in  disposition  and  tormented  by  strong^  passions.  Ad- 
mitted to  the  Jesuit  novitiate  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  spent  two  years 
under  the  discipline  of  Father  Mouret,  but  after  his  novitiate  and  during 
his  probationary  period  his  restless  disposition  proved  unconquerable. 
He  went  from  place  to  place  carrying  on  his  studies  and  teaching.  His 
passions  frequently  led  him  into  unseemly  conduct.  He  pined  for  the 
career  of  an  adventurer,  and  on  being  refused  permission  to  go  to 
Portugal  he  asked  to  be  released  from  his  vows.  After  eight  years  of 
life  in  the  order  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request.  His  character 
has  been  carefully  portrayed  by  Father  Camille  Rochementiex,  who 
pictures  him  as  a  man  of  superb  gifts  of  mind  and  body;  a  profound 
scholar,  skilled  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  but  restless,  taciturn  and  mo- 
rose under  restraint.  When  he  came  into  a  commanding  position, 
such  as  his  talents  merited,  his  uncurbed  passions,  and  despotic  dispo- 
sition cost  him  the  friendship  of  his  followers,  and  were  indirectly  the 
cause  of  his  untimely  end  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years. 

Of  the  Jesuits,  who  sometimes  conducted  expeditions  themselves,  and 
who  almost  invariably  accompanied  the  expeditions  of  the  French,  it 
may  be  said  that  they  were  loyal  soldiers  of  the  cross  whose  holy  ardor 
neither  heat  nor  cold  could  diminish,  hunger  or  torture  daunt,  or  fear 
of  death  divert  from  their  sacred  purpose.  Their  vows  of  chastity, 
poverty  and  obedience,  were  rigorously  observed  and  their  self  sacrific- 

16 


THOMAS  W.   PALMER. 


ing  devotion  to  God  and  the  cause  of  religion  made  them   the  greatest 
heroes  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  explorers  of  various  nations  had  practically 
closed  up  the  Atlantic  coast  with  their  claims.  England,  Holland  and 
Spain  held  the  ocean  front,  and  the  latter  country  had  rounded  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  started  up  the  Mississippi,  besides  penetrating  to 
Sante  Fe,  New  Mexico,  and  over  to  the  Pacific  coast.  France  had  entered  a 
wedge  of  territory  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  scheme  of 
the  government  was  to  claim  the  region  of  Canada,  the  great  lakes,  the 
Mississippi  and  Ohio  valleys,  and  all  territory  which  might  be  discov- 
ered to  the  westward.  Quebec  and  Montreal  were  the  strongholds  at 
the  head  of  river  navigation  and  from  that  point  the  claim  of  France 
was  to  be  supported  by  a  chain  of  forts;  Fort  Frontenac  commanded 
the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  fort  at  Michilimackinac  was  their  station 
for  the  upper  lakes.  Duluth  built  a  fort,  in  1687,  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Huron,  on  the  west  side,  where  the  upper  portion  of  the  city  of  Port 
Huron,  Mich.,  is  now  situated.  It  was  first  called  Fort  Detroit,  but 
was  more  generally  styled  Fort  St.  Joseph.  The  English  and  Iroquois 
were  about  to  move  against  it  in  great  force  in  1689,  when  Hontan 
burned  it  rather  than  have  it  fall  into  their  hands.  It  then  became 
apparent  to  the  French  that  their  chain  of  forts  must  be  extended  not 
only  through  the  Mississippi  valley  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but  that  the 
wonderful  straits  described  by  La  Salle  must  be  fortified  to  protect  their 
fur  trade  from  the  aggressions  of  the  English  and  the  Iroquois.  All 
the  traffic  of  the  lakes  and  their  tributaries  must  come  through  these 
straits,  the  rivers  Detroit  and  St.  Clair,  and  a  strong  fort,  planted  in  a 
commanding  position,  would  keep  the  great  seas  of  sweet  water  for 
France.  Cadillac,  the  shrewd  and  doughty  Gascon,  who  was  one  of 
the  originators  of  this  scheme,  was  chosen  for  that  service,  and  the 
forging  of  the  most  important  link  in  the  chain  of  colonization  was  en- 
trusted to  his  hands.  The  upbuilding  of  this  splendid  scheme  of  con- 
quest and  colonization  was  ably  planned  and  faithfully  executed,  so 
that  finally  the  interior  of  the  country  from  Quebec  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  from  thence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  belonged  to 
France. 

Through  the  neglect  of  the  home  government  to  provide  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  colonies,  the  settlements  languished  as  mere  trad- 
ing posts  until  the  English  soldiers  and  American  colonists  closed  the 
door  upon  the  French  by  capturing  their  stronghold  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence in  1759. 

17 


Among  the  heroic  figures  of  French  colonial  days  was  Daniel  Gris 
olon  (or  Duluth,  as  he  is  known),  who  deserves  more  than  passing 
mention.  His  name  appears  in  the  old  manuscripts  as  Du  Lhu  or  Du 
Lhut,  and  the  records  show  that  he  was  one  of  the  chief  instruments  in 
opening  up  the  great  west  to  the  fur  trade.  He  was  born  near  Lyons, 
France,  about  1645,  and  like  other  Frenchmen  who  came  to  the  new 
world  his  family  name  was  almost  forgotten,  and  he  was  known  by  the 
place  of  his  nativity.  Duluth  was  the  friend  and  companion  of  La 
Salle  and  the  elder  Tonty,  and  after  making  one  trip  with  them  he 
turned  to  the  far  north  for  individual  exploration.  His  headquarters 
were  established  at  Mackinaw,  in  the  earliest  days  of  that  settlement, 
and  he  was  the  agent  among  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest,  inducing 
them  to  be  friendly  with  the  Frenchmen  and  to  bring  their  furs  to 
Mackinaw  for  trade.  He  was  next  to  Commandant  Durantaye  in  au- 
thority and  his  associates  were  M.  de  la  Forest,  De  Lusigny  and  Gris- 
olon  de  la  Tourette,  his  brother.  Frontenac  trusted  his  judgment  in 
important  matters,  and  the  friendship  between  them  aroused  the  jeal- 
ousy of  the  Intendant  Duchesnau,  who  feared  Duluth's  influence.  The 
intendant  declared  Duluth  to  be  a  dangerous  man  to  the  crown,  as  he 
had  more  than  500  men  in  the  upper  country  who  acknowledged  him 
as  their  commander  and  would  follow  wherever  he  might  lead.  He 
was  certainly  the  leader  of  the  courenrs  de  bois  in  the  Northwest.  At 
Thunder  Bay,  op  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  he  built  a  fort 
near  the  site  of  the  present  Fort  William,  in  1677.  In  1678  he  went  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1679  he  visited  the  Sioux  In- 
dians and  the  Assinniboine  Indians,  who  inhabited  the  region  now 
known  as  Manitoba.  In  1680  he  went  once  more  to  the  headwaters  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  where  he  found  Father  Hennepin  a  prisoner 
among  the  Indians,  he  having  been  adopted  as  the  son  of  a  chief.  He 
brought  the  priest  down  the  river  and  crossed  the  country  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  to  Montreal.  Duluth  was  a  man  of  superb 
qualities;  his  courage  was  marvelous  and  his  tact  admirable.  In  1684 
two  of  his  followers  were  waylaid  and  murdered  by  Indians  on  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  He  realized  that  if  the  crime  went  un- 
punished, the  Indians  would  hold  him  in  contempt,  and  his  followers 
would  lack  confidence  in  his  ability.  He  walked  boldly  into  the  camp 
of  a  large  band  of  Indians  and  asked  for  the  warriors  who  had  taken 
white  scalps.  Then  he  demanded  their  heads  of  the  chief,  but  was  re- 
fused ;  he  seized  the  two  offenders  and  shot  them  dead,  regardless  of 

18 


the  yells  and  threats  of  the  savages  who  surrounded  them,  and  thus 
gained  their  respect.  In  1687,  as  already  stated,  he  built  Fort  St. 
Joseph,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron.  His  courage  and  tact  were  again 
displayed  when  the  Iroquois  descended  upon  Montreal  in  1689.  They 
came  in  such  force  that  the  settlers  were  seized  with  panic.  Duluth 
took  twenty-seven  Canadians  with  him  in  a  large  canoe  and  went  out 
to  meet  a  party  of  twenty-two  Iroquois,  who  were  paddling  on  the 
river.  The  Indians  opened  fire  and  kept  it  up,  but  Duluth  made  his 
men  stand  to  their  paddles  until  they  closed  with  the  savages.  Then 
eighteen  were  killed,  three  were  taken  prisoners  and  one  was  allowed 
to  escape  to  tell  the  story  of  the  white  man's  valor  to  the  Six  Nations. 
Duluth  suffered  from  articular  rheumatism  from  his  youth,  and  in 
many  of  his  long  journeys  every  step  gave  him  a  pang.  He  died  in 
1709  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  and  the  thriving  city  of  Duluth  is  a 
monument  to  his  name. 

As  soon  as  La  Salle  had  described  the  importance  of  Detroit  River 
to  Denonville  at  Quebec,  and  had  shown  the  danger  of  its  being  seized 
by  the  English,  the  governor  resolved  to  be  first  on  the  ground.  The 
following  extract  is  from  a  letter  from  Governor  Denonville  to  Duluth, 
dated  Ville  de  Marie  (the  ancient  name  for  Montreal),  June  6,  1686: 

"I  hereby  send  you  word  to  join  M.  Durantaye  who  is  to  be  at  Michilimaquina 
[Mackinaw]  to  carry  out  the  orders  I  am  sending  him  for  the  safety  of  our  allies  [the 
Huron  Indians]  and  friends.  You  will  see  from  the  letter  I  am  writing  M.  de  la 
Durantaye,  that  my  intention  is  that  you  should  occupy  a  post  in  an  advantageous 
spot  so  as  to  secure  this  passage  to  us,  to  protect  our  savages  who  go  hunting  there, 
and  to  serve  them  as  a  refuge  against  their  enemies  and  ours  [the  Iroquois].  You 
will  do  nothing  and  say  nothing  to  the  Iroquois,  unless  they  venture  on  an  attempt 
against  you  and  against  our  allies.  It  is  my  intention  that  you  shall  go  to  this  post 
as  soon  as  ever  you  can  with  about  twenty  men  only,  whom  you  will  station  there 
under  command  of  whichever  of  your  lieutenants  you  may  choose  as  being  the  fittest 
for  the  command.  After  you  have  given  all  the  orders  you  may  think  necessary  for 
the  safety  of  this  post  and  have  strictly  enjoined  your  lieutenant  to  be  on  his  guard, 
you  will  repair  to  Michilimaquina  to  wait  for  the  Rev.  Father  Anjabram  there,  and 
receive  instructions  and  information  as  to  all  I  have  communicated  to  him.  You  will 
then  return  to  this  post  with  thirty  more  men  whom  you  will  receive  from  M.  de  la 
Durantaye.  I  have  no  doubt  some  trade  in  furs  may  be  done,  so  your  men  will  do 
well  to  take  some  goods  there.  I  cannot  recommend  you  too  strongly  to  keep  a  good 
understanding  with  M.  de  la  Durantaye,  without  which  all  our  plans  will  come  to 
nothing  and  the  service  of  the  king  will  suffer  greatly." 

In  obeying  this  order  Duluth  made  an  error  of  judgment,  for  he 
selected  for  the  site  of  his  fort  the  spot  now  occupied  by  Fort  Gratiot 

19 


and  named  the  post  Fort  St.  Joseph,  His  mistake  soon  became  appar- 
ent. On  June  7,  1687,  there  was  a  gathering  of  the  French  colonial 
celebrities  on  Detroit  River,  and  a  deed  of  possession  was  formally  pre- 
pared in  the  name  of  the  king  of  France  by  Olivier  Morel,  esquire,  Sieur 
de  la  Durantaye,  commandant  for  the  king  in  the  land  of  theOutaouan 
(Ottawas),  Miamis,  Poutouamies  (Potawatamies),  Cioux  (Sioux)  and 
other  tribes,  under  the  orders  of  the  Marquis  Denonville,  governor- 
general  of  New  France.      It  reads  in  part  as  follows: 

"This  seventh  day  of  June,  1687,  in  the  presence  of  Father  Anjabram,  M.  de  la 
Forest,  M.  de  Lisle,  our  lieutenant,  and  M.  Beauvais,  of  the  Fort  of  St.  Joseph  at 
the  strait  between  Lakes  Huron  and  Erie,  We  Declare  to  all  whom  it  may  concern 
that  we  came  to  the  margin  of  St.  Deny's  River  [supposed  to  be  identical  with  the 
River  Rouge]  situated  three  leagues  from  Lake  Errier  [Erie],  on  the  strait  between  said 
lakes  Huron  and  Errier,  to  the  south  of  said  strait  and  lower  down  toward  the  en- 
trance to  Lake  Errier  on  the  north.  On  behalf  of  the  king  and  in  his  name  to  repeat 
the  taking  possession  of  the  said  posts  which  was  done  by  M.  de  la  Salle  to  facilitate 
the  journeys  he  made  and  had  made  by  barge  from  Niagara  to  Michilimaquinac  in 
the  years  [left  vacant  in  MSS.],  at  which  said  stations  we  should  have  had  a  post  set 
up  again,  with  the  arms  of  the  king,  in  order  to  mark  the  said  retaking  possession, 
and  directed  several  small  dwellings  to  be  built  for  the  establishment  of  the  French 
and  savages,  the  Chaouannous  [Shawnees]  and  Miamis,  for  a  long  time  owners  of 
the  said  lands  of  the  straits  and  of  Lake  Errier,  from  which  they  withdrew  for  some 
time  for  their  greater  convenience." 

This  instrument  indicates  that  the  French  based  their  claims  upon 
the  discovery  of  La  Salle  and  upon  the  posts  or  camping  grounds 
where  his  party  encamped  during  the  historic  voyage  of  the  Griffon. 
They  took  pains  to  forestall  any  claims  the  British  may  have  set  up  by 
later  discovery,  and  also  any  claim  the  Iroquois,  who  were  friendly  to 
the  British,  might  have  set  up  on  driving  the  Miamis  and  Shawnees 
from  the  trapping  grounds  along  the  Detroit  River,  which  region  the 
Iroquois  claimed  under  the  name  of  Teuscha  Gronde. 

As  soon  as  Fort  St.  Joseph  was  built  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron,  the 
Iroquois,  who  had  been  urged  on  by  the  British,  went  to  Fort  Frontenac 
to  protest,  as  they  claimed  the  whole  region.  That  protest  was  disre- 
garded, and  the  British  set  to  work  to  prevent  the  French  from  gaining 
possession  and  from  securing  the  highway  to  the  fur  country  of  the 
north.  The  Iroquois  delegation  went  from  Frontenac  to  Orange  (Al- 
bany) and,  as  appears  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  work,  surrendered  all 
their  claims  to  the  British.  Governor  Dongan,  of  New  York,  protested 
for  the  British  against  the  French  claim  and  took  steps  toward  estab- 
lishing British  posts  in  the  territory.      It  proved  to  be  a  close  race  and 

20 


the  French  only  won  because  they  came  in  superior  force.  As  Com- 
mandant Durantaye  came  down  with  his  canoe  fleet  from  Mackinaw, 
he  came  upon  a  party  of  English  and  Dutch  traders  from  Orange  or 
Albany,  under  command  of  a  Dutch  captain  named  Roseboom,  which 
had  passed  Fort  St.  Joseph  unobserved  by  the  garrison  and  had  reached 
a  point  twenty  miles  above  in  Lake  Huron.  This  party  numbered  but 
thirty  men,  and,  as  Durantaye  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  French 
and  Indians  with  him,  he  took  them  prisoners  and  they  were  unwilling 
witnesses  of  the  act  of  claim  by  the  French.  When  the  formalities  had 
been  observed,  the  party  which  now  numbered  nearly  three  hundred, 
set  out  for  Niagara.  Half  down  Lake  Erie  they  came  upon  a  party  of 
thirty  under  command  of  Major  McGregor,  who  were  on  their  way  to 
Detroit  River,  There  were  sixteen  Englishmen  and  thirteen  Iroquois 
in  the  party,  and  they  too  were  made  prisoners  and  carried  back  to 
Niagara.  Next  year  Fort  St.  Joseph,  being  badly  situated,  was  aban- 
doned, and  to  prevent  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  it 
was  burned  to  the  ground  by  Baron  La  Hontan  while  on  his  way  to 
Mackinaw  in  1689. 

Duluth's  party,  which  took  formal  possession  of  the  Detroit  River, 
may  not  have  known  it,  but  there  was  a  much  earlier  claim  on  file  for 
the  French  in  the  archives  at  Quebec,  set  up  by  Fathers  Dollier  and 
Galinee,  in  1669,  eight  years  before,  which  has  already  been  alluded  to. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Cadillac  the  Founder  of  Detroit — A  Clever  Gascon  Who  Has  Been  Much  Maligned 
— He  was  a  Privateer  Preying  upon  the  New  England  Coast — Then  Commandant  at 
Mackmaw— 1668-1701. 

A  majority  of  historians  say  that  Cadillac  was  born  in  the  fertile  and 
picturesque  country  bordering  on  the  Garonne,  at  the  village  of  Saint 
Nicholas-de-la-Grave,  included  in  the  modern  department  of  Tarn-et- 
Garonne,  on  March  5,  1658.  This  statement  is  adopted  by  Silas  Farmer 
in  his  history  of  Detroit  and  Michigan,  and  is  apparently  buttressed  by 
records  and  parish  registers.  Margry,  the  eminent  French  archivist, 
who  is  an  authority  on  French  colonization  in  America,  said  he  could 

21 


not  ascertain  the  date  of  his  death.  C.  M.  Burton,  of  Detroit,  caused 
the  parish  records  of  Saint  Nicholas-de-la-Grave  to  be  examined  and 
'found  that  there  was  born  there  on  December  4,  1663,  Antoine  de  la 
Laumet,  son  of  Jean  Laumet  and  Jeanne  Pechequt,  and  does  not  be- 
lieve that  Antoine  de  la  Laumet  and  Antoine  de  la  Motte  are  the  same 
person.  Cadillac's  marriage  record  at  Quebec,  shows  that  his  father 
was  Jean  de  La  Mothe,  Seigneur  de  Cadillac,  conseiller  of  the  parlia- 
ment of  Toulouse,  and  that  his  mother  was  Jeanne  de  Malefant.  But 
the  question  is  really  of  minor  interest,  as  Cadillac's  later  history  on  all 
that  is  important  is  well  known  and  belongs  to  the  history  of  France 
and  America.  The  founder  of  Detroit  was  descended  from  a  family 
which  had  furnished  many  advocates,  judges  and  army  officers  to  the 
province  and  the  nation,  and  his  father,  Jean,  was  an  advocate  at  the 
court.  Antoine  probably  received  the  name  of  La  Mothe  Cadillac  from 
some  estate  of  his  parents,  who  were  well  endowed  with  this  world's 
goods.  This  change  of  name,  or  rather  adoption  of  another  name,  was 
quite  common  at  the  time.  In  like  manner  Marie  Arouet  received  the 
name  of  Voltaire,  and  became  one  of  the  world's  most  famous  men 
under  that  cognomen.  In  after  life  Cadillac  wrote  his  name  in  several 
ways,  but  in  this  bad  and  misleading  practice  he  simply  imitated 
many  others.  It  even  exists  to  this  day  among  many  French  Cana- 
dians. Cadillac  received  a  fine  education,  and  it  is  said  that  his  father 
wished  him  to  become  a  judge.  But  the  routine  life  of  a  provincial 
magistrate  did  not  present  any  attraction  for  the  sprightly  and  am- 
bitious young  man,  and  he  soon  afterward  entered  the  French  army, 
and  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  regiment  of  Dampierre- Lorraine,  and  a 
lieutenant  in  the  regiment  of  Claurembault  in  1677.  He  was  a  very 
good  Latin  scholar  and  a  student  of  biblical  history  and  theology;  in 
after  years  when  he  encountered  the  Jesuits  in  America,  he  showed 
that  he  was  an  adept  in  polemics.  A  tradition,  founded  on  an  old 
French  manuscript,  is  to  the  effect  that  he  committed  an  offense 
common  to  hot  youth,  and  that  to  avoid  the  consequences  he  came  to 
America. 

Cadillac  was  a  Gascon  by  birth  and  descent.  The  fact  that  his  father 
was  possessed  of  considerable  estate  in  the  province  is  evidence  that 
they  were  not  parvenues.  The  people  of  Gascony,  like  those  of  Brit- 
anny,  possess  marked  characteristics  which  distinguish  them  from 
other  Frenchmen.  Gascons  are  not  pure  French.  In  the  northern 
part  of  the  Iberian  Peninsula,  which  occupies  both  slopes  of  the  Pyre- 

22 


nees,  live  the  remains  of  a  very  ancient  people  who  were  called  Vas- 
cones  in  ancient  times.  They  were  mountaineers,  herdsmen  and 
shepherds,  and  although  they  were  assailed  by  Cathaginians,  Romans, 
Saracens,  Goths,  French  and  Spaniards,  they  have  preserved  their  race 
identity  to  the  present  day,  together  with  the  most  remarkable  lan- 
guage in  Europe,  and  customs  which  differ  from  those  of  all  neighbor- 
ing people.  They  are  commonly  known  as  Basques,  but  those  who 
lived  on  the  northern  slope  of  the  Pyrenees  absorbed  a  portion  of  the 
great  Gothic  invasion,  and  the  Vascones  became  known  as  Gascons 
within  the  border  of  France.  They  are  to  France  what  the  Highland- 
ers are  to  Scotland — bold,  impetuous  and  untamable  by  oppression,  but 
good  citizens  and  splendid  soldiers  when  allowed  their  own  ways. 
Their  physical  characteristics  are  a  medium  build,  somewhat  spare  but 
extremely  robust  and  possessed  of  great  activity.  They  are  the  dark- 
est skinned  people  of  France,  and  have  large  gray  eyes  and  black  hair. 
They  have  been,  and  still  are,  blustering  fellows  with  the  strutting 
ways  of  the  game  cock,  and  with  the  same  appetite  for  battle.  Gas- 
conade is  a  synonym  for  brag,  bluff,  or  a  blustering  manner.  They 
are  extremely  democratic  in  their  ideas,  and  the  few  titled  people 
among  them  obtained  their  honors  for  participating  in  the  wars  with 
the  Moors.  It  is  doubtful  if  a  better  exposition  of  the  Gascon  charac- 
ter could  be  written  than  Dumas's  great  character,  D'Artagnan,  in  the 
"Three  Musketeers,"  and  one  may  picture  the  Sieur  Cadillac  as  an- 
other D'Artagnan,  somewhat  subdued  by  education,  years  and  associ- 
ation with  court  officials,  but  still  retaining  the  physical  and  mental 
characteristics  of  his  ancestors.  It  is  regrettable  that  more  authentic 
details  of  his  early  life  have  not  yet  been  discovered,  and  that  the  only 
account  of  his  youthful  career  that  has  been  written,  is  so  apparently 
untruthful  as  to  excite  anger  and  disgust  in  the  mind  of  the  student  of 
history.  The  alleged  biography  is  from  the  pen  of  Gayerre,  the  his- 
torian of  Louisiana,  of  which  Cadillac  was  governor  for  several  years 
after  he  left  Detroit.  Gayerre  for  some  cause  seems  to  have  imbibed 
a  hatred  of  the  founder  of  Detroit,  and  he  maliciously,  and  in  most 
cases  falsely,  abuses  him  from  every  standpoint.  He  ridicules  his 
physical  appearance,  depreciates  his  mental  makeup  and  denounces  his 
political  and  personal  career. 

"Cadillac's  family,"  says  Gayerre,  "was  ancient,  but  for  several 
centuries  it  had,  by  some  fatality  or  other,  been  rapidly  sliding  down 
from  the  elevated  position  it  once  occupied.     When  Cadillac  w^as  ushered 

23 


into  life,  the  domains  of  his  ancestors  had  for  many  past  generations 
been  reduced  to  a  few  acres  of  land.  The  small  estate  was  dignified 
however  with  an  old  dilapidated  edifice  which  bore  the  name  of  castle, 
although  at  a  distance,  to  an  unprejudiced  eye,  it  presented  some  un- 
lucky resemblance  to  a  barn ;  a  solitary  tower  as  it  were  in  a  gown  of 
moss  and  ivy  raised  its  gray  head  to  a  height  which  might  have  been 
called  respectable,  and  which  appeared  to  offer  special  attraction  to 
crows,  swallows  and  bats.  The  young  boys  of  the  neighborhood  called 
it  Cadillac's  rookery,  and  it  was  currently  known  under  this  ungenteel 
appellation.  Cadillac  had  received  a  provincial  and  domestic  education, 
and  had  up  to  his  twenty  fifth  year  moved  in  a  very  contracted  sphere. 
Nay,  it  maj''  be  said  that  he  almost  lived  in  solitude,  for  he  had  lost 
both  his  parents  when  hardly  eighteen  summers  had  passed  over  his 
head,  and  he  had  since  kept  company  with  none  but  the  old  tutor  to 
whom  he  was  indebted  for  such  classical  attainments  as  he  had  acquired. 
His  mind  being  as  much  curtailed  in  its  proportions  as  his  patrimonial 
acres,  his  intellectual  vision  could  not  extend  very  far,  and  if  Cadillac 
was  not  literally  a  dunce,  it  was  well  known  that  Cadillac's  wits  would 
never  run  away  with  him.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  this  accidental 
organization  of  his  brain  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  one  thing  afforded  the 
most  intense  delight  to  Cadillac — it  was  that  no  blood  so  refined  as  his 
own  ran  in  the  veins  of  any  other  human  being,  and  that  his  person 
was  the  very  incarnation  of  ability.  With  such  a  conviction  rooted  in 
his  heart,  it  is  not  astonishing  that  his  tall,  thin  and  emaciated  body 
should  have  stiffened  itself  into  the  most  accurate  observation  of  the 
perpendicular.  Indeed  it  was  exceedingly  pleasant  and  exhilarating  to 
the  lungs  to  see  Cadillac  on  a  Sunday  morning  strutting  along  in  full 
dress,  on  his  way  to  church,  through  the  meager  village  attached  to  his 
hereditary  domain.  His  bow  to  the  mayor  and  the  curate  was  some- 
thing rare — an  infinite  burlesque  of  infinitive  majesty,  thawing  into 
infinite  affability.  His  ponderous  wig,  the  curls  of  which  spread  like 
a  peacock's  tail,  seemed  to  be  alive  with  a  conscious  pride  at  the  good 
luck  it  had  of  covering  a  head  of  so  much  importance  to  the  human 
race.  His  eyes,  in  whose  favor  nature  had  been  pleased  to  deviate 
from  the  oval  to  the  round  shape,  were  possessed  with  a  stare  of  as- 
tonishment, as  if  they  meant  to  convey  the  impression  that  the  spirit 
within  was  in  a  trance  of  stupefaction,  at  the  astonishing  fact  that  the 
being  it  animated  did  not  produce  a  more  startling  effect  upon  the 
world.     The  physiognomy  which  I  am  endeavoring  to  depict  was  ren- 

24 


dered  more  remarkable  by  a  stout,  cocked- up,  snub  nose,  which  looked 
as  if  it  had  been  hurried  back  in  a  fright  from  the  tip  to  squat  in  rather 
too  close  proximity  to  the  eyes,  which,  with  its  dilated  nostrils,  seemed 
always  on  the  point  of  sneezing  at  something  thrusting  itself  between 
the  wind  and  its  nobility.  His  lips  wore  a  mocking  smile,  as  if  sneer- 
ing at  the  strange  circumstance  that  a  Cadillac  should  be  reduced  to  be 
an  obscure,  penniless  individual.  But  if  Cadillac  had  his  weak  points, 
it  must  also  be  told  that  he  was  not  without  strong  ones.  Thus  he  had 
a  great  deal  of  energy,  bordering,  it  is  true,  upon  obstinacy;  he  was  a 
rigidly  moral  and  pious  man,  and  he  was  too  proud    not  to  be  valiant." 

Gayerre  goes  on  in  the  same  vein  to  say  that  "  Cadillac  deemed  it  a 
paramount  duty  to  himself  and  his  Maker  not  to  allow  his  race  to  be- 
come extinct,  and  he  went  a  courting  among  the  gentility  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, where  he  was  universally  voted  a  quiz.  So  he  had  to  con- 
tent himself  with  a  poor  spinster  who,  like  himself,  was  of  unsullied 
descent  and  hereditary  poverty.  The  lady  was  a  distant  relative  to  the 
duke  of  Lauzon,  and  she  wrote  him  in  behalf  of  her  new  husband. 
Lauzon  showed  the  quaint  letter  to  Louis  XIV,  who  smiled  at  its  con- 
tents and  gave  Cadillac  a  captaincy  in  an  infantry  regiment  which  had 
been  ordered  to  Canada." 

It  is  quite  evident  that  Ga^'erre  drew  this  picture  of  the  founder  of 
Detroit  from  pure  imagination.  To  give  his  description  some  coloring 
of  truth,  he  has  caricatuied  the  typical  Gascon  outrageously  and  has 
made  a  very  poor  attempt  to  follow  Dumas,  who  introduces  his  Gascon 
hero,  D'Artagnan,  as  a  "Don  Quixote  of  eighteen  years,"  and  subse- 
quently develops  him  into  the  flower  of  the  army.  Note  the  descrip- 
tion of  D'Artagnan  as  he  steps  upon  the  first  page  of  the  novel.  "A 
Don  Quixote  clothed  in  a  woolen  doublet,  the  blue  color  of  which  has 
faded  to  a  nameless  shade  between  the  lees  of  wine  and  a  heavenly 
azure.  Face  long  and  brown;  high  cheek  bones — a  sign  of  austerity; 
the  maxillary  muscles  enormously  developed— an  infallible  sign  by 
which  a  Gascon  may  always  be  detected,  even  without  his  barret  cap 
set  o£E  with  a  feather;  the  eye  open  and  intelligent;  the  nose  hooked, 
but  finely  chiseled — too  big  for  a  youth,  too  small  for  a  man.  Our 
young  man  had  a  steed,  which  was  observed  of  all  observers;  it  was  a 
Beam  pony,  twelve  or  fourteen  years  old,  yellow  in  his  hide,  without  a 
hair  in  his  tail,  but  not  without  windgalls  on  his  legs,  which,  through 
going  with  his  head  lower  than  his  knees,  rendered  a  martingale  quite 
unnecessary;  he  contrived  nevertheless  to  perform  his  eight  leagues  a 
day. " 

25 


This  is  but  a  fragment,  but  it  is  sufficient  to  show  the  source  of 
Gayerre's  inspiration.  It  is  evident  that  this  Frenchman,  who  under- 
took to  describe  Cadillac  to  the  world,  did  not  recognize  the  distinction 
between  history  and  romance ;  between  fact  and  fiction.  This  picture 
of  Cadillac  and  his  antecedents,  even  at  first  blush,  and  without  exam- 
ining authorities,  would  be  seriously  questioned  by  students  of  history, 
but  when  the  record  of  history  is  consulted  it  can  be  shown  to  be  un- 
warranted by  facts  or  even  probability.  And  yet  there  are  those  who 
think  and  say  even  at  this  late  day,  that  Gayerre's  work  has  "thrown  a 
flood  of  light  on  the  personality  and  character  of  Cadillac."  In  the 
first  place,  Cadillac  did  not  marry  any  poor,  well-born  maiden  in 
France ;  he  was  married  to  Marie  Theresa  Guyon,  at  Quebec,  and  this 
was  his  first  and  only  wife.  So  that  the  fanciful  story  of  his  owing  his 
advancement  to  his  wife's  powerful  relatives  in  France  is  pure  fiction. 
Had  he  been  a  bigamist,  the  Jesuits,  who  were  his  enemies  and  who 
had  the  ear  of  Louis  XIV,  through  his  confessor,  Pere  la  Chaise,  a 
member  of  their  order,  would  undoubtedly  have  published  it  to  the 
world  As  for  the  description  of  Cadillac's  person  by  the  same  author, 
it  may  be  said  to  be  inspired  by  a  literary  prejudice  which  is  really  un- 
scrupulous in  its  malice.  But  any  further  discussion  of  Gayerre's  de- 
piction of  Cadillac  is  totally  unnecessary,  as  that  author  in  a  letter  to 
Silas  Farmer,  the  author  of  the  "  History  of  Detroit  and  Michigan," 
practically  acknowledged  that  his  allusions  to  the  founder  of  Detroit 
were  imaginary,  and  that  he  knew  nothing  of  his  antecedents  previous 
to  his  coming  to  Louisiana  as  its  governor  in  1713.  Gayerre  writes  as 
follows:  "  I  know  nothing  historical  about  his  looks,  but  squibs  and 
pasquinades  floated  down  the  stream  of  time  about  his  oddities,  through 
the  channels  of  tradition.  I  somewhat  fancifully  sketched  his  per- 
sonal appearance  so  as  to  make  it  agree  with  his  character  as  it  pre- 
sented itself  to  me,  historically  and  professionally." 

Toward  the  close  of  the  17th  century  the  explorations  and  coloniza 
tion  of  France  in  America  were  subjects  of  intense  interest  among  all 
classes  in  the  mother  country.  They  enlisted  the  attention  of  the 
mercantile  classes,  ever  anxious  to  extend  their  trading  interests;  the 
young,  who  were  fascinated  by  the  romance  of  adventure  in  a  distant 
clime;  and  the  religious,  to  whom  the  aborigines  seemed  to  afford  a 
grand  opportunity  for  conversion  to  Christianity.  Young  Cadillac 
was  ambitious  and  romantic  when  he  left  old  France  and  came  to  New 
France  in  1683;  he  was  then  about  twenty-three  years  of  age.     His 

26 


first  movements  in  the  new  country  are  not  known.  Being  a  French 
officer,  it  would  appear  probable  that  he  would  seek  service  in  one  of 
the  French  commands  at  Quebec,  or  at  some  of  its  dependencies,  but 
this  he  did  not  do.  Perhaps  he  realized  that  the  station  and  pay  of  a 
lieutenant  in  a  wild  and  thinly  settled  colony  promised  neither  glory  or 
wealth.  Whatever  his  reason,  he  turned  his  back  on  Quebec  and  went 
to  Port  Royal,  on  the  east  coast  of  Acadia  (Nova  Scotia),  then  a  French 
colony,  where  he  became  a  subordinate  to  Francois  Guyon,  a  master 
mariner.  Guyon  was  at  that  time  engaged  in  the  hazardous  and  often 
profitable  business  of  privateering.  Margry,  the  French  archivist, 
calls  him  a  "corsair,"  which  is  equivalent  to  the  term  pirate,  but  he 
was  not  a  sea  marauder  who  sailed  under  the  black  flag.  France  under 
Louis  XIV  was  at  war  with  Spain  in  1683,  and  had  invaded  the  Spanish 
Netherlands,  but  hostilities  ended  the  next  year  by  the  treaty  of  Ratis- 
bon.  But  the  reign  of  the  Grand  Monarch  was  one  of  almost  incessant 
war,  and  in  1688  France  was  at  war  with  Germany,  Spain  and  England 
allied.  The  fighting  lasted  ten  years  and  was  ended  by  the  treaty  of 
Ryswyck  in  1697.  During  these  years  there  was  a  fine  field  of  oper- 
ation for  French  privateers  in  America,  and  it  may  well  be  supposed 
that  Guyon  and  Cadillac  made  good  and  profitable  captures  of  English 
ships  and  Spanish  galleons  laden  with  the  treasures  of  the  new  world. 
This  part  of  Cadillac's  life  has  not  yet  been  investigated  by  historians, 
but  there  is  scarcely  any  doubt  that  the  records  of  the  French  ministry 
of  marine  of  that  day  will  yet  afford  ample  information  of  their  joint 
doings.  This  period  was  probably  the  turning  point  in  Cadillac's  life. 
The  maritime  excursions  from  Port  Royal  doubtless  ranged  along  the 
entire  Atlantic  coast,  and  he,  Cadillac,  thereby  acquired  an  accurate 
and  extensive  knowledge  of  the  coasts  of  New  England  and  Virginia, 
at  that  time  studded  with  British  colonies.  During  the  constant  wars 
between  B2uropean  nations  at  this  period  there  was  always  more  or  less 
privateering,  and  the  spoils  were  so  tempting  that  the  men  who  en- 
gaged in  such  enterprises  were  loath  to  give  up  their  calling  when 
peace  was  declared.  When  they  could  not  secure  letters  of  marque 
legalizing  their  system  of  robbery,  they  hoisted  the  black  flag,  like 
Captain  Kidd,  and  committed  horrible  crimes  against  inoffensive  per- 
sons for  the  purpose  of  making  rich  gains.  Instead  of  taking  a  cap- 
tured vessel  to  a  home  or  a  neutral  port,  and  selling  it  as  a  prize  in 
conformity  with  the  law  of  nations,  these  buccaneers  took  the  most 
valuable  portion  of  the  cargo,  usually  limiting  their  seizure  to  specie 

27 


gold  and  silver  bullion,  jewels  and  rum,  and  then,  to  conceal  their 
crime,  murdered  the  passengers  and  crew  and  destroyed  the  captured 
vessel,  Guyon  and  Cadillac  were  apparently  men  of  honor  who  would 
not  stoop  to  such  crimes. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  his  life  that  Cadillac  paid  a  visit  to  Que- 
bec, where  he  got  into  trouble.  In  this  visit  he  was  probably  bent  on 
pleasure  rather  than  business.  It  appears  that  Governor  Denonville 
summoned  the  officers  at  Quebec  and  a  number  of  witnesses  to  a  court 
martial  held  in  the  house  of  the  widow  of  Pierre  Pellerin,  in  St.  Pierre 
street,  Quebec,  on  the  evening  of  May  4,  168G.  Cadillac  was  then  in 
Quebec  on  a  visit  and  he  was  the  culprit  at  this  trial.  The  witnesses 
deposed  that  a  number  of  them,  soldiers  of  the  fort,  had  been  gathered 
at  the  wine  shop  of  the  widow  St.  Armand  in  lower  town  on  the  pre- 
vious evening.  Lieutenant  Jacques  Charles  Sabrevois,  of  Captain  Des- 
querac's  company,  was  the  leader  of  the  party.  M.  de  La  Mothe  (Cad- 
illac) entered  the  room  alone,  apparently  in  bad  temper.  Sabrevois 
asked  him  if  he  would  join  him  and  some  of  the  others  and  go  to  the 
upper  town,  but  Cadillac  scornfully  declined  and  remarked  if  he  was 
in  the  place  of  Captain  Desquerac  he  would  confine  Sabrevois  to  the 
quarters.  When  Sabrevois  asked  why,  Cadillac  ironically  said  he  would 
not  have  such  a  gallant  coxcomb  strutting  about  at  large  among  the 
ladies,  for  he  would  consider  him  a  dangerous  rival. 

"Well  you  might,"  replied  Sabrevois,  "for  if  you  had  a  mistress  I 
should  certainly  be  your  rival." 

"  That  he  would,"  said  De  la  Parelle,  one  of  the  party,  "  and  you 
would  never  have  the  wit  to  discover  it." 

"  Wit,  wit,  what  do  you  mean  by  such  talk,"  asked  Cadillac  angrily; 
then  he  turned  to  Sabrevois  who  was  a  great  gallant  among  the  ladies 
and  much  petted  by  the  authorities. 

"Go,  my  little  friend,"  said  he,  curling  his  lips  in  scorn,  "  although 
I  am  not  supported  by  the  Marquis  as  you  are,  I  can  give  you  a  good 
thrashing,  which  you  appear  to  need." 

"What!  a  thrashing!  and  from  you?"  cried  Sabrevois  clapping  his 
hand  to  his  sword  hilt. 

Cadillac  snatched  his  blade  half  way  from  the  scabbard,  and  then  mutual 
friends  rushed  between  the  two  belligerents.  Cadillac  replaced  his 
sword  because  it  was  impossible  to  use  it,  but  a  candle  was  burning  in 
a  massive  copper  candlestick  which  stood  on  the  table.  He  snatched 
this  candlestick   and   hurled   it  at  Sabrevois's  head,  felling  him  to  the 

28 


^-^^^^^^e^^^^/ 


floor.  The  room  was  left  in  darkness  and  vSabrevois  cried  out:  "I'm 
killed!  I'm  a  dead  man." 

Sabrevois  was  not  killed,  however,  although  he  carried  the  scar  of  a 
bad  scalp  wound  to  his  grave.  He  lived  to  became  a  prominent  resident 
of  Detroit  for  many  years.  He  was  commandant  at  Detroit  from  1714 
to  1717;  again  from  1734  to  1738  and  once  more  from  1746  to  1750,  at 
which  time  he  must  have  been  above  eighty  years  of  age.  Cadillac  had 
been  in  his  grave  nearly  twenty  years  at  that  time. 

Soon  after  this  quarrel  with  Sabrevois,  Cadillac  fell  in  love.  He  had 
paid  several  visits  to  the  home  of  his  superior,  Francois  Guyon,  at  Beau- 
port,  a  settlement  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  near  Quebec.  Here  he  first 
met  Marie  Therese,  daughter  of  Denis  Guyon,  a  brother  of  Francois, 
who  had  come  there  from  Quebec  on  a  visit  to  her  uncle's  family.  The 
acquaintance  ripened  into  mutual  love,  and  they  were  married  at  the 
house  of  the  bride's  father  in  Quebec,  on  June  25,  1687.  He  received 
a  substantial  dowry,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  time,  and  the  newly 
married  couple  went  to  Port  Royal  to  settle  down  in  life.  He  applied 
to  Governor  Denonville  for  a  grant  of  land  called  Donaquec,  in  what  is 
now  the  State  of  Maine.  This  land  was  on  the  coast  and  was  six  miles 
square,  and  he  also  asked  for  the  Island  of  Mt.  Desert,  lying  in  front 
of  the  tract.  This  was  granted  by  Governor  Denonville  and  Intendant 
Champigny  in  1688,  and  was  confirmed  by  Louis  XIV  on  May  24,  1689. 
Besides  the  grant  of  this  domain,  he  was  commissioned  a  magistrate, 
with  rights  of  high,  middle  and  low  justice,  which  made  him  virtually 
the  ruler  in  his  district.  It  is  evident  that  these  favors  were  bestowed 
upon  him  for  his  skill  and  intrepidity  as  a  mariner,  and  that  he  served 
what  the  French  government  considered  the  highest  interests  of  that 
nation  by  crippling  or  destroying  the  merchant  ships  of  the  British  in 
American  waters. 

But  France  had  need  of  Cadillac  and  he  was  not  allowed  to  sink  into 
semi-obscurity  as  a  seigneur  and  rural  potentate.  Chevalier  Louis 
Hector  de  Callieres,  then  commandant  of  Mount  Royal  (Montreal), 
went  to  Paris  and  in  January,  1689,  presented  a  plan  for  a  joint  land 
and  naval  expedition  for  the  capture  of  New  York.  The  plan  was 
approved  by  Louis  XIV,  and  two  vessels,  the  L'Embuscade  and  LeFour- 
gon,  were  fitted  out  for  the  expedition  and  placed  under  the  command 
of  Rear  Admiral  Sieur  de  la  Caffiniere.  Frontenac,  who  had  been  a 
second  time  appointed  governor  of  New  France,  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition.    The  expedition   reached   the   mouth   of  the   St.  Lawrence, 

29 


where  Frontenac  shipped  on  another  vessel  for  Quebec,  where  he  was 
to  g-ather  a  land  force  and  march  on  New  York.  The  two  war  vessels 
went  on  their  way  to  the  Bay  of  New  York,  then  called  the  Bay  of 
Menathe.  Caffiniere  captured  seven  English  vessels  on  the  way,  but 
had  to  put  in  at  Port  Royal  on  account  of  contrary  winds.  Here  he 
became  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  securing  a  pilot  who  knew  the 
coast,  and  engaged  Cadillac,  but  when  they  reached  the  Bay  of  New 
York  there  was  no  land  force  there  to  co-operate  with  the  fleet.  The 
season  being  late,  he  returned  to  France,  taking  Cadillac  with  him. 

C.4DILLAC    AS    A    COURTIER. 

The  young  Gascon  spent  seven  months  at  the  Court  of  France,  where 
he  sedulously  sought  preferment,  and  lived  as  best  he  might,  princi- 
pally by  borrowing  money.  His  manner,  which  was  ingratiating  and 
cordial,  stood  him  in  good  stead  and  he  soon  impressed  those  in  power 
with  his  knowledge  and  capacity.  His  opinions  were  sought  by  mili- 
tary and  naval  ofBcers,  and  his  future  prospects  seemed  brighter  than 
ever.  While  thus  employed  concocting  measures  for  the  capture  of 
New  York  and  Boston,  the  British  were  busy  at  his  home  at  Port 
Royal.  On  May  10,  1690,  a  fleet  under  Sir  William  Phips  entered 
Port  Royal  and  plundered  the  town,  burned  Cadillac's  house  and  sev- 
eral other  dwellings,  and  made  his  wife  and  family  prisoners  of  war, 
but  they  were  soon  released.  A  few  months  afterward  Sir  William 
Phips  with  a  fleet  of  thirty-four  vessels,  large  and  small,  advanced  to 
Beauport  and,  sending  a  flag  of  truce,  demanded  the  surrender  of 
Quebec.  But  Frontenac  made  a  spirited  defense  and  four  days  after- 
ward Phips's  force  retired,  his  land  troops  abandoning  their  cannon 
and  ammunition. 

The  Marquis  de  Denonville,  who  was  governor  of  New  France  from 
1G85  to  1G89,  retained  considerable  interest  in  its  affairs  after  he  had  re- 
signed his  office.  In  1690  he  submitted  to  the  government  a  plan  for 
attack  on  the  English  settlements  at  New  York,  Boston  and  elsewhere. 
There  were,  he  said,  three  persons  in  New  France  who  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  New  England  coast,  namely,  M.  Perrot,  Sieur  de 
Villebon,  and  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Meanwhile  Cadillac  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  colonial  minister,  Count  Pontchartrain,  who  admired 
him  for  his  ability  and  address,  and  when  he  left  France  for  America, 
November,  1690,  he  bore  with  him  the  following  letter  of  recommend- 
ation, signed  by  Pontchartrain: 

30 


"  Sieur  de  Lamothe  Cadillac,  a  gentleman  of  Acadia,  having  been  ordered  to  em- 
bark for  the  service  of  the  king,  on  the  Embuscade,  which  vessel  had  brought  him 
to  France,  his  majesty  being  informed  that  during  his  absence  his  habitation  was 
ruined,  hopes  that  Frontenac,  the  new  governor  of  Canada,  will  find  it  convenient 
to  give  him  such  employment  as  he  may  find  proper  for  his  services  and  that  he  will 
assist  him  if  he  can." 

Cadillac  presented  this  letter  to  Governor  Frontenac  when  he  arrived 
in  Quebec,  and  in  obedience  to  the  wishes  of  the  king  he  was  appointed 
lieutenant  of  the  troop  of  the  colony  in  place  of  Sieur  de  Longueil, 
made  captain.  Strictly  speaking,  the  colonial  troop  were  not  soldiers 
but  marines,  as  the  French  minister  of  marine  had  charge  of  all  colonial 
affairs.  In  June,  1691,  Cadillac  again  experienced  a  stroke  of  bad  for- 
tune. His  wife  and  children  and  remaining  property  shipped  on  board 
a  barque  at  Port  Royal  (now  named  Annapolis  Royal)  for  Quebec,  but 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  the  boat  was  captured  by  an  English 
privateer  from  Boston.  It  is  not  known  whether  his  wife  and  family 
were  taken  to  Boston,  but  if  so  they  were  not  detained  long.  The 
parish  records  at  Quebec  show  that  Mme.  Cadillac  there  gave  birth  to 
a  son,  Antoine,  who  was  baptized  April  26,  1692;  this  was  the  oldest 
son.  A  daughter  named  Magdaline  was  born  to  them  before  that  time. 
In  the  same  month  Cadillac  received  a  letter  from  Louis  XIV,  request- 
ing him  to  come  to  France  and  give  information  regarding  the  pro- 
posed attack  on  the  English  settlements.  Again  he  left  his  family, 
and  in  Paris  submitted  an  elaborate  plan  of  operation,  in  which  he  dis- 
played his  wonderful  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  the  entire  coast, 
its  villages,  populations,  character  of  the  inhabitants,  fortifications, 
military  strength  and  the  soundings  of  bays  and  rivers.  This  report 
is  still  in  the  French  archives,  and  its  perusal,  with  other  knowledge  of 
the  man,  enabled  Margry,  the  archivist,  to  say  that  "Cadillac  had  the 
best  of  instruction ;  he  had  ideas  concerning  politics,  military  affairs, 
colonization,  the  royal  power  and  its  relation  with  the  church,  the  In- 
dians, etc.,  and  these  ideas  he  maintained  with  a  certain  braggadocia 
spirit.  He  went  to  the  bottom  of  these  questions  and  his  letters,  like 
his  memoirs,  were  characteristic  and  sharp."  James  Rundot,  the 
French  intendant  of  New  France,  also  says  that  "he  had  a  winning 
manner."  His  interest  at  the  court  of  France  was  materially  strength- 
ened by  his  masterly  report  and  to  this  was  added  the  strong  friendship 
of  Count  Pontchartrain. 


31 


CHAPTER  V. 

Cadillac  Foolishly  Quarrels  with  the  Jesuits  and  Lays  the  Foundation  of  all  His 
Misfortunes— He  Wanted  to  Sell  Brandy  to  the  Indians  in  Defiance  of  the  Law— 
1685-1700. 

Cadillac  spent  the  winter  of  1693  at  Quebec  in  close  communion  with 
Governor  Frontenac,  as  a  member  of  his  military  household.  The 
tedium  of  a  cold  winter  was  enlivened  with  accustomed  Gallic  gayety 
by  parties,  balls  and  private  theatricals.  Two  plays,  "Nicomede" 
and  "  Mithridate,"  were  presented  by  the  officers,  citizens  and  ladies 
who  had  dramatic  tastes.  In  these  plays  the  clerical  characters  were 
shown  to  be  only  human  beings,  and  afflicted  with  propensities  com- 
mon to  the  rest  of  mankind.  In  plays  of  this  character  Moliere,  the 
great  French  dramatist,  had  incurred  the  hostility  of  the  priesthood 
thirty  years  before.  His  "Tartuffe"  had  been  presented  at  the  Palais 
Royal  with  signal  success,  but  its  second  representation  had  been  for- 
bidden by  the  archbishop,  who  threatened  excommunication  to  both 
the  actors  and  the  audience  who  attended  it.  The  plays  presented  at 
Quebec  were  of  a  milder  sort,  but  the  Jesuits  resented  their  produc- 
tion. Governor  Frontenac,  who  was  an  enemy  of  the  order,  like  De 
Soto  and  La  Salle,  took  the  other  side  and  a  bitter  quarrel  ensued  be- 
tween the  Church  and  State,  in  which  the  people  ranged  themselves 
on  either  side.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  Cadillac  was  on  the  side  of 
the  governor. 

In  1694  he  received  the  appointment  of  commandant  at  Michilli- 
mackinac  (Mackinac).  His  shattered  fortunes  were  greatly  in  need  of 
such  a  position,  but  he  was  not  elated  thereby,  as  the  climate  in  that 
region  was  severe  and  he  shrewdly  foresaw  that  his  authority  would  be 
greatly  curtailed  by  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits,  who  had  founded  the 
post  and  virtually  ruled  its  affairs.  This  region  was  not  unknown  to 
the  early  French  explorers;  Father  Allouez,  who  had  come  to  Quebec 
with  Champlain  in  1615,  had  visited  it  in  1665,  and  had  pushed  west- 
ward past  Mackinaw  to  Green  Bay,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Wis- 
consin,   where  he  taught  the  gospel  to  the  Miamis,    Mascoutins  and 

32 


Kickapoos.  Here,  too,  Father  Marquette  in  1668  had  founded  a 
mission  where  the  St.  Mary's  River  enters  Lake  Huron,  and  here  he 
was  buried  under  the  earthen  floor  of  the  chapel  at  St.  Ignace  in  1675. 
Four  years  later  came  to  Mackinac  the  good  ship  Griffon,  the  first  ves- 
sel on  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  with  Robert  de  La  Salle  and  Henry  Tonty 
on  board.  Cadillac  accepted  the  position  and  commenced  by  borrow- 
ing 3,750  livres,  or  about  $750  from  Francis  Hazeur,  of  Montreal,  for 
the  purpose  of  investing  in  furs.  The  document  acknowledging  this 
debt  is  now  (1897)  in  the  possession  of  Joseph  Belanger,  the  French 
consul  of  Detroit.  Gathering  a  number  of  emigrants  at  Quebec,  he 
started  for  Michillimackinac,  but  the  reports  of  the  disadvantage  of  the 
place  so  wrought  on  them  that  a  majority  stopped  at  Montreal  and 
would  go  no  further,  but  he  took  the  remainder  and  pushed  on  to  his 
destination,  where  he  succeeded  the  Sieur  de  Louvigny. 

In  1694,  when  Cadillac  took  charge,  Michillimackinac  had  a  fort 
garrisoned  by  some  200  French  troops,  and  a  white  civil  population  of 
about  two  hundred,  composed  of  traders,  coiireurs  de  bois  and  artisans, 
v7ho  occupied  some  sixty  houses  within  the  palisade.  Around  the  fort 
were  the  villages  of  the  Hurons,  Ottawas  and  other  tribes  of  the  Al- 
gonquin confeder'acy,  who  were  gathered  there  under  the  influence  of 
the  Jesuit  missionaries.  In  summer  the  savages  were  mostly  engaged 
in  hunting,  and  in  the  winter  made  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort  their 
home.  In  the  latter  season  there  were  about  six  thousand  Indians 
around  this  place.  It  was  not  long  before  there  was  trouble  between 
the  commandant  and  the  priests.  The  Jesuits  there  had  heard  of  the 
dramatic  villification  of  the  clergy  at  Quebec,  and,  it  is  said,  incited 
some  of  the  officers  of  the  post  against  the  commandant.  But  Cadillac 
quickly  stopped  the  trouble  by  placing  the  officers  under  arrest.  This 
was  probably  the  beginning  of  the  long  contmued  opposition  of  the 
Jesuits  to  Cadillac  and  his  plans,  an  opposition  which  he  encountered 
at  nearly  every  step  in  his  career,  and  which  lasted  until  he  left  Amer- 
ica for  old  France.  The  pojst  of  Mackinac  was  a  part  of  the  French 
scheme  for  the  establishment  of  armed  forts  along  the  lakes  and  rivers 
and  down  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  for  the  joint  purpose  of  afford- 
ing protection  to  the  fur  trade  of  France  and  the  friendly  Indians,  as 
against  the  rival  interests  of  England  and  the  warlike  Iroquois.  A 
commercial  disadvantage,  which  was  also  recognized  by  the  French, 
was  that  the  English  sold  or  rather  bartered  their  goods  for  the  furs  of 
the  Indians  at  much  better  bargains  than  were  allowed  by  the  French, 


and  were  sedulous  in  impressing  the  fact  on  the  Indians  at  Mackinac 
and  elsewhere,  by  means  of  spies.  Although  the  Hurons  and  Ottawas 
were  as  nations  generally  opposed  to  the  Iroquois  and  the  British,  they 
were  nevertheless  keenly  alive  to  their  own  interests,  and  a  barrel  of 
rum,  a  keg  of  powder  or  a  package  of  blankets  would  make  friends  of 
ancient  enemies.  The  same  was  true  of  the  Iroquois  and  probably  of 
all  the  aborigines  of  the  period.  The  cunning  British  traders  could 
thus  prevail  on  a  band  of  Hurons  to  take  some  Iroquois  to  the  fort  and 
to  their  homes,  ostensibly  as  prisoners,  but  really  as  spies  to  give  in- 
formation about  the  low-priced  British  goods. 

Cadillac  with  his  native  acumen  soon  became  aware  of  this  scheme 
and  prepared  to  defeat  it.  One  evening  a  Huron  party  brought  in 
seven  Iroquois,  of  whom  one  was  a  chief,  as  prisoners,  but  two  of  them 
were  stabbed  when  they  landed  on  the  beach:  The  Hurons  protected 
the  others,  but  finally  gave  the  Iroquois  chief  into  the  hands  of  the 
French,  who  thereupon  sent  an  invitation  to  the  Ottawas  to  drink  the 
broth  of  an  Iroquois.  The  victim  was  tied  to  a  stake,  tortured  by 
burning  his  flesh  with  a  red  hot  gun  barrel,  and  afterward  cut  to  pieces 
and  eaten.  At  another  time  four  Iroquois  prisoners,  taken  in  war  by 
parties  sent  out  by  Cadillac,  were  burned,  in  order  to  renew  and  per- 
petuate the  strife  between  the  Algonquins  and  Hurons  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  Iroquois  on  the  other.  Cadillac  at  this  time  said,  "If  they 
bring  any  prisoners  to  me,  I  can  assure  you  their  fate  will  be  no  sweeter 
than  that  of  the  others." 

In  1696  Frontenac  overran  part  of  New  York,  ravaging  the  English 
settlements  and  in  battle  so  reduced  the  Iroquois  strength  that  they 
lost  1,500  out  of  2,800  warriors.  This  event  and  the  treaty  of  Ryswick 
in  1697,  whereby  peace  was  made  between  France  and  the  allied  pow- 
ers, Germany,  England,  Spain  and  Holland,  restored  quiet  for  a  time 
in  the  lake  region. 

The  greatest  trouble  between  the  Jesuit  fathers  and  the  command- 
ant was  the  liquor  question.  Competition  with  the  British,  who  fur- 
nished rum  and  other  goods  in  trade  for  peltries,  made  it  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  French  to  deal  out  ardent  liquors  also.  To  stop  this 
branch  of  the  traffic  was  simply  to  turn  the  trade  into  the  hands  of  their 
rivals.  The  Jesuits  were  determined  to  stop  the  traffic  and  Cadillac 
was  determined  to  continue  it.  The  Jesuits  spoke  of  the  demoraliza- 
tion of  the  Indians  and  the  loss  of  souls  through  the  influence  of  strong 
drink,  and  Cadillac  retorted  by  saying  that  the  inclement  winters  at 

34 


the  post  and  the  absence  of  proper  food  at  all  seasons  made  it  necessary 
that  a  small  quantity  of  liquor  should  be  taken  by  every  one  every  day. 
"  How  will  you  be  able,"  he  wrote  to  the  priest,  "  to  endure  the  daily 
exposure  of  these  neophytes,  for  whom  you  feel  so  much  affection,  to 
the  excessive  use  of  English  rum  and  the  imbibing  of  heresy  ?"  He 
also  charged  the  Jesuits  with  trading  in  beaver  skins  and  also  issuing 
rum  to  the  Indians,  contrary  to  the  king's  order  and  their  own  duties, 
which  included  poverty  as  well  as  chastity  and  obedience.  The  latter 
charges,  however,  were  not  true ;  it  was  afterward  proved  that  it  was 
the  coureiirs  de  bois  or  boatmen,  hired  by  the  Jesuits  to  carry  their  sup- 
plies in  canoes,  who  were  the  transgressors ;  and  these  boatmen  carried 
goods  and  liquor  surreptitiously  on  their  own  account  without  the  knowl- 
edge and  consent  of  their  employers.  The  Jesuits  had  a  powerful 
friend  at  the  court  of  Louis  XIV,  in  the  person  of  Pere  La  Chaise,  after 
whom  the  great  Parisian  cemetery  is  named,  and  who  was  the  confes- 
sor of  that  monarch  and  a  member  of  their  order.  In  1694  the  king 
referred  to  the  Council  of  the  Sorbonne  for  decision  the  liquor  question 
at  Mackinac.  The  Sorbonne  was  the  principal  school  of  theology  in 
the  ancient  University  of  Paris,  and  had  great  influence  and  power, 
and  was  appealed  to  in  the  disputes  between  the  civil  powers  and  the 
papacy,  and  in  the  great  theological  controversies  and  schisms  that 
divided  the  church.  The  council  decided  that  French  brandy  should 
not  be  shipped  to  Mackinac,  and  this,  the  first  Michigan  prohibitory  law, 
was  vigorously  criticised  by  Cadillac,  who  saw  that  it  was  a  fatal  blow 
to  the  advancement  of  the  post,  as  well  as  his  own  personal  interests. 
"A  drink  of  brandy,"  he  wrote,  "after  a  repast  seems  necessary  to 
cook  the  bilious  meats  and  the  crudities  which  they  leave  on  the  stom- 
ach." He  saw  that  unless  he  could  exchange  brandy  for  furs  that  the 
Indians  would  go  to  the  English  at  Albany,  and  it  was  this  that  event- 
ually led  him  to  resign.  ^1  O  X  0  b  »> 

While  he  was  commandant  at  Mackinac  an  incident  occurred  which, 
although  not  historically  important,  reveals  some  peculiar  features  of 
the  fur  trading,  and  the  regulations  thereof  by  the  French  authorities, 
and  also  the  high  favor  with  which  Governor  -  General  Frontenac 
regarded  Cadillac.  The  account  of  the  affair  was  written  by  De  Cham- 
pigny,  the  intendant,  or  second  in  command  of  the  colony.  DeCham- 
pigny  was  an  active  enemy  of  Cadillac,  and  the  document  was  ad- 
dressed to  Count  Pontchartrain.  In  this,  as  in  "other  official  communi- 
cations,   Champigny    is    extremely    egotistic,    incredibly    verbose    and 


undisguisedly  malicious  in  his  description  of  Cadillac's  conduct  and 
motives.  No  answer  of  Cadillac  to  this  attack  is  extant,  and  De 
Champigny  only  credits  him  with  a  short  and  inadequate  defense  of  a 
few  lines.  It  appears  that  Mme.  La  Mothe  remained  with  her  children 
at  Ouebec  while  her  husband  was  at  Mackinac.  Cadillac  instructed  her 
to  send  goods  to  Mackinac  and  she  came  to  Montreal  in  1696,  and  there 
hired  two  voyageurs,  named  Moreau  and  Durand,  to  carry  a  boat  load 
of  merchandise  to  her  husband.  Their  compensation  was  to  be  two 
hundred  livres  each,  and  permission  to  take  goods  to  the  value  of  one 
hundred  livres  each  for  their  own  profit.  But  Cadillac's  wife,  says 
Champigny,  induced  the  two  traders  to  fill  two  boats  with  goods,  and 
on  these  they  also  loaded  four  or  five  hundred  livres'  worth  of  goods  on 
their  own  account.  The  goods  were  on  their  way  to  Mackinac,  but 
they  were  stopped  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ottawa  River  by  Sieur  de  la 
Touche,  the  government  commissary.  He  seized  the  extra  boat,  sold 
its  contents  by  auction,  and  realized  675  livres,  which  was  applied,  as 
in  like  cases,  to  the  hospital  at  Montreal.  On  the  same  boat  were 
forty  pots  of  brandy,  but  Moreau  claimed  that  they  were  for  the  use  of 
himself  and  Durand,  and  the  liquor  was  allowed  to  go  with  the  other 
goods.  The  boatmen  claimed  that  three  other  boats  evaded  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  commissary  and  went  up  for  Cadillac  to  Mackinac.  When 
Moreau  and  Durand  arrived  there  they  purchased  goods  to  the  value  of 
seven  thousand  livres  from  Cadillac,  and  commenced  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  A  month  afterward  Durand  wounded  a  dog  belonging  to  an 
Indian;  he  would  not  pay  for  the  injury,  and  Cadillac  confined  him  in 
a  log  jail.  Durand  was  indignant  and  sent  word  that  he  would  not  pay 
for  the  goods.  Moreau,  his  partner,  would  not  pay  it  alone  and  was 
jailed.  While  they  were  prisoners  Cadillac  searched  their  store  and 
took  out  the  goods  he  had  sold  them ;  also  those  which  belonged  to 
them,  and  also  all  their  other  property,  on  the  ground  that  they  had 
brought  more  than  the  one  hundred  livres  worth.  Released  a  few 
days  afterward,  the  two  men  borrowed  money  and  returned  to  Mon- 
treal, and  there  waited  for  reparation.  In  September,  1797,  Cadillac 
visited  Montreal  and  the  two  traders  then  commenced  an  action  against 
him.  Their  case  was  already  in  the  hands  of  De  Champigny,  and 
Cadillac  entered  his  defense,  which,  however,  is  very  inadequately 
stated.  The  parties  agreed  to  arbitrate  their  difference  before  two  mer- 
chants of  Ouebec.  New  disputes  arose  and  De  Champigny  was  asked 
by  Moreau  for  an  inquiry  into  the  value  of  the  goods,  which  he  referred 

ae 


to  Dupiiy,  the  "local  lieutenant  of  the  provostship  of  Quebec,"  But 
Cadillac  opposed  the  submitting-  of  the  value  to  an  inquiry,  because  he 
suspected  that  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  valuing  the  goods  he  had 
taken  at  the  same  rate  at  which  they  had  been  disposed  of  to  the  Sioux 
Indians. 

"  I  was  ordered  to  prevent  trade  with  the  Sioux  by  Count  Frontenac," 
he  said,  "and  such  trade  was  illegal." 

Moreau  retorted  by  saying  that  Cadillac  himself  had  sent  goods  to 
the  Sioux  country.  Dupuy  was  about  making  up  his  decision  in  favor 
of  Moreau  when  he  was  summoned  before  Frontenac,  who  said  in 
effect  that  he  was  about  to  contravene  his  authority  by  the  dictation  of 
Champigny,  and  sent  him  to  prison,  where  he  remained  two  days.  The 
two  arbitrators  discreetly  resigned  from  the  case  a  few  days  afterward. 
Moreau  then  sent  in  another  petition,  which  De  Champigny  sent  to  the 
Supreme  Council,  which  was  composed  of  the  governor,  intendant  and 
bishop.  But  Cadillac  followed  with  two  other  petitions,  one  that  In 
tendant  Champigny  should  not  consider  the  matter,  and  the  other  that 
it  should  be  referred  to  the  provost  at  Quebec.  Champigny  here  inter- 
polates that  the  provost  of  Quebec  was  the  god-father  of  Cadillac's 
wife.  It  was  then  demanded  that  the  case  should  be  tried  before  the 
Supreme  Council,  whereupon  Cadillac  said  he  would  appeal  to  the  king 
Frontenac,  however,  came  to  the  council,  and  objected  to  any  course 
which  would  deprive  Cadillac  of  his  appeal  to  the  king,  and  after  more 
talk  it  was  resolved  to  dismiss  the  whole  case.  De  Champigny  then 
announced  that  he  would  try  the  case  again,  but  Frontenac  said  he  had 
exceeded  his  authority.  The  intendant  took  up  the  case  again  and 
sentenced  Cadillac  to  pay  three  sums  aggregating  2,565  livres  to 
Moreau,  but  next  day  Governor  Frontenac  annulled  the  decree  and 
Cadillac,  according  to  the  sporting  phrase,  "won  out." 

In  connection  with  the  above  it  may  be  stated  that  the  French  meas- 
ures of  capacity  in  those  times  were  as  follows:  Two  chopines  made 
one  pint;  one  pint  equaled  one  and  two  thirds  pints  (English  measure); 
two  pints  made  one  pot,  or  French  quart;  thirty-two  pots  made  one 
barrel.  A  roquille  was  a  small  measure  corresponding  to  an  English 
gill  and  was  one  fourth  of  a  chopine,  or  one-eighth  of  a  pint.  The 
money  of  the  time  was  as  follows:  A  sol  or  sou  was  about  equal  in 
value  to  a  cent  of  United  States  currency;  the  livre  (afterward  franc) 
contained  twenty  sols;  a  crown  contained  six  livres;  a  pistole,  which 
was  a  Spanish  coin,  was  equivalent  to  about  twenty  livres,  or  about  $4. 

37 


During-  his  residence  at  Mackinac,  the  English  and  Iroquois  were 
continuously  invading  his  territory,  and  Cadillac  became  convinced  that 
France's  interest,  as  well  as  his  own,  would  be  subserved  by  a  fort  and 
trading  station,  at  a  point  where  the  French  could  better  compete  with 
the  English  and  the  Iroquois,  and  that  the  straits  between  Lake  Erie 
and  Huron  was  the  proper  place.  After  formulating  his  plans  he  re- 
quested Governor  Frontenac  to  recall  him,  which  request  was  granted. 
At  Quebec  a  memorial  was  drawn  up  and  sent  to  King  Louis  XIV,  and 
it  is  said  that  Cadillac  went  there  in  person  to  urge  its  adoption.  Mean- 
while his  friend.  Governor  Frontenac,  died  on  June  13,  1698,  and  De 
Callieres  was  appointed  governor.  On  May  27,  1699,  the  king  sent 
Cadillac's  memorial  to  the  new  governor  to  report  on  the  expediency 
of  the  plan.  De  Callieres  answered  that  Cadillac's  plan  was  not  practi- 
cal; that  the  re  establishment  and  repairing  of  old  forts  then  in  exist- 
ence was  much  better;  that  the  proposed  fort  was  too  near  the  forces 
of  the  Iroquois  and  the  English  in  Northern  New  York;  therefore,  that 
a  settlement  there  might  be  short  lived.  But  Cadillac  argued  in  turn 
that  a  fort  at  Detroit  would  be  far  better  than  the  one  at  Mackinac,  for 
it  would  prevent  the  British  and  Iroquois  from  entering  the  region  of 
the  straits,  which  was  the  gateway  of  the  upper  country ;  and  that  the 
right  way  of  surmounting  opposition  was  to  meet  it  boldly  and  not  re- 
tire before  it.  The  king  and  his  ministers  admired  Cadillac's  boldness 
and  audacity,  and  he  was  given  a  commission  to  prepare  for  the  ex- 
pedition, a  grant  of  twenty-five  square  arpents  or  acres,  for  the  site  of 
the  fort  he  might  select,  together  with  other  privileges  as  a  command- 
ant, and  15,000  livres  for  the  construction  of  the  fort.  Cadillac  returned 
to  Quebec  and  at  once  began  his  preparations.  There  was  good  reason 
for  haste;  the  Iroquois  had  heard  of  the  projected  settlement  and  sent 
envoys  to  De  Callieres  to  protest  against  what  they  considered  an  in- 
vasion of  their  rights  and  territory.  A  conference  between  the  gov- 
ernor and  the  head  men  of  the  confederacy  was  held  at  Quebec,  on  May 
5,  1701.  Callieres's  arguments  were  mainly  that  he  did  not  intend  by 
this  expedition  to  deprive  the  Iroquois  of  their  lands  or  other  rights. 
"  The  English  "  he  said,  "  are  moving  on  de  Troit  or  the  straits,  with 
the  object  of  monopolizing  the  fur  trade,  and  we  must  do  something  to 
prevent  it."  In  reply  to  further  discussion  in  which  the  chief  claimed 
that  the  lands  were  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Iroquois,  he  said,  "It 
does  not  belong  to  the  Iroquois;  it  belongs  to  my  master,  the  great 
father  in  France.     We  intend  to  do  with  it   as  he  pleases."     Other  re- 

38 


quests  they  made  regarding  trade  were  acceded  to  and  the  conference 
ended. 

De  Callieres  knew,  however,  that  the  Iroquois  might  possibly  try  to 
penetrate  their  plans  and,  after  consultation,  Cadillac  was  directed  to 
take  the  Ottawa  River  route.  This  was  chosen  in  preference  to  the 
route  by  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  by  which  La 
Salle  reached  the  straits  and  the  upper  country,  because  the  expedition 
might  then  be  seen  and  attacked  by  the  Iroquois. 

The  progress  of  the  expedition  and  the  founding  of  Detroit  have  been 
related  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  book. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Indians  and  Coureurs  de  Bois — Characteristics  of  the  Indians  and  of  the  Half- 
Wild  Voyageurs,  Who  Were  the  First  Commercial  Travelers  in  America — 1660-1760. 

The  Indians  were  such  an  important  factor  in  the  great  problem  of 
European  colonization,  as  well  as  in  the  early  history  of  Detroit,  that  a 
brief  Yesume  of  their  history,  attitude  and  characteristics  is  necessary 
to  give  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  situation.  In  the  northern 
part  of  this  continent,  principally  in  the  region  of  the  great  chain  of 
lakes  and  their  tributary  rivers,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan,  the  red  men  generally  belonged  to  three  confederacies 
— the  Algonquins,  the  Hurons  or  Wyandots,  and  the  Iroquois  or  Five 
Nations. 

The  Algonquins  were  numerous  and  powerful,  and  their  himting 
grounds  were  mostly  in  Canada,  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario  to  the  Niagara  River.  They  were 
tillers  of  the  soil  as  well  as  hunters,  and  were  the  same  kindred  stock 
as  the  Hurons.  The  Algonquin  confederacy  included  104  distinct 
organized  nations  or  tribes,  and  the  seat  of  its  power  was  on  the  south- 
eastern shore  of  Lake  Superior.  Its  leading  nations  on  the  west  were 
the  Chippewas,  Creeks,  Ottawas,  Potawatamies  and  Miamis;  in  the 
east  the  Abinakis,  the  Micmacs,  the  Mohegans  and  the  New  England 
and  Virginia  tribes ;  and  also  several  nations  in  the  South.  Some  of 
the  southern  nations  of  the  confederacy  were  ultimately  wiped  out  or 

39 


subdued  by  the  Iroquois,  but  those  who  had  not  been  conquered  were 
deadly  enemies  of  the  latter. 

The  Hurons,  who  were  also  kinsmen  of  the  Iroquois,  inhabited  the 
country  bordering  on  the  Ottawa  River,  from  the  Algonquin  frontier  to 
the  shores  of  Lake  Huron.  They  were  deadly  foes  of  the  Iroquois  and 
were  finally  driven  from  their  hunting  grounds  and  destroyed  as  a  con- 
federacy. The  Hurons  were  so  named  by  the  French,  because  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  wore  their  hair,  which  was  rough  and  stood  up 
like  the  bristles  of  the  "hure"— wild  boar.  Cheveux  releves — "with 
hair  standing  up  " — was  another  name  bestowed  on  them  by  Cham- 
plain.  Among  themselves,  or  with  other  Indians,  the  Hurons  were 
styled  Ouendato,  anglicized  into  Wyandots. 

The  Iroquois  or  Five  Nations,  the  most  numerous  and  warlike  of  the 
three,  lived  principally  on  the  southern  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  New  York,  north  and  west  of  the  Kaalzbergs 
and  south  of  the  Adirondacks.  Some  of  their  villages  were  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  but  no  accurate  boundary  line  of  their  ter- 
ritory or  that  of  the  Algonquins  or  Hurons  can  be  given,  as  they  va- 
ried from  time  to  time  according  to  the  fortunes  of  war.  The  Five 
Nations  were  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Sene- 
cas.  In  1714  they  were  joined  by  the  remnants  of  the  Tuscaroras,  and 
were  afterward  known  as  the  Six  Nations.  At  that  time  their  total 
number  was  estimated  at  11,650,  including  2,150  warriors.  Tradition 
says  that  the  Iroquois  were  formed  into  a  league  by  Hiawatha,  the  In- 
dian incarnation  of  wisdom,  about  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  cent- 
ury. They  were  divided  into  about  forty  tribes,  each  ruled  by  a 
sachem.  The  latter  had  an  equal  voice  in  the  councils  of  the  confeder- 
acy, which  were  held  at  the  capital  of  the  Onondagas,  a  few  miles 
south  of  what  is  now  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  The  central  authority  was  a 
president,  and  the  women  were  allowed  a  voice  in  their  legislative 
councils.  Champlain,  the  governor  of  New  France,  found  them  at  war 
with  the  Canada  Indians,  and  other  nations  from  Lake  Huron  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  which  they  were  generally  successful.  With  the 
Algonquins  and  Hurons  on  his  side,  he  fought  them  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain in  1609,  and  from  that  time  the  Iroquois  generally  fought  the 
French  and  their  Indian  allies  in  Canada  for  about  sixty  years.  The 
Iroquois  had  made  several  treaties  with  the  English  before  that  year, 
but  the  results  were  generally  unsatisfactory.  By  the  influence  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  the  English  Indian  commissioner,  they  fought  against 

40 


GEN.  RUSSELL  A.  ALGER. 


the  French  in  1755,  four  years  before  the  power  of  the  latter  country- 
was  extinguished  in  the  North  and  Northwest  by  the  capture  of  Que- 
bec. In  1763  some  of  them  joined  their  ancient  Indian  foes  in  Pon- 
tiac's  conspiracy,  and  aided  the  great  Ottawa  in  besieging  the  English 
post  of  Detroit.  In  the  war  of  the  Revolution  all  the  Iroquois  except 
the  Oneidas  and  Tuscaroras  embraced  the  side  of  the  English,  and  led 
by  Joseph  Brant,  the  great  Mohawk  chief,  they  desolated  the  Mohawk, 
Cherry  and  Wyoming  valleys  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  and  mas- 
sacred the  settlers.  After  the  close  of  the  war  a  majority  of  the  Iro- 
quois removed  to  Canada,  as  they  apprehended  that  the  Americans 
would  take  vengeance  upon  them  for  aiding  the  English,  but  the  Oneidas 
and  Tuscaroras  remained.  Their  descendants  now  number  about 
3,000,  half  of  whom  are  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  remainder 
in  other  States  and  Canada. 

All  the  Indians  in  North  America  had  nearly  the  same  characteristics ; 
they  were  proud,  haughty  and  taciturn,  despised  volubility,  and  were 
sententious  in  conversation  and  debate,  except  in  set  rhetorical  efforts, 
in  which  their  best  speakers  often  rose  to  poetic  heights  and  displayed 
a  wealth  of  imagination  and  great  dignity  and  beauty  of  expression. 
They  were  sagacious  in  penetrating  motives,  persevering  in  all  their 
undertakings,  superstitious  in  the  last  degree,  revengeful  and  cruel  in 
war,  stoical  under  pain  and  hardship  and  indolent  except  in  war  and 
the  chase.  A  young  Indian's  future  prospects  depended  upon  his  suc- 
cess in  killing  his  personal  enemies  and  the  enemies  of  his  tribe.  He 
was  not  considered  as  having  arrived  at  the  condition  of  manhood  until 
he  had  carved  out  a  reputation  for  personal  prowess  with  his  tomahawk 
and  scalping  knife.  The  maidens  would  repel  his  advances  if  he  had 
taken  no  scalps. 

The  wampum  belt  was  invariably  used  by  the  Indians  in  their  nego- 
tiations, either  with  their  own  race  or  with  the  white  men.  At  first  it 
consisted  of  shells  of  diiTerent  kinds,  piered  with  holes,  and  strung  to- 
gether with  thongs  of  deerskin.  It  consisted  of  several  strings,  each 
being  called  a  fathom,  and  several  fathoms  made  a  belt.  Later,  a  por- 
celain imitation  of  the  shells  was  introduced,  which  served  the  same 
purpose.  When  one  tribe  sent  a  messenger  to  another  tribe,  a  belt  of 
wampum  was  always  carried  as  an  evidence  of  good  faith  as  well  as 
courtesy.  When  treaties  were  made,  a  belt  was  handed  over  as  each 
article  was  agreed  to,  and  this  was  considered  as  a  solemn  ratification. 
The  belts  were  in  such  constant  use  that  in  New  England   they  passed 

41 


as  money,  and  a  fathom  varied  in  price  from  $1.25  to  $2,  according  to 
the  value  of  the  shells. 

In  dealing  with  the  aborigines  the  traders  frequently  defrauded  them, 
and  it  was  in  the  very  nature  of  the  savages  to  settle  the  account  at  the 
first  favorable  opportunity.  When  Major  Waldo,  of  Maine,  who  had 
sold  goods  to  the  Indians,  fell  into  their  power,  they  reminded  him  of 
his  habit  of  thrusting  one  hand  into  the  scales  for  a  pound  weight,  and 
then  proceeded  to  cut  off  his  fingers.  "  Waldo,"  he  was  asked  after 
the  cruel  act  was  done,  *'  does  your  hand  weigh  a  pound  now?"  Trad- 
ers were  often  the  earliest  victims  of  Indian  wars,  and  some  were  killed 
in  the  lake  country  after  Cadillac's  arrival  at  Detroit.  Women,  except 
perhaps  among  the  Iroquois,  occupied  a  degraded  state,  being  com- 
pelled to  do  the  work  of  cultivating  the  Indian  corn,  boiling  the  maple 
sap,  cooking,  etc.,  and  were  mere  slaves  to  their  lordly  mates. 

For  ages  before  the  white  man  came  to  this  continent  the  aborigines 
fought  and  slaughtered  each  other,  and  later,  when  the  representatives 
of  a  European  power  came  among  them  and  sought  to  acquire  land  or 
advantages  in  trade,  the  obvious  course  for  the  white  man  to  pursue 
was  to  espouse  the  quarrels  of  one  Indian  nation  against  another.  In 
all  wars  between  white  principals,  French  and  Spanish,  French  and 
English,  or  English  and  American,  there  was  always  an  Indian  con- 
tingent on  each  side.  When  the  Spaniards  discovered  and  slaughtered 
the  French  Huguenots  in  Florida,  they  each  had  Indian  allies.  The 
French  governors  of  New  France  could  gain  the  alliance  of  both  the 
Hurons  and  Algonquins,  because  these  confederacies  were  generally  in 
peaceful  relations  with  each  other,  but  that  precluded  any  friendship 
with  the  Iroquois,  and  so  the  French  had  to  fight  with  the  two  former 
against  their  implacable  foes  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
For  the  same  reasons  the  Iroquois  generally  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
English  against  the  French.  The  red  man,  'however,  irrespective  of 
kinship  or  confederacy,  generally  looked  out  for  his  own  advantage ; 
he  was  crafty  and  discriminating,  and  seldom  allowed  sentiment  to  in- 
terfere with  his  interests.  In  this  region  it  was  always  a  three- sided 
game  for  gain,  the  French  and  English  each  trying  to  influence  the 
aborigines  by  cajolery,  threats  and  presents,  in  order  to  gain  control  of 
the  fur  trade,  while  the  Indian  coolly  weighed  the  respective  proposi- 
tions, accepted  those  deemed  most  desirable,  and  meanwhile  en- 
deavored to  hold  the  balance  of  power.  No  money  passed  in  trade;  it 
was  all   barter.     The  red   man  had  his  peltries  gained  by  long  and 

42 


fatiguing  excursions  in  the  forest,  and  the  French  and  English  had 
guns,  powder,  ball,  scalping  knives,  axes,  kettles,  beads,  blankets,  pro- 
visions and  rum  or  brandy,  but  in  the  exchange  the  Indian  had  always 
the  worst  of  the  trade.  The  aborigines  joined  either  side  and  fought, 
scalped,  tortured  or  burned  white  and  red  human  beings  of  all  ages  and 
sexes,  with  perfect  impartiality,  if  rewarded  with  sufficient  supplies  of 
these  articles  of  merchandise.  Wherever  the  fur  trade  extended  in 
New  France  or  New  England,  rum  and  brandy  followed,  and  the 
strong  drink  ever  brought  misery  and  ruin  to  the  aboriginal  population. 
The  labors  of  the  Jesuits,  or  the  Protestant  divines  that  came  later, 
could  do  no  more  than  alleviate  these  evils.  The  terrible  scourge 
of  the  small-pox,  which  broke  out  in  the  country  northwest  of  Lake 
Superior  in  1782,  was  scarcely  more  fatal  to  the  natives,  though  more 
rapid  and  striking  in  its  effects,  than  the  power  of  ardent  spirits.  Furs 
were  gleaned  with  an  iron  hand  and  rum  was  given  out  with  an  iron 
heart.  Beavers  were  sought  with  a  thirst  of  gain  as  great  as  that 
which  carried  Cortez  to  Mexico  and  Pizarro  to  Peru,  and  no  mines  of 
the  precious  metals  which  the  world  has  ever  produced  were  more  pro- 
ductive of  wealth  than  the  fur  yielding  region  of  America.  About 
1701,  however,  the  beaver  lost  its  supremacy  in  the  European  markets 
for  a  time,  but  the  demand  for  other  choice  furs  continued  unabated. 

Had  the  Indians  on  this  contment  made  joint  resistance  to  the  white 
invader,  it  is  very  probable  that  European  colonization  would  have  been 
delayed  for  centuries,  but  the  Indian  intellect  was  too  narrow  and  the 
Indian  temperament  too  passionate.  The  red  man  could  not  submerge 
his  hates  and  prejudices,  and  thereby  rise  to  the  grander  heights  of 
race  association  for  a  common  cause.  But  two  instances  of  Indian  as- 
sociation as  a  race  against  the  whites  can  be  cited,  and  these  were  both 
failures.  King  Philip,  son  of  Massassoit,  who  ruled  in  Massachusetts, 
Connecticut  and  adjoining  colonies,  formed  a  combination  with  the  Nar- 
ragansetts  in  1675  to  drive  out  the  English.  The  war  raged  for  about 
two  years  and  ended  with  the  killing  of  Philip  and  the  destruction  of 
the  allied  tribes.  The  other  was  the  well  known  conspiracy  of  Pontiac 
in  1763,  which  failed  as  much  by  the  splendid  resistance  of  the  white 
man,  as  by  the  want  of  coherence  among  the  savages. 

Cannibalism  was  sometime  practiced  by  nearly  all  the  Indians,  as 
late  as  the  eighteenth  century,  and  there  is  a  tradition  of  a  case  of  man- 
eating  in  Detroit  as  late  as  1763.  But  there  is  no  record  of  human 
flesh  being  used  by  the  aborigines  as  regular  diet — it  was  only  the 

43 


bodies  of  enemies  that  were  devoured.  When  Governor-General  De- 
nonville  vanquished  the  Seneca  tribe  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  in 
1687,  he  was  horrified  to  see  his  Ottawa  allies  cut  up  and  boil  the  bod- 
ies of  twenty-five  Senecas  and  eat  them  with  relish.  The  case  of  man- 
eating  in  Detroit  was  vouched  for  by  the  late  James  W.  Knaggs,  who 
related  it  to  the  writer  in  this  city  in  1893,  as  follows:  "  Whitmore 
Knaggs,  my  father,  was  born  in  Detroit  in  1763,  the  same  year  in  which 
Pontiac  tried  to  cany  out  his  famous  plan  of  driving  the  English  out  of 
Detroit  and  the  other  forts  on  the  western  frontier.  July  31,  1763,  a  party 
of  the  Detroit  garrison,  under  Captain  Dalzell,  made  a  sortie  at  Bloody 
Run,  about  two  miles  above  the  fort,  and  were  defeated  by  Pontiac 
with  great  loss.  After  his  triumph,  Pontiac  invited  the  leading  French 
residents,  including  Peter  Descompte  Labadie,  who  was  the  father  of 
my  mother,  to  a  grand  feast  in  honor  of  the  victory.  There  was 
plenty  of  fish,  flesh  and  fowl,  but  no  liquors.  After  the  feast  was  over 
Pontiac  said  to  Labadie,  '  How  did  you  like  the  meat  ? '  'It  was  very 
good  young  beef,  was  it  not?'  answerd  my  grandfather.  'Come  here 
and  I  will  show  you  what  you  have  eaten,'  said  Pontiac.  He  opened  a 
sack  that  was  lying  on  the  ground  behind  him  and  took  out  the  bloody 
head  of  an  English  soldier,  holding  it  up  by  the  hair.  '  There's  the 
young  beef,'  he  added  with  a  grin.  Labadie  took  one  look,  his  stom- 
ach turned  and  he  immediately  ejected  everything  he  had  eaten.  The 
dusky  warriors  jeered  at  him  and  said  he  was  nothing  but  an  old 
squaw.  This  story  I  often  heard  Grandfather  Labadie  tell  to  strangers 
and  friends.  He  described  the  young  beef  as  very  tender  and  appe- 
tizing until  Pontiac's  revelation." 

The  coiireiirs  de  bois,  bushlopers  or  rangers  of  the  woods,  were  also  a 
notable  factor  in  the  scheme  of  European  colonization.  At  first  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  private  trading  with  the  Indians.  To  check  irreg- 
ularities the  French  governors  granted  licenses  to  private  traders,  for 
which  a  fine  was  paid;  these  traders  at  first  were  superannuated  French 
army  officers,  who  were  given  the  privilege  in  return  for  past  services. 
In  1688  the  number  was  only  twenty-five,  but  the  permits  to  trade  be- 
came negotiable  paper  and  a  great  many  social  outcasts  acquired  them. 
Those  who  were  not  half-breeds  were  generally  of  French  birth,  but 
by  living  with  the  Indians  had  virtually  become  uncivilized.  Some- 
times they  were  agents  of  the  great  companies  who  acted  under  grants 
from  the  French  crown,  but  oftener  they  were  their  own  masters.  At 
first  they  were  named  as  above:  coureurs  de  bois,  but  afterward  they 

44 


were  called  merchant  voyagers  and  a  few  of  them,  notably  Duluth,  at- 
tained some  prominence. 

The  savages  loved  ardent  spirits  and  when  under  its  spell  would  be 
more  liberal  in  trading,  and  so  the  stock  of  the  coureurs  de  bois  always 
included  a  liberal  supply  of  that  demoralizing  drink.  They  transported 
it  with  other  goods  in  canoes,  through  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  the  North 
and  West,  and  over  difficult  portages,  to  their  destination  in  the  Indian 
country.  When  they  reached  their  trading  places  they  were  a  law  unto 
themselves,  and,  far  removed  from  ecclesiastical  and  judicial  authority, 
they  were  legislators  and  judges  in  the  wilderness.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  their  influence  was  altogether  for  evil.  The  better  side  of  their 
character  was  their  dexterity  in  hunting  and  trapping,  their  knowledge 
of  the  languages  and  customs  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  their  affability 
and  gayety,  which  made  them  popular  with  the  red  men.  These  qual- 
ities rendered  their  services  extremely  valuable  as  agents  of  the  French 
merchants.  They  were  a  hardy  race,  strong,  muscular  and  well  formed, 
and  dead  shots  with  the  rifle.  They  were  neither  pagans  nor  Chris- 
tians, and  knew  enough  of  the  Indian  and  French  religions  to  be  re- 
gardless of  either.  Their  ordinary  dress  was  a  moleton  or  blanket 
coat,  a  red  cap,  a  belt  of  cloth  passed  over  the  middle  of  their  bodies 
and  a  loose  shirt.  Sometimes  on  their  voyages  through  the  lakes  and 
rivers  they  wore  a  brown  coat  or  cloak,  with  a  cape  that  could  be  drawn 
over  their  heads  like  a  hood.  At  other  times  they  wore  elkskin  trou- 
sers, the  seams  of  which  were  ornamented  with  fringes,  a  surtout  of 
coarse  blue  cloth  reaching  to  the  calf  of  the  leg,  a  worsted  sash  of 
scarlet  fastened  around  the  waist,  in  which  was  stuck  a  broad  knife 
which  was  used  to  dissect  the  animals  taken  in  hunting,  and  moccasins 
made  of  buckskin. 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  small  companies  of  explorers  and  traders  who 
led  the  way  into  the  American  wilderness,  among  the  bloodthirsty 
savages,  would  have  had  the  courage  or  the  ability  to  make  the  ven- 
ture had  it  not  been  for  their  reliance  upon  firearms.  Although  the 
savages  were  presently  supplied  with  guns  and  ammunition  by  the 
traders,  the  greater  part  of  their  guns  were  very  crude  weapons,  made 
especially  for  such  patrons.  White  men  were  always  the  superior 
marksmen,  but  the  accuracy  and  range  of  the  old  time  musket  was 
fearfully  exaggerated  in  the  romances  of  pioneer  days.  In  the  famous 
"  Leatherstocking  Tales  "  the  shooting  described  by  the  imaginative 
Mr.  Cooper  is  far  beyond  the  fondest  dreams  of  modern  riflemen,  who 

45 


are  provided  with  weapons  of  fivefold  range  and  threefold  accuracy,  to 
say  nothing-  of  the  wonderful  improvements  in  ammunition  and  in  the 
sighting  of  guns.  Military  rifles  now  have  a  range  of  about  3,000 
yards ;  they  are  bored  and  rifled  with  mathematical  precision  by  costly 
machinery,  and  are  fired  instantaneously  by  percussion  primers  as  soon 
as  the  hammer  is  released.  In  Cadillac's  time  the  common  arm  was 
the  smooth-bore  musket  or  arquebus.  The  barrels  were  of  plain  iron 
and  made  very  heavy  as  a  precaution  against  bursting,  and  were  very 
long,  as  it  was  believed  that  extreme  length  of  barrel  tended  to  greater 
accuracy  and  range.  The  powder  was  poor  stuff  compared  with  mod- 
ern powders,  and  the  bullets  were  cast  by  hand  in  moulds.  If  there 
was  considerable  difference  between  the  diameter  of  the  bore  and  the 
diameter  of  the  bullet,  a  fit  was  secured  by  using  a  patch  of  leather 
of  the  required  thickness.  Calibers  were  not  rated  by  millimeters  or 
hundredths  of  an  inch,  but  by  the  number  of  balls  required  to  weigh 
one  pound.  To  operate  one  of  the  guns  the  hunter  or  soldier  poured 
out  a  charge  of  powder  from  his  powder  horn  into  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  and  emptied  it  into  the  muzzle  of  the  gun.  Selecting  a  bullet 
from  his  pouch,  he  applied  a  greased  patch  of  cloth  or  buckskin  over 
the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  and  placing  the  bullet  on  top,  drove  it  home 
wath  his  long  ramrod.  At  the  breech  a  hollow  plug  was  let  into  the 
barrel,  and  attached  to  this  was  a  powder  pan  covered  with  a  hinged 
plate  of  steel;  the  hammer  of  the  gun  had  jaws  for  holding  a  piece  of 
flint.  After  the  gun  had  been  loaded  the  hunter  poured  a  little  pow- 
der into  the  priming  pan,  cocked  his  piece  and  took  aim.  At  the 
descent  of  the  hammer  there  would  be  a  shower  of  sparks  from  the 
flint,  a  dazzling  flash  from  the  powder  in  the  pan,  and  the  gun  would 
go  off  with  a  great  racket.  The  range  at  which  any  degree  of  accuracy 
could  be  obtained  was  about  two  hundred  yards;  this  was  later  in- 
creased to  five  hundred  yards  when  the  long  Kentucky  rifle  came  into 
general  use.  In  these  days  of  better  weapons,  a  wise  man  would  hesi- 
tate before  he  would  risk  his  life  in  the  wilderness  with  no  better  pro- 
tection than  such  guns  as  Cadillac's  followers  possessed.  Yet  the  skill 
acquired  by  the  early  pioneers  in  the  use  of  their  arms  was  little  short 
of  marvelous.  Such  guns  and  an  occasional  rifle  (for  the  rifle  had  not 
yet  come  into  general  use)  were  the  offensive  and  defensive  arms  of 
the  pioneers.  They  also  provided  his  table  with  its  supply  of  meat. 
When  the  savages  attacked  in  such  force  that  the  home  of  the  settler 
could  no  longer  be  defended  by  the  small  arms  of  the  household,   the 

46 


entire  population  of  the  settlement  took  refuge  in  the  fort  with  its  log 
stockade,  its  blockhouses  and  its  projecting  bastions  armed  with  small 
cannon.  Heavy  artillery,  whether  loaded  with  three,  four,  or  six 
pound  shot,  or  with  bolts  and  scrap  iron,  always  commanded  the 
respect  of  the  savages.  The  thundering  report  was  nearly  as  effective 
as  the  flying  missiles  in  awing  them. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  evolution  of  artillery  had  not  proceeded  far, 
for  the  beginning  of  the  firearms  was  a  small  cannon  supported  on  a 
hand  staff  and  exploded  by  applying"  a  piece  of  burning  tow  or  a  match. 
Then  came  the  matchlock,  which  on  pulling  the  trigger  applied  a  piece 
of  burning  wick  to  the  powder  at  the  vent.  Following  this  came  the 
Dutch  invention  called  the  wheel  lock  or  fire  lock,  which  ignited  the 
powder  by  rotating  a  toothed  wheel  of  steel  against  a  piece  of  soft  iron, 
and  the  next  step  was  the  flint  lock,  which  held  supremacy  for  gener- 
ations, and  which  was  used  exclusively  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo  in  1815. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


What  the  Pioneers  Found  at  Detroit — Events  Contemporaneous  with  the  Found- 
ing of  the  City — Description  of  the  Fauna  and  Flora  of  the  Region  as  Described  in 
Ancient  Reports— 1701-1703. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  while  Detroit  was  being 
founded,  a  fever  of  speculation,  adventure  and  war  possessed  Eastern 
Europe.  Spain,  after  losing  her  great  Armada,  steadily  declined  in 
power.  Under  the  Duke  of  Alva  she  had  seized  and  drenched  in  blood 
the  Netherlands,  but  most  of  the  provinces  had  now  thrown  off  her 
yoke  and  had  established  the  Dutch  Republic.  The  small  portion  of 
the  Netherlands  remaining  to  her  was  about  to  be  lost  in  the  war  of 
the  Spanish  Succession.  Charles  II,  the  last  of  the  Spanish  Haps- 
burgs,  had  died  childless,  and  to  secure  the  support  of  France,  Philip 
of  Anjou,  grandson  of  Louis  XIV,  had  been  called  to  the  throne.  Eng- 
land and  the  Netherlands  opposed  this  union  of  interests,  and  Austria 
wanted  another  Hapsburg  prince  crowned  in  Spain.  The  three  made 
war  upon  Spain  in  1701,  and  this  conflict,  which  was  called  the  war  of 
the  Spanish  Succession,  lasted  eight  years,  during  which  the  Spanish 

47 


population  was  reduced  from  9,000,000  to  less  than  6,000,000.  Charles 
XII  of  Sweden  had  just  humbled  Denmark  and  had  given  the  Russians 
under  Peter  the  Great  an  inglorious  defeat,  although  outnumbered  five 
to  one.  He  was  advancing  upon  Poland  and  Saxony  in  1701,  Fred- 
eric, the  Prussian  elector,  gave  considerable  money  and  loaned  10,000 
troops  to  Austria  to  fight  in  the  war  with  Spain,  and  his  reward  was 
the  crown  of  Prussia,  which  was  erected  into  a  kingdom  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Austria  and  England.  The  Duke  of  Marlborough  and  Prince 
Eugene  of  Savoy  were  starting  out  on  the  series  of  splendid  cam- 
paigns against  Spain  and  France,  in  which  they  achieved  immortal 
glory.  Under  such  pressing  demands  for  troops  and  money  in  Europe, 
the  countries  having  colonies  were  compelled  for  the  most  part  to  let 
them  shift  for  themselves. 

In  1701  William  Kidd,  the  famous  pirate  chief,  closed  his  career  on 
the  gallows  in  the  city  of  London.  He  was  a  Scotch  navigator  who  in 
his  earlier  days  did  splendid  service  for  Great  Britain,  and  the  colony 
of  New  York  had  given  him  a  present  of  ;^150  in  token  of  its  appreci- 
ation. But  love  of  adventure  lured  him  to  ruin,  and  from  preying  on 
Spanish  commerce  he  soon  developed  into  a  scourge  of  the  seas.  New 
England  witchcraft  was  beginning  to  die  out ;  after  torturing  fifty-five 
persons  to  make  them  confess  that  they  were  witches,  and  hanging 
twenty  poor  old  women  for  having  an  alleged  intimacy  with  Satan,  the 
people  of  Salem,  Mass.,  were  just  awakening  from  their  trance  of 
superstition.  Such  were  the  conditions  in  Europe  and  the  new  world, 
when  Cadillac  pitched  his  camp  on  the  bank  of  Detroit  River. 

The  founding  of  the  new  settlement  in  the  western  wilderness  re- 
quired all  the  more  hardihood  since  it  was  evident  that  the  govern- 
ment of  France  could  give  it  but  little  aid.  The  ofificers  who  came 
with  Captain  Cadillac  were  Capt.  Alphonse  de  Tonty,  a'  younger 
brother  of  Henry  de  Tonty,  the  companion  of  La  Salle,  who  was  next 
in  command;  two  lieutenants,  Chacornacle  and  Dugue;  a  sergeant 
named  Jacob  I'Ommesprou  de  Mersac;  and  Antoine,  eldest  son  and 
namesake  of  Cadillac,  then  nine  years  of  age,  who  was  appointed  en- 
sign in  1707,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Jacob  Mersac,  like 
several  of  the  other  soldiers,  received  a  grant  of  land  near  the  fort, 
which  was  afterward  known  as  the  Mersac  farm,  and  tradition  tells  that 
in  after  years  when  engaged  in  plowing  he  always  wore  his  sword  by  his 
side.  Jean  and  Francois  Fafard,  were  the  Indian  interpreters.  Two 
priests,  Nicholas  Constantine  del  Halle,  a  Recollect  of  the  Franciscan 

48 


order,  and  Francis  Vaillant  de  Gueslis,  a  Jesuit,  also  came  with  the  ex- 
pedition to  afford  the  consolation  of  relig-ion  to  the  little  colony,  the 
former  as  chaplain  and  the  latter  as  Indian  missionary.  Cadillac  did 
not  wish  to  have  Jesuits  around  him,  but  the  influence  of  the  superior 
of  the  order  at  Quebec  was  too  strong  to  be  overcome.  In  a  letter  to 
De  Callieres,  written  twelve  days  after  his  landing,  he  described  the 
scenery  and  other  advantages  of  the  new  settlement  in  a  comprehen- 
sive and  even  poetic  vein. 

"The  Detroit/'  he  says,  "is  only  a  canal  or  river  of  moderate 
breadth  and  twenty-five  leagues  in  length,  through  which  the  sparkling 
and  pellucid  waters  of  Lakes  Superior,  Michigan  and  Huron  (which  are 
so  many  seas  of  sweet  water),  flow  and  glide  away  gently  and  with  a 
moderate  current  into  Lake  Erie,  in  the  Ontario  or  Frontenac,  and  go 
at  last  to  mingle  in  the  River  St.  Lawrence  with  those  of  the  ocean. 
The  banks  are  so  many  vast  meadows  where  the  freshness  of  those 
beautiful  streams  keeps  the  grass  always  green;  these  same  meadows 
are  fringed  with  long  and  broad  avenues  of  fruit  trees,  which  have 
never  felt  the  careful  hand  of  the  watchful  gardener;  and  the  fruit 
trees,  young  and  old,  droop  under  the  weight  and  multitude  of  their 
delicious  burden,  and  bend  their  branches  toward  the  fertile  soil  which 
has  produced  them.  In  this  soil  so  fertile,  the  ambitious  vine,  which 
has  not  yet  wept  under  the  knife  of  the  industrious  vine-dresser,  forms 
a  thick  roof  with  its  broad  leaves  and  its  heavy  clusters  over  the  head 
of  whatever  it  twines  around,  which  it  often  stifles  by  embracing  too 
closely.  Under  these  vast  avenues  you  may  see  assembling  in  hun- 
dreds the  shy  stag  and  the  timid  hind,  with  the  bounding  roebuck, 
which  pick  up  largely  the  apples  and  plums  with  which  the  ground  is 
paved.  It  is  there  that  the  careful  turkey-hen  calls  back  her  numerous 
brood  and  leads  them  to  gather  the  grapes;  it  is  there  that  their  big 
cocks  come  and  fill  their  broad  and  gluttonous  crops;  the  golden 
pheasant,  the  quail,  the  partridge,  the  woodcock,  the  teeming  turtle- 
dove, swarm  in  the  woods  and  cover  the  open  country,  which  is  inter- 
sected and  broken  by  groves  of  full  grown  forest  trees,  which  form  a 
charming  prospect  and  in  itself  might  sweeten  the  melancholy  hours  of 
solitude.  There  the  hand  of  the  pitiless  mower  has  never  shorn  the 
juicy  grass,  on  which  bisons  of  enormous  height  and  size  fatten.  The 
woods  are  of  six  kinds — walnut  trees,  white  oak,  red,  bastard  ash,  ivy, 
whitewood  trees  and  cotton  trees,  but  these  same  trees  are  straight  as 
arrows,  without  curves  and  almost  without  branches  except  near  the 

49 


top,  and  of  enormous  size  and  height.  It  is  from  thence  that  the  fear- 
less eagle  looks  steadily  at  the  sun,  seeing  beneath  him  wherewith  to 
satisfy  his  proudly- armed  foot.  The  fish  there  are  fed  and  laved  in 
sparkling  and  pellucid  waters,  and  are  none  the  less  delicious  for 
the  bountiful  supply  [of  them].  There  are  such  large  numbers  of 
swans  that  the  rushes  among  which  they  are  massed  might  be  taken 
for  lilies.  The  gabbling  goose,  the  duck,  the  teal  and  the  bustard,  are 
so  common  here  that,  in  order  to  satisfy  you  of  it,  I  will  only  make  use 
of  the  expression  of  one  of  the  savages.  Before  I  came  here  I  asked 
one  if  there  was  much  game  here.  He  answered,  'There  is  so  much 
that  they  only  move  aside  [long  enough]  to  allow  the  boat  to  pass.' 
In  a  word  the  cHniate  is  temperate,  the  air  very  pure.  During  the  day 
there  is  a  gentle  wind,  and  at  night  the  sky,  which  is  always  placid, 
diffuses  cool  and  sweet  influences  which  cause  us  to  enjoy  the  be- 
nignity of  tranquil  sleep.  If  its  position  is  pleasing  it  is  no  less  im- 
portant, for  it  opens  or  closes  the  approach  to  the  most  distant  tribes 
which  surround  these  sweet  water  seas.  It  is  only  the  opponents  of 
the  truth  who  are  the  enemies  of  this  settlement,  so  essential  to  the  in- 
crease of  the  glory  of  the  king,  to  the  spread  of  religion  and  to  the  de- 
struction of  the  throne  of  Baal." 

In  another  letter  dated  September  25,  1702,  he  gives  more  informa- 
tion regarding  this  region,  repeating  to  some  extent  what  he  said  before 
in  regard  to  the  fruit  bearing  trees.  "This  river  or  strait  of  the  seas 
is  covered,  both  on  the  mainland  and  the  islands,  with  large  clusters  of 
trees,  surrounded  by  charming  meadows.  I  have  observed  there  are 
nearly  twenty  different  kinds  of  plums ;  there  are  three  or  four  kinds 
of  which  are  very  good ;  the  others  are  very  large  and  pleasant  to  look 
at,  but  they  have  rather  tough  skins  and  mealy  flesh.  The  apples  are 
of  medium  size ;  too  acid.  There  is  also  a  number  of  cherry  trees,  but 
their  fruit  is  not  very  good.  In  places  there  are  mulberry  trees,  which 
bear  big  black  berries;  the  fruit  is  excellent  and  refreshing.  There  is 
also  a  very  large  quantity  of  hazel  nuts  and  filberts ;  there  are  six  kinds 
of  walnuts.  The  timber  of  these  trees  is  good  for  furniture  and  gun- 
stocks.  There  are  also  stretches  of  chestnuts,  chiefly  towards  Lake 
Erie.  All  the  fruit  trees  in  general  are  loaded  with  their  fruit ;  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  if  these  trees  were  grafted,  pruned  and 
well  cultivated,  their  fruit  would  be  much  better  and  might  be  made 
good  fruit.  There  is  one  tree  which  is  unknown  to  me,  and  to  all  who 
have  seen  it ;  its  leaves  are  a  vivid  green  and  remain  so  until  the  month 

50 


of  January.  It  has  been  observed  that  it  flowers  in  the  spring  and 
toward  the  end  of  November,  the  flowers  are  white;  this  tree  is  a  big- 
one.  There  is  another  tree  which  is  well  defended,  the  prickles  of 
which  are  one-half  a  foot  long  and  pierce  the  wood  like  a  nail.  It  bears 
a  fruit  like  kidney  beans;  the  leaf  is  like  the  capillary  plant;  neither 
animal  or  man  could  climb  it.  That  would  be  good  for  making  fences. 
Its  grain  is  very  hard;  when  it  has  arrived  at  maturity  the  wood  is  very 
difflcult  to  drive  a  nail  in  it  [the  thornapple].  There  are  also  citron 
trees  which  are  the  same  in  form  and  color  as  the  citron  of  Portugal,  but 
they  are  sweeter  and  smaller  [the  paw  paw].  There  is  a  large  number 
of  them ;  they  are  well  preserved.  The  root  of  this  tree  is  a  very  subtle 
and  deadly  poison  and  it  is  also  a  sovereign  remedy  against  snake  bites. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  pound  it  and  to  apply  it  to  the  wound  and  you 
are  instantly  cured.  There  are  but  few  snakes  in  Detroit;  they  are 
very  common  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquois.  I  have  seen  an  herb 
pointed  out  to  me  by  the  Iroquois  which  renders  the  venom  of  snakes 
innocuous ;  perhaps  it  may  have  some  other  use.  Fifteen  leagues  from 
Detroit,  at  the  entrance  to  Lake  Erie,  inclining  to  the  south  southwest, 
are  boundless  prairies  which  stretch  away  for  about  one  hundred  leagues. 
It  is  there  that  these  mighty  oxen  [buffalos],  which  are  covered  with 
wool,  find  food  in  abundance.  I  sent  this  spring  to  the  Chevalier  de 
Callieres  some  hides  and  wool  of  these  animals,  and  he  sent  both  to  the 
directors  of  the  company  of  the  colony  to  make  trial  of  them,  and  it  has 
been  found  that  the  discovery  will  prove  a  valuable  one ;  that  the  hides 
may  be  very  usefully  employed  and  the  wool  used  for  stockings  and 
cloth  making.  There  is  a  number  of  stags  and  hinds;  they  are  seen  in 
hundreds,  with  roebucks,  black  bears,  otters  and  other  smaller  fur- 
bearing  animals.  The  skins  of  these  animals  sell  well.  There  are  also 
a  number  of  beavers  on  this  mainland  and  in  the  neighborhood.  Game 
is  very  common — wild  turkey,  swans,  wild  ducks,  quails,  woodcocks, 
pheasants  and  rabbits.  There  are  so  many  turkeys  that  twenty  or 
thirty  could  be  killed  at  one  shot  every  time  they  are  met  with.  There 
are  also  partridges,  hazel-hens  and  a  stupendous  number  of  turtle-doves. 
As  the  place  is  well  supplied  with  animals,  the  wolves,  of  which  there 
are  numbers,  find  abundant  food,  but  it  often  costs  them  their  skins, 
because  they  sell  well  also,  and  this  aids  in  destroying  them,  because 
the  savages  hunt  them.  There  are  wood  rats  [opossums]  which  are  as 
large  as  rabbits,  most  of  them  gray,  but  there  are  some  seen  which  are 
as  white  as  snow.     The  female  has  a  pouch  under  her  belly  which  opens 

51 


and  shuts  as  she  requires,  so  that  sometimes  when  her  little  ones  are 
playing,  if  the  mother  finds  herself  pressed,  quickly  shuts  them  up  in 
her  pouch  and  carries  them  all  away  with  her  at  once  and  gains  her  re- 
treat. I  have  seen  a  number  of  different  kinds  of  birds  of  rare  beauty. 
Some  have  a  plumage  of  a  beautiful  red  fire  color,  the  most  vivid  it 
were  possible  to  see;  they  have  a  few  shots  of  black  in  the  tail  and  at 
the  tips  of  their  wings,  but  that  is  only  noticed  when  they  are  flying. 
I  have  seen  others  all  yellow,  with  tails  bigger  than  their  bodies,  and 
they  spread  out  their  tails  as  peacocks  do.  I  have  seen  others  of  a  sky 
blue  color,  with  red  breasts;  there  are  some  curiously  marked  like 
great  butterflies.  I  have  observed  that  a  pleasant  warbling  proceeds 
from  all  these  birds,  especially  from  the  red  ones  with  large  beaks. 
There  are  many  cranes,  gray  and  white,  and  they  stand  higher  than  a 
man.  The  savages  value  these  latter  greatly  on  account  of  their  plum- 
age, with  which  they  adorn  themselves.  In  the  river  of  Detroit  there 
are  neither  stones  or  rocks,  but  on  Lake  Huron  there  are  fine  quarries, 
and  it  is  a  country  wooded  like  Canada,  that  is  to  say,  with  endless 
forests.  Houses  could  be  provided  and  buildings  erected  of  bricks,  for 
there  is  earth  which  is  very  suitable  for  this,  and  fortunately,  only  five 
leagues  from  the  fort  there  is  an  island  which  is  very  large  and  is  en- 
tirely composed  of  limestone  [Stony  Island].  We  have  fish  in  great 
abundance,  and  it  could  not  be  otherwise,  for  the  river  is  inclosed  and 
situated  between  the  lake,  or  rather  between  as  many  seas.  A  thing 
which  is  most  convenient  for  navigation  is,  that  it  does  not  wind  at  all; 
its  two  prevailing  winds  are  the  northeast  and  southwest.  This  coun- 
try is  so  temperate,  so  fertile  and  so  beautiful,  that  it  may  justly  be 
called  the  earthly  paradise  of  North  America,  deserves  all  the  care  of 
the  king  to  keep  it  up  and  to  attract  inhabitants  to  it,  so  that  a  solid 
settlement  may  be  formed  there  which  shall  not  be  liable  to  the  usual 
vicissitudes  of  the  other  posts,  in  which  only  a  mere  garrison  is  placed."' 

In  regard  to  the  buffalos  which  he  calls  oxen,  he  says  that  "he  could 
not  send  any  of  them  to  France  until  barges  could  be  built,  as  they 
were  too  large  to  be  transported  in  canoes." 

Cadillac  named  the  inclosure  Fort  Pontchartrain,  after  his  friend  and 
patron,  but  the  settlement  itself  was  always  named  Detroit,  or  the 
Straits. 

A  company  of  one  hundred  men  directed  by  an  energetic  and  capa- 
ble leader  can  accomplish  wonders.  Cadillac  kept  his  men  at  work  early 
and  late,  and  by  the  first  day  of  September  the  green  knoll,  which  had 

52 


JAMES  F.   JOY. 


probably  never  felt  the  imprint  of  a  white  man's  foot  six  weeks  before, 
had  been  converted  into  a  walled  city  of  extremely  rustic  pattern,  and 
shelter  had  been  provided  for  the  settlers  and  their  stores.  A  walled 
city  may  seem  an  extravagant  term  unless  comparison  is  made  with  the 
foundings  of  older  cities.  Tradition  has  it  that  Romulus,  the  founder 
of  Rome,  slew  his  twin  brother,  Remus,  because  the  latter  leaped  the 
first  wall  of  Rome  and  scoffed  at  its  weak  protection.  When  Caesar 
discovered  Paris  it  was  a  city  of  some  years  standing,  yet  the  walls 
inclosed  but  thirty-seven  acres,  and  as  late  as  the  beginning  of  the 
thirteenth  century  its  walls  surrounded  less  than  a  square  mile.  The 
roots  of  the  first  settlement  struck  deep  into  the  soil  and  although  the 
last  traces  of  the  stockade  have  been  missing  for  seventy  years,  the  soil 
still  reveals  the  story  of  the  past  each  time  it  is  disturbed  for  the  erec- 
tion of  great  buildings.  In  the  summer  of  1894,  193  years  after  the 
founding  of  the  city,  excavations  at  the  corner  of  Wayne  and  Larned 
streets  turned  up  many  relics.  Fragments  of  old  muskets,  rusty  sword 
and  knife  hilts,  a  mass  of  rotten  high  boots,  such  as  were  worn  by  the 
French  soldiers  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  a  number  of  three  and 
four  pound  cannon  balls,  were  found  on  the  spot,  some  of  them  ten 
feet  or  more  beneath  the  surface.  They  indicate  that  the  military 
stores  must  have  been  housed  in  this  part  of  the  works,  while  the  pow- 
der magazine  is  supposed  to  have  been  located  in  a  pit  near  the  corner 
of  Griswold  and  Larned.  Fort  Pontchartrain  had  its  northern  barrier 
near  the  north  side  of  Larned  street  reaching  fnftm  Wayne  to  a  point 
near  Griswold  street.  It  ran  down  quite  close  to  the  river  bank,  and 
one  of  the  large  fortified  gates  must  have  been  near  the  crossing  of 
Shelby  and  Woodbridge  streets,  the  other  being  on  the  north  side  in 
the  middle  of  the  Larned  street  front. 

Settlers  soon  came  and  crowded  the  little  cabins,  until  they  could 
erect  habitations  of  their  own.  Indians  arrived  in  small  bands,  some 
of  them  being  Iroquois,  and  erected  their  cabins  of  bark,  back  on  the 
river  bank,  and  following  them  came  the  French  merchants  and  the 
coureurs  de  bois.  Before  the  next  summer,  according  to  C.  M.  Burton, 
the  little  colony,  situated  beyond  the  verge  of  civilization,  "had  a 
population  of  6,000  souls,  mostly  Indians,  and  was  the  metropolis  of 
America."  No  white  woman  came  during  the  first  year,  but  in  the 
succeeding  years  wives  and  families  from  Quebec,  Montreal  and  else- 
where, rejoined  their  husbands  in  Detroit.  The  buildings  were  log 
huts,  generally  one  story  in  height  with  an  attic  in  the  roof.      The  lots 

53 


on  which  they  stood  were  quite  small,  seldom  exceeding  25  by  25  feet; 
the  shops  and  stores  being  a  trifle  larger,  and  all  the  space  inside  the 
palisades  was  probably  covered  by  buildings.  The  soldiers  were 
lodged  inside  the  fort,  and  Cadillac,  in  order  to  foster  industry,  gave 
them  the  use  of  half  arpent  spaces  outside  the  inclosure,  for  gardening 
purposes.  These  spaces  fronted  on  the  east  side  of  what  is  now  Ran- 
dolph street,  between  the  river  and  Fort  street  east.  The  soldiers' 
houses  were  owned  by  the  commandant,  while  the  houses  of  the  per- 
manent merchants,  artisans  and  other  citizens,  were  generally  owned 
by  themselves.  No  transfers  of  lands  were  given  until  1704,  and  the 
occupants  of  real  estate  probably  erected  buildings  under  an  agree- 
ment to  have  their  titles  confirmed  in  the  future. 

When  Madame  Cadillac  heard  that  the  fort  was  ready  to  give  her 
shelter,  she  resolved  to  leave  Quebec  and  go  to  her  husband,  in  spite 
of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  which  beset  the  way.  It  was  a  journey 
of  one  thousand  miles.  At  Detroit  she  would  be  cut  off  from  all 
society  such  as  she  enjoyed  in  Quebec.  The  latter  station  was  con- 
sidered safe  against  any  attempt  the  savages  might  make  upon  it,  while 
the  new  outpost  was  not  only  beset  with  dangers,  but  also  cut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  world.  Her  friends  tried  to  persuade  her  to  remain  in 
Quebec,  but  she  was  firm,  and  Madame  Tonty,  whose  husband  was  also 
at  Fort  Pontchartrain,  declared  her  intention  to  accompany  her. 
Madame  Cadillac  answered  her  advisers  saying:  "A  woman  who  loves 
her  husband  as  she  should,  has  no  stronger  attraction  than  his  com- 
pany, wherever  he  may  be;  everything  else  should  be  indifferent  to 
her."  Cadillac  has  been  censured  for  being  often  involved  in  troubles 
caused  by  his  rashness  and  his  prejudices,  but  whatever  his  faults  he 
must  have  possessed  noble  traits  of  character  to  have  inspired  the 
strong  devotion  of  such  a  woman.  Madame  Cadillac  brought  her  son, 
James,  aged  seven  years,  leaving  her  two  young  daughters  in  the 
Ursuline  Convent.  The  two  brave  women  set  out  from  Quebec  on 
September  10,  1701,  in  birch  bark  canoes,  with  an  escort  of  rude 
voyageurs,  for  a  journey  of  several  weeks  through  the  wilderness. 
They  were  paddled  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  tramping  along  with  their 
escort  at  the  several  portages,  and  finally  arriving  at  Frontenac,  where 
they  passed  the  winter. 

Here  they  found  Father  Valliant,  who  was  able  to  tell  the  ladies 
more  satisfactor)^  information  of  their  husbands.  Early  in  the  spring 
they  proceeded  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.     Another 

54 


long  portage  was  passed  between  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  River  and 
Lake  Erie,  and  then  the  canoes  were  paddled  along  the  shore  to  the 
mouth  of  Detroit  River.  At  night  the  travelers  slept  in  the  forest 
with  the  canoes  overturned  above  them  for  shelter  against  the  rain, 
and  they  were  constantly  in  danger  of  attack,  because  the  fierce  Iro- 
quois opposed  the  founding  of  Detroit  as  an  encroachment  upon  their 
territory.  The  glad  reception  this  party  received  at  the  fort  can  well 
be  imagined.  The  cannon  thundered  out  a  welcome  as  the  canoes 
rounded  the  bend  in  the  river,  and  the  advent  of  the  two  ladies  caused 
a  genuine  sensation  among  the  aborigines.  "The  Iroquois,"  Cadillac 
says,  "kissed  their  hands  and  wept  for  joy,  saying  that  French  women 
had  never  before  come  willingly  to  their  country."  They  were  re- 
ceived at  Detroit  by  all  the  Indians  under  arms  with  many  discharges 
of  musketry,  the  aborigines  being  then  convinced  that  the  French 
wished  to  make  Detroit  a  post  to  live  in  and  a  flourishing  settlement. 
Mesdames  Cadillac  and  Tonty  were  the  first  white  ladies  in  Detroit  and 
their  list  of  calling  acquaintances  must  have  been  quite  limited  during 
the  first  year  or  two. 

Cadillac  at  once  surveyed  the  lands,  laying  out  lots  and  describing 
their  borders  in  exact  measurement.  In  some  cases  these  grants  be- 
came the  sources  of  fortune  to  modern  days,  but  in  every  grant 
Cadillac  reserved  to  himself  certain  rights  which  curiously  illustrate 
his  attempt  to  establish  a  sort  of  feudal  system.  For  instance,  all  the 
grain  produced  was  to  be  ground  at  his  mill  and  he  exacted  an  annual 
tribute  as  grand  seigneur.  From  the  first,  after  the  pressing  needs  of 
defense  and  shelter  were  accomplished,  Cadillac  directed  his  efforts  to 
secure  a  permanent  supply  of  food.  The  first  wheat  was  planted  on 
October  7,  1701,  and  was  reaped  in  Jul}^,  1702,  but  the  crop  did  not 
fulfill  expectations.  Another  crop,  sown  in  the  spring  of  1702,  was  al- 
most a  failure,  but  in  the  summer  of  1702  eight  arpents,  or  French 
acres,  were  sown  in  wheat,  and  twelve  in  Indian  corn,  and  these  were 
good  crops.  The  fifty  soldiers  also  tilled  their  half-acre  lots;  the 
artisans  and  traders  in  the  fort  cultivated  sizable  fields  outside,  and  the 
the  Indians  raised  abundance  of  corn.  Grape  culture  was  also  com- 
menced; the  woods  were  full  of  wild  game;  and  the  river  teemed 
with  choice  fish.  By  the  end  of  1702  the  food  supply  was  no  longer  a 
problem.  All  the  industry  was  accomplished  by  manual  labor,  with 
the  aid  of  spades  and  hoes,  there  being  no  horses  or  oxen  in  the  set- 
tlement.     Cadillac  brought  three  horses  and  ten  head  of  cattle  to  De- 

55 


troit  in  1704;  two  of  the  horses  died,  but  the  survivor,  named  Colin, 
hved  for  many  years.  He  must  have  been  a  strong  heavy  animal,  as 
he  was  used  for  plowing  and  hauling  loads,  and  was  also  rented  to  the 
settlers  for  these  purposes.  Other  horses  and  different  oxen  came 
later. 

A  part  of  Cadillac's  projects,  in  connection  with  the  plan  of  building 
up  a  colony,  was  to  induce  his  soldiers  to  marry  the  Indian  maidens 
and  thus  form  a  strong  bond  of  kinship  and  mutual  interest  between 
the  aborigines  and  the  French.  To  this  end  and  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  even  with  the  Jesuits  at  Mackinac,  he  endeavored  from  the 
first  to  bring  the  Hurons  from  that  place  to  Detroit.  In  conferring 
with  Father  Valliant  on  the  subject  he  met  a  decided  refusal  to  co- 
operate, as  the  priest  would  not  look  with  favor  on  any  scheme  that 
would  disrupt  or  injure  the  Jesuit  mission  at  that  place.  As  a  result  of 
this  disagreement  Father  Valliant  left  Detroit  about  two  months  after 
his  arrival  and  went  to  Fort  Frontenac,  which  was  on  the  present  site 
of  Kingston,  Ontario.  Father  Superior  Bouvard  at  Quebec,  Father 
Etienne  de  Carheil  at  Mackinac,  and  all  the  other  Jesuits  also  opposed 
Cadillac  in  this  plan,  and  the  project  of  founding  a  Jesuit  mission  at 
Detroit  failed  for  a  time.  In  1728,  however,  after  Cadillac  had  re- 
turned to  France,  the  "  Huron  Mission  of  Detroit  "  was  founded  by  the 
Jesuits,  and  it  was  located  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  at  Sandwich, 
opposite  Detroit. 

The  principal  thoroughfare  of  old  Detroit  was  St.  Anne  street,  which 
ran  east  and  west  and  was  about  thirty  feet  wide.  Its  northern  line 
was  nearly  on  the  northern  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  extending  from 
Griswold  street  to  a  point  about  thirty  feet  west  of  Shelby  street.  Near 
its  easterly  end  on  the  north  side,  was  the  church,  a  little  west  of  where 
Ives  &  Son's  bank  is  now  situated,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Griswold  street.  South  of  St.  Anne  street  was  a  parallel 
thoroughfare  named  St.  Louis  street,  on  which  both  the  northerly  and 
southerly  tiers  of  lots  were  all  on  what  is  now  Jefferson  avenue.  Another 
parallel  street  north  of  St.  Anne,  was  named  St.  Joachim  street,  which 
lay  between  Jefferson  avenue  and  the  alley  on  the  north.  This  street 
extended  like  the  others  from  Griswold  to  Shelby  streets;  these  streets 
were  about  twenty  feet  wide.  Two  other  streets  ran  north  and  south, 
and  extended  from  St.  Louis  to  St.  Joachim  street,  across  St.  Anne 
street,  and  there  was  another  short  thoroughfare  midway  between  the 
two,  named  Recontre  street.    Realizing  these  spaces  and  measurements 

56 


and  the  contrast  between  them  and  the  wide  streets  of  modern  Detroit, 
it  might  be  thought  that  the  land  was  extremely  valuable,  but  the 
contrary  was  the  fact.  The  inhabitants  were  huddled  together  for  pro- 
tection within  the  small  stockade,  and  when  land  was  sold  or  rented 
the  prices  paid  were  principally  for  safety  from  the  savages  or  the 
British,  and  also  for  the  privilege  of  conducting  trade  or  other  voca- 
tions. 

The  population  of  the  first  year,  owing  to  causes  hereinafter  related, 
was  not  maintained  and  was  not  equaled  until  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  later,  but  as  more  room  was  desirable,  the  inclosure  was  enlarged 
from  time  to  time  under  French,  British  and  American  rule,  until  1812, 
when  it  was  surrendered  by  Hull.  It  then  comprised  all  the  space  on 
the  river  front  between  Brush  and  Wayne  streets  and  back  to  Larned 
street.  From  these  eastern  and  western  points  the  line  of  palisades 
inclined  inward  to  the  earthworks  of  the  fort,  the  center  of  which  was 
at  the  present  intersection  of  Fort  and  Shelby  streets,  with  angles 
reaching  out  half  a  square  in  four  directions. 

In  order  to  hamper  the  development  of  Detroit,  the  Jesuits  of  Mack- 
inaw, in  1701,  planned  the  establishment  of  a  post  at  Fort  St.  Joseph, 
on  the  St.  Joseph  River  on  Lake  Michigan,  where  special  inducements 
would  be  made  to  settlers  and  Indians  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  away 
those  who  had  already  settled  at  Detroit.  Many  had  been  persuaded 
by  Cadillac  to  leave  Mackinaw  and  come  to  his  post.  Tonty,  who  was 
associated  with  Cadillac  and  pretended  to  be  his  friend,  united  with 
Fathers  Marmet  and  Davenant,  of  Mackinaw,  for  the  promotion  of  this 
scheme.  When  ii  failed  Tonty  begged  Cadillac's  pardon  and  it  was 
granted,  but  he  was  soon  in  another  scheme  which  had  for  its  purpose 
the  removal  of  Cadillac  and  the  substitution  of  himself  as  commandant. 

During  this  period,  the  first  two  years  of  the  settlement,  each  party 
to  the  controversy  made  bitter  accusations  against  the  other.  The  Jes- 
uits said  that  they  would  display  a  more  Christian  spirit  than  the 
vengeful  Cadillac,  by  laying  all  their  resentment  at  the  foot  of  the 
crucifix.  Cadillac  retorted  sarcastically  that  the  deposit  was  a  mere 
convenience,  as  the  vocation  of  the  Jesuit  priests  called  them  con- 
stantly to  the  foot  of  the  crucifix,  and  they  could  therefore  take  up 
their  resentments  again  at  any  time.  In  one  of  his  lengthy  attacks  on 
the  Jesuits,  he  says  they  "  wished  him  to  go  down  under  the  waters  of 
vengeance  and  persecution,  but  as  long  as  I  have  for  my  protection 
Justice  and  Merit,  I  shall  float  and  swim  over  the  waves  like  the  nest 

57 


of  the  ingenious  Icing-fisher.  I  shall  try  to  conduct  myself  better  and 
better,  and  to  walk  by  the  brightness  and  the  light  of  these  two  illus- 
trious patronesses.  Without  them  I  should  long  ago  have  been  unable 
to  bear  up  against  the  torrent.  It  is  true  that  sometimes  raising  my 
eyes  to  heaven,  I  cry  in  the  weakness  of  my  faith,  *  Sancta  Frontenac, 
ora  pro  me*  (Pray  for  me,  Holy  Frontenac)." 

In  1701  beaver  skins  had  depreciated  in  price  and  were  a  drug  in  the 
market,  and  Intendant  Champigny  cautioned  Cadillac  to  deal  as  little 
in  that  kind  of  fur  as  possible  and  to  trade  for  other  skins  that  would 
bring  good  prices.  The  skins  of  stags  and  hinds  were  then  worth  four- 
teen livres ;  roebucks  up  to  six  livres ;  bears  up  to  ten  livres ;  others  five 
livres  and  wildcats  thirty -two  sols  or  one  livre  and  seven  sols. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Plots  and  Counterplots  between  Cadillac  and  His  Enemies — The  Merchants  of 
Montreal  Oppose  the  Development  of  Detroit  for  Fear  of  Its  Future  Rivalry — Detroit 
was  a  Great  Beaver  Region. 

Cadillac's  report  to  Pontchartrain  of  the  results  of  his  first  year's 
work  was  as  follows : 

"  All  that  I  have  the  honor  to  state  to  you  has  been  done  in  one  year,  without  its 
having  cost  the  king  a  sol,  and  without  costing  the  company  more  than  it  ought, 
and  in  twelve  months  we  have  put  ourselves  in  a  position  to  do  without  provisions 
from  Canada  forever,  and  all  this  undertaking  was  carried  out  with  three  months' 
provisions,  which  I  took  when  I  set  out  from  Montreal,  and  which  were  consumed 
in  the  course  of  the  journey.  This  proves  whether  Detroit  is  a  desirable  or  unde- 
sirable country.  Besides  this  nearly  six  thousand  savages  of  different  tribes  win- 
tered there,  as  every  one  knows.     This  is  the  paradise  of  North  America." 

While  Cadillac  was  busily  engaged  in  furthering  the  interests  of  the 
colony,  he  received  on  July  19,  1702,  a  notification  that  the  post  had 
been  ceded  to  the  "Company  of  the  Colony  of  Canada."  This  was  un- 
welcome and  disagreeable  news  to  a  man  whose  fortunes  had  been 
shattered  by  war,  and  who  was  then  bending  every  energy  to  repair 
them  by  building  up  the  new  colony.  In  one  of  his  letters,  written 
subsequently,  he  stated  that  if  he  had  known  that  the  company  was  to 
have  the  trade  of  Detroit,  he  would  not  have  undertaken  its  establish- 

58 


ment.  He  had  doubtless  supposed  that  the  trade  of  the  new  settle- 
ment would  g-o  to  him,  just  as  the  trade  of  the  Illinois  country  had 
been  granted  to  La  Salle.  The  De  Caens  had  also  been  given  the 
monopoly  of  trade  in  New  France  when  Frontenac  was  governor,  and 
they  were  succeeded  by  the  West  Indian  Company  in  1664.  Both  lost 
money  in  these  enterprises  and  their  charters  were  revoked.  In  1699 
the  principal  citizens  of  Quebec,  one  of  whom  was  Cadillac,  sent  a  dep- 
utation to  Versailles  to  solicit  from  Louis  XIV  the  monoply  of  the 
beaver  trade,  and  this  company  was  granted  that  privilege  after  Cadil- 
lac founded  Detroit.  By  the  terms  of  the  agreement  the  Company  of 
the  Colony  was  to  have  the  exclusive  control  of  the  fur  trade  of  Forts 
Pontchartrain  and  Frontenac,  and  were  required  to  finish  the  forts  and 
buildings  belonging  thereto,  and  keep  them  in  good  repair,  and  to  sup- 
port the  commandant  and  one  other  officer.  The  necessary  garrison 
was  to  be  maintained  at  the  king's  expense.  This  was  the  system  on 
which  French  colonial  enterprises  were  conducted  at  that  time.  Colo- 
nizing was  always  an  expensive  undertaking,  and  neither  the  gov- 
ernment of  New  France,  with  its  sparse  population,  nor  the  mother 
country,  impoverished  by  European  wars,  could  afford  to  support  such 
undertakings  alone.  The  method  used  was  simply  to  grant  trade 
privileges  to  companies  and  provide  that  the  latter  should  pay  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  expenses. 

Three  days  after  receiving  the  notice  Cadillac  left  Detroit  on  July  21, 
1702,  for  Quebec,  where  he  made  arrangements  with  the  company,  A 
contract  was  drawn  up  by  which  the  company  agreed  to  pay  him  2,000 
livres  ($400)  and  DeTonty  1,333  livres  ($266)  per  year,  and  the  neces- 
sary supplies  for  their  families.  He  was  pledged  not  to  traffic  with  the 
savages  and  to  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  all  other  traders,  including 
the  English,  from  trading  at  the  post.  He  was  also  given  charge  of  the 
books  of  the  company  and  was  treasurer  of  its  surplus  funds,  and  given 
power  to  prevent  frauds  by  the  employees.  He  undertook  to  carry  out 
the  purposes  of  his  office,  and  this  finally  brought  him  into  collision 
with  the  company.  In  consideration  of  the  monopoly  of  the  trade  of 
the  post  of  Detroit,  the  company  bound  itself  to  reimburse  Cadillac  for 
the  expenses  he  incurred  there,  consisting  not  only  of  the  goods  which 
had  been  sent  there  for  trading,  but  also  of  the  provisions,  stores  and 
tools,  boats  bought  for  the  journey,  the  construction  of  the  fort,  and 
the  wages  of  those  who  were  serving  at  that  post,  but  on  condition  of 
his  making  a  reduction  of  15,000  livres,  which  his  majesty  had  granted 

59 


for  the  construction  of  the  fort.  Also  to  provide  food  for  the  officers 
in  command  there,  so  that  they  might  have  their  pay  clear;  to  have  the 
provisions  and  clothes  of  the  soldiers  conveyed  there  at  fifteen  per 
cent,  profit,  which  otherwise  would  have  cost  as  much  again ;  and  also 
to  distribute  to  poor  families  of  rank  the  sum  of  6,000  livres  instead  of 
the  licensed  traders.  The  company  was  also  obliged  by  the  orders  of 
Governor  de  Callieres,  and  his  intendant,  De  Beauharnois,  to  restrict 
their  trade  to  the  forts  at  Frontenac  and  Detroit,  because  the  savages 
could  easily  come  to  these  two  places.  "If  it  were  permitted  to  this 
company  to  take  goods  to  them  [the  savages]  it  would  entirely  ruin  the 
trade  of  the  settlers  and  the  merchants  of  Montreal,  who  only  get  a 
bare  subsistence  on  the  little  trade  done  there  at  present." 

In  November,  1702,  intrigues  were  already  at  work  at  the  new  set- 
tlement. The  Hurons  at  Detroit,  together  with  some  Indians  from 
the  Sault,  went  to  Orange  (Albany)  in  response  to  an  invitation  from 
the  English  to  come  and  trade  with  them,  and  then  the  chiefs  at  De- 
troit went  to  Tonty  and  said  if  they  could  not  get  goods  cheaper  at 
Detroit  that  their  young  men  would  go  and  trade  with  the  English  at 
Orange  or  at  some  meeting  place.  In  communicating  this  unwelcome 
newstoPontchartrain,  Governor  de  Callieres  said  that  he  greatly  feared 
that  these  intrigues  might  have  disastrous  consequences  to  the  colony. 
At  the  end  of  1702  the  Hurons  had  cleared  up  about  two  hundred  acres 
of  land,  and  their  village  and  fort  was  on  the  west  of  Fort  Pontchar- 
train.  The  Appenagos  or  Loups,  generally  called  Wolves,  had  a  vil- 
lage and  fort  on  the  east  side  of  the  French  fort,  the  land,  however, 
being  granted  by  Cadillac  with  the  condition  that  they  would  remove 
when  requested,  as  he  expected  to  use  the  space  in  the  future  as  a 
common.  He  characterized  them  as  peaceable  and  caressing,  and  that 
they  even  tried  to  learn  the  French  language.  About  a  mile  and  a 
half  above  the  fort  was  a  settlement  and  fort  inhabited  by  four  tribes 
of  Ottawas.  So  that  in  1702  within  the  space  of  one  league  there 
were  four  forts  and  four  hundred  men  bearing  arms,  with  their  fam- 
ilies, beside  the  garrison. 

In  the  spring  of  1703  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  fort  which  did  consider- 
able damage.  The  mystery  surrounding  its  origin  led  Cadillac  to  be- 
lieve that  it  was  the  work  of  the  Jesuits,  and  he  wrote  the  following 
account  to  Count  Pontchartrain : 

"The  fort  was  set  on  fire,  the  blaze  having  been  started  in  a  barn,  which  was 
flanked  by  two  bastions  and  was  full  of  corn  and  other  crops.     The  flames  by  a 

60 


strong  wind  burned  down  the  church,  the  house  of  the  Recollet,  that  of  de  Tonty 
and  mine,  which  cost  me  a  loss  of  400  pistoles  [$800J,  which  I  could  have  saved 
if  I  had  been  willing  to  let  the  company's  warehouse  burn  and  the  king's  ammuni- 
tion. I  even  had  one  hand  burnt,  and  lost  for  the  most  part  all  my  papers  in  the 
fire.  We  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain  who  it  was  set  fire  to  the  barn,  though 
we  may  be  able  to  obtain  something  about  it  hereafter.  All  the  tribes  settled  at 
Detroit  assert  that  it  was  a  strange  savage  who  did  the  deed,  or  rather  they  say  some 
Frenchman  who  has  been  paid  for  doing  this  wicked  act.     God  only  knows." 

In  this  conflagration  the  church  records  were  destroyed;  they  were 
not  very  extensive  to  be  sure,  but  they  doubtless  contained  the  record 
of  the  birth  and  death  of  one  of  Cadillac's  children,  as  well  as  the 
birth  and  death  of  a  child  of  Tonty.  Years  afterward  a  settler  named 
Campau  told  Governor  Vaudreuil  that  one  of  Tonty's  factotums,  a 
soldier  named  De  Ville,  had  started  the  fire. 

C.  M.  Burton  fixes  the  probable  site  of  Cadillac's  home  on  what  is 
now  the  north  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  between  Griswold  and  Shelby 
streets,  about  where  the  old  Masonic  hall  is  situated,  on  the  ground 
now  covered  by  the  buildings  Nos.  133,  13o  and  137  Jefferson  avenue. 
The  resident  Indians  realized  that  Cadillac  was  a  friend  in  need  and 
helped  stay  the  progress  of  the  flames.  After  the  fire  was  over  they 
presented  him  with  one  hundred  bushels  of  corn,  and  also  furnished 
him  with  all  the  grain  necessary  for  the  support  of  the  troops  at  the 
usual  price. 

Still  later  in  1703  a  party  of  fifteen  Illinois  braves  appeared  at  the 
settlement  with  the  object  of  destroying  it.  They  were  discovered  be- 
fore they  did  any  harm,  and  were  at  once  captured  and  whipped  at  the 
post.  Cadillac  then  sent  four  of  them  back  to  their  tribe,  and  through 
them  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace.  An  outbreak  in  which  Cadillac  ex- 
hibited diplomacy  of  a  high  order  occurred  shortly  afterward.  A  band 
of  Miamis  from  Auyatonan  attacked  the  Detroit  Indians  and  killed  an 
Ottawa,  two  Hurons  and  a  Potawatomie.  This  raised  the  resentment 
of  the  local  Indians,  and  they  immediately  organized  for  the  war  path, 
but  Cadillac  realized  that  an  Indian  war  would  cripple  or  ruin  the  set- 
tlement, and  he  persuaded  them  to  wait  for  a  few  days.  He  then 
went  to  the  camp  of  the  Miamis  at  Auyatonan,  and  told  them  that  if 
they  did  not  satisfy  the  friends  of  the  murdered  braves,  that  the 
French  would  deal  with  them  severely.  The  latter  sent  several  chiefs 
to  Detroit  and  after  a  parley  peace  was  declared  for  the  time  being. 

In  the  little  settlement  under  French  rule  the  street  scenes  were 
imique,    showing  a  strange   mingling   of    civilization    and    barbarism. 

61 


Along  the  banks  of  the  river  could  be  seen  the  Indian  birch  bark 
canoes  turned  bottom  up  and  sheltering  the  red  man  and  his  children, 
now  on  a  trading  visit.  Beside  the  canoes  were  often  tents  or  tepees 
made  of  the  same  material,  to  afford  additional  shelter.  On  the  nar- 
row streets  were  the  French  soldiers  of  the  garrison,  clad  in  gay  blue 
uniforms  with  white  facings  and  three-cornered  chapeaux ;  the  Recollect 
fathers,  clad  in  black  cassocks,  with  the  crucifix  hanging  from  the 
waist;  the  coureiir  de  bois,  with  his  blue  blanket  coat  and  red  cape;  the 
Stolid  Indian  awaiting  the  disposal  of  his  peltries,  which  he  had 
brought  from  his  hunting  grounds  hundreds  of  miles  away;  the  sober 
merchant  of  sober  garb  and  gait,  as  he  passed  on  his  way  to  the  beach 
where  the  peltries  lay ;  and  the  gay  young  women,  wives  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  merchants  and  army  officers,  who  were  the  aristocracy  of 
the  post,  radiant  in  silks  and  satins  of  fashions  which  were  in  vogue  in 
Paris  two  years  before,  and  had  been  imported  to  Quebec  the  previous 
year. 

La  Hontan,  a  French  officer  who  was  commandant  of  a  fort  on  Lake 
Ontario  during  the  seventeenth  century,  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  the  way  the  Indians  traded  with  the  French  while  the  latter  were 
rulers  of  the  Northwest.  His  "Journal  "  was  first  published  in  1703, 
and  there  were  several  editions  in  later  years.  "When  the  Indians 
accumulated  a  sufficient  supply  of  peltries,  they  loaded  them  in  bark 
canoes  and  set  forth  for  the  market.  Arrived  at  their  destination  they 
encamped  some  four  or  five  hundred  yards  from  the  town,  unloaded 
their  canoes  and  camped  beside  them.  Next  day  they  generall}^  waited 
on  the  commandant  or  highest  person  in  authority,  and  had  an  audience 
in  a  public  place.  The  French  ruler  would  sit  in  a  chair  and  the  Indians 
on  the  ground  with  pipes  in  their  mouths.  Presently  one  of  the  orators 
would  stand  up  and  make  a  speech,  saying  that  his  party  had  come  to 
renew  their  friendship  with  the  French ;  that  they  wished  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  latter;  that  they  knew  their  goods  were  valuable, 
and  that  the  French  goods  given  in  exchange  were  not  so  costly  or  de- 
sirable; that  they  wanted  to  exchange  their  furs  for  powder  and  ball 
and  guns  and  blankets  and  other  articles.  With  the  arms  and  ammu- 
nition they  proposed  to  hunt  great  quantities  of  beavers,  or  to  fight  the 
Iroquois,  if  the  latter  disturbed  the  French  settlement.  Then  they 
gave  a  belt  of  wampum,  which  was  several  strings  of  shells  or  an  im- 
itation of  the  same  in  crockery,  to  the  person  in  authority,  together 
with  some  skins,  and  claimed  his  protection  in  case  any  of  their  goods 

62 


were  stolen,  or  for  any  abuse  that  might  be  committed  upon  them  in 
the  place.  The  ruler  would  answer  in  a  very  civil  speech,  in  which  he 
assured  them  of  his  protection  and  made  some  presents  in  return.  Then 
the  conference  was  over  and  the  savages  returned  to  their  temporary 
camp.  Next  morning,  with  their  slaves,  if  they  had  any,  they  would 
carry  the  skins  to  the  stores  of  the  merchants,  and  bargain  with  them 
for  clothes,  blankets,  axes,  powder,  ball,  etc.  The  inhabitants  (except 
in  the  early  days  of  New  France  when  the  big  companies  had  a  monop- 
oly of  the  trade)  were  permitted  to  traffic  with  the  Indians  and  exchange 
goods  with  them,  but  spirituous  liquors  were  barred,  as  the  Indians 
when  drunk  were  liable  to  quarrel,  rob  and  kill.  After  the  trading  was 
finished  the  savages  retired  to  their  villages."  "The  whole  of  New 
France  was  a  vast  ranging  ground  for  the  Indian  tribes,  who  roamed 
over  it  in  all  the  listless  indolence  of  their  savage  independence ;  for 
the  Jesuit  missionaries,  garbed  in  black  cassocks,  who  strove  to  gain 
the  influence  of  the  red  men  for  both  the  church  and  the  French  gov- 
ernment ;  for  a  theater  of  important  military  operations ;  and  for  a  grand 
mart  where  the  valuable  furs  of  the  region  were  collected  for  shipment 
to  France,  under  a  commercial  system  originally  projected  by  Cardinal 
Richelieu." 

DETROIT  THE  HOME  OF  THE  BEAVER. 

According  to  that  shrewd  observer  and  able  writer,  the  late  Bela 
Hubbard,  that  timid  animal,  the  beaver,  led  to  the  colonization  of  Can- 
ada and  the  Northwest.  In  honor  of  the  animal's  memory,  the  arms  of 
Canada  bear  its  image,  and  the  early  arms  of  Quebec  and  Montreal  did 
it  like  honor.  Bryant's  history  says:  "  The  beaver  was  a  better  friend 
to  the  early  colonists  of  Massachusetts  than  the  cod,  although  the  cod- 
fish still  hangs  in  the  State  House  in  Boston  as  the  emblem  of  com- 
mercial prosperity,  while  the  beaver  lingers  only  in  tradition,  where 
the  remains  of  an  embankment  across  some  secluded  meadow  marks 
the  site  of  an  ancient  beaver  dam."  In  Hubbard's  "  Memorials  of  Half 
a  Century,"  the  writer  says: 

"The  region  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  Saginaw  valley  was  one  of  the  great 
beaver  trapping  grounds.  The  Huron,  the  Chippewa,  the  Ottawa  and  even  the  fierce 
Iroquois  from  beyond  Lake  Ontario,  by  turns  sought  this  region  in  large  numbers 
from  the  earliest  historic  times.  It  is  a  region  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
the  beaver.  To  a  great  extent  level,  it  is  intersected  by  small  water  courses  which 
have  but  a  moderate  flow.  At  the  head  waters  and  small  inlets  of  these  streams, 
the  beaver  established  his  colonies ;  here  he  dammed  the  stream,  setting  back  the 

63 


water  over  the  flat  lands,  and  creating  ponds  which  were  his  habitation.  Not  one  or 
two,  but  a  series  of  such  dams  were  constructed  along  each  stream  so  that  very  ex- 
tensive surfaces  became  covered  with  the  flood.  The  trees  were  killed  and  the  land 
was  converted  into  a  chain  of  ponds  and  marshes.  In  time— by  nature's  recuperative 
process— the  annual  growth  and  decay  of  aquatic  plants— these  filled  up  with  muck 
or  peat,  with  occasional  deposits  of  bog  lime,  and  the  ponds  and  swales  became  dry 
again.  Illustrations  of  this  beaver-made  country  are  numerous  in  our  immediate 
vici""nity.  In  a  semicircle  of  twelve  miles  about  Detroit,  having  the  river  as  a  base 
and  embracing  about  100,000  acres,  fully  one-fifth  part  consists  of  marshy  tracts  and 
prairies  which  had  their  origin  in  the  work  of  the  beaver.  A  little  further  west 
nearly  one  whole  township  of  Wayne  county  is  of  this  character." 

One  reason  why  the  Iroquois  opposed  the  settlement  at  Detroit  was  be- 
cause the  French  were  encroaching  upon  their  beaver-trapping  grounds, 
and  this  encroachment  was  put  in  its  worst  possible  light  by  the  Brit- 
ish traders  who  plotted  to  keep  the  French  out.  France  received  from 
Canada  between  the  years  1675-85,  895,581  pounds  of  beaver  skin.s, 
averaging  89,588  pounds  a  year,  and  this  rich  trade  excited  the  envy 
of  the  British  trader.  A  good  skin  weighed  about  one  pound,  and 
under  the  name  of  a  castor  became  the  unit  of  value.  It  was  so  named 
because  castor  Canadensis  is  the  zoological  term  for  the  North  Ameri- 
can or  Canadian  beaver.  A  good  beaver  skin  or  castor,  was  worth 
aboitt  a  dollar,  and  all  other  fur  skins  were  related  to  it  in  value.  The 
old  Hudson  Bay  company  issued  a  money  counter  called  a  castor  in  the 
form  of  a  piece  of  wood,  appropriately  stamped  or  carved,  and  would 
pay  the  Indians  for  their  beaver  or  other  furs  with  them,  and  the  sav- 
ages could  buy  what  they  wished  in  the  company's  storehouse  with  this 
wooden  money.  A  castor,  or  its  equivalent,  was  thus  often  exchanged 
for  a  good  hunting  knife  in  the  early  days,  and  a  greater  quantity  would 
be  given  for  a  cheap  gun  and  ammunition.  It  would  seem  at  first 
glance  that  the  white  man  had  all  the  best  of  it,  which  is  true  from  the 
financial  standpoint,  but  while  the  traders  were  piling  up  fortunes  from 
the  sale  of  furs,  the  Indians  were  engaged  in  self-preservation.  The 
Iroquois  of  the  East  were  being  supplied  with  weapons  by  the  British, 
and  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  Algonquin  and  other  northern 
Indians  should  secure  the  same  kind  of  arms,  and  throw  away  their 
bows  and  arrows.  Their  necessities  were  exactly  the  same  as  those  of 
the  United  States  government  to-day.  An  iron  clad  battleship  is  a 
piece  of  mechanism  which  costs  $2,500,000,  and  the  chances  are  that  it 
will  never  be  used,  but  in  order  to  preserve  peace  and  the  national 
honor  the  money  must  be  spent  simply  because  other  nations  are  arm- 

64 


CHARLES  DUCHARME. 


ing  themselves  in  the  same  fashion.  In  1765  under  English  rule  beaver 
skins  brought  two  shillings  and  sixpence  a  pound;  otter  skins  were  six 
shillings  each,  and  martens  one  shilling  and  sixpence.  Ten  beaver 
skins  were  given  in  exchange  for  a  stroud  blanket,  eight  for  a  white 
blanket,  two  for  a  pound  of  powder,  one  for  a  pound  of  shot,  one  for  a 
knife,  twenty  for  a  gun,  two  for  an  axe  of  one  pound  weight.  On  rare 
occasions  a  little  Quebec  currency  was  seen  at  Detroit  and  the  other 
western  posts,  but  money  did  not  come  into  use  until  the  New  York 
currency  was  brought  into  the  West. 

The  French  settlers  were  ever  anxious  to  make  Detroit  an  important 
trading  post  and  to  secure  the  good  will  of  the  natives,  but  the  minds 
of  the  savages  were  made  suspicious  by  the  scheming  traders,  who 
whispered  in  their  ears:  "  Beware  of  these  men  who  come  among  you 
to  build  forts;  they  will  tell  you  that  they  are  your  brothers  who  come 
to  trade  and  make  you  happy;  they  are  deceiving  you;  they  build 
forts  because  they  intend  to  make  war  upon  you  ;  they  place  cannon  so 
they  can  kill  you  when  they  wish  to  do  so.  They  will  trade  with  you 
if  you  will  let  them,  but  their  guns  and  their  knives  and  blankets  are 
not  good,  and  they  will  cheat  you  in  trading;  they  want  not  your  furs, 
but  your  country,  and  they  will  drive  you  away  as  you  drive  the  fat 
buffalo  in  the  fall.  We  trade  with  you  fairly  and  we  build  no  forts 
against  you." 

After  two  years  of  negotiating  a  band  of  Hurons  arrived  in  Detroit 
from  Mackinac,  and  Cadillac  could  not  conceal  his  exultation.  "Thirty 
Hurons  of  Michillimackinos  arrived  here  on  the  28th  of  June,  1703; 
there  remained  only  about  twenty-five  at  Michillimackinos.  Father 
Carheil,  who  is  missionary  there,  remains  always  firm.  I  hope  this 
fall  to  pluck  the  last  feather  out  of  his  wing  and  I  am  persuaded  that 
this  obstinate  old  priest  will  die  in  his  parish  without  a  single  parish- 
ioner to  bury  him." 

It  was  a  pathetic  picture  which  is  thus  suggested  by  the  worldly  and 
masterful  commandant.  The  old  priest,  true  to  his  obligations  to  God 
and  morality,  remaining  steadfast  while  his  flock  were  deserting  him 
to  obtain  brandy  and  become  wicked  and  demoralized  at  the  new  fort. 
And  yet  the  Indian  trade,  which  was  the  sole  basis  of  the  trade  of  the 
European  colonies  and  was  necessary  to  their  existence,  followed 
wherever  strong  drink  could  be  obtained.  It  was  either  French  brandy 
or  English  rum,  there  was  no  alternative,  and  between  them  the 
aborigines  were  ground  as  between  the  upper  and  nether  millstone  to 

65 


fragments.  In  1703  the  Sauteurs  and  Mississaguez  came  to  Detroit, 
and  incorporating  with  each  other,  by  the  advice  of  Cadillac,  formed 
another  village  near  the  fort  on  the  river;  also  several  households  and 
families  of  the  Miamis  and  some  Nepissirineens,  the  former  incorpo- 
rating themselves  with  the  Hurons  and  the  latter  with  the  Appenagos 
or  Loups  (Wolves).  Also,  as  before  mentioned,  thirty  Hurons  left  the 
Mackinac  mission  and  settled  at  Detroit.  In  the  same  year  the  Otta- 
was  and  Kiskakowas  also  promised  to  come  from  Mackinac.  In  one  of 
his  letters  about  the  opposition  of  the  Jesuits,  dated  Fort  Pontchar- 
train,  August  31,  1703,  Cadillac  says :  "  Can  it  be  believed  that  I  should 
have  been  willing  without  powerful  reasons  to  thwart  any  Jesuits  or 
that  I  should  have  taken  it  into  my  head  to  attack  that  formidable  so- 
ciety? I  have  not  lived  so  long  without  knowing  full  well  how  danger- 
ous it  is  to  cross  their  path.  ...  I  am  doing  my  utmost  to  make 
them  my  friends,  truly  wishing  to  be  theirs,  but  if  I  dare  say  so,  all 
impiety  apart,  it  would  be  better  to  sin  against  God  than  against  them, 
for  on  the  one  hand  pardon  is  received  for  it ;  while  on  the  other,  even 
a  pretended  offense  is  never  forgiven  in  this  world,  and  never  perhaps 
in  the  other,  if  their  influence  were  as  great  as  it  is  in  this  country." 

The  Company  of  the  Colony  proved  to  be  a  rapacious  corporation. 
They  commenced  by  cutting  down  by  one-half  the  prices  paid  in  goods 
to  the  Indians  for  their  peltries,  and  treated  the  aborigines  badly  in 
other  respects,  Cadillac  wrote  in  the  latter  part  of  1702  to  Pontchar- 
train  that  the  company  was  disgusted  with  the  colony,  as  they  were 
losing  trade  and  money,  and  said  if  its  rights  and  privileges  were 
turned  over  to  him  that  he  would  make  Detroit  flourish.  The  com- 
pany had  told  him  that  they  had  lost  12,297  livres  17  sols,  but  that  it 
had  really  made  20,000  livres  profit.  In  criticising  th-e  methods  of  the, 
company  he  showed  that  their  goods  brought  200  per  cent,  profit.  Of 
the  powder  in  stock  at  a  certain  date — 2,015  pounds  costing  21  sols  per 
pound — each  pound  was  exchanged  for  the  skin  of  a  beaver,  roebuck, 
otter,  stag  or  bear;  one  and  a  half  pounds  of  lead,  costing  six  sols  per 
pound,  was  exchanged  for  a  beaver  skin ;  tobacco,  costing  27  sols  per 
pound,  was  exchanged  at  the  rate  of  three-quarters  of  a  pound  for  a 
beaver  skin.  It  was  then  shown  that  the  profit  on  powder  was  200  per 
cent.  ;  on  lead  700  per  cent.  ;  and  on  tobacco  300  to  700  per  cent. 

About  this  time  (1703)  Cadillac  was  much  disquieted  by  the  desertions 
of  his  soldiers.  After  two  years  only  twenty-five  remained  of  the  orig- 
inal force  of  fifty,  and  these  were  afterward  reduced  still  more  in  num- 

66 


ber.  In  his  report  to  Pontchartrain  he  represented  that  some  of  the 
deserters  wished  to  come  back,  giving  as  their  reasons  for  leaving  that 
Governor  Callieres  had  promised  that  their  term  of  enlistment  was  for 
three  years;  that  they  were  overwhelmed  with  work,  and  saw  all  the 
profits  go  to  a  company  that  treated  them  badly;  also  that  they  had 
been  promised  lands  and  had  not  received  them. 

The  settlers  were  generally  healthy,  but  sometimes  the  dreaded 
small  pox  made  its  appearance.  In  1703  it  came  to  Mackinaw  and  car- 
ried off  a  great  many  of  the  aborigines.  Its  ravages  filled  the  Indians 
with  terror,  and  Cadillac  with  characteristic  shrewdness  turned  their 
panic  to  good  account.  "  You  die  of  small-pox  because  you  remain  at 
Mackinaw  instead  of  coming  to  Detroit,"  he  said  to  some  Chippewas 
from  the  north.  "  If  you  persist  in  remaining  there  against  my  wishes 
I  will  send  something  more  deadly  than  small-pox  among  you."  In 
1732  and  in  the  winter  of  1733-34  there  were  also  numerous  cases  of 
small-pox  in  Detroit,  and  many  were  fatal. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Cadillac  Quells  a  Conspiracy — Agents  of  the  Company  of  the  Colony  Detected  in 
Stealing— Their  Friends  Support  Them— Cadillac  Summoned  to  Montreal  for  Trial. 

In  1703  Cadillac  discovered  that  the  company's  agents  and  Tonty, 
his  second  in  command,  were  guilty  of  gross  mismanagement  and  rob- 
bery. The  Company  of  the  Colony  was  managed  by  a  board  of  direc- 
tors, who  appointed  a  number  of  their  relatives  to  lucrative  clerkships. 
Director  Lotbiniere  appointed  Arnaud,  his  wife's  son-in-law,  and  Mon- 
seignot,  a  brother-in-law  of  Arnaud;  other  clerks  were  Chateleraut,  De 
Meute,  Nolan  and  Desnoyer,  who  were  relatives  of  other  directors.  It 
is  evident  that  Cadillac  was  desirous  of  getting  back  the  control  of  the 
trade  of  the  settlement  and  he  naturally  watched  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
pany, both  as  a  matter  of  duty  and  for  future  advantage.  He  found 
that  Arnaud  and  Nolan  were  charging  exorbitant  prices  for  powder, 
ball  and  tobacco ;  had  screwed  down  the  price  of  peltries  very  low,  and 
that  Tonty  was  in  league  with  them.  Cadillac  denounced  the  robbers 
both    to  the    company    and    to    Governor  Yaudreuil,    and    among  his 

67 


specific  allegations  were  that  they  had  nineteen  packages  of  furs  con- 
cealed in  a  hut  in  the  Huron  village  and  118  other  packages  hidden  in 
the  company's  warehouse,  which  had  not  been  accounted  for,  and 
which  were  valued  at  14,000  crowns,  or  about  $15,400.  When  Vau- 
dreuil  received  the  communication  he  consulted  with  Lotbiniere,  who 
was  his  uncle,  and  also  with  Intendent  Beauharnois.  Lotbiniere  wrote 
a  letter  to  Cadillac  asking  him  to  hush  the  matter  up,  and  promising 
to  arrange  the  matter  amicably  without  scandal,  but  Cadillac  would 
not  be  silenced,  and  finally  an  investigating  committee  was  sent  to  De- 
troit. It  consisted  of  Vencelot,  a  relative  of  a  director;  Lovigny,  a 
brother  in-law  of  Nolan;  and  Chateleraut,  a  relative  of  Lovigny — all 
friends  of  the  accused.  Of  course  such  a  commission  could  only  bring 
in  a  report  favorable  to  the  accused  and  against  Cadillac,  but  it  did 
not  stop  at  that.  The  report  charged  that  the  commandant  and  a 
clerk  named  Radisson  had  been  guilty  of  selling  the  company's  prop- 
erty in  trade  for  furs  on  their  own  account;  that  the  commandant  had 
used  violence  toward  Chief  Clerk  Desnoyer  by  locking  him  up  for  three 
hours,  and  that  he  had  incited  the  Indians  to  demand  the  dismissal  of 
Desnoyer  and  to  object  to  the  removal  of  furs  from  the  fort  until  the 
warehouse  was  filled  with  goods,  and  until  all  the  residents  had  a  right 
to  trade  with  them. 

Cadillac  was  then  summoned  by  Vaudreuil  to  come  to  Quebec,  and 
left  for  that  place  on  September  29,  1704.  On  the  same  day  Lieuten- 
ant Bourgmont  left  Quebec  for  Detroit  to  take  his  place.  No  sooner 
was  Cadillac  gone  than  the  thrifty  Tonty  sold  nearly  all  the  powder 
and  ball  to  the  Indians,  and  thus  left  the  fort  in  great  danger.  When 
Cadillac  arrived  in  Quebec  he  was  arrested  on  the  instance  of  Lot- 
biniere, and  remained  in  durance  for  two  days,  when  he  was  released, 
presumably  on  bail.  The  trial  took  place  in  the  Chateau  St.  Louis, 
before  the  intendant,  ten  months  afterward,  in  June,  1705.  Cadillac's 
defense  was  irresistible,  and  he  was  triumphantly  acquitted,  but  his 
defense  was  not  invulnerable.  He  claimed  that  the  directors  were  per- 
fectly satisfied  with  him  until  the  close  of  1703;  but  Count  Pontchar- 
train,  writing  under  date  of  July  14,  1704,  says  that  he  received  at  the 
same  time  with  Cadillac's  letter  of  August  30,  1703,  a  series  of  com- 
plaints from  the  directors  of  the  company;  and  again,  answering  the 
charges  of  inducing  the  Indians  to  demand  the  dismissal  of  Desnoyer, 
Cadillac  says:  "It  is  an  absurd  subterfuge  to  say  that  the  savages  de- 
manded the  dismissal  so  soon  [three  days]  after  the  arrival  of  Desnoyer. " 


Yet  in  the  same  letter  he  says  that  Desnoyer,  having  arrived  on  the  fifth, 
on  the  eighth  the  savages  demanded  his  removal,  presenting  a  belt. 

His  trouble  with  Desnoyer  is  thus  explained  by  himself.  A  soldier 
of  the  garrison,  who  had  deserted,  was  killed  by  an  Onondaga  Indian 
while  on  his  way  through  the  wilderness  to  Fort  Frontenac.  The 
friendly  Indians,  to  the  number  of  about  one  hundred,  organized  to 
avenge  the  soldier's  death,  and  asked  Cadillac  that  seven  or  eight 
Frenchmen  might  be  allowed  to  go  with  them.  He  acceded  to  their 
request  and  ordered  Tonty  to  command  eight  good  men  of  the  em- 
ployees of  the  company,  and- to  have  provisions  and  ammunition  served 
to  them.  Desnoyer,  the  head  clerk,  said  that  this  could  not  be  done 
without  his  permission,  maintaining  that  Cadillac  had  no  power  to  de- 
tach the  company's  emplo3'ees  on  the  king's  service.  Tonty,  who 
thought  that  Cadillac's  term  of  office  would  be  short  and  that  he  would 
succeed  him,  said  that  he  did  not  believe  that  he  (Cadillac)  had  the 
power  to  order  such  matters.  This  naturally  enraged  Cadillac,  and  he 
had  Desnoyer  put  in  prison — the  sergeant's  quarters — for  three  hours. 
All  this  time  Cadillac  was  corresponding  with  his  friend.  Count  Pont- 
chartrain;  his  letters  had  two  main  strains;  one  was  bitter  denunciation 
of  his  enemies;  and  the  other  was  laudation  of  himself,  together  with 
application  for  a  n:arquisate  and  for  supreme  control  of  the  trade  of 
Detroit  and  Mackinac. 

When  he  was  acquitted  at  Quebec  by  Beauharnois  he  haughtily  re- 
fused to  accept  the  verdict,  claiming  that  the  intendant  had  no  juris- 
diction over  the  case  In  a  letter  from  Pontchartrain  to  Cadillac,  dated 
at  Paris,  September,  1705,  he  was  directed  to  remain  at  Quebec  until 
further  orders.  During  the  time  Tonty  was  commandant  at  Detroit, 
in  1704,  the  Ottawa  chiefs  were  persuaded  to  come  to  Albany,  where 
the  British  gave  them  brandy  and  many  presents,  at  the  same  time 
assuring  them  that  the  French  were  established  at  Detroit  for  the  pur- 
pose of  cheating  them  out  of  all  their  possessions.  The  chiefs  returned 
and  told  their  people,  who  believed  the  story.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  fire  the  fort,  but  the  vigilance  of  the  French  defeated  it.  Later  a 
war  party  made  a  successful  raid  in  the  territory  of  the  Iroquois  and 
returned  with  a  number  of  prisoners;  their  success  made  them  bold 
and  they  assumed  a  hostile  attitude  in  front  of  the  fort.  To  keep  them 
from  becoming  dangerous  Tonty  sent  Sieur  de  Vincennes,  his  lieuten- 
ant, against  them  with  a  company  of  soldiers,  and  rescued  the  prison- 
ers, after  which  they  drove  the  Ottawas  to  a  respectful  distance. 

69 


Although  Cadillac  recommended  the  marriage  of  French  soldiers  to 
Indian  maidens,  and  was  hopeful  of  good  consequences  to  result  there- 
from, the  soldiers  themselves  did  not  see  fit  to  contract  such  matri- 
monial alliances.  The  only  case  on  record  of  a  marriage  of  this  sort 
was  that  of  Peter  Roy.  Father  Denissen,  commenting  on  the  above, 
says:  "These  vigorous  pioneers  did  not  shape  their  love  affairs  on  the 
utilitarian  plan.  The  young  men  grow  lonesome  in  the  wilderness  and 
their  thoughts  would  wander  back  to  the  girls  they  left  behind  them. 
Permission  was  readily  granted  to  any  one  who  wanted  to  return  to 
Lower  Canada  to  secure  a  bride.  According  as  these  treasures  were 
imported  to  Detroit,  the  place  grew  more  civilized  and  the  inhabitants 
felt  more  at  home  and  contented.  The  French  of  Detroit  never  inter- 
married with  the  Indians  to  any  extent;  there  have  been  a  few  excep- 
tional cases,  but  such  marriages  were  rare,  and  because  so  rare,  they 
were  all  the  more  noticed.  No  bride  suits  the  French  heart  as  well  as 
the  frank,  modest,  polite,  charming  French  maiden,  who  has  the  de- 
sirable faculty  to  grace  her  home  as  a  queen  and  bring  happiness  to 
her  surroundings." 

This  statement  of  Father  Denissen,  who  is  perhaps  the  most  accom- 
plished genealogist  of  the  day,  is  all  the  more  valuable,  as  one  or 
more  prominent  writers  have  asserted  that  several  leading  Detroiters 
and  their  families  were  descended  from  French  soldiers  and  their  In- 
dian wives. 

After  Cadillac  was  arrested  he  prepared  himself  for  the  trial  with  all 
the  resources  at  his  command,  one  of  which  was  the  writing  of  an  im- 
aginary conversation  between  himself  and  Count  Pontchartrain,  the 
French  colonial  minister,  in  which  the  points  of  the  controversy  be- 
tween himself  and  the  company,  or  at  least  as  many  as  served  his  pur- 
pose, were  brought  forward,  and  in  which,  of  course,  he  cleared  him- 
self triumphantly.  These  documents,  among  other  papers  of  Cadillac, 
were  preserved,  and  a  large  collection  of  them  was  made  by  General 
Cass,  while  United  States  minister  to  France.  In  after  years  Mrs.  E. 
M.  Sheldon  embodied  these  papers  in  "The  Early  History  of  Michi- 
gan," which  was  published  in  1856,  and  this  work  and  episode  for 
many  years  was  quoted  as  authority  by  writers  of  Michigan,  including 
such  an  able  and  discriminating  writer  as  Judge  J.  V.  Campbell.  In 
her  work  Mrs.  Sheldon  assumes  that  Count  Pontchartrain  had  come  to 
Quebec  and  there  held  the  conversations  with  Cadillac  at  the  Chateau 
of  St.  Louis  in  that  city.      It  was  only  in  1890  that  this  curious  mistake 

70 


was  discovered  by  R.  R.  Elliott,  of  Detroit,  when  he  submitted  his 
manuscript  on  the  Catholic  history  of  Detroit  to  the  late  Dr.  Gilmary 
Shea,  the  historian.  Shea  answered  that  Pontchartrain  was  never  in 
America,  and  that  Cadillac's  papers  should  always  be  corroborated 
with  contemporary  documents  before  being-  accepted.  The  matter  was 
also  referred  to  the  late  Pierre  Margry,  the  French  archivist  and  his- 
torian, who  agreed  with  Dr.  Shea.  Margry  said  that  such  conversa- 
tions were  not  uncommon  in  literature.  "  Fontenelle  published  dia- 
logues of  the  dead,"  he  said.  "  Cadillac  imagined  a  dialogue  of  people 
very  much  alive,  but  living  far  away  from  each  other.  It  was  original 
in  management  and  piquant." 

In  one  of  his  answers  to  one  of  those  imaginary  questions  Cadillac 
says:  "  I  confess  that  the  offers  of  the  British  traders  at  Orange  are  a 
great  attraction  to  the  Indians,  but  experience  shows  us  that  the  sav- 
ages who  are  round  about  Quebec,  Three  Rivers  and  Montreal,  know 
perfectly  well  that  their  furs  sell  better  with  the  English,  and  that  they 
give  them  goods  cheaper,  yet  they  do  all  their  trade  with  us.  Several 
reasons  engage  them  to  this:  The  first  is  that  each  savage,  taking  one 
with  another,  kills  only  fifty  or  sixty  beavers  a  year,  and  as  he  is  near 
the  Frenchman  he  borrows  from  him,  and  is  obliged  to  pay  in  propor- 
tion on  his  return  from  hunting.  Out  of  the  little  which  remains  to 
him  he  is  compelled  to  make  some  purchase  for  his  family,  and  he  finds 
himself  unable  to  go  to  the  English  because  his  remaining  furs  are  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  the  longer  journey.  A  second  reason  is  that  they 
receive  many  flattering  attentions  from  the  French,  who  make  them 
eat  and  drink  with  them,  and  in  fact  they  contrive  matters  so  well  that 
they  never  let  their  furs  escape.  The  desire  to  go  to  the  English  al- 
ways exists  in  them,  but  they  are  skillfully  reduced  so  that  they  are 
unable  to  put  it  into  execution.  It  is  for  this  reason,  if  Detroit  is  not 
settled,  you  will  see,  my  Lord,  all  the  savages  of  that  district  go  to  the 
English,  or  invite  them  to  come  and  settle  among  them." 

Question — Have  you  not  also  some  other  reason?  [for  recommending 
a  settlement  at  Detroit]. 

Answer — Excuse  me,  it  cannot  be  disputed  that  our  savages  used  to 
carry  on  their  hunting  only  to  the  north  of  Lake  St.  Clair;  but  through 
this  post  they  now  carry  it  on  as  far  as  200  leagues  south  of  Lake  Erie, 
inclining  toward  the  sea.  These  furs  which  used  to  form  part  of  the 
English  trade  are  now  carried  into  the  colony  by  the  savages. 

Question — What  skins  are  obtained  in  those  places? 

71 


Answer — The  skins  o£  deer,  roe,  elk,  roebuck,  black  bears,  bisons, 
wolves,  wildcats,  otters,  beaver  and  other  small  skins.  [In  1701  the 
reports  show  that  beaver  skins  were  not  much  used,  and  they  had  little 
commercial  value. — Ed.]  These  skins  are  now  in  request.  Skins  of 
the  deer  and  roe  bring  sixteen  livres  each ;  those  of  the  elk  up  to 
twenty  livres;  black  bears  ten,  roebuck  five  livres,  and  other  skins  in 
proportion. 

Question — Can  not  some  means  be  found  of  employing  the  savages 
in  hunting  for  them  instead  of  the  beaver,  which  has  lost  its  reputation 
as  merchandise  and  is  burdensome  to  France  because  there  is  no  de. 
mand  for  it? 

Answer — It  will  be  easy  to  so  employ  the  savages  provided  they  are 
supplied  with  goods  to  the  value  of  the  skins.  This  will  be  an  in- 
fallible way  to  create  a  demand  for  beaver  in  the  kingdoms,  since  in- 
stead of  130,000,  which  are  received  every  year  at  the  office  in  Quebec, 
only  about  70,000  will  be  received  each  year.  I  am  not  speaking  of 
the  beaver  of  the  Bay  of  Canada. 

Question — Apparently  Father  Valliant  contributed  greatly  by  his  ex- 
hortations to  advancing  the  work  at  Detroit. 

Answer — He  exerted  himself  for  this  so  well  that,  if  the  soldiers  and 
Canadians  had  believed  him,  they  would  have  set  out  after  two  days 
to  return  to  Montreal  on  the  promise  that  this  father  made  them,  that 
he  would  get  their  wages  paid  to  them  by  the  intendant  for  the  whole 
year,  although  they  had  been  employed  but  six  weeks. 

In  another  of  these  imaginary  conversations  he  discusses  the  Company 
of  the  Colony  as  follows: 

Question  [by  Count  Pontchartrain] — I  could  not  dispense  with  grant- 
ing the  trade  of  Detroit  to  the  Company  of  the  Colony,  which  promised 
me  to  do  everything  in  its  power  to  make  the  settlement  a  success. 

Answer — If  you  had  known  its  power  you  would  have  hoped  for 
nothing  from  it ;  it  is  the  most  beggarly  and  chimerical  company  that 
ever  existed.  I  had  as  lief  see  Harlequin  emperor  of  the  moon.  It 
was  this  company  that  entirel)^  upset  my  scheme  by  consistently  op- 
posing your  intentions  in  an  underhand  manner,  the  whole  being  cun- 
ningly managed  by  the  Jesuits  of  that  country. 

In  one  instance  Cadillac  himself  confesses  the  nature  of  these  imaginary 
conversations — a  fact  which  has  been  generally  overlooked.  He  makes 
complaint  that  his  letters  have  been  opened,  and  then  puts  these  words 
in  the  mouth  of  Count  Pontchartrain : 

72 


Question— What  is  this  you  tell  me?  Is  it  really  true  that  there  was 
any  one  audacious  enough  to  open  the  letters  you  addressed  to  me?  Do 
they  not  know  it  is  a  sacred  matter,  and  that  such  curiosity  is  a  crime 
and  an  atrocious  insult  to  a  minister  of  state,  and  that  no  one  is  per- 
mitted to  open  the  letters  which  a  commanding  officer  writes  to  me? 

Answer — This  is  quite  certain,  and  no  one  ought  to  be  ignorant  of  it; 
but  it  is  absolutely  beyond  doubt  that  my  letters  have  been  opened  and 
that  copies  of  them  have  been  made.  In  do  not  even  know  whether  the 
originals  have  been  sent  to  you,  and  it  is  really  the  purport  of  my  let- 
ters and  of  this  little  catechism  which  has  stirred  up  against  me  all  the 
difficulties  which  I  now  have  on  my  hands,  from  which  I  hope  you  will 
have  the  goodness  to  release  me  by  punishing  the  hatred  or  rather  the 
fury  of  those  who  are  plotting  my  ruin — founded  upon  this,  that  I  have 
maintained  with  so  much  vigor  the  preserving  of  Fort  Pontchartrain, 
the  success  of  which  they  have  been  unable  to  interrupt. 

His  allusion  to  "this  little  catechism"  can  hardly  be  mistaken,  for 
it  is  nothing  less  than  a  confession  that  it  is  a  conversation  of  the 
writer's  fancy.  The  catechism,  which  is  an  entirety,  is  divided  into 
three  parts,  and  the  scenes  are  laid  at  intervals  of  a  year  or  more  apart. 
No  one  carefully  reading  the  whole  matter  would  be  led  to  suppose  that 
this  conversation  actually  took  place.  In  explanation  of  the  charges 
upon  which  he  was  tried  in  Quebec,  in  1705,  Cadillac  produces  an  elab- 
orate conversation,  of  which  the  following  questions  and  answers  are  a 
part: 

Question — Give  me  an  exact  account  and  tell  me  without  disguising 
anything,  whether  you  are  guilty  of  all  you  are  accused  of,  and  as  to 
the  complaints  which  the  directors  of  the  company  have  made  against 
you,  and  whether  it  is  true  that  you  have  transacted  trade  and  been 
guilty  of  malversations  at  Detroit.  If  you  are  innocent  justify  your- 
self and  prove  your  integrity  and  your  innocence,  and  be  assured  that 
when  once  I  know  it  you  shall  have  my  pretection. 

Answer — It  is  only  the  force  of  the  truth  which  I  maintain,  which 
gives  me  the  strength  to  appear  before  you  with  so  much  persever- 
ance and  firmness.  This,  then,  is  the  origin  of  my  dispute.  I  con- 
victed M.  de  Tonty  and  two  clerks  of  the  company  of  having  traded  at 
Detroit,  although  they  were  bound  by  a  valid  contract  not  to  do  so. 

Question — Has  this  trading  been  proved? 

Answer — It  is  indisputable,  they  have  been  caught  in  the  act  without 
the  possibility  of  gainsaying  it. 

73 


Question— No  doubt  you  seized  the  skins  which  these  clerks  wished 
to  smuggle? 

Answer That  was  so  done,  but  what  seems  to  me  to  be  the  most  hein- 
ous offense  is  that  the  skins  are  taken  from  the  company's  own  ware- 
house, or  at  least  it  appears  that  they  came  from  merchandise  belong- 
ing to  the  company  which  they  have  sold  to  the  savages  converting  the 
payment  [in  peltryj  to  their  own  use. 

Question— Did  you  question  these  clerks,  and  did  they  agree  that 
these  nineteen  packages  belonged  to  them,  and  were  the  proceeds  of 
their  trading? 

Answer— That  is  so;  they  did  not  deny  the  fact,  and  both  signed 
their  deposition  and  their  own  condemnation. 

Question — Is  that  all  you  seized? 

Answer — There  also  are  four  other  packages  of  beaver  or  other  skins 
which  I  seized  even  in  the  warehouse  of  the  company,  marked  with  the 
name  of  Arnaud. 

Question— How  did  you  discover  the  theft  of  these  four  packages? 

Answer — This  was  discovered  through  two  beaver  skins  marked  with 
the  mark  of  the  company's  warehouse,  and  with  the  number  239,  which 
served  as  a  wrapper  for  forty  roebuck  skins.  The  two  beaver  skins  were 
not  yet  spoilt,  though  they  had  been  thrown  into  a  cellar  full  of  water 
under  an  empty  house.  This  made  me  conclude  that  the  warehouse 
had  been  plundered.  I  paid  it  a  visit  and  that  was  the  cause  of  my 
finding  these  four  packages  which  Arnaud  had  concealed  there. 

Question — Are  you  not  aware  that  these  clerks  have  been  guilty  of 
great  malversations,  though,  however,  those  are  quite  enough  to  hang 
them? 

Answer — Pardon  me,  I  know  they  have  smuggled  or  stolen  about 
118  packages,  worth,  according  to  my  reckoning,  1,400  crowns.  It  is 
true  that  I  am  suffering  unheard  of  persecution  for  having  done  my 
duty.  If  you  do  not  have  compassion  on  me  I  do  not  see  how  to  extri- 
cate myself  from  it. 

Question — What  are  you  accused  of?    Who  are  those  that  complain? 

Answer — I  have  done  no  wrong  in  this  matter;  it  is  the  directors  who 
make  complaint  against  me;  it  is  their  clerks  who  are  my  accusers. 

Question — Did  they  accuse  you  before  you  denounced  them  to  the 


governor 


Answer — Not  at  all ;  it  was  ten  months  after  I  had  forwarded  the  dep- 
dtions  signed  by   themselves.     This  is  their  first  accusation,  that  I 

74 


compelled  them  to  sell  goods  to  the  Indians  at  a  low  price  and  at  a  loss; 
that  it  was  an  act  of  violence.  The  late  Governor  M.  de  Callieres  gave 
orders  that  goods  were  to  be  sold  to  the  savages  of  Fort  Frontenac  at 
twenty  five  per  cent. ,  and  to  those  of  Detroit  at  fifty  per  cent,  profit. 
The  sole  means  of  retaining  them  in  our  interest  was  to  give  them 
goods  at  a  reasonable  price.  In  a  letter  from  M.  de  Vaudreuil  of 
April  14,  1704,  he  writes  me  in  these  terms:  "Although  I  tell 
you,  Monsieur,  to  allow  M.  Desnoyer  to  carry  out  the  orders  which 
he  has  from  the  board  of  directors,  it  is  supposing  always  that  the 
interests  of  the  king's  service  are  not  concerned.  I  tell  you  also  that  in 
some  cases  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  trade  on  the  old  tariff.  Try,  how- 
ever, to  be  careful  of  the  company's  interests."  You  should,  indeed, 
rather  blame  the  governor  and  intendant  for  permitting  the  directors 
to  cavil  at  me,  when  I  had  forgotten  their  orders  and  acted  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  company  in  such  a  difficult  juncture,  for  the  English  had 
sent  a  necklace  to  Fort  Pontchartrain  and  a  list  of  prices  of  their  goods, 
which  they  promised  to  sell  two-thirds  cheaper  than  the  company. 

Question — Let  us  pass  now  to  other  matters,  and  tell  me  whether 
they  complain  of  violence  on  your  part. 

Answer — Yes,  they  impute  to  me  as  a  capital  offense  having  used 
abusive  language  to  their  clerks,  under  the  pretext,  they  say,  that 
they  did  not  pay  me  the  respect  which  I  claimed  to  be  due  to  me. 
The  third  count  of  their  complaint  is  that  when  they  sent  Desnoyer  to 
replace  the  principal  clerk,  Arnaud,  they  say,  that  on  his  arrival  I  de- 
tained him  more  than  two  hours  in  my  room  under  the  pretense  of 
reading  and  inveighing  against  the  letters  that  had  been  written  tome, 
in  order  that  Radisson,  another  clerk,  might  have  time  to  remove  cer- 
tain papers  which  he  and  I  wished  to  conceal ;  and  this  is  given  as  the 
reason  why  the  board  of  directors  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  the  in- 
formation they  need  to  convict  me.  Desnoyer  brought  me  many  let- 
ters, and  I  invited  him  to  take  breakfast  in  my  house  while  I  read 
them,  which  he  did.  It  occupied  half  an  hour,  after  which  I  dismissed 
this  new  clerk  to  go  and  carry  out  his  orders.  I  cautioned  him  to  do 
his  work  with  as  little  commotion  as  possible,  as  the  Indians  were  not 
accustomed  to  see  seals  put  on  chests,  cupboards  or  cash  boxes,  nor  on 
the  doors  of  the  warehouse,  which  things  are  contrary  to  the  freedom 
which  is  very  precious  to  the  tribes. 

Question — It  is  not  true  then  that  Radisson  removed  any  papers? 

Answer — I  had  no  knowledge  of  it.  Radisson  says  it  is  a  falsehood 
and  a  fabrication  of  Desnoyer. 

75 


Question What  gave  rise  to  the  charge  that  you  had  influenced  the 

Indians  to  oppose  the  removal  of  furs  until  the  stock  of  merchandise  had 
been  brought  to  the  warehouse? 

Answer — It  is  because  Desnoyer,  and  the  other  clerks  who  came  with 
him,  maliciously  gave  out  that  they  came  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
down  the  skins  only,  and  that  they  would  not  bring  them  goods  for 
exchange ;  in  order  to  compel  them  to  abandon  the  post,  no  doubt  ac- 
cording to  private  instructions  they  had.  This  is  what  offended  the 
Indians.  The  first  time  I  imprisoned  Desnoyer  he  was  confined  in  the 
sergeant's  room  for  three  hours,  because  he  opposed  my  orders  when  I 
would  have  sent  some  of  the  company's  employees  to  assist  in  punish- 
ing some  Indians  who  had  murdered  a  soldier.  I  imprisoned  him 
again  when  I  found  that,  contrary  to  the  regulations  of  the  post,  he 
had  loaded  a  boat  with  furs,  manned  it  with  eight  men,  and  was  set- 
ting out  for  Montreal  without  having  given  notice. 

Count  Pontchartrain,  when  he  received  the  proceedings  of  the  trial, 
read  between  the  lines  of  the  complaints  and  the  evidence  submitted, 
and  plainly  saw  that  it  was  a  conspiracy  to  cast  down  his  protege.  He 
practically  took  the  case  out  of  Governor  Vaudreuil's  hands  and  or- 
dered that  the  defendant  be  exonerated.  He  wrote  the  governor  that 
he  entirely  approved  of  Cadillac's  course  at  Detroit,  and  that  he  upheld 
him  in  maintaining  the  supremacy  of  his  majesty's  interests  over  and 
above  the  interests  of  the  Company  of  the  Colony.  Governor  Vaudreuil 
was  reprimanded  for  being  a  party  to  the  conspiracy,  which  had  evidently 
been  fomented  against  Cadillac,  and  was  told  that  a  repetition  of  such 
conduct  would  cause  his  dismissal  from  office.  Intendant  Beauharnois 
was  also  warned  that  intrigues  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the 
colonies  would  not  be  tolerated.  Cadillac  was  ordered  reinstated  at 
Detroit  in  full  control,  both  civil  and  military.  The  Company  of  the 
Colony  was  deprived  of  its  legislative  and  administrative  functions,  and 
the  trading  privileges  of  the  post  were  vested  in  Cadillac  according  to 
the  original  understanding.  The  commandant  was  thus  completely 
vindicated  and  restored  to  full  power. 


76 


JAMES  V.  CAMPBELL. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Father  Del  Halle,  the  First  Pastor  of  St.  Anne's  Church,  Murdered  by  the  In- 
dians— Cadillac  is  Sent  from  Montreal  to  Punish  the  Murderer — His  Enemies  Seek 
to  Compromise  Him  with  the  Indians  and  with  his  Superiors — 1706-1708. 

As  before  stated,  Cadillac  left  the  post  under  the  care  of  Captain 
Tonty,  but  Lieut.  Louis  Bourgmont  was  sent  from  Quebec  to  act  as 
commandant  shortly  afterward,  arriving  in  Detroit  on  January  29, 
1705.  The  reason  for  this  does  not  appear.  Bourgmont  was  a  big, 
blustering  fellow  of  great  strength  and  violent  temper.  He  had  the 
effrontery  to  bring  his  mistress,  a  notorious  woman  known  as  La 
Chenette,  to  Detroit,  and  the  pair  created  no  little  scandal  at  the  post. 
Friendly  Indians  were  allowed  many  liberties  about  the  post  after  they 
had  deposited  their  arms  with  the  guards  at  the  gate,  and  they  never 
tired  of  peering  into  the  houses  to  admire  the  finery  of  the  white  man's 
home.  One  June  day  a  young  Ottawa  named  Tichinet  was  peering 
about  Bourgmont's  house,  when  the  commandant's  dog  bit  him  in  the 
leg.  He  gave  the  brute  a  lusty  kick  which  sent  it  howling  to  its  mas- 
ter. Bourgmont  rushed  out  of  the  house  and  fell  upon  the  Indian  in  a 
fury  of  passion.  The  Ottawa  was  left  senseless  on  the  ground,  and 
he  soon  died  of  his  injuries.  This  naturally  made  a  stir  in  the  Ottawa 
village,  for  Bourgmont's  brutal  ways  had  already  given  offense.  He 
had  shown  special  favors  to  the  Miamis,  and  as  a  party  of  these  peo- 
ple were  on  their  way  to  the  fort,  the  Ottawas  attacked  them  and  killed 
five.  As  they  pursued  the  survivors  to  the  gate  of  the  fort,  Bourgmont 
ordered  his  soldiers  to  fire  upon  them,  and  several  fell.  As  they  passed 
the  garden  of  Father  Del  Halle,  which  was  just  east  of  the  fort,  about 
where  Woodward  and  Jefferson  avenues  now  intersect,  they  saw  the 
priest  attending  to  his  flowers.  Several  young  braves,  hot  headed  and 
bloodthirsty,  rushed  in,  seized  him,  and  he  was  stabbed  three  times. 
They  resolved  to  take  him  to  their  village,  but  a  chief  met  them  on  the 
way  and  ordered  them  to  release  their  captive,  who  had  always  been 
friendly  to  the  Indians,  and  had  shown  them  much  kindness.  Father 
Del  Halle,  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood,  staggered  slowly  toward  the 

77 


fort.  As  he  arrived  at  the  gate  a  big  Ottawa  chief  named  Le  Pesant, 
who  was  waiting  under  cover  for  a  shot  at  one  of  the  soldiers,  sent  a 
bullet  through  the  priest,  and  several  other  shots  stretched  him  dead  at 
the  gate  of  the  fort.  A  soldier  named  La  Riviere,  who  had  been  work- 
ing outside  the  post,  was  killed  later  in  the  day.  Firing  continued 
from  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  midnight  and  for  forty  days 
after,  and  then  the  Ottawas  retired  to  Mackinac. 

Father  Nicholas  Constantine  Del  Halle  was  the  first  priest  of  St. 
Anne's.  He  accompanied  Cadillac  and  his  party  and  was  present  at 
the  founding  of  Fort  Pontchartrain.  Father  Francois  Valliant,  a  Jesuit 
who  had  also  accompanied  the  party  of  the  founding  had  gone  to  Fort 
Frontenac,  and  this  left  the  Franciscan  friar  Del  Halle  as  chaplain  of 
the  post  and  pastor  of  St.  Anne's.  The  first  record  of  the  church  was 
written  by  Father  Del  Halle  January  27,  1704,  but  there  may  have 
been  other  records  which  were  destroyed  when  the  church  was  burned 
in  1703.  The  priest  was  killed  on  June  6,  1706,  and  was  interred  in 
the  post  cemetery,  which  was  situated  a  short  distance  north  of  the  gar- 
den where  he  was  seized.  It  was  quite  natural  that  this  affair  should 
create  great  excitement  both  among  the  whites  and  among  the  Indians. 
Justice  demanded  the  punishment  of  the  murderer,  and  to  avoid  retri- 
bution a  number  of  the  Ottawas,  including  Le  Pesant,  returned  to 
Mackinaw.  The  Miamis  looked  to  the  soldiers  to  avenge  them  for  the 
killing  of  their  people,  and  the  Ottawas  were  angry  with  the  whites  for 
firing  upon  them.  Reports  of  the  trouble  came  to  Quebec  and  Gover- 
nor Vaudreuil  ordered  the  Ottawas  to  send  a  delegation  to  him,  with 
the  person  of  Le  Pesant,  the  slayer  of  the  priest,  in  custody.  Twelve 
chiefs  headed  by  Jean  Le  Blanc,  whose  tribal  name  was  Ontonagon, 
arrived  before  the  governor  June  16,  1707,  and  Vaudreuil  demanded 
the  head  of  Le  Pesant,  otherwise  known  as  the  Great  Bear,  on  account 
of  his  huge  bulk  and  surly  disposition.  "  Le  Pesant  is  a  chief  of  great 
influence  among  our  people,"  answered  Le  Blanc,  who  was  the  sole 
spokesman.  "  He  is  seventy  years  of  age  and  has  been  a  great  war- 
rior, as  he  is  now  mighty  in  council.  He  has  many  descendants  among 
many  tribes.  Like  the  great  oak  his  roots  and  branches  extend  every- 
where, and  if  we  give  him  up,  his  death  would  cause  a  general  war. 
Here  are  two  Pawnee  slaves  we  have  brought  in  place  of  the  good 
gray  robe,  whose  life  we  cannot  restore. " 

Vaudreuil  insisted  that  the  gift  of  the  two  slaves  could  not  atone  for 
the  death  of  a  holy  man  of  the  church,  and  insisted  that  Le  Pesant  be 
brought  to  ju.stice. 

78 


"My  father  demands  justice  for  the  death  of  the  gray  robe,  but  his 
justice  would  cost  dear,"  answered  Le  Blanc.  "  If  Le  Pesant  is  given 
up,  the  Ottawas,  Potawatomies,  Chippewas  and  several  other  tribes 
will  war  against  the  Miamis  and  the  Frenchmen.  Many  scalps  would 
be  taken  and  the  wigwams  would  be  filled  with  mourning.  I  am  a 
chief  as  well  as  Le  Pesant,  and  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  If  my  father 
must  slay,  that  his  wrath  may  be  appeased,  here  is  my  tomahawk.  It 
is  better  that  my  wigwams  should  be  desolate  than  that  many  of  my 
people  should  be  destroyed  in  war.  Strike!  my  father,  and  let  my  life 
atone  for  that  of  the  priest. " 

Vaudreuil  was  nonplused  at  this  turn  of  affairs,  so  he  told  the  chiefs 
to  depart  for  Detroit  by  way  of  Lake  Erie,  and  there  make  such  atone- 
ment as  Cadillac  would  demand.  Cadillac  had  been  instructed  by  let- 
ter that  the  murderer  must  be  brought  to  justice,  and  Vaudreuil  was 
probably  glad  to  get  rid  of  the  responsibility  of  so  grave  a  complication, 
as  if  trouble  followed  it  would  recoil  upon  the  head  of  the  commandant 
whom  he  hated. 

Meanwhile  Cadillac  had  returned  to  Detroit  and  assumed  the  reins 
of  power.  He  had  heard  of  the  tragedy  on  the  way,  two  days  after  he 
left  Montreal.  He  brought  with  him  several  artisans  and  farmers  who 
settled  at  the  post.  On  his  return  the  Company  of  the  Colony  sold  out 
its  interest  at  the  post  to  him,  and  then  renewed  its  activity  toward 
making  Mackinaw  the  favored  post  of  the  French.  Unharmed  and 
undismayed  by  all  the  shafts  of  hate,  envy  and  malice  that  had  been 
leveled  against  him,  Caidllac  grew  livelier  and  stronger  after  every  at- 
tack, and  his  vivacity  and  combativeness  seemed  inexhaustible.  He 
was  a  peculiar  man  and  his  character  is  hard  to  describe,  his  virtues 
and  faults  revealing  themselves  at  every  step  in  his  career.  He  had 
the  physical  and  moral  courage  of  a  great  leader ;  he  was  too  proud  to 
be  dishonest,  although  he  was  intensely  self-seeking;  and  he  was  far- 
seeing  and  perspicacious  in  colonization  matters  beyond  any  of  his  con- 
temporaries in  New  France,  but  his  mentality  was  more  active  than 
profound,  and  his  convictions  were  changeable.  Ever  bubbling  over 
with  ideas,  like  champagne  in  a  full  goblet,  he  had  plans  for  a  copper 
mine  on  Lake  Huron;  for  silk  culture  among  the  mulberry  trees  near 
Lake  Erie;  for  grants  of  land  to  his  soldiers  and  himself;  to  be  en- 
nobled as  a  marquis  and  be  the  chief  ruler  of  the  Northwest;  for  a 
uniformed  Indian  militia;  for  a  seminary  to  teach  the  French  language 
to  the  savages  around  the  post ;  and  for  marrying  the  Indian  maidens 

79 


to  his  soldiers.  The  last  named  plan  was,  however,  a  failure.  Con- 
cerning the  Indian  character  he  had  committed  himself  as  follows: 
"The  savage  himself  asks  why  they  do  not  leave  him  his  beggary,  his 
liberty  and  his  idleness ;  he  was  born  in  it  and  he  wished  to  die  in  it. 
It  is  a  life  to  which  he  has  been  accustomed  since  Adam.  Do  they  wish 
to  build  palaces  and  ornament  them  with  beautiful  furniture?  He 
would  not  exchange  his  wigwam  and  the  mat  on  which  he  camps  like 
a  monkey,  for  the  Louvre.  An  attempt  to  overthrow  the  present  state 
of  affairs  in  this  country  would  only  result  in  the  ruin  of  commerce  and 
the  destruction  of  the  colony."  But  in  1703,  in  the  environment  of 
Detroit,  flushed  with  well  earned  success  as  a  colonizer  and  in  more 
intimate  relations  with  the  Indians  than  ever  before,  he  enthusiastically 
exclaims:  "It  seems  that  God  had  raised  me  as  another  Moses  to  go 
and  deliver  this  people  from  captivity,  or  rather  as  Caleb,  to  bring 
them  back  to  the  land  of  their  fathers.  .  .  Meanwhile  Montreal 
[the  Jesuits]  plays  the  part  of  Pharoah ;  he  cannot  see  this  emigration 
without  trembling." 

In  his  copious  letters  to  Count  Pontchartrain,  his  information  on  the 
condition  of  the  colony  was  always  interlarded  with  denunciation  of  his 
enemies.  A  conspiracy  to  ruin  him  was  ever  in  progress  among  the 
company  while  it  was  in  existence,  its  officials,  the  Jesuits,  the  coureurs 
lie  bois  and  his  own  subordinate  officers.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
truth  in  these  statements,  of  course,  but  he  was  too  aggressive  and  too 
bitter  in  his  sarcasms,  and  much  given  to  egotistic  boasting,  and  these 
qualities  were  not  calculated  to  gain  many  friends  for  their  possessor. 
At  one  time  it  was  proposed,  probably  by  Cadillac  himself,  that  the 
settlement  should  be  removed  to  Grosse  Isle,  below  Detroit,  which  fronts 
on  the  water  on  each  side  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  but  Cadillac 
saw  that  it  would  be  inconvenient  for  its  inhabitants  to  bring  food, 
firewood  and  all  necessary  supplies  from  the  mainland.  For  this  reason, 
and  not  because  Grosse  Isle  was  too  small  for  the  future  growth  of  his 
capital,  he  rejected  the  proposition  to  go  there. 

Although  Cadillac  purchased  the  goods  of  the  company  left  at  the 
post,  he  did  not  succeed  to  all  their  privileges,  which  included  the  sole 
right  to  trade  and  was  very  profitable.  Close  limits  were  placed  on 
Cadillac's  trading  privileges  so  that  his  profits  would  be  quite  moderate. 
One  of  his  most  valuable  perquisites  was  that  he  might  have  three 
hundred  pounds  of  freight  brought  in  each  canoe  arriving  at  the  settle- 
ment, free  of  charge. 

80 


Shortly  before  Cadillac's  return  Lieutenant  Bourgmont,  whose  brutal 
conduct  led  to  such  grave  troubles,  left  the  post,  accompanied  by  La 
Chenette,  and  later  correspondence  says  that  they  built  a  wigwam  in 
the  wilderness  and  lived  together  as  savages  during  the  rest  of  their 
days.  This  was  not  an  uncommon  circumstance  for  Frenchmen  with 
vagrant  tastes,  who  had  settled  in  New  France,  but  it  was  very  infre- 
quent with  white  women  who  had  once  known  civilized  ways. 

Cadiirac's  most  difficult  duty  was  to  restore  peace  and  order  among 
the  turbulent  Indians  in  his  midst  and  within  his  jurisdiction.  When 
he  received  the  letter  from  Vaudreuil  ordering  justice  done  in  regard 
to  the  murdered  priest,  but  not  specifying  the  manner  in  which  it 
should  be  accomplished,  he  recognized  the  hand  of  his  enemy.  He 
was  an  abler  man  than  Vaudreuil,  and  he  must  have  smiled  and  simply 
said  that  he  would  surmount  the  difficulty  without  compromising  him- 
self with  either  the  Indians  or  the  government.  So  he  commenced  by 
calling  a  council  with  the  twelve  Ottawa  chiefs,  and  telling  them  that 
he  had  no  discretion  in  the  matter;  that  Governor  Vaudreuil  had  com- 
manded that  Le  Pesant's  head  must  atone  for  the  murder  of  the 
priest  and  that  of  the  soldier  La  Riviere.  They  must  go  to  Mackinaw, 
he  said,  take  Le  Pesant  into  custody  at  all  hazards,  and  bring  him  to 
to  Detroit.  At  the  same  time  he  informed  the  Indians  secretly, 
through  an  agent,  that  Le  Pesant  would  come  to  no  harm,  but  he  must 
make  a  show  of  obedience  and  trust  his  life  in  the  hands  of  the  Detroit 
commandant.  While  this  information  was  secretly  given  he  also  ad- 
vised Meyaville,  Sakima  and  Kataoulibois,  three  chiefs  of  other  tribes,  to 
kill  Le  Pesant  if  he  refused  to  come.  Le  Pesant  was  made  to  understand 
the  case  and  he  came  to  Detroit  by  canoe,  in  charge  of  the  three  chiefs 
already  named,  and  accompanied  by  ten  relatives  to  see  that  no  harm 
came  to  him  on  the  journey.  Le  Pesant  was  delivered  up  and  locked 
in  a  warehouse  over  night  to  be  arraigned  next  morning.  Cadillac  saw 
that  his  execution  would  be  followed  by  serious  consequences,  and  is 
charged  with  conniving  at  his  escape.  At  any  rate  Le  Pesant,  who 
was  very  fat  and  over  seventy  years,  waddled  out  of  his  prison  and 
scrambled  over  the  palisades  about  four  o'clock  next  morning,  and 
none  of  the  soldiers  saw  his  escape. 

Immediately  the  Miamis  were  furious  at  the  commandant,  and  to 
appease  them  the  chiefs  were  ordered  to  return  Le  Pesant.  They  com- 
plied and  Le  Pesant  was  given  up.  In  a  letter  of  complaint  from  Gov- 
ernor Vaudreuil  to  Count  Pontchartrain,  the  delivery  is  described. 

81 


Ontanagon  stepped  forward  with  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the 
murderer,  saying:  "Here  is  Le  Pesant,  who  came  into  our  camp. 
You  have  the  power  to  put  him  to  death.  He  is  your  slave.  You  can 
make  him  eat  under  your  table  like  the  dog  that  picks  up  the  bones." 
Cadillac  regarded  the  prisoner  sternly  and  thus  addressed  him :  "  There 
you  are,  Le  Pesant,  before  your  father  and  your  master.  Is  this  that 
great  chief  that  was  so  well  related  and  so  highly  esteemed?  Was  it 
you  that  ate  white  bread  every  day  at  my  table  and  drank  of  my  brandy 
and  my  wine?  It  was  you  that  had  an  incurable  disease  of  which  I  had 
you  cured  by  my  physicians.  Was  it  not  you  that  I  helped  in  your 
need  and  took  care  of  your  family?  And  because  of  all  these  benefits 
you  have  killed  my  people!  You,  who  hide  yourself  and  droop  your 
eyes,  was  it  not  you  who  went  every  day  to  the  gray  robe,  who  used  to 
caress  you,  and  made  you  eat  with  him  and  taught  you?  Yet  it  was 
you  who  killed  him.  There  are  reproaches,  Pesant,  which  slay  you. 
There  is  no  longer  life  in  your  heart;  your  eyes  are  half  dead;  you 
close  them;  they  dare  not  look  at  the  sun.      Go,  my  slave." 

Le  Pesant  had  been  overcome  with  terror,  but  the  last  sentence  gave 
him  courage.  The  other  Indians,  many  of  whom  were  from  Mackinaw, 
were  pleased  at  the  way  affairs  were  going,  and  Cadillac  was  resolved 
to  win  them  to  Detroit.  One  of  the  Ottawa  chiefs  addressed  him, 
saying : 

"Our  father  is  kind  to  his  children  who  have  angered  him.  We 
want  to  come  back  to  his  protection.  Give  us  back  our  fields  which  we 
have  deserted  and  we  will  come  to  live  in  peace.  The  corn  at  Mack- 
inaw grows  but  a  finger  long,  while  here  it  is  a  cubit  long.  M.  de  St. 
Pierre  told  us  we  should  be  slaves  if  we  came  to  Detroit.  He  took  us 
apart  to  tell  us.  That  made  us  think  he  was  a  liar.  He  wanted  us  to 
go  to  Quebec  and  ask  Onontio  [Governor  Vaudreuil]  to  make  him  com- 
mandant at  Mackinaw.  The  black  robes  [the  Jesuits]  dissuade  us 
from  coming  to  Detroit." 

Cadillac  arose  and  presented  a  beautiful  belt  of  wampum,  saying: 
"Your  submission  has  gained  m.y  heart.  Your  obedience  has  made 
the  axe  fall  from  my  hand.  It  has  saved  your  lives  and  the  lives  of 
your  families.  And  you,  Le  Pesant,  why  have  you  fled  from  me  in 
fear?  You  deserve  to  die,  but  I  give  you  your  life,  because  of  your 
submission  and  obedience.  You  are  as  one  dead,  because  you  have 
been  given  up  to  justice,  but  I  stay  my  hand  and  let  you  go  to  your 
family." 

82 


This  took  place  on  September  24,  1707.  There  was  great  rejoicing- 
among  the  Ottawas,  who  immediately  settled  upon  the  lands  they  had 
deserted  in  Detroit  when  they  fled  to  Mackinaw  after  the  trouble  in 
June  of  the  previous  year.  Le  Pesant  was  one  of  the  settlers,  and  as 
he  had  been  the  leader  of  the  party  which  killed  the  five  Miamis,  his 
presence  was  hateful  to  the  friends  of  the  dead.  The  Miamis  were  not 
to  be  appeased  by  Cadillac's  blandishments  and  presents,  but  waited 
for  revenge. 

Four  weeks  later  an  army  of  Iroquois  came  back  from  a  war  with 
the  Tetes  Plattes  (Flathead)  Indians  of  the  far  west,  and  one  band  of 
twenty  four  braves  stopped  at  Detroit.  They  were  entertained  by  the 
Miamis,  and  the  two  tribes  plotted  for  the  destruction  of  the  fort  and 
the  murder  of  Cadillac.  They  waited  for  the  rest  of  the  Iroquois  to 
arrive  from  the  west,  and  while  they  were  waiting  the  plot  was  re- 
vealed. When  the  garrison  was  put  on  its  guard  the  attempt  was 
abandoned,  but  the  Miamis  killed  three  Frenchmen  who  were  at  some 
distance  from  the  fort  and  destroyed  several  cattle.  Cadillac  demand- 
ed the  surrender  of  the  murderers  and  payment  for  the  cattle.  Fifteen 
bundles  of  furs  were  given  in  compensation  for  the  loss  of  the  cattle, 
but  the  surrender  of  the  murderers  was  deferred  for  twenty  days. 
They  were  not  surrendered  on  time,  and  the  commandant  started  on 
an  expedition  against  the  Miami  fort,  near  the  site  of  Toledo.  His 
expedition  is  treated  very  scornfully  in  one  of  Governor  Vaudreuil's 
letters  of  complaint  to  Count  Pontchartrain.  He  says:  "Had  M.  de 
la  Mothe  been  less  obstinate  and  had  he  obeyed  my  instructions,  all 
this  trouble  would  have  been  averted.  He  assumes  the  airs  of  a  gov- 
ernor and  gives  himself  equal  authority  with  me  when  he  is  dealing 
with  the  savages.  ■  'I  and  Onontio  will  protect  you,'  he  tells  them. 
He  led  his  troops  against  the  Miamis  after  he  had  given  them  unneces- 
sary irritation,  thinking  no  doubt  they  would  not  be  found  at  their  fort. 
He  found  sixty  of  them  in  a  fort,  which  was  a  mere  square  of  logs 
without  flanking  bastions,  and  when  his  men  opened  fire  M.  de  la 
Mothe  concealed  himself  behind  a  tree  at  least  eighteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference and  stirred  not  from  that  post.  He  ought  to  have  carried  the 
place  at  the  sword's  point.  The  fort  finally  surrendered  and  the  Mi- 
amis gave  three  hostages  to  pledge  the  surrender  of  the  murderers. 
They  gave  M.  de  la  Mothe  furs  worth  1,000  crowns  for  the  cattle  they 
had  killed,  and  he  has  kept  them  for  himself.  Affairs  are  going  badly 
at  Detroit  owing  to  the  selfish  management  of  M.  de  la  Mothe.      His 

83 


hostility  to  the  Jesuit  fathers  is  most  unseemly,  as  he  constantly  mis- 
represents them  and  places  them  in  a  bad  light  before  the  Indians  and 
the  French,  and  what  can  they  accomplish  for  religion  in  such  a  case  ? 
Father  Davenau,  who  has  been  with  the  Indians  for  nineteen  years,  and 
knows  how  to  control  them,  he  ordered  away  from  his  post  among  the 
Miamis,  and  replaced  the  Jesuit  with  a  Recollect  father  who  does  not 
understand  Indians." 

It  is  plain  to  see  that  Governor  Vaudreuil  was  a  supporter  of  the  Jes- 
uits and  the  traders,  and  consequently  the  enemy  of  Cadillac.  His 
censure  of  Cadillac  for  taking  refuge  behind  a  tree  was  decidedly  far 
fetched,  because  that  was  the  custom  in  Indian  fighting,  and  those  who 
fought  them  in  the  open  invariably  paid  dearly  for  their  temerity.  His 
keeping  of  the  furs  for  the  destruction  .of  cattle  he  had  brought  from 
Montreal  was  but  natural.  The  cattle  had  been  purchased  with  his 
money,  and  his  ownership  is  acknowledged  in  other  correspondence. 
There  is  no  question  that  Cadillac  did  the  Jesuits  all  the  harm  he 
could,  and  willfully  misrepresented  them  because  they  opposed  his 
plans  of  settlement.  The  original  cause  of  his  enmity  is  not  known, 
but  it  was  probably  something  more  than  their  opposing  interests,  as 
before  related,  or  his  attachment  to  the  order  of  the  Franciscans. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  understand  why  there  was  hos- 
tility between  the  Jesuits  and  the  Franciscans.  The  latter  order  was 
divided  into  many  sects.  The  original  members  of  the  order  of  St. 
Francis  de  Assisi  took  the  vows  of  chastity  and  poverty,  and  their  rules 
were  so  rigorous  that  they  were  modified  in  some  localities  in  order  to 
attract  members  to  the  order.  The  Recollects  were  adherents  of  the 
more  rigorous  discipline,  and  lived  in  France,  England  and  Holland. 
The  Franciscans  of  Spain  and  Italy  did  not  put  awa}*  all  comforts.  They 
were  the  first  order  of  priesthood  to  arrive  in  America,  as  several  ac- 
companied Columbus  on  his  first  voyage,  and  they  soon  had  missions 
planted  in  the  West  Indies  and  South  America.  One  of  them,  Mark 
of  Nice,  crossed  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  traveled  along  the 
coast  of  California  to  the  Golden  Gate  more  than  sixty  years  before 
Champlain  founded  Quebec,  and  it  was  he  who  gave  the  name  of  his 
patron  saint,  St.  Francisco,  to  the  metropolis  of  the  Pacific  slope.  The 
Franciscans  had  possession  of  all  the  south,  or  the  Spanish  colonies. 
When  Champlain  returned  to  Quebec  in  1614,  after  a  visit  to  France, 
he  brought  four  Recollects,  who  were  the  first  priests  in  Canada.  In 
1621  Duke  Ventador  sent  three  Jesuits  and  two  lay  brothers  to  Tadou- 

84 


sac  near  Quebec.  This  was  the  first  entrance  of  the  Jesuits  into  Can- 
ada, but  they  became  active  explorers  of  the  West  and  claimed  the 
territory  of  New  France  as  their  exclusive  field.  This  the  Recollects 
would  not  concede,  and  hence  the  hostility. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Early  Official  Reports  on  Detroit  —  Cadillac's  Enemies  Plot  to  Have  the  Post 
Abandoned — They  Willfully  Misrepresent  Affairs  to  the  Government — 1701-1710. 

Cadillac  was  masterful  and  combative,  but  sometimes  he  could  bend 
before  the  storm,  and  the  triumph  of  the  Jesuits  at  Mackinac  in  restrict- 
ing the  sale  of  liquor  at  that  place  taught  him  a  lesson. 

Aigremont's  report  after  visiting  Detroit  in  1703,  says  that  "he 
[Cadillac]  compels  each  one,  French  or  Indian,  to  go  to  the  public 
storehouse  for  brandy  where  they  can  buy  only  one-twenty-fourth  of  a 
quart  at  a  time.  [This  was  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  livres  per  quart, 
so  that  one  eighth  of  a  pint  or  two  ounces  cost  about  fifteen  cents  per 
drink.]  The  savages  cannot  become  intoxicated  on  this  quantity,  but 
as  they  have  to  await  their  turns,  some  are  obliged  to  return  home 
without  their  beverage,  and  seem  ready  to  kill  themselves  in  their  dis- 
appointment." Their  sad  bereavement  seemed  to  touch  the  heart  of 
the  inspector,  but  it  was  more  hatred  of  Cadillac  than  pity  for  the  dis- 
appointed Indians  that  dictated  his  report. 

A  picture  of  the  Detroit  settlement  is  occasionally  presented  in  the 
annual  reports  of  the  governor  and  intendant  to  Count  Pontchartrain, 
but  these  reports  usually  contain  more  or  less  matter  detrimental  to 
Cadillac,  and  are  colored  so  as  to  discourage  a  continuation  of  the  post. 
Their  chief  interest  is  to  show  how  persistent  and  united  was  the  effort 
to  ruin  Cadillac  and  abandon  Detroit  to  the  Indians.  One  of  these  offi- 
cial reports  was  dated  April  11,  1707,  soon  after  Cadillac  resumed  con- 
trol of  the  post.  It  bears  the  signature  of  Riverin,  and  its  contents  are 
of  such  a  nature  that  it  could  not  have  passed  the  eye  of  Vaudreuil  and 
the  other  officials  at  Quebec.  It  speaks  of  M.  de  la  Forest  as  second 
in  command  to  Cadillac,  but  says  that  the  former  is  growing  old  and 
breaking  down.      La  Forest,  it  says,  "has  been  thirty-two  years  in  the 


wilderness,  and  was  with  La  Salle  and  the  elder  Tonty  on  their  early 
explorations.  The  census  at  Detroit  shows  270  whites,  many  pigs  and 
considerable  poultry;  sheep  are  about  to  be  introduced.  Detroit  has 
opened  up  trade  with  the  Mississippi  valley  and  Frenchmen  go  to  and 
fro  bringing  back  piastres  for  their  goods  [indicating  that  they  are  sell- 
ing supplies  to  the  Spaniards].  Sieur  de  Tonty  is  at  Frontenac.  Sieur 
Jonquaire,  Indian  agent,  is  among  the  Sonnontouans  [Senecas],  and  the 
younger  Reynard  is  agent  at  Mackinaw.  All  these  agents  are  stated  to 
be  a  great  hindrance  at  Detroit.  They  are  taking  the  cream  of  the  public 
and  private  trade  under  false  pretenses.  To  prevent  settlers  from 
going  to  Detroit,  these  agents  say  that  the  post  will  soon  be  abandoned. 
The  best  way  to  undeceive  the  people  would  be  to  raise  the  post  to  a 
permanent  governorship,  but  still  without  any  pay." 

On  November  14,  1708,  Procureur-General  de  la  Touche,  Governor 
Vaudreuil  and  Intendant  Randot  made  a  combined  report  which  may 
be  briefly  summarized  as  follows:  Beaver  skins  were  low  and  goods  to 
be  given  in  exchange  were  very  dear.  At  Orange,  subsequently 
Albany,  New  York,  the  English  were  paying  far  better  prices  for  furs 
and  giving  goods  much  cheaper  in  trade.  Commerce  in  the  French 
colonies  was  paralyzed  by  the  conditions.  The  English  were  giving 
better  bargains  and  plenty  of  brandy,  and  Indians,  even  from  Lake 
Superior,  were  resorting  to  Orange.  French  traders  had  given  com- 
mercial paper  for  goods  and  much  of  it  had  become  worthless.  Mr. 
Aubert  was  about  the  only  trader  whose  bills  of  exchange  were  redeem- 
able, and  plenty  of  wild  cat  money  was  in  circulation.  In  order 
to  avoid  an  open  rupture  with  the  Indians,  permission  had  to  be 
granted  for  them  to  go  to  Orange.  Permission  was  asked  to  renew  the 
bills  of  M.  Champigny,  as  the  originals  were  worn  out  with  handling. 
The  officials  agreed  not  to  issue  beyond  the  funds  of  the  king's  money 
on  hand,  and  advised  an  issue  of  bills  of  thirty  two  livres.  They 
would  in  no  way  pledge  his  majesty,  but  would  secure  payment  from  a 
fund  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer-general  of  the  navy.  Cadillac's  re- 
port that  there  were  120  houses  at  Detroit  was  denounced  as  a  lie; 
there  were  but  sixty-three  houses,  and  instead  of  1,200  Indian  huts 
there  were  but  150.  There  were  only  sixty-three  whites  in  the  settle- 
ment, of  whom  twenty-nine  were  married  soldiers  who  could  not 
be  claimed  as  residents,  because  they  were  there  on  compulsion  and 
could  not  get  away.  The  other  residents  of  Detroit  were  voyageurs  of 
the  Company   of  the  Colony  whose  true  homes  were  in   Montreal,   and 

86 


who  only  got  to  Detroit  for  a  short  season  each  year.  Cadillac  has  157 
arpents  of  land  for  himself  and  the  rest  of  the  settlers  have  but  forty- 
six.  Cadillac's  account  of  the  live  stock  is  also  denounced  as  a  lie. 
According  to  the  report,  there  are  but  three  cows,  six  bulls,  a  calf  and 
one  horse.  The  commandant  sells  milk  at  twenty  sols  the  pot  (about 
two  quarts),  and  more  cows  would  lower  the  price.  He  lets  his  horse 
at  ten  livres  a  day,  and  would  not  have  another  horse  for  fear  of 
lowering  his  revenue.  The  officials  are  surprised  to  learn  that  Cadillac 
wants  a  jurisdiction  of  high,  low  and  middle  justice  set  up  at  Detroit, 
as  the  post  is  declining  and  he  is  not  sure  of  twenty  settlers.  Then  the 
report  branches  off  to  relate  about  a  foray  of  French  and  Indians  up 
Lake  Champlain  to  an  English  settlement  called  Heureil,  which  place 
was  burned  with  its  fort  and  one  hundred  English  killed.  In  this  ex- 
pedition the  French  came  upon  a  party  of  sixty  English  while  on  their 
return  to  Montreal,  and  the  latter  were  destroyed.  The  French  lost  five 
whites  and  three  Indians  killed  and  eighteen  wounded.  Again  the  re- 
port, which  is  of  interminable  length,  returns  to  the  subject  of  Detroit, 
Officers  at  Detroit  have  sent  out  favorable  reports  in  the  past,  but  now 
they  have  changed  their  minds ;  they  are  in  desperate  straits  to  live. 
Sieur  de  la  Forest  cannot  live  there  on  his  pay.  When  the  Company  of 
the  Colony  had  the  post  it  used  to  provide  food  for  the  junior  officers, 
and  it  gave  Sieur  de  Tonty  1,300  livres  a  year.  Since  M.  de  La  Mothe 
has  the  rights  of  the  company,  he  should  be  compelled  to  do  likewise ; 
he  should  be  compelled  at  least  to  share  his  profits  with  Tonty. 

In  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Vaudreuil,  D'Aigremont  and  others,  to 
the  post  at  Detroit,  Cadillac  had  at  least  one  strong  friend  at  court  be- 
sides the  Count  Pontchartrain.  In  the  archives  of  France  is  found  a 
recommendation  from  M.  Daureuil,  procureur-general  of  the  king,  to 
the  superior  council  at  Quebec,  written  April  15,  1707.  This  recom- 
mendation is  addressed  to  Count  Pontchartrain  and  the  substance  of  it 
is  as  follows:  That  all  boats  sent  from  the  lower  stations  up  to  Mack- 
inaw, even  those  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  be  obliged  to  go  by  the  lakes  and 
past  Detroit,  where  they  shall  be  inspected,  and  shall  show,passports 
with  a  list  of  their  cargoes.  These  passages  are  to  be  recorded  by  the 
commandant  at  Detroit,  and  reports  shall  be  made  by  him  to  the 
crown.  Prohibited  goods,  such  as  brandy,  going  up,  or  fresh  beaver 
skins  going  down,  during  the  five  years  which  will  be  required  to  com- 
plete the  trading  contract  with  Sieur  Aubert  &  Co. ,  and  any  others 
that  the  court  may  authorize,  are  to  be  seized,  confiscated  for  the  bene- 

87 


fit  of  the  church  at  Detroit,  and  a  fine  of  five  hundred  livres  assessed 
against  the  offenders.  Parties  sending  boats  to  Mackinaw  to  trade 
with  the  Ottawas  or  other  tribes  of  the  great  river  (the  Mississippi) 
without  authority,  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  1,500  livres  for  each 
offense;  the  money  to  go  to  the  hospitals  at  Quebec,  Three  Rivers  and 
Montreal.  This  inspection  is  recommended  because,  since  the  Jesuit 
fathers  have  been  deprived  of  royal  favor,  they  have  either  contributed 
to  or  consented  to  illegal  loading  of  canoes  to  the  injury  of  the  king 
and  his  colonies. 

Sieur  d'Aigremont's  second  report  of  his  findings  at  Detroit  on  No- 
vember 14,  1708,  was  colored  to  give  the  post  at  Detroit  the  worst  pos- 
sible reputation  with  the  government,  and  the  commandant  was  given 
a  worse  character  than  the  post.  In  brief,  the  report  stated  that  Cad- 
illac was  intensely  hated  by  every  person  about  the  post,  both  Indian 
and  white,  with  the  exception  of  three  or  four  Frenchmen,  who  acted 
as  his  confederates  in  schemes  for  personal  gain.  He  was  charged  with 
all  manner  of  extortions  practiced  against  the  settlers  and  with  dis- 
honesty. Blacksmith  Parent,  according  to  report,  was  compelled  to 
pay  a  license  fee  of  six  hundred  livres  for  the  privilege  of  plying  his 
trade.  In  addition  to  this  he  was  compelled  to  donate  two  barrels  of 
beer  to  the  commandant,  and  to  shoe  the  commandant's  horse  free  of 
charge.  According  to  the  report  there  was  but  a  handful. of  whites  in 
the  settlement  at  this  time  and  they  tilled  but  forty- six  arpents  of  land, 
so  there  could  be  but  little  demand  for  blacksmithing,  as  there  was  but 
one  horse  to  shoe  in  the  settlement,  and  about  the  only  tools  in  use 
were  a  few  hoes  and  mattocks.  Parent  evidently  had  some  connection 
with  the  brewery  of  the  post,  or  he  would  not  have  been  required  to 
furnish  the  commandant's  table  with  beer.  He  was  subsequently  per- 
secuted by  Tonty  because  he  was  faithful  to  Cadillac.  Armorer  Pinet, 
according  to  D'Aigremont,  was  obliged  to  pay  three  hundred  livres  a 
year  for  his  license,  and  in  addition  he  was  required  to  repair,  free  of 
charge,  twelve  guns  each  month  for  the  post.  D'Aigremont  estimates 
these  services  worth  ten  livres  per  gun,  or  1,440  livres  a  year,  making 
his  total  license  fee  1,740  livres  The  fort,  he  said,  was  a  miserable 
affair ;  several  times  during  his  stay  he  had  narrowly  escaped  serious 
injury  from  the  falling  of  the  rotten  palisades,  which  were  hardly  able 
to  stand  alone,  and  serious  breaches  existed  where  large  sections  of  them 
had  crumbled  away.  The  soil  about  Detroit,  D'Aigremont  said,  was 
nothing  but  barren   sand  along  the  river  front,  and  farther  back  the 

88 


1 

w" 

m 

Lf^ 

^8 

m 

1"   wi 

.©^ 

r 

m  ^:x 

-/f 

ZACHARIAH    CHANDLER. 


country  was  nothing-  but  a  succession  of  morasses.  The  set'tlers  by 
great  diligence  were  able  to  raise  a  little  wheat  during  favorable  sea- 
sons; also  some  Indian  corn;  but  the  soil  would  soon  be  exhausted. 
Numberless  millions  of  starlings  came  in  from  the  swamps  to  the  grain 
fields,  and  it  was  only  by  the  utmost  diligence  that  the  settlers  could 
keep  them  away.  Locusts  and  caterpillars  usually  destroyed  the  crops 
before  they  could  come  to  maturity,  and  it  would  be  cruel  of  the  gov- 
ernment to  keep  settlers  in  such  a  place.  The  only  products  of  the 
place  worth  consideration  were  the  beaver  skins,  and  they  were  so  in- 
ferior to  the  skins  of  the  north  as  to  be  almost  worthless.  The  post 
ought,  however,  to  be  a  source  of  much  peltry,  but  the  small  shipments 
from  Detroit  led  D'Aigremont  to  believe  that  Cadillac  was  trading 
secretly  with  the  English. 

A  more  prejudiced  report  could  hardly  have  been  concocted  and 
there  was  just  enough  truth  in  each  item  of  complaint  to  give  the  re- 
port plausibility.  Not  a  single  product  of  Detroit  was  spared.  D'Aigre- 
mont reported  that  there  were  plenty  of  grapes,  apples  and  plums  at 
the  post,  but  that  they  tasted  detestably.  He  tasted  some  cider  made 
there,  and  it  was  as  bitter  as  gall.  The  fruits  named  must  have  been 
wild  scuppernong  grapes,  wild  crab  apples  and  wild  plums.  The  report 
closes  with  a  laudation  of  Mackinaw,  which  he  says  lacked  all  the  dis- 
advantages found  at  Detroit.  It  was  healthful,  had  a  productive  soil, 
and  its  geographical  position  made  it  the  most  important  post  in  the 
West.  Great  profit  was  sure  to  follow  an  encouragement  of  this  post, 
but  if  Detroit  was  kept  up  much  longer  the  expense  would  ruin  Canada. 

In  1708  there  were  cultivated  350  acres,  of  which  Cadillac  had  157 
acres,  and  the  French  settlers  forty-six  acres;  sixty-three  of  the 
dwellers  in  the  fort  owned  their  lots,  and  twenty-nine  owned  farms 
outside  of  the  inclosure. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

First  Families  of  Detroit — The  First  Directory  and  Tax  List  as  Compiled  by  C. 
M.  Burton— Inventory  of  the  Property  Owned  by  Cadillac— 1701-1710. 

EARLIEST    DIRECTORY. 

C.  M.  Burton,  in  speaking  of  the  first  two  houses  erected  in  Detroit, 
says  that  the  modern  idea  of  a  log  house  consisting  of  horizontal  tim- 
ber, mortised  at  the  ends,  was  totally  unknown  to  the  early  settlers. 
"I  think  that  their  houses,  even  those  of  the  better  classes,  consisted 
of  stakes  driven  into  or  buried  in  the  ground  as  closely  as  possible, 
with  the  interstices  filled  with  mortar  or  mud.  These  upright  pickets 
were  cut  off  even  at  the  top  and  a  pitch-roof  of  split  rails  put  on.  Saw- 
ing lumber  by  hand  was  too  difficult  a  job  for  much  lumber  of  that 
kind  to  be  used,  and  that  kind  was  for  interior  work,  doors,  shutters, 
etc.  Glass  was  very  expensive,  and  there  are  no  records  of  any  glass 
windows,  except  that  in  the  church  there  was  a  window  with  a  shutter 
and  sash  panes  between  of  twenty  squares  each."  The  squares  may  re- 
fer to  the  small  diamonds  of  glass  which  were  common  in  church  win- 
dows until  even  a  few  years  ago. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  Cadillac's  buildings  in  Detroit, 
which  was  drawn  up  after  he  left  Detroit  in  1711,  to  become  the  gov- 
ernor of  Louisiana;  it  is  somewhat  abbreviated  from  the  original: 

1 — A  warehouse  37|  by  22  feet  and  eight  feet  high,  boarded  with 
thick  planks  of  oak,  with  shutters  and  doors  and  a  staircase,  a  press  for 
pressing  furs,  a  counter  and  three  shelves  for  books. 

2 — A  house  of  stakes  in  earth,  '631  by  19  feet  and  eight  feet  high, 
with  doors  and  shutters. 

3 — A  small  cellar  adjoining  said  house,  boarded  below  with  split 
stakes,  also  a  porch  and  door. 

4 — A  house  18  by  12|  feet  and  eight  feet  high,  with  a  cabinet,  a 
postern  outside  and  a  cellar. 

5 — A  cattle  shed  16  by  12,  of  stakes  in  earth. 

6 — A  barn  50  by  27  feet  and  eleven  feet  high,  surrounded  by  stakes 
in  earth  joined  together. 

90 


7 — A  house  33  by  21  feet  and  nine  feet  high,  surrounded  by  stakes 
in  earth. 

8 — A  dove  cote  raised  on  four  wooden  posts,  six  feet  high  and  ten 
feet  square. 

9 — An  ice  house,  fifteen  feet  square  and  six  feet  above  the  ground 
and  fifteen  feet  below  the  ground  with  split  beams. 

10 — The  church,  35  by  24^  feet  and  ten  feet  high  with  oak  joists  on  a 
good  ridge,  and  below  of  beams  with  square  joints,  with  doors,  win- 
dows and  shutters,  and  sash  frames  between  of  twenty  squares  each, 
also  a  heavy  bell. 

In  these  structures,  except  the  cattle  shed,  barn,  one  house,  the  dove 
cote  and  ice  house,  mention  is  made  that  the  doors  "  closed  with  a  key," 
which  was  perhaps  a  necessary  precaution. 

New  France,  like  the  mother  country,  in  those  days  was  under  feudal 
tenure.  It  was  ruled  over  by  a  committee  of  three  appointed  by  the 
king  and  known  as  the  sovereign  council,  consisting  of  the  governor- 
general,  the  bishop  and  the  intendant.  The  lands  nominally  belonged 
to  the  king  and  were  held  by  seigneurs  who  paid  rent  in  military  ser- 
vice. The  authority  of  the  seigneurs  in  their  respective  domains  was 
like  that  of  a  noble  in  France.  He  could  try  any  offender  for  any 
crime  short  of  treason  and  murder.  Every  tenant  owed  him  military 
service,  and  each  one  had  his  grain  ground  at  the  seigneur's  mill.  If  a 
seigneur  sold  any  portion  of  his  grant  he  had  to  pay  the  crown  one- 
fifth  of  the  purchase  money.  If  a  tenant  sold  his  land  or  lease  the 
seigneur  was  paid  one-twelfth  of  the  consideration.  The  law  required 
these  landholders  to  divide  their  property  equally  among  their  chil- 
dren, and  as  a  consequence  came  the  long,  ribbon  farms  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Detroit,  the  St.  Ann  and  other  rivers  where  French 
rule  was  established,  each  owner  having  a  water  front,  for  water  was 
the  principal,  and  sometimes  the  only,  means  of  communication  and 
transportation.  The  houses  were  generally  on  the  bank,  with  the 
roadway  on  the  edge  of  the  water.  The  houses  were  sometimes  so 
close  that  an  alarm  or  important  news  could  be  conveyed  by  each 
habitan  calling  to  his  neighbor,  and  would  thus  be  conveyed  to  the  re- 
motest house  in  a  short  time. 

Taxation  commenced  with  the  founding  of  Detroit,  and,  of  course, 
continues  to  the  present  day.  Cadillac  conveyed  all  the  land,  whether 
in  village  lots  or  farms,  and  the  metes  and  bounds  of  these  parcels 
can   now    be    traced  as  if  made   to-day.     The    farmer   cultivated    his 

91 


ground  in  the  daytime,  and  at  night  retired  to  his  home  in  the  fort; 
and  where  he  had  to  pay  rent  for  the  two  places,  he  was  charged  less 
in  proportion  than  the  village  dweller.  Lots  within  the  fort  were 
granted  to  settlers  at  an  annual  rental  of  two  sols,  or  cents,  per  foot 
front,  and  when  sold  or  exchanged,  an  alienation  fine  of  one-twelfth 
was  imposed.  Lands  outside  this  fort  were  let  at  the  rate  of  one  sol 
quit  rent  and  forty  sols  rent  for  each  arpent  of  frontage.  One-quarter 
of  a  bushel  of  wheat  was  also  paid  for  each  arpent,  and,  as  the  usual 
grant  was  of  four  arpents  frontage,  the  annual  dues  amounted  to  eight 
livres  and  four  sols  and  a  bushel  of  wheat  a  year.  Alienation  fines 
were  charged  in  all  manner  of  exchanges,  even  when  the  lands  were 
inherited. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  original  colonists  of  Detroit  who  paid 
yearly  taxes  for  rent  from  1707  to  1710,  payable  in  March;  and  also 
taxes,  reduced  to  United  States  currency,  for  other  rights,  generally 
for  practicing  their  vocations  as  trader,  carpenter,  blacksmith,  armorer, 
farmer,  shoemaker,  etc.  In  addition  each  and  every  one  paid  ten 
livres,  or  $2,  for  the  latter  privileges.  They  also  paid  sums  for  rent 
according  to  the  location  and  desirability  of  the  lot.  All  these  sums 
were  payable  in  furs  or  in  such  coined  money  as  might  have  been  cur- 
rent, and  ranged  in  amount  from  twenty  cents  to  $2.40  in  United 
States  money: 

1  Pierre  Chesne... $0,60 

2  Andre  Chouet,  dit  Cameraud .60 

3  Pierre  Taveran,  dit  la  Grandeur .38 

4  Joseph  Despre - .40 

5  Solomon  Joseph  Du  Vestin 40 

6  Pierre  Leger,  dit  Parisian .40 

7  Bonaventure  Compien,  dit  L'Esperance --.     .24 

8  Jacob  De  Marsac,  dit  Des  Rocher 62 

9  M.   D'Argenteuil .50 

10  Jean  Richard. .40 

11  Jean  Labatier,  dit  Champaign 40 

12  Etienne  Bouton .60 

13  Pierre  Hemard .50 

14  Antoine  Dupuis,   dit  Beauregard .60 

15  Jacques  Langlois 1.30 

16  Guillaume  Boult,  dit  Deliard .50 

17  Michel  Masse.. 1.68 

18  Michel  Campo 1.06 

19  Louis  Normand .50 

20  F'rancois  Tesse .40 

92 


21  Pierre  Chantelon.... 56 

23  Francois  Bienvenue,  dit  De  Lisle 60 

33  Pierre  Esteve 50 

34  Blaise  Surgere... .60 

25  Pierre  Porrier .. .50 

36  Antoine  Ferron .40 

27  Pierre  Tocet .50 

38  Francois  Fafard,  dit  De  Lorme .90 

39  Michel  Disier .50 

30  Jacob  De  Marsac .40 

31  A  man  named  Rancontre .50 

32  A  rrtan  named  Des  Lauriers .50 

33  A  man  named  Xaintonge .50 

84  Jacques  Du  Moulin .60 

35  Guillaume  Aquet,  dit  Laporte .50 

36  Louis  Gustineau ...  .50 

37  Joseph  Parent..   ....._ .60 

38  Martm  Sirier .60 

39  Quilenchive .50 

40  M.  Derance .30 

41  Du  Figuer .54 

42  La  Montague,  dit  Pierre  Mouet .90 

43  Pierre  Mallet 1.60 

44  Antoine  Dufresne.. 1.00 

45  Jean  Baptiste  Chornic .32 

46  Jean  Casse,  dit  St.  Aubin .50 

47  Paul  Langlois .50 

48  Jerome  Marliard 40 

49  Andre  Bombardier .50 

50  Pierre  Duroy... -60 

51  Pierre  Roy .78 

52  Francois  Marque 26 

53  Antoine  Magnant 1.00 

54  Francois  Bonne.. 1.00 

55  Touissaint  Dardennes .30 

56  Pierre  Bassinet .20 

57  Francois  Brunet .40 

58  Antoine  Beauregard 3.40 

59  Marie  Le  Page .73 

60  Jacques  Campo .40 

61  Jean  Serond .50 

63  Pierre  Robert 1.30 

63  Larramee .50 

64  Rene  Le  Moine .40 

65  Jacques  Le  Moine .40 

66  Paul  Guillet 1.30 

67  Joseph  Rivard .30 

93 


68  Antoine  Tuffe,  dit  Du  Fresne.. .. .40 

$  40.62 
68  tenants  at  $2  each .136.00 

Total... $176.62 

Money,  of  course,  in  those  days,  had  three  times  the  purchasing 
power  of  ,the  present  time,  but,  all  things  considered,  the  tax  roll  of 
Detroit  in  the  first  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century  could  not  have 
been  called  high  or  extortionate. 

The  settlers  also  took  all  their  grain  to  the  commandant's  mill,  and 
paid  a  toll  of  one- eighth  of  the  grain,  and  baked  in  the  public  ovens, 
of  which  Cadillac  had  the  profits.  By  the  order  of  the  governor-general 
he  was  directed  to  charge  only  one-fourteenth  for  grinding  grain,  but 
he  disregarded  the  mandate,  and  did  not  give  any  reason  for  his  dis- 
obedience. His  income,  therefore,  was  about  500  crowns,  or  $550  per 
year. 

Each  settler,  including  Cadillac  himself,  had  to  pay  taxes  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  church  and  its  priest.  The  church  and  all  the  vest- 
ments and  paraphernalia  belonged  to  Cadillac.  Even  the  traders  who 
only  visited  Detroit,  and  did  not  reside  here,  had  to  pay  small  sums  for 
the  benefit  of  the  church.  On  June  7,  1710,  Cadillac,  who  had  formerly 
borne  the  expense  of  maintaining  a  priest,  called  the  residents  of  De- 
troit together  and  submitted  plans  for  maintaining  the  church  and  priest 
by  public  dues.  The  priest  was  to  be  paid  five  hundred  livres  annually, 
of  which  the  commandant  was  to  pay  two  hundred  livres,  while  the  in- 
habitants were  to  supply  him  with  food.  Each  resident,  in  addition, 
was  to  pay  for  the  support  of  the  church  a  tithe  consisting  of  one-tenth 
of  his  annual  income. 

Of  Cadillac's  profits  as  a  fur  dealer,  only  an  estimate  can  be  made, 
which  is  partially  founded  on  his  own  statements  in  1703  as  to  the  prof- 
its of  the  Company  of  the  Colony  in  Detroit.  These,  he  said,  amounted 
to  20,000  livres,  or  $4,000.  He  acted  as  notary,  and  received  as  his  fee 
one  twelfth  of  the  consideration  of  every  piece  of  real  estate  sold.  Up 
to  1709  the  government  defrayed  the  expense  of  the  garrison,  but  in 
that  year  he  was  told  that  he  would  have  to  pay  his  soldiers  himself. 
It  was  only  for  a  year,  however,  and  he  was  relieved  in  1710,  and  ap- 
pointed governor  of  Louisiana.  It  is  fair  to  presume  that  he  cleared 
between  $3,000  and  $5,000  a  year,  and  if  he  had  kept  the  money  rea- , 
lized  he  would  have  been  in  a   good  financial  standing.      But  he  rein- 

94 


vested  nearly  all  his  money  in  buildings,  mills,  public  ovens,  a  vessel 
of  ten  tons,  etc.,  and  when  he  left  Detroit  he  could  not  obtain  any 
compensation  for  them. 

In  1896  C.  M.  Burton,  of  Detroit,  gave  a  list  of  the  adult  white  res- 
idents of  Detroit  from  1701  to  1710,  compiled  from  old  notarial  and 
official  records,  a  work  involving  immense  expense  and  an  enormous 
amount  of  labor.  It  was  printed  as  a  brochure  entitled  "  Detroit  under 
Cadillac,"  and  with  other  new  information,  formed  a  valuable  addition 
to  the  history  of  the  city.      It  is  herewith  given  entire: 

Abatis,  Jean  (or  Labbatu ;  see  Labatier). 

Aguenet  (or  Aguet),  called  Laporte,  Guillaume.  (Possibly  the  name  should  be 
Haguenet.) 

Arnauld,  Bertrand,  merchant,  came  to  Detroit  July  18,  1702. 

Badeillac,  Louis,  called  Laplante,  made  an  agreement  to  come  to  Detroit  May  29, 
1701,  the  first  convoy. 

Bannois,  Jeanne.  She  was  the  first  wife  of  Guillaume  Bouche,  and  died  in  1703. 
The  name  is  given  by  Tanguay  as  Beauvais. 

Bariteau,  Julien,  called  La  Marche,  came  May  30,  1705. 

Baron,  Denys,  voyageur,  came  June  21,  1706. 

Barthe,  Jean  (called  Belleville),  soldier,  came  October  10,  1706. 

Barthe  (called  Belleville),  Marie  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Jean  Barthe,  above.  Born 
October  27,  1709. 

Bassinet,  Joseph,  Sieur  Tourblanche,  came  April  2,  1707. 

Bassinet,  Pierre,  brother  of  above,  came  same  date. 

Baudreau,  Gabriel.  Gabriel  Baudreau  and  his  wife,  Catherine  Fortier,  were  voy- 
ageurs  passing  through  Detroit  on  their  way  to  Mobile,  November  24,  1708. 

Baudreau,  Marie  Louise,  daughter  of  Gabriel  Baudreau,  baptized  November  24, 
1708. 

Baugret,  Francois,  called  Dufort,  came  September  10,  1710. 
Beauchamp,  Jacques,  came  as  a  bargeman,  May  30,  1705. 

Beauchamp,  Pierre,  brother  of  above,  came  same  time. 

Beaugis  (or  Baugis),  Michael,  voyageur. 

Beauregard,  see  Dupuis. 

Belille  (or  Belisle),  Henry,  first  surgeon  of  the  fort. 

Besnard,  Rene,  came  June  21,  1706.     Soldier  of  Carignan  regiment. 

Bienvenue,  Alexis,  son  of  Francois,  below.  He  married  Josette  Bouron,  January 
17,  1740. 

Bienvenue,  called  Delisle,  Francois,  came  August  2,  1707.  His  first  wife  was 
Genevieve  Laferiere,  and  his  second  wife  was  Marianne  Lemoine.  He  was  buried 
September  29,  1751,  aged  eighty-eight  years.  The  transformation  of  French  names 
is  well  illustrated  by  this  person.  His  descendants  are  nearly  universall}^  known 
here  by  the  name  of  Delisle  or  De  Lisle,  and  the  surname  of  two  centuries  ago  is  not 
uncommonly  used  to  day  as  a  Christian  name,  and  we  frequently  find  Bienvenue  (or 
Welcome),  Delisles  in  our  real  estate  records. 

95 


Bienvenue,  Joseph,  son  of  Francois  Bienvenue,  above.  Baptized  March  5,  1704, 
and  buried  December  3,  1711. 

Bienvenue,  Marie,  daughter  of  Francois  Bienvenue,  above.  Baptized  December  8, 
1705.  She  married  Jacques  Roussel,  April  7,  1725.  She  is  named  Marianne  in  the 
marriage  record. 

Bienvenue,  Marie  Joseph,  daughter  of  Francois  Bienvenue,  born  August  25,  1709. 

Bienvenue,  Rafael.  Buried  April  34,  1706,  aged  two  years.  Unless  this  is  the 
same  person  as  Joseph  Bienvenue,  above,  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  Rafael  was  a 
son  of  Francois  Bienvenue.  This  is  the  first  recorded  death  in  Detroit,  though  there 
is  other  evidence  that  a  child  of  Alphonse  de  Tonty  died  before  the  first  church  was 
burned,  in  1703,  and  that  Madam  Bouche  died  in  1703. 

Bizaillon  (or  Bisaillon),  Michel,  son  of  Benoit  Bisaillon  and  of  Louise  Blaye,  of 
Clairmont,  in  Auvergne.  He  married  Marguerite  Fafard  (dit  De  Lorme),  June  30, 
1710. 

Bluteau,  Agathe  (in  some  places  this  name  is  spelled  Bulteau),  wife  of  Francois 
Judith  Contant,  dit  Rancontre. 

Bollard,  Jeanne,  wife  of  Pierre  Leger,  dit  Parisien. 

Bombardier  (called  la  Bombarde),  Andre,  a  soldier  and  farmer. 

Bombardier  (called  la  Bombarde),  Bernard  Phillipe,  son  of  Andre  Bombardier, 
above,  born  October  12,  1709. 

Bombardier,  Jean,  son  of  Andre  Bombardier,  above,  born  July  18,  1707. 

Bone,  Marie  Anne.  The  name  probably  should  be  spelled  Beaune.  She  was  the 
widow  of  Francois  Lorry  and  daughter  of  Jean  Bone  and  Mary  Magdelaine  Bouri- 
gier.  She  married  Martin  Cirier  June  12,  1710.  She  came  to  Detroit  April  18, 1707, 
under  an  agreement  to  serve  Cadillac  for  three  years  at  eighty  livres  per  year. 

Bonne,  Francois. 

Bonnet,  Guillaume  (surnamed  Deliard),  armorer.  A  native  of  the  parish  of  Charles- 
burg,  near  Quebec.     He  died  January  13,  1709. 

Bosne,  Francois.     Came  April  13,  1709. 

Bosseron,  Francois.  (Tanguay  spells  the  name  Beauceron.)  Farmer.  He  was 
the  husband  of  Marie  Le  Page  (which  name  see). 

Botquin,  Pierre  (called  St.  Andre).  A  soldier,  came  October  19,  1706.  An  inven- 
tory of  goods  that  he  carried  to  Detroit  in  1710  mcludes  50  pounds  of  powder  at  40  sols 
per  pound,  100  pounds  of  bullets  at  10  sols  per  pound,  and  32  pots  (of  two  quarts  each) 
of  brandy  at  45  sols  per  pot. 

Boucher,  Guillaume.  His  first  wife  was  named  Jeanne  Beauvais,  and  after  her 
death,  in  1703,  he  married  Angelique  Tholme,  widow  of  Pierre  Robert,  August  16, 
1716. 

Boucher,  Pierre,  Esquire,  sieur  de  Boucherville. 

Bourdon,  Pierre,  voyageur,  came  June  15,  1706.  Married,  in  1711,  Marie  Anne 
Gouyon. 

Bougery,  Denis,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705. 

Bougery,  Jean  Louis.     Brother  of  Denis,  came  September  14,  1710. 

Bourg,  Jean  (called  Lapierre).     Voyageur,  came  June  15,  1706. 

Bourgoin  (called  St.  Paul),  Didier.     Soldier  of  Montigny.     He  signs  Bourguin. 

Boutron  (called  Major),  Estienne.  Farmer.  The  name  Estienne  shows  one  of  the 
common  transformations  of  the   French  words.      This   is  now  commonly  written 


Etienne  (Stephen),  and  the  second  letter  s  has  been  dropped,  as  it  has  in  Destroit, 
Chesne,  despot,  and  many  other  words. 

Boutron  (called  Major),  Marguerite.  Daughter  of  Etienne  Boutron,  above,  born 
September  15,  1709. 

Boutron  (called  Major)  Marie  Angelique,  daughter  of  Etienne  Boutron,  baptized 
July  5,  1707. 

Boyer,  Zacharie.     Voyageur,  came  May  20,  1708. 

Boyer,  Jean.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Brabant,  Michel.     Voyageur,  came  August  2,  1707. 

Breunel,  Anne  (probably  intended  for  Anne  Bruneau,  which  see).  Wife  of  Louis 
Normand. 

Brisset,  Bernard.     Came  May  18,  1708. 

Bruneau,  Anne.     Wife  of  Louis  Normand,  dit  Labrierre. 

Brunet,  Francois,  dit  Bourbonnais.     Came  May  80,  1705. 

Buet,  Rene.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Butard, ■,  wife  of .  She  died  December  10,  1724,  aged  thirty  to  thirty- 
two  years. 

Cabazier,  Charles.     Voyageur,  came  June  13,  1707. 

Cadieu,  Pierre.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Cadillac.     See  De  La  Mothe. 

Caillomeau,  Louis.  Came  September  6,  1710.  This  name  probably  should  be 
Galannaux. 

Camerand.     See  Chouet. 

Campau,  Jacques  (the  name  is  also  spelled  Campo,  Campos,  Campeau  and  Campot). 
Blacksmith,  came  September  3,  1708.  His  wife  was  Cecile  Catin.  He  was  buried 
May  14,  1751,  aged  seventy-eight  j^ears. 

Campau,  Jean.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Campau.  Jeanne.     Daughter  of  Michel  Campau. 

Campau,  Louis,  son  of  Jacques  Campau.  He  married  Marie  Louise  Robert,  wid- 
ow of  Francois  Pelletier,  and  daughter  of  Pierre  Robert  and  Angelique  Tholme, 
January  7,  1724. 

Campau,  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Michel  Campau,  baptized  March  2,  1708. 

Campau,  Marie  Angelique.     Daughter  of  Jacques  Campau,  born  December  6, 1708. 

Campau,  Michel.  Farmer,  came  August  3,  1707.  His  wife  was  Jeanne  Masse. 
He 'died  before  1740. 

Campau,  Paul  Alexander.  Son  of  Michel  Campau,  born  September  14,  1709.  He 
married  Charlotte  Sioneau,  daughter  of  Mathurin  Sioneau  and  Marie  Charlotte  Du- 
beau,  February  15,  1740. 

Cardinal,  Jacques.  Voyageur,  came  October  13,  1707.  Died  May  17,  1724,  aged 
eighty-four  years.   ■ 

Cardinal,  Jacques.  Son  of  the  preceding,  came  October  13,  1707.  His  wife  was 
Jeanne  Dugue,  and  third  son  Pierre,  was  baptized  August  30,  1729.  They  already 
had  a  daughter  Jeanne,  who  acted  as  god-mother  to  the  infant  Pierre.  Jeanne  mar- 
ried Laurent  Parent. 

Cardinal,  Marie.  Wife  of  Jacques  Hubert,  dit  la  Croix,  with  her  husband  and  one 
child,  she  set  out  from  Montreal  for  Detroit,  May  22,  1709. 

Cardinal  Pierre.    Came  September  6,  1708. 

97 


Caron,  Vital.    Came  April  2,  1707. 

Carriere,  Antoine  (he  signs  the  church  record  Hantoine  Carrier,  in  1710).  His 
parents,  Andre  Carriere  and  Cecile  Jannot,  lived  on  St.  Paul  street,  Montreal.  He 
first  came  to  Detroit,  April  11,  1707,  as  a  voyageur. 

Casse  (called  St.  Aubin),  Jean.  This  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  change  of  French 
names.  The  family  name  of  Casse  has  been  so  completely  lost  through  years  of  use 
of  the  nickname,  that  this  man's  descendants  are  universally  known  as  St.  Aubin, 
and  there  are  many  of  them  in  Detroit  to-day.  I  have  grouped  them  all  under  this 
name.  Jean  Casse's  wife  was  Marie  Louise  Gautier.  He  died  February  27,  1759, 
aged  more  than  one  hundred  years. 

Casse  (called  St.  Aubin),  Jean  Baptiste.  Died  of  small-pox  February  25,  1733,  aged 
twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  years.  A  great  manj'  people  died  in  the  winter  of 
1733-34,  of  small-pox.  Jean  Baptiste  St.  Aubin  married  Magdeleine  Pruneau,  daugh- 
ter of  Jean  Pruneau  and  Suzanne  Bellariger,  of  Quebec,  July  31,  1731. 

Casse  (called  St.  Aubin),  Jacques,  son  of  Jean  Casse  and  Marie  Louise  Gautier. 
He  married  Catherine  Vien,  daughter  of  Ignace  Vien  and  Angelique  Du  Sable,  De- 
cember 27,  1745. 

Casse  (called  St.  Aubin),  Marie  Anne,  daughter  of  Jean  (or  Jean  Baptiste)  Casse 
and  Marie  Louise  Gautier.  Born  October  5,  1710.  She  married  Charles  Chauvin 
(blacksmith),  October  27,  1726.  There  was  another  daughter,  Agathe  Cass,  who 
married  Nicholas  Campau,  dit  Niagara. 

Casse  (called  St.  Aubin),  Pierre,  son  of  Jean  Casse.     Baptized  May  2,  1709. 

Catin,  Cecile,  wife  of  Jacques  Campau.  She  died  before  1732.  Her  daughter, 
Marianne  Campau,  married  Joseph  Bondy,  July  28,  1732,  and  her  son,  Claude,  mar- 
ried Catherine  Casse  (dit  St.  Aubin),  daughter  of  Jean  Casse,  January  22,  1742. 

Catinet,  Joseph,  of  Pointe  aux  Trembles,  near  Montreal,  was  in  Detroit  July  26, 
1707. 

Chabot,  Joseph. 

Channet  (called  Camirand),  Andre,  sergeant  of  the  troops  in  this  country.  His 
wife  was  Anne  Pastorel. 

Channet  (called  Camirand),  Andre,  son  of  above.    Born  May  13,  1708. 

Channet  (called  Camirand),  Pierre,  son  of  Andre,  senior.     Born  about  April,  1710. 

Chanteloup,  Pierre,  farmer.  Acted  as  godfather  to  Jean  Bombardier,  July  18, 
1707.     His  wife  came  to  Detroit  April  11,  1707. 

Charbonneau,  Joseph.     Came  April  25,  1707. 

Charbonneau,  Michel.    Came  April  17,  1707.    Brother  of  above. 

Charnic.    See  du  Charnic. 

Charlet,  Francois.     His  wife  was  Marthe  Forstier. 

Charlet,  Pierre,  son  of  above.     Born  May  3,  1709. 

Charon,  Charles. 

Charpentier,  Jean.     Came  April  2,  1707. 

Chauvillon,  Charlotte,  wife  of  Jean  Barthe,  dit  Belleville. 

Chauvin,  Gilles,  voyageur.  Came  June  7,  1706.  He  and  Louis  Normand  were  in 
partnership. 

Chauvin,  Jean  Baptiste,  voyageur.     Came  June  14,  1706. 

Chauvin,  Louis,  voyageur.     Came  June  14,  1706.     Brother  of  above. 

Cheauonvouzon,  Louis  Antoine,  surnamed  Quarante  Sols,  chief  of  the  Huron  na- 


tion.  He  was  a  very  prominent  and  influential  Indian  and  frequent  reference  is 
made  to  him,  both  by  Cadillac  and  by  the  Jesuit  fathers  at  Mackinac.  He  was  bap- 
tized April  37,  1707,  having  as  a  godfather  Cadillac  himself.  He  died  the  same  day, 
aged  forty-eight  years. 

Chesne,  Charles,  son  of  Pierre  Chesne  and  Louise  Batty.  He  married  Catherine 
Sauvage,  daughter  of  Jacques  Sauvage  and  Marie  Catherine  RieuL  January  18,  1722. 

Chesne,  Francois,  voyageur.     Came  September  25,  1707. 

Chesne,  Marie,  daughter  of  Pierre  Chesne  and  Jeanne  Bailli.  She  married  (first) 
Jacques  Montboef,  dit  Godfrey,  and  after  his  death  she  married  Jacques  Boutin, 
September  16,  1733.  There  is  a  record  that  Marie  Chesne  died  February  13,  1738. 
From  Marie  Chesne  have  descended  all  the  Godfreys  of  French  extraction  in  and 
about  Detroit. 

Chesne,  Pierre.  Came  June  13,  1707.  His  wife  was  Jeanne  Bailli,  she  died  in 
1710,  she  is  sometimes  referred  to  as  Louise  Batty.  The  name  has  been  slightly 
changed  in  spelling,  though  not  in  sound,  by  his  descendants.  He  was  the  Detroit 
ancestor  of  the  present  Chene  family. 

Chesne,  Pierre.  Son  of  above  Pierre  Chesne.  He  had  two  wives ;  first  on  May  25, 
1728,  he  married  Marie  Magdelene  Roy,  a  daughter  of  Pierre  Roy;  this  marriage 
took  place  at  Fort  St.  Phillipe,  village  of  the  Miamis.  She  died  of  small-pox  Octo- 
20,  1782,  and  in  1736  he  married  his  second  wife,  Louise  Barrois,  daughter  of  Fran- 
cois Lothenane,  dit  Barrois,  and  Marianne  Sauvage.  Pierre  Chesne  was  an  inter- 
preter and  sometimes  called  La  Butte.     He  was  born  about  1697. 

Chevalier,  Jean.  Came  May  30,  1705.  There  is  a  record  that  Angelique  Chevalier, 
daughter  of  the  late  Jean  Baptiste  ChevaHer  and  the  late  Francoise  Alavoine  of  this 
parish  married  Antoine  Nicolas  Lauzon,  February  27,  1769. 

Chevalier,  Michel.     Came  October  10,  1710. 

Chevalier,  Paul.  Came  July  12,  1702.  His  wife  was  Agathe  Campau.  They 
lived  on  St.  Paul  street,  Montreal.     Paul,  Jean  and  Robert  were  brothers. 

Chevalier,  Pierre. 

Chevaher,  Robert.     Came  June  15,  1706. 

Chornic,  Jean  Baptiste. 

Chouet  (called  Camerand)  Andre. 

Chouet,  Louis,  called  Lagiroflee.  Soldier  in  company  of  Cabana,  captain.  He 
was  a  son  of  Jean  Chouet  and  Marie  Magdeleine  Magdile.  Before  setting  out  for 
Detroit,  May  25,  1701,  he  gave  his  property,  in  event  of  his  death,  to  Mary  Magde- 
leine Delisle. 

Cirier,  Martin.  Son  of  Nicolas  Cirier  and  Catherine  Prevoost  of  the  parish  of  St. 
Denis  d'Argenteuil  of  Paris.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  company  of  de  la  Champagne 
and  married  Ann  Bone,  June  12,  1710.  I  find  the  name  spelled  Sirier  sometimes, 
but  Martin  could  write  and  he  spelled  it  Cirier. 

Clairambaut,  Francois,  esquire,  sieur  D'Aigremont.  Commissary  of  the  marine  in 
Canada,  sub-delegate  of  the  Intendant  and  deputy  appointed  to  visit  the  most  ad- 
vanced posts.     He  visited  Detroit,  Fort  Pontchartrain,  July  29,  1708. 

Cobtron,  see  Marsac. 

Colin,  Michel,  called  Laliberte.     Came  in  1706. 

Collet,  Pierre,  voyageur.     Came  June  15,  1706. 


99 


Compein  (called  L'Esperance)  Bonaventure.  Soldier  and  farmer.  His  wife  was 
Catherine  Laplante. 

Compein  (called  L'Esperance),  Marie  Catherine,  daughter  of  Bonaventure,  above. 
She  was  baptized  November  14,  1707. 

Compien  (called   L'Esperance)  Pierre.     Son  of  Bonaventure,  above.     Was  born 
January  12,  1710. 
Cornic,  Pierre. 

Corton,  Pierre,  called  St.  Jean.     Came  May  30,  1705,  as  bargeman. 
Cosset,  Francois.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Couk,  Marguerite,  wife  of  Francois  Masse.  Marguerite  Couque  is  referred  to  as 
the  wife  of  the  late  Jean  Fafare,  and  Marguerite  Kouque,  as  the  wife  of  sieur  Masse. 
These  may  be  the  same  party. 

Coup,  Isabelle.     Came  to  Detroit  as  early  as  April  27,  1704. 

Coutant  (called  Rancontre)  Francois  Judile,  a  soldier.  His  wife  was  Marie  Agathe 
Bluteau,  above. 

Coutant,  Jean.  A  soldier  of  the  company  of  Lorimier.  He  was  buried  September 
17,  1732,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

Coutant  (called  Rancontre)  Louis.  Son  of  Francois,  above,  baptized  February  13, 
1708. 

Couturier,  Joseph,  voyageur.     Came  September  6,  1710. 
Cusson,  Ange.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 
Cusson,  Charles,  voyageur.     Came  April  20,  1709. 
Cusson,  Jean  Baptiste.     Came  April  11,  1707. 
Cusson,  Joseph.     Came  October  7,  1706. 
Cusson,  Nicolas,  voyageur.     Came  October  7,  1706. 

Dandonneau,  Marie  Francoise,  wife  of  the  second  marriage  of  Henry  Behsle,  sur- 
geon.    Died  May  8,  1711,  aged  about  fifty  years. 
Dardennes,  Toussainte.     Came  May  12,  1707. 
D'Argenteuil  (probably  Pierre),  gardener. 

David,  Therese.     Wife  of  Jacob  de  Marsac  de  Cobtron,  dit  Desrochers.     She  was 
buried  September  24,  1727,  aged  sixty-six  years. 
Daze,  Charles.     Came  July  16,  1702. 

De  Broyeux,  Francois.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 
De  Couague,  Charles,  jr.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

De  Gaigne,  Jacques,  jr.,  eighteen  years  old.  Agreed  to  work  for  Jerome  Merilat, 
dit  Sansquai'tier,  for  two  years. 

De  La  Forest,  Francois,  captain  of  the  troops  of  the  marine  in  this  country.  Like 
many  other  French  words  the  letter  s  is  frequently  dropped  in  writing  this  name,  so 
that  we  find  it  De  La  Foret. 

De  La  March,  Dominique.  Recollect  priest,  lecturer  in  theology,  pastor  of  Ste. 
Anne's. 

De  La  Marque,  Marianne.  Wife  of  Alphonse  de  Tonty.  She  was  the  widow  of 
Jean  Baptiste  Nolan,  and  had  a  daughter,  Louise  Suzanne  Nolan,  who  married 
Charles  Francois  de  Mezieres,  esquire,  sieur  de  Leperueinche,  December  17,  1725. 
De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Antoine.  The  founder  of  Detroit.  He  was  born  in  1661, 
the  son  of  Jean  de  La  Mothe  and  Jeanne  de  Malenfant.  Married  Marie  Therese 
Guyon,  daughter  of  Denis  Guyon  at  Quebec,  June  27,  1687. 

100 


:;:£.',"  ■'^.'yy       -^ 


De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Antoine.     Ensign  in  the  troops,  son  of  Cadillac. 
De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Antoine  (or  Jean  Antoine),  son  of  Cadillac.     Buried  in  the 
church,  April  9,  1709,  aged  two  years,  two  and  a  half  months.     I  think  this  is  the 
same  as  Jean  Antoine,  who  was  baptized  January  19,  1707. 

De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Francois.     Son  of  Cadillac.     Born  March  29.  1709. 
De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Jacques.     Son  of  Cadillac.     Cadet  in  the  troops  of  the  de- 
tachment of  marines. 

De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,   Mane  Agatha.     Daughter  of  Cadillac.     Born  December 
28,  1707. 

De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  Rene  Louis.     Son  of  Cadillac.     Born  March  17,  1710. 
De  Launay,  Joseph.     Came  September  27,  1710. 

De  I'Halle,  Constantin,  Recollect  priest,  killed  June  6,    1706.     His  body  was  ex- 
humed, transported  and  reburied  within  the  church  of  Ste.  Anne. 
De  Liard,  see  Bouet. 
De  Lisle,  see  Bienvenue. 
De  Lorme,  see  Fafard. 
Delpeche,  Francois.     Came  May  17,  1710. 
Demers,  Maximilien.     Came  May  30,  1705. 
Deniau  Cherubin.     Recollect  priest,  pastor  of  Ste.  Anne's. 

Deniau,  Rene.     Died  July,  1730,  aged  eighty  years. 

De  Paris,  Denis. 

Depre  (or  Despre),  Joseph. 

De  Ranee,  see  Le  Gautier. 

Derruon,  Pierre,  esquire,  sieur  de  Budemond. 

Dervisseau,  Julien.     Lieutenant  in  the  troops. 

Desautels,  Gilbert,  dit  Lapointe.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Des  Jardins,  Suzanne.     Wife  of  Pierre  La  Fleur. 

Desloriers,  Jean  Baptiste.     Jean   Baj^tiste  du   Fournel,  dit   Desloriers,  aged  fifty 
years,  was  buried  October  31,  1731. 

Desmoulins,  Charlotce,  dit  Philis,  daughter  of  Jacques  Desmoulins  and  Charlotte 
Sanarias,  was  born  November  22,  1709,  and  died  January  8,  1710. 

Desmoulins,  Jacques,  dit  Philis.     His  wife  was  Charlotte  Sanarias. 

Desmoulins,  Jacques.     Son  of  the  above  Jacques  Desmoulins ;  was  baptized  March 
30,  1708,  and  died  April  14,  1728. 

Desmoulins,  Marie.     Wife  of  Blaise  Sontieureuse. 

Desnoyers,  Joseph.     Married  Magdeleine  Robert,  daughter  of  Pierre  Robert  and 
Angelique  Tholme. 

Desrocher,  or  Derocher,  see  Marsac. 

Desrosiers,  Jean  Morean.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Desrosiers,  Joseph,  called  Dutremble.     Came  September  27,  1710. 

Devinon,  Pierre,  esquire,  sieur  de  Budemond.     Lieutenant  in  the  troops. 

Dizier,  Michel,  called  Sans  Quartier.     Farmer. 

Dounay,  Anthoine.     Came  in  the  summer  of  1704. 

Dubor,  Dominique.     Came  as  voyageur,  June  12,  1706. 

Du  Chornic,  Louis. 

Ducharme,  Joseph.     Came  September  10,  1710. 

Ducharme,  Louis.     Voyageur,  brother  of  Joseph.     Came  May  22,  1709. 

101 


Duclos,  Jacques.     A  soldier. 

D-umouchel,  Francoise.  Daughter  of  Bernard  Dumouchel,  dit  Laroche.  On  the 
6th  day  of  Ju]J^  1703,  she  agreed  to  go  to  Detroit  to  serve  M.  and  Madam  de  la 
Mothe  (Cadillac),  for  two  years  at  180  livres  per  year. 

Dumouchel,  Paul.     Came  May  15,  1708. 

Duffant,  Marie  Renie. 

Du  Figuier,  (see  Fournier). 

Dufresne,  Antoine. 

Dufresne,  Marie  Magdelaine.     Wife  of  Pierre  Mallet. 

Dumay,  Jacques.  Jacques  Pierre  Danau,  esquire,  sieur  de  Muy,  Chevalier  of  the 
Royal  and  Military  order  of  St.  Louis,  died  May  20,  1758. 

Dumay,  Marguerite.     Wife  of  Andre  Bombardier. 

Dumouche,  Francoise. 

Dupuis,  Antoine  (called  Beauregard).  Farmer.  His  wife  was  Marie  Anne 
Marandeau. 

Dupuis,  Antoine.     Son  of  above,  was  born  June  21,  1707. 

Dupuis,  Joseph.     Son  of  of  Antoine,  sr.,  above,  was  born  January  31,  1709. 

Dupuis,  Marie  Anne.     Daughter  of  Antoine  above,  was  born  March  13,  1710. 

Duroy,  Pierre,  dit  Deslauriers.  Soldier  in  the  company  of  De  La  Mothe  Cadillac. 
He  came  April  11,  1707.  He  is  also  mentioned  as  a  soldier  in  the  company  of  Dul- 
hud  (Duluth). 

Du  Vestin,  Salomon  Joseph. 

Durand  (or  Durant)  Jean.     Farmer. 

Dussault,  Marie.     Wife  of  Jacques  Langlois. 

Du  Sault,  Marie,  fille  mineure.     The  parents'  names  are  not  given. 

Dutan,  Jacques.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Dutremble,  Jean  Baptiste.     Came  in  1706. 

Dutremble,  Joseph.     Came  September  28,  1706. 

Du  Vant,  called  La  Franchise,  Pierre.     Soldier  de  la  Compagnie  de  la  Corne. 

Esteve,  Pierre.     Called  La  Jeunesse.     Farmer,  see  Stebre. 

Estienne,  Estienne.     Brother  of  Dominique  Estienne.     Came  April  26,  1707. 

Estienne,  Jacques.  Came  April  18,  1707,  with  a  canoe  load  of  merchandise  for 
Sieur  de  Bourmont,  ensign  in  the  troops. 

Fafard,  Charles,  dit  Delorme.  He  came  April  25,  1707.  His  father  was  Francois  Fa- 
fard,  dit  Delorme.    The  descendants  from  this  pioneer  are  universally  called  Delorme. 

Fafard,  Etienne,  dit  Delorme.     Son  of  Francois  Fafard,  born  September  24,  1708. 

Fafard,  Francois,  dit  Delorme.  Farmer  and  interpreter  for  the  king.  He  died 
January  28,  1734,  aged  about  eighty  years.  His  first  wife  was  Magdeleine  Mar- 
guerite Jobin  and  his  second  wife  was  Barbe  Loisel. 

Fafard,  Joseph.  Son  of  Francois,  above.  He  was  born  September  24,  1708.  He 
and  Etienne  were  twins. 

Fafard,  Magdeleine.  Daughter  of  Francois  Fafard,  above.  She  married  Prudent 
Robert,  January  7,  1711. 

Fafard,  Marie  Joseph,  dit  Delorme,  daughter  of  Francois,  above,  married  Pierre 
Auclair,  of  Charlesburg. 

Fafard,  Marie  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Francois,  above.  Married  Michel  Bissilon 
June  30,  1710. 

102 


Fafard,  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Jean  Fafard  and  Marguerite  Couck.  Married 
Jean  Baptiste  Turpin,  May  5,  1710. 

Fanereau,  Charles,  voyageur.      Lived  in  Detroit  October  6,  1708. 

Farland,  Jean. 

Faverau,  Pierre.      Called  Le  Grandeur. 

Fayolet,  Pierre,  called  St.  Pierre.  A  soldier  of  the  company  of  St.  Ours.  He  was 
in  Detroit  May  2;  1709,  and  acted  as  godfather  to  Pierre  Casse. 

Ferron,  Antoine,  farmer. 

Filiatreau,  Jacques,  voyageur.  Came  May  30,  1705.  He  lived  at  Lachine  and 
never  resided  at  Detroit,  though  he  came  here  several  times. 

Filie,  Michel,  esquire,  sieur  de  Therigo,  sergeant  of  troops.  Commissioned  to 
bear  letters  from  France  to  Cadillac.     He  came  October  16,  1706. 

Fortier,  Catherine,  wife  of  Gabriel  Baudreau.  They  were  married  at  Montreal, 
August  15.  1701. 

Fortier,  Marthe  (or  Marie  Marthe),  wife  of  Francois  Chalut,  dit  Chanteloup.  They 
were  married  in  Montreal  June  10,  1706.     She  was  a  sister  of  Catherine,  above. 

Fournier,  Louis  Rene,  sieur  du  Figuier,  ensign  in  the  troops  of  this  country,  per 
forming  the  functions  of  major  of  the  troops  in  Fort  Pontchartrain.  He  was  born 
at  Montreal  May  14,  1673.      His  mother's  name  was  Helene  Du  Figuier. 

Frapier,  Marie  Magdeleine,  wife  of  Pierre  Stebre,  dit  la  Jeunesse.  They  were 
married  at  Quebec  April  12,  1706,  and  she  died  at  Detroit,  December  22,  1759,  aged 
eighty  years. 

Frigon,  Francois.      He  was  born  in  Normandy  and  came  to  Detroit  May  30,  1705. 

Frotant,  Angelique.     Probably  Proteau,  which  see. 

Gagnier,  Jacques.     Came  May  17,  1710. 

Galarneau,  Louise,  wife  of  Francois  Marquet.  She  was  born  February  2,  1690, 
and  married  April  26,  1706. 

Gallien,  Marie  Anne.  Her  first  husband  was  Jerome  (Hieronymus)  Marillac,  dit 
Sansquartier,  and  her  second  husband  was  Bernard  Phillipe. 

Gareau  (or  Garro  or  Garraud),  Dominique.  Came  October  3,  1708.  He  was  born 
at  Boucherville,  January  13,  1684. 

Gareau,  Jean,  came  September  25,  1707.  He  was  born  at  Boucherville,  November 
3,  1679. 

Gareau,  Pierre.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  He  was  born  at  Boucherville 
May  1,  1673.  He  lived  in  St.  Paul  street,  Montreal.  He  was  sometimes  called  St. 
Onge,  Saintonge,  or  Xaintonge.  The  three  Gareaus  were  brothers.  Dominique 
and  Jean  never  resided  in  Detroit,  but  came  here  together  in  1708  and  at  various 
other  times.  Pierre  owned  a  house  and  lot  in  the  village,  conveyed  to  him  by  the 
name  of  Xaintonge. 

Gatineau,  Louis,  sieur  Duplessis,  came  to  Detroit  June  21,  1706.  He  was  married 
January  22,  1710,  to  Jeanne  Lemoyne,  at  Batiscan.  He  is  described  as  a  merchant 
of  Quebec. 

Gaultier,  Marie  Louise,  wife  of  Jean  Casse,  called  St.  Aubin. 

Gaultier  (or  Gautier),  Pierre,  dit  Saguinoira.  Came  May  22,  1709.  He  was  born 
March  25,  1669,  and  died  July  25,  1754. 

Gazaille,  Jean,  dit  St.  Germain.      Came  September  10,  1710. 

Germain,  Alexis,   son  of  Robert  Germain,  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Pointe  aux 

103 


Trembles,  near  Quebec,  and  came  to  Detroit  May  19,  1708.  He  was  killed  May  19, 
1712,  by  a  gunshot  given  by  the  Ytaganish  Indians,  with  whom  be  was  fighting  at 
Detroit. 

Germain,  Robert.  Came  Alay  18,  1708.  He  was  a  brother  of  Alexis.  Born  at 
Quebec,  September  8,  1680. 

Gervais,  Etienne  de  Bourguion.  July  10,  1703,  he  agreed  to  go  to  Detroit  as  a 
hunter. 

Giard,  Anthoine.     Came  May  30,  1705.     He  was  born  at  Montreal  August  31,  1661. 

Giard,  Gabriel.  He  was  born  at  Montreal  April  15,  1675,  and  came  to  Detroit  as 
a  bargeman  May  30,  1705.     He  was  married  three  times. 

Giguiere,  Jean  Baptiste,  being  about  to  set  out  for  Detroit  June  28,  1701,  he  made 
a  present  of  his  property  in  event  of  his  death  to  Louise  Maignan.  He  returned  to 
Montreal  and  married  this  lady  January  22,  1704.     He  died  April  18,  1750. 

Giguiere,  Robert,  brother  of  Jean  Baptiste.  He  was  born  January  28,  1663,  and 
died  at  Montreal  December  10,  1711. 

Giradin,  Joseph.     Came  August  26,  1708. 

Gode  (or  Gaude),  Jacques.  Came  as  voyageur  November  6,  1707.  He  was  mar- 
ried August  15,  1743,  to  Marie  Louise  St.  Martin,  of  Detroit. 

Godefroy  (or  Godfroy),  Jacques,  dit  Mauboeuf.  Paul  Chevalier  and  Jacques  Gode- 
froy,  dit  Mauboeuf,  voyageurs,  and  Joseph  Senecal,  toolmaker  and  voyageur,  formed 
a  partnership  September  10,  1710,  to  carry  on  the  business  of  trading  at  Detroit.  To 
this  business  Chevalier  contributed  255  livres,  Senecal  165  livres  and  Godefroy  43 
livres  and  two  guns.  The  partnership  was  to  continue  for  two  years,  and  if  any  of 
the  partners  died  in  that  time  another  man  would  be  taken  in  to  fill  the  place.  Gains 
and  losses  to  be  shared  equally.  Godfroy  married  Marie  Anne  Chesne  at  Detroit, 
November  20,  1730. 

Gognet,  Francois,  called  Sansoucy,  a  soldier. 

Gonin.  Joseph,  came  May  19,  1708,  bringing  to  Dufiguier,  major  of  Fort  Pontchar- 
train,  two  barrels  of  brandy  (eau  de  vie),  one  barrel  of  salt,  two  barrels  of  powder,  a 
small  parcel  of  goods  and  two  bags  of  bullets,  in  all,  400  pounds. 

Gouin,  Louis.     Came  May  18,  1708. 

Gourion  (or  Gorion),  Antoine,  son  of  Jean  Baptiste  Gourion.     Born  April  26,  1708. 

Gourion,  Jean  Baptiste,  sergeant  in  the  troops  at  Detroit  (1708),  and  farmer.  His 
wife  was  Louise  Chaudillon,  though  it  is  given  as  Louise  Rhodillon  in  Ste.  Anne's 
church. 

Gros,  Jean  Baptiste.     Born  at  Montreal  December  22,  1673. 

Guillemot,  Marie  Chretienne.  Came  to  Detroit  in  the  employ  of  Cadillac  August 
30,  1710.  vShe  was  a  daughter  of  Jacques  Francois  Guillemot  and  Madeleine  Dupont. 
Was  born  at  Montreal  September  29,  1695.  Returned  there  and  married  Jean  Jac- 
quiers,  November  24,  1715,  and  died  November  23,  1734. 

Guillet,  Paul,  merchant.  Born  1690,  Died  in  Montreal  June  7,  1753.  His  full 
name  seems  to  have  been  Paul  Alexander  Guillet.  He  acted  as  godfather  to  Paul 
Alexander  Campau  September  14,  1709,  and  the  infant  appears  to  have  been  named 
after  him.     He  came  to  Detroit  May  19,  1708. 

Gustineau,  Louis. 

Guyon,  Jean,  dit  Lachapelle.     Came  September  6,  1710. 


104 


Guyon,  Marie  Therese,  wife  of  Antoine  de  La  Mothe  Cadillac.  Born  at  Quebec 
April  9,  1671.     Married  June  25,  1687.    (The  first  white  woman  in  Detroit). 

Hamelin,  Rene,  voyageur.     Came  May  18,  1710. 

Hemart  (or  Haimart),  Marie  Louise.  Born  December  1,  1709.  Daughter  of  Pierre 
Haimart. 

Hemart  (or  Haimart),  Pierre,  farmer  and  soldier  in  the  company  of  M.  Lorimier, 
Married  Marie  Laland  June  12,  1706. 

The  records  of  Ste.  Anne  contain  a  certificate  of  baptism,  October  20,  1707,  of  Fran- 
cois Delainart,  son  of  Pierre  Delainart  and  Marie  Filiastreau.  Father  Tanguay 
concludes  that  Hemart  and  Delainart  are  the  same. 

Henaux,  Pierre,  sr.,  came  to  Detroit  September  27,  1708.  Perhaps  the  name 
should  be  Hunalt. 

Henaux,  Pierre,  jr.    Came  September  27,  1708. 

Hubert,  Ignace,  called  Lacroix.  Came  April  20,  1709.  He  was  a  son  of  Ignace 
Hubert,  of  Boucherville. 

Hubert,  Jacques,  dit  Lacroix,  sr.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Hubert,  Jacques,  dit  Lacroix.  Came  in  1706.  He  was  born  May  12,  1684,  and 
married  September  5,  1705,  to  Marie  Cardinal.  He  was  a  son  of  Jacques  Hubert,  of 
Montreal. 

Hubert,  Louis,  voyageur,  came  November  6, 1707.   He  wasabrother  of  Ignace,  above. 

Hubert,  Pierre,  son  of  Jacques  Hubert,  dit  la  Croix,  and  Marie  Cardinal.  Was 
born  at  Detroit  December  11,  1709,  and  died  October  11,  1724.  The  family  is  gen- 
erally known  by  the  name  of  Lacroix. 

Hubert,  Pierre,  voyageur.  Came  August  11,  1710.  He  was  a  brother  of  Jacques 
Hubert,  above,  and  married  Francoise  Cardinal. 

Huet,  Pierre,  called  Duluth,  came  April  2,  1707.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Huet, 
born  November  13,  1682. 

Janot,  Pierre.      Came  May  22,  1709,  nephew  of  Robert  Janot. 

Janot,  Robert  (called  La  Chapelle).  Came  April  2,  1707.  He  was  uncle  to  Joseph 
Bai;inet,  dit  Tourblanche. 

Jardis,  Francois,  called  Rencontre.      Farmer  and  lot  owner  in  the  village. 

Jean,  Raymond,  dit  Godon.  Contracted  October  13,  1703,  to  go  to  Detroit  as  a 
farmer. 

Jobin,  Marie  Magdelene,  wife  of  Francois  Fafard,  dit  Delorme,  interpreter.  She 
died  at  Detroit,  January  39,  1711,  aged  about  forty  years. 

Joly,  Jean,  surnamed  Jolycoeur,  sergeant  in  the  troops.  He  was  a  native  of  the 
parish  of  Bury,  diocese  Xaintes.  Died  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  20,  1707,  and  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Fort  Pontchartrain. 

Juillet,  Jean,  called  Laplante.     Came  to  Detroit  as  a  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Labatier  (or  Abatis),  Jean.  Owned  a  lot  in  the  village.  Jean  Labattu,  Cochant, 
dit  Champagne,  a  soldier.  Died  in  Detroit,  February  15,  1712.  I  think  this  is  the 
same  person. 

Laberge,  Guillaume,  entered  into  an  agreement  October  12,  1703,  to  come  to  De- 
troit as  a  farmer. 

Labrierre,  see  Normand. 

La  Ferriere,  Genevieve,  wife  of  Francois  Bienvenue,  dit  Delisle.  Born  December 
8,  1679.     She  died  before  1709.     Her  family  name  was  Charon. 

105 


Lafleur,  see  Poirier. 

Laferte,  see  Levoir. 

La  Forest,  Marguerite,  wife  of  Antoine  Levroir.  She  was  born  in  1689  and  mar- 
ried Antoine  Terou  Laferte  (Levroir)  June  10,  1706. 

La  Grandeur,  see  Faverau. 

La  Jeunesse,  see  Stebre. 

La  Jeunesse,  Etienne,  came  in  1706. 

Lalande,  Marie,  wife  of  Pierre  Hemart. 

Laloire,  ,  farmer.  There  is  nothing  from  which  the  first  name  can  be  de- 
termined.    Tanguay  gives  the  name  Allaire  as  the  same  surname  as  this. 

Lamareux,  Francois,  sieur  de  St.  Germam.  Came  April  2,  1707.  Francois  La- 
moureu.x,  dit  Germain,  a  merchant,  was.  born  1675  and  died  December  30,  1740. 

La  ]\Iarque,  Pierre,  called  Sans  Soucy.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  He 
lived  at  Laprairie,  and  his  wife  was  Magdeleine  Delisle. 

La  Montagne.  called  Pierre  Mouet. 

La  Mothe,  Magdalaine,  Cadillac's  daughter. 

La  Mothe,  Marie  Therese,  daughter  of  Cadillac,  baptized  February  2,  1704. 

Lamy,  Joseph.  Set  out  from  Montreal  September  6,  1708,  to  conduct  Madame 
Ranez  to  Detroit.  Lamy  drifted  farther  west  to  Kaskaskia,  where  he  became  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  church  in  1717,  and  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  1725. 

Lanarias,  Charlotte,  probably  Sanarias,  which  see. 

Langlois,  Antoine,  son  of  Jacques  Langlois.  Born  November  13,  1709,  buried 
July  26,  1710,  at  Detroit,  aged  about  eight  and  a  half  months. 

Langlois,  Jacques,  farmer  and  blacksmith.  Born  in  1676;  he  married  Marie  Dus- 
sault.  He  resided  for  a  time  in  Detroit,  but  returned  to  Montreal,  and  died  there 
January  30,  1733. 

Langlois,  Paul,  farmer.     Came  April  11,  1707. 

Laplante,  Catherine.  Wife  of  Bonaventure  Compien,  dit  L'Esperance.  Her 
name,  according  to  the  record  of  baptisms  in  Sorel,  where  she  was  born,  was  Marie 
Catherine  Badaillac,  dit  Laplante,  and  she  was  married  at  Montreal  June  10,  1716. 

Laporte,  see  Aguenet. 

Laprairie,  Julien.     Came  August  19,  1710. 

Larivee,  Jean.  Came  May  19,  1708.  He  was  born  August  12,  1667,  and  died  Sep- 
tember 9,  1729. 

L'Arramee — Tanguay  mentions  a  man  by  this  name,  his  first  name  being  un- 
known, who  died  in  Montreal  September  23,  1736. 

La  Salle,  Jean.  A  soldier  of  the  company  of  Duluth,  native  of  Peyrourade  in 
Beam,  died  January  24,  1707.  His  body  was  buried  in  the  church  of  the  Fort  Pont- 
chartrain  du  Detroit. 

Laude,  Joseph,  dit  Mata.     Agreed  to  go  to  Detroit  as  farmer,  October  12,  1703. 

La  Vallee,  Jean  Baptiste.  Soldier  of  the  company  of  the  Cassagne,  native  of 
Quintin,  bishopric  of  St.  Brieux,  in  Brittany.  Died  November  19,  1711,  aged  about 
thirty  years. 

Lavois,  Jacques,  dit  St.  Amour.  Came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  company  of  La  Corne,  and  married  Marie  Barbe  Cesar,  at  Montreal, 
November  28,  1711. 

Leboeuf,  Pierre.     Came  as  bargeman.   May  30,  1705.     His  wife  was  Marie  Fran- 

106 


coise  Auzon.  He  never  came  here  to  reside  permanently,  but  some  of  his  children 
did. 

Le  Coutant,  dit  Rencontre,  Magdelaine,  daughter  of  Francois  Judit  Le  Coutaut, 
dit  Rencontre,  born  February  5,  1710. 

L'Ecuyer,  Pierre. 

Leduc,  Jean  Baptiste,  son  of  Jean  Leduc,  of  Montreal.  Came  October  11,  1710. 
He  was  born  in  1684,  and  married  Marie  Catherine  Descary. 

Lefebvre,  Louis.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  His  father  was  Jean  Bap- 
tist Lefebvre,  of  Montreal. 

Lefebvre,  Nicholas.  Came  May  22,  1709,  voyageur.  (His  father,  Jean  Baptiste 
Lefebvre,  lived  on  St.  Peter's  River.) 

Legautier,  Francois,  sieur  de  la  Vallee  Ranee  (see  Deranee).  Lieutenant  in  the 
detachment  of  marines  in  Canada.     Came  October  2,  1709;  died  Novernber  12,  1710. 

Leger,  Bourgery.     Came  April  2,  1707. 

Leger,  called  Parisien,  Marie  Jeanne,  daughter  of  Pierre  Leger,  baptized  Decem- 
ber 15.  1707. 

Leger  (dit  Parisien),  Marie  Jeanne,  daughter  of  Pierre  Leger,  dit  Parisien.  Born 
August  9.  1709.  These  two  children  of  the  same  parents  bear  the  same  name.  There 
is  no  record  of  the  death  of  either. 

Leger  (called  Parisien),  Pierre,  farmer.  His  wife  was  Jeanne  Boilard,  to  whom 
he  was  married  at  Quebec,  May  15.  1706. 

Legros,  Jean,  called  Laviolette,  born  December  22,  1673.  He  married  Marie  Buet, 
November  24,  1700.     He  came  to  Detroit  September  6,  1708. 

Legros,  Nicolas.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  He  was  an  elder  brother  of 
Jean  Legros,  and  married  Marie  Charlotte  Turpin. 

Le  Maire,  Charles,  dit  St.  Germain,  voyageur.  Came  October  17,  1707,  with  a 
canoe  of  merchandise  for  the  Recollect  fathers.  He  was  a  captain  of  militia  in  La- 
chine.     Born  1676,  died  1751. 

Le  May,  Michel.  Agreed,  April  25,  1704,  to  come  to  Detroit  as  a  brigadier  (fore- 
man of  a  boat's  crew). 

Le  Mire,  Jean,  de  Marsolet.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  His  mother'sname 
was  Louise  Marsolet. 

Le  Moyne,  Alexis,  sieur  de  Moniere.     Came  before  October  2,  1709. 

Le  Moine,  Jacques,  merchant.     Came  June  21,  1706. 

Le  Moine,  Rene,  merchant. 

Le  Moyne,  Marie,  wife  of  Francois  Bienvenue,  dit  Delisle,  married  in  1708.  He 
had  another  (first)  wife,  Genevieve  Laferiere.  Marie  Le  Moyne,  aged  about  seventy 
years,  was  buried  September  6,  1764. 

Le  Moyne,  Rene  (or  Rene  Alexander).  Came  October  12,  1706.  Born  in  1668,  he 
married  Marie  Renee  Le  Boulauger,  February  2,  1712. 

Le  Page,  Marie.  Born  in  Montreal,  1684,  she  married  June  12,  1706,  at  Montreal, 
Francois  Beauceron.  The  date  of  his  death  is  not  given,  but  it  was  before  1709,  for 
she  is  mentioned  at  that  time  as  a  widow.  She  is  the  only  woman  to  whom  any  land 
was  conveyed  by  Cadillac,  within  the  palisades.  Her  husband  was  living  at  this 
time  (1707),  but  she  was  probably  separated  from  him,  as  he  is  not  mentioned.  She 
must  have  subsequently  married  Joseph  Vaudry,  for  they  are  called  legal  husband 
and  wife  in  1720,  and  had  a  child,  Mary  Magdeleine.     It  is  with  the  name  of  Marie 

107 


Lepage  that  the  first  great  social  scandal  of  Detroit  is  connected.  The  pages  of  Ste. 
Anne's  record  with  glaring  plainness  the  false  step  of  this  unfortunate  woman.  It 
is  now  impossible  to  tell,  the  penance  that  she  performed  in  atonement  for  her  wrong- 
doing. The  church  record,  possibly',  operated  to  deter  others  from  following  in  her 
path.  Whether  the  man  lost  prestige  or  not  is  unknown,  but  we  do  know  that  he 
left  Detroit  about  the  time  this  affair  became  public,  and  returned  to  Montreal, 
where  he  was  appointed  the  trusted  agent  and  attorney  for  Cadillac,  and  retained 
that  position  as  long  as  Cadillac  remained  at  Detroit. 

Le  Page,  Marie  Therese,  daughter  of  Marie  Le  Page,  widow  of  the  late  Bausseron 
and  of  sieur  Grandmenil,  commis  du  Magazin.  Born  July  24,  1709.  This  is  the  first 
record  of  an  illegitimate  child.  It  is  not  profitable  to  trace  the  descent  of  this  un- 
fortunate. 

Lescuyer,  Anthoine,  came  May  28,  1708.     He  was  born  in  Montreal  May  28,  1688. 

Lescuyer,  Jean  and  Paul,   brothers.     Came  May  29.   1706.     They,  with  Jacques 

Minuille,  brought  ten  cattle  and  three  horses  from   Fort  Frontenac  to   Detroit,  for 

Cadillac.     They  were  sons  of  Pierre  Lescuyer,  born  in  Montreal  June  16,   1681,   and 

February  15,  1676,  respectively. 

Lescuyer,  Pierre.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  He  was  a  brother  of  the 
three  preceding  persons.     Born  in  Montreal  February  9,  1674. 

Lesieur,  Jean  Baptiste,  dit  Callot.     Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 
L'Esperance,  see  Compien. 

L'Espine,  Marie  Magdelaine,  wife  of  Joseph   Parent.     She  was  the  daughter  of 
Jacques  Marette,  dit  L'Espine. 
L'Esquier,  Pierre,  voyageur. 

Le  Tendre,   Adele  Genevieve,   probably  came  to  Detroit  with  Mme.    La  Mothe, 
Cadillac's  wife,  as  she  was  god-mother  to  his  daughter,  Marie  Therese,  in  1704. 
Leveille,  Laurent,  came  June  15,  1706.     He  was  a  Pani  Indian. 
Levroir,  called  Leferte,  Antoine.     The  name  should  be  Antoine  Theroux.     He 
was  born  in  1677  and  died  February  22,  1759. 

Levroir,  Pierre,  son  of  Antoine  Levroir,  above,  baptized  February  22,  1707.     He 
married  Rose  Poitevin  in  1733. 
L'Isle,  see  Bien venue. 

Livernois,  Francis.  Francois  Benoit,  dit  Livernois,  came  to  Detroit  April  2,  1707. 
He  married  Angelique  Chagnon  in  1710.  The  name  Livernois  is  quite  common  in 
Detroit  now. 

Loisel,  Barbe,  wife  of  Francois  Legautier,  Esq.,  sieur  de  Lavallee  Ranee,  lieuten- 
ant. Set  out  to  go  to  her  husband  at  Detroit,  September  6,  1708.  She  was 
married  three  times.  First  to  Pierre  Roussel,  then  to  Legautier,  and,  in  1713,  to 
Francois  Fafard,  dit  De  Lorme. 

Loranger,  Joseph,  dit  Rivard,  dit  La  Jauge,  see  Rivard. 
Loranger,  Nicholas,  dit  Rivard,  voyageur,  see  Rivard. 
Lubert  Jacques. 

Magdeleyne,  Jean  Baptiste,  dit  Ladouceur,  came  in  1706.  He  was  born  in  Mont- 
real in  1681  and  married  Elizabeth  Millet. 

Magnant,  Antoine,  dit  L'Esperance.  He  lived  within  the  palisades  and  owned  a 
lot  there,  but  he  is  described  in  Ste.  Anne's  records  as  a  citizen  of  Montreal  (1708),  a 
voyageur  at  present  at  Fort  Pontchartrain.  He  was  born  September  24,  1682,  at  La- 
prairie. 

108 


Magnan,  Gaspard,  dit  Champagne,  came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705.  He  mar- 
ried Magdeleine  Marsille,  February  9,  1699. 

Maionee,  Marguerite. 

Maisme,  Marie. 

Major,  see  Boutran. 

Malet,  Antoine,  son  of  Pierre  Malet.  Baptized  August  16,  1706.  He  married 
Therese  Mailhot,  August  11,  1730. 

Mallet,  Francois,  son  of  Pierre  Mallet,  born  July  38,  1708. 

Mallet,  Pierre,  farmer,  voyageur,  citizen  of  Detroit.  His  wife  was  Magdeleme 
Dufresne,  widow  of  Francois  Pelletier. 

Mallet,  Rene,  voyageur,  came  November  6,  1707.  Apparently  he  was  the  father 
of  Pierre  Mallet,  and  died  at  Montreal,  October  24,  1716. 

Marces,  Francois,  a  soldier. 

Marcil,  Andre,  came  May  17,  1710. 

Marendeau,  Marianne  (or  Maranda)  wife  of  Antoine  Dupuis,  dit  Beauregard. 
They  were  married  at  Montreal,  June  9,  1706,  and  she  returned  and  died  there  Janu- 
ary 8,  1730. 

Marquet,  Francois.  His  wife  was  Louise  Galerneau,  and  they  were  married  April 
26,  1706,  at  Quebec.  They  left  Detroit  some  time  before  Cadillac  did,  and  their  third 
child,  Pierre,  was  born  in  Montreal  in  1710. 

Marquet,  Joseph,  son  of  Francois  Marquet,  born  May  22,  1707. 

Marquet,  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Francois  Marquet,  born  March  20,  1709. 

De  Marsac  de  Cobtron,  Francois,  son  of  Jacob  de  Marsac.  Baptized  October  22, 
1706.  He  married  Therese  Cecile  Campau  in  1734,  and  one  of  their  daughters,  Marie 
Louise,  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Navarre  in  1762. 

De  Marsac  de  Cobtron,  Jacques,  son  of  Jacob  de  Marsac.  Born  November  7, 
1707;  died  December  24,  1745,  aged  about  forty  years.  The  priest  guessed  at  his 
age,  but  the  record  shows  that  he  was  thirty  eight  years  of  age. 

De  Marsac  de  Cobtron,  Jacob,  sieur  Desrochers,  sergeant  in  a  company  in  the  de- 
tachment of  marines.  '  His  wife  was  Therese  David.  He  was  buried  April  27,  1747, 
aged  eighty  years.  Their  son  Jacques  married  Marie  Anne  Chapoton,  daughter  of 
Jean  Chapoton,  surgeon,  January  25,  1745. 

Marsac,  Jerome. 

Marsille,  Andre. 

-  Martiac,  Jerome,  dit  Sansquartier  (or  Sanscartier),  son  of  Maurice  Martiac  and 
Jeanne  Damiot,  of  the  parish  of  Chaubouline,  bishopric  of  Brines  in  Limozin.  Died 
June  10,  1709.  He  was  a  soldier  of  Detroit.  His  wife  was  Marie  Anne  Gallien.  His 
name  is  sometimes  spelled  Marillac. 

Martiac,  Magdeleine,  daughter  of  Hierosmes  Martiac  (called  Sansquartier).  Bap- 
tized January  22,  1707. 

Martiac  (called  Sans  Ouartier).  Pierre  Jerome,  son  of  Jerome  Martiac,  dit  Sans 
Quartier.     Baptized  March  28,  1709. 

Martin,  Claude,  came  June  15,  1706. 

Masse,  Francois,  farmer.  His  wife  was  Marguerite  Couk,  called  Lafleur.  They 
were  married  in  1702.     She  had  been  the  widow  of  Jean  Fafard. 

Masse,  Jeanne,  became  the  wife  of  Michel  Campau  in  1696.  She  had  a  daughter 
Marie  Anne  Campau,  who  became  the  wife  of  Pierre  Belleperche. 

109 


Masse,  Michel.     He  lived  in  Montreal,  but  visited  Detroit. 

Maurisseau,  Jacques,  voyageur.     Came  June  15,  1706. 
Maurivan,  Jacques,  came  1706. 

Maurivan,  Louis,  came  1706. 

Melain,  Marie,  wife  of  Blaise  Fondurose,  a  soldier.  She  was  born  in  1689,  mar- 
ried June  9,  1706,  lived  in  Detroit  several  years,  but  returned  to  Montreal  and  died 
there  April  26,  1713. 

Merssan,  Jean,  dit  Lapierre.  Came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  He  is  men- 
tioned as  a  marguillier,  or  church  trustee,  probably  of  Quebec,  by  Tanguay.  He 
was  born  in  1685  and  died  April  16,  1718. 

Michel,  Jean,  agreed  to  go  to  Detroit  as  farmer,  October  12,  1703.  He  probably 
lived  at  St.  Francois  du  Lac. 

Mikitchia,  Joseph.  Slave  belonging  to  Michel  Bezaillin ;  Tete  Platte  (flat  head). 
Baptized  March  10,  1710,  sixteen  years  old. 

Milhet  (or  Millet),  Nicolas,  came  March  3,  1709.  January  4,  1712,  he  married 
Louise  Cardinal. 

Minville  (or  Miville),  Jacques.  Came  May  29,  1706.  He,  with  Paul  and  Jean 
Lescuyer,  brought  ten  cattle  and  three  horses  from  Fort  Frontenac  to  Detroit,  for 
Cadillac.     His  wife  was  Catherine  Lescuyer,  of  Montreal. 

Moitie,  Marie,  wife  of  Pierre  Chesne,  according  to  Tanguay,  married,  October  9, 
1700,  at  Montreal.  She  was  the  widow  of  Jean  Magnan,  and  died  December  31, 
1727. 

Monet,  Pierre,  see  La  Montague. 

Monjeau,  Gabriel,  voyageur.  Came  April  23,  1710.  He  was  born  in  1690  and 
died  April  27,  1718.      He  did  not  stop  long  in  Detroit. 

Monteil,  Rene,  dit  Sansremission.  Came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  He  did  not 
remain  long  in  Detroit.      He  died  at  St.  Ours,  March  4,  1724. 

Montfort, ,  soldier  of  the  company  of  Desgly;  found  dead  in  the  woods  at 

the  foot  of  a  tree,  buried  December  21.  1709.     I  cannot  find  the  first  name  of  this 
soldier. 

Morand  Pierre.  Came  as  a  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  He  died  at  Batiscan,  June 
11,  1729. 

Moreau,  Joseph.     Came  as  a  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.    His  home  was  at  Batiscan. 

Morin,  Moise,  dit  Chesnevert.  Came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705.  He  was  a  ser- 
geant in  the  company  of  Beaucour.  Born  in  Poitiers,  Poitou.  He  married  Mag- 
deleine  Monin,  November  26,  1707,  and  made  his  home  at  Quebec. 

Morisseau,  Louis,  came  June  15,  1706. 

Morisseau,  Pierre,  came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705. 

Normand,  Angelique,  daughter  of  Louis  Normand,  dit  Labriere.  Born  June  20, 
1707.  She  was  married  three  times;  to  Jean  De  Launay,  to  Jacques  Beda,  and  to 
Jacques  Hermier. 

Normand,  Louis,  dit  Labriere,  tool  maker.  Came  June  7,  1706,  to  work  at  his 
trade.  He  was  born  at  Quebec,  October  13,  1680.  Married  Anne  Bruneau,  May  29, 
1701.  and  died  July  15,  1729. 

Normand  (called  La  Briere),  Marie  Therese,  daughter  of  Louis  Normand,  dit 
La  Briere,  born  at  Detroit,  September  1,  1705. 

Ouabankikow,  Marguerite,  an  Indian  of  the  Miami  tribe,  the  wife  of  Pierre  Roy. 

110 


There  is  no  record  of  her  marriage,  though  the  priest  called  her  a  legal  wife.  She 
died  of  small-pox  October  31,  1732.  She  had  six  children,  baptized  in  the  church  at 
Detroit. 

Pachot,  Jean  Marie  Daniel.  He  was  born  July  30,  1694,  and  was  the  son  of  Fran- 
cois Vienay  Pachot  and  Charlotte  Francoise  Juchereau.  After  his  father's  death, 
his  mother  married  Francois  de  la  Forest,  a  heutenant  under  Cadillac,  and  after- 
wards commandant  at  Detroit. 

Paquet,  Jean.  He  was  born  in  1682,  and  February  20,  1708,  married  Marie  Char- 
land. 

Parent,  Joseph,  farmer,  master  toolmaker  and  brewer.  His  wife  was  Magdeleine 
Marette,  whom  he  married  at  Beauport,  January  31,  1690.  On  the  9th  of  March, 
1706,  he  agreed  with  Cadillac  to  go  to  Detroit  to  work  at  his  trade  for  three  years. 

Parent,  Marie,  daughter  of  Joseph  Parent  and  Magdeleine  Marette,  dit  Lespine, 
baptized  January  21,  1709. 

Parent,  Marie  Madelaine,  daughter  of  Joseph,  above,  born  at  Beauport,  December 
15,  1692,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  Detroit  between  the  j'ears  1706  and  1709. 

Parent,  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Joseph,  above,  born  at  Montreal,  July  7,  1698. 

Parisien  (see  Leger). 

Pastorelle,  Anne,  wife  of  Andre  Channet,  dit  Camiraud.  He  was  her  second 
husband.     Her  first  husband  was  Jean  Moriceau. 

Patenostre,  Jean,  of  St.  Lambert,  came  September  6,  1710. 

Pepin,  Jean,  came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Perrin,  Mathieu,  dit  Garaho  (or  Garaut),  came  October  2,  1709.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Iroquois  while  taking  goods  to  Fort  Frontenac  in  1688.  The  next 
year  Jeanne  Pilet  was  also  taken  prisoner  by  the  Iroquois.  They  met  as  prisoners, 
and  forming  an  attachment  for  each  other,  were  married  by  Fr.  Miller,  Jesuit,  who 
was  also  a  captive  of  the  Iroquois  at  that  time. 

Petit,  Marie,  wife  of  Pierre  Poirier,  dit  Lafleur.  Tanguay  gives  the  name  as  Marie 
Clemence  Maupetit. 

Philippes,  dit  Belhumeur,  Bernard,  sergeant  in  the  troops  of  the  department  of 
marines.  He  married  Anne  Gallien,  widow  of  Jerome  Marillac.  They  had  both 
lived  in  Detroit,  but  were  married  in  Montreal,  March  18,  1712. 

Picard,  Alexis,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  Brother  of  Francois,  mentioned 
below.     He  was  born  in  1681,  and  died  at  Montreal,  April  22,  1745. 

Picard,  Francois,  came  as  voyageur,  May  30,  1705.  His  wife  was  Anne  Farreau. 
He  died  at  Detroit,  October  7,  1728. 

Pichet,  Pierre.  He  was  born  in  1674,  married  Marie  Ann  Sylvester  at  Pointe  aux 
Trembles  in  1697  and  died  August  12,  1712,  at  Cape  Sante. 

Pineau,  Thomas,  dit  Bundemour,  sergeant  in  troops  of  the  marine.  He  was  sta- 
tioned in  Detroit  in  1709. 

Pinet,  Yves,  gunsmith,  came  to  Detroit,  March  9,  1706,  to  work  at  his  trade  for 
three  years. 

Plante,  Zacharie. 

Poirier  (called  La  Fleur),  Angelique,  daughter  of  Pierre  Poirier,  dit  Lafleur,  born 
March  10,  1709. 

Poirier,  Pierre  Rene,  dit  Lafleur,  farmer  and  soldier.  He  married  Marie  Clemence 
Maupetit,  June  12,  1707.     Her  name  is  given  in  Ste.  Anne's  records  as  Marie  Petit. 

Ill 


Pothier,  Toussaint,  dit  La  Verdure,  voyageur,  came  September  22,  1707.  He 
lived  in  Montreal,  was  born  in  1675  and  married  Marguerite  Thunay. 

Primo,  Jean,  dit  La ,  came  as  bargeman,  May  30,    1705.     The  record  from 

which  this  name  is  taken  has  been  partly  destroyed  by  time  and  a  portion  of  the 
name  obliterated. 

Protean,  Angelique,  wife  of  Etienne  Boutron,  dit  Major.  After  the  death  of  Bou- 
tron  she  married  Pierre  Germain  and  died  in  1754. 

Quarante,  Sols,  or  Quarant  Sous,  see  Cheanouvouzon. 

Quesnel,  Jacques  and  Jean,  brothers,  voyageurs,  came  May  18,  1710.  They  were 
sons  of  Oliver  Quesnel.  Jean  was  born  at  Montreal  and  Jacques  at  Lachine.  They 
lived  at  Lachine, 

Ouilenchive.  I  cannot  make  out  this  name.  I  think  it  to  be  an  Indian  name 
though  I  may  be  as  sadly  mistaken  as  I  was  with  the  name  of  Xaintonge. 

Rabillard,  Nicolas,  came  September  27,  1706. 

Reaume,  Charles,  voyageur,  came  September  28,  1710.  The  only  person  I  can 
find  bearing  this  name  was  a  son  of  Rene  Reaume,  born  April  17,  1688,  at  Charles- 
bourg. 

Renaud,  Charles,  esquire,  sieur  Dubuis.son,  lieutenant  of  a  company  and  command- 
ant at  Fort  Pontchartrain  at  Detroit,  in  the  absence  of  M.  de  Laforest.  When  Cad- 
illac left  Detroit,  Laforest  agreed  to  take  his  place  here  at  once,  but  was  taken  sick 
and  Dubui.sson  was  sent  here  temporarily  to  hold  it  until  Laforest's  recovery. 

Renaud,  Louis,  dit  Duval,  came  June  16,  1706.  Antoine  Renaud  married  Francoise 
Duval.  The  records  do  not  contain  the  name  of  Louis  as  one  of  their  children,  but 
because  he  was  called  Duval,  I  conclude  he  was  a  child  of  this  marriage. 

Rencontre,  or  Rancontre,  see  Jardis. 

Reneau,  Larent,  voyageur,  came  May  23,  1710.  He  married  Anne  Guyon  at  St. 
Augustin  in  1695,  and  after  1698  he  lived  at  Montreal. 

Rhodillon,  Louise,  wife  of  Jean  Baptiste  Gouriou.  This  name  should  be  Chau- 
dillon.     She  was  born  January  11,  1682,  at  Sorel,  and  married  Gouriou  June  22,  1701. 

Richard,  Claude,  came  April  2,  1707.  The  only  Claude  Richard  I  find  was  a  son  of 
Guillaume  Richard,  born  January  30,  1684.     I  find  no  record  of  his  marriage  or  death 

Richard,  Jean,  farmer  and  interpreter  for  the  king.  His  wife  was  Marie  Anne 
Ladecouverte  (or  Yon).  Being  dangerously  wounded  July  7,  1708,  he  states  that  he 
left  with  his  sister,  Mme.  Duplessis,  720  livres,  for  which  he  holds  her  note,  now  in 
the  hands  of  his  cousin,  Jacques  Langlois,  and  he  wishes  the  sum  paid  to  Pierre  Roy. 
He  did  not  die,  however,  until  several  years  later. 

Rivard,  Claude,  sieur  de  Lorange.  Agreed  with  the  Company  of  the  Colony  of 
Canada,  represented  by  Francois  Dumontier.  of  Montreal,  and  Etienne  Volland  de 
Radisson,  of  Detroit,  to  go  to  Detroit,  July  10,  1703,  as  an  interpreter. 

Rivard,  Francois,  dit  Montendre,  came  May  19,  1708. 

Rivard,  Robert,  came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705. 

Rivard,  Joseph,  dit  Montendre,  came  May  18,  1708. 

Rivard,  Maihurin,  came  May  18.  1708. 

Rivard,  Nicolas,  born  in  1686.  He  married  Marie  Joseph  Raux  in  1724,  and  died 
in  1729, 

Rivard,  Pierre,  dit  Lanouette,  voyageur,  came  September  6,  1710.  He  was  born 
in  1686  and  married  Marie  Anne  Caillia,  June  9,  1721. 

112 


MERRILL    L  MILLS. 


Rivard,  Robert,  came  May  18,  1708.  Robert,  Joseph,  Mathurin,  Claude  and 
Francois  were  sons  of  Robert  Rivard,  of  Batiscan. 

Robert,  Francois,  came  in  1706.  He  was  born  in  1678,  married  Marie  Lanctot  in 
1712  and  died  in  1756. 

Robert,  Joseph,  born  in  1674,  married  in  1701,  and  died  in  1748.  He  and  Francois 
and  Pierre  were. brothers.      He  came  to  Detroit  May  12,  1707. 

Robert,  Pierre,  dit  Lafontaine.  He  moved  to  Detroit  May  19,  1708,  with  his  wife 
and  children.  He  had  been  there  before,  having  come  June  15,  1706,  in  charge  of  a 
canoe  of  merchandise.  His  wife  was  Angelique  Ptolomee  (or  Tholme).  After  he 
died  his  widow  married  Guillaume  Bouche,  August  16,  1716.  At  the  marriage  of  his 
son  Antoine  in  1743,  this  Pierre  Robert  is  referred  to  as  "  the  late  Antoine  Robert." 
The  son  married  Marie  Louise  Becmond. 

Robert,  Prudent,  came  August  12,  1710  He  was  another  brother  of  Pierre  Rob- 
ert, all  being  sons  of  Louis  Robert.  His  wife,  whom  he  married  at  Detroit,  January 
7,  1711,  was  Magdeleine  Fafard,  dit  Delorme. 

Rose,  Nicolas,  soldier.  He  was  born  in  1674  and  died  in  1746.  His  wife  was 
Marie  Anne  Prudhomme. 

Roy,  Edmoud,  dit  Chatellereau.  Agreed  to  come  to  Detroit  July  28,  1704,  as 
brigadier  (foreman  of  a  boat's  crew).  He  was  to  receive  300  livres  for  the  trip. 
While  he  never  resided  in  Detroit,  his  son  Joseph  did,  and  was  married  here  in  1736 
to  Magdeleine  Perthuis. 

Roy,  Louis,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  He  was  born  in  1659  and  died  be- 
fore 1713. 

Roy,  Marguerite,  daughter  of  Pierre  Roy.     Baptized  April  27,  1704. 

Roy,  Marie  Louise,  daughter  of  Pierre  Roy.  She  was  baptized  May  19,  1708,  mar- 
ried Alexis  de  Ruisseau,  and  died  in  childbirth,  December  3,  1735,  aged  about 
thirty-one  years. 

Roy,  Marie  Magdeleine,  daughter  of  Pierre  Roy.  born  May  25,  1710.  She  married 
Pierre  Chesne,  dit  La  Butte,  and  died  October  20,  1732,  aged  twenty-two  years. 

Roy,  Pierre.  It  has  been  stated  that  this  was  the  first  man  at  Detroit  and  that  he 
lived  with  the  Indians  in  this  neighborhood  before  Cadillac  came.  His  wife  was 
Marguerite  Oiiabankikoue,  a  Miami  Indian. 

Roy,  Pierre,  son  of  Pierre  Roy.     Baptized  April  21,  1706. 

Roze,  Francois  and  Nicholas,  brothers.  Came  April  13,  1709.  They  were  sons  of 
Noel  Roze  and  born  at  Quebec.     The  name  should  be  Rose. 

Ruiet,  Jean,  came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705. 

Ruiet,  Rene,  came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705. 

St.  Aubin,  Jean,  corporal  in  the  garrison.  Came  to  Detroit  with  Pierre  Duroy, 
April  11,  1707.     See  Casse. 

St.  Marie,  Francois  Marie,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705. 

St.  Yves.  Joseph,  came  August  11,  1710  (engage).  He  was  born  in  1692  and  conse- 
quently only  eighteen  years  of  age.     The  family  name  was  St.  Ange,  dit  Hogue 

St.  Yves,  Pierre,  voyageur.  Came  April  18,  1710.  Elder  brother  of  the  preceding. 
He  was  born  in  1682. 

Solomon.  I  think  this  name  is  a  mistake,  though  it  occurs  in  one  of  Cadillac's 
conveyances.     I  think  he  intended  Salomon  Joseph  Du  Vestin. 


113 


Sanaria,  Charlotte,  wife  of  Jacques  Desmoulins,  dit  Philis.  She  was  born  in  1679 
and  died  May  5,  1744,  at  Detroit. 

Sansquartier,  see  Martiac. 

Sarrazin.  Joseph,  came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  Son  of  Nicholas  Sarrazin,  born 
Februarj'  24,  1681. 

Sarrazin,  Nicholas,  brother  of  above,  born  January  12,  1686. 

Sarrazin,  Pierre,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705.  Another  brother  of  above,  born 
February  26,  1684. 

Senecal,  Adrien,  came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705. 

Senecal,  Joseph,  came  September  10,  1710.  He  was  born  in  1674  and  died  Febru- 
ary 28,  1736.     His  wife  was  Louise  Bareau,  or  Barros. 

Serond  (called  L'Eveille),  Jean. 

Simon,  Gilbert,  or  Simon  Sanspeur,  dit  Gilbert,  sergeant  in  the  troops.  His  wife 
was  Marguerite  Le  Page.     She  died  July  20,  1730,  at  Detroit. 

Simon  (probably  Pierre),  came  May  18,  1708.  The  first  name  of  this  party  has 
been  destroyed  in  the  notarial  record,  but  his  residence  is  given  as  Pointeaux  Trem- 
bles, and  the  only  Simon  living  at  that  place  at  this  time  was  Pierre. 

Sirier,  Martin,  see  Cirier. 

Slave  (Panis),  Jacques.     A  little  slave  of  Pierre  Roy,  aged  seven  or  eight  years. 

Slave      The  first  mention  of  negroes  is  two  of  Louis  Campau's  in  1736. 

Slave  (Panisse),  Marie  Jeanne,  belonging  to  Jean  Richard,  voyageur,  aged  about 
fifteen  years. 

Slave  (Panis,  Indian),  belonging  to  M.  Moynier,  aged  twelve  to  fourteen  years, 
died  November  16.  1710. 

Slave  (Panis,  Indian),  Joseph,  called  Escabia.  Belonging  to  Joseph  Parent,  aged 
twenty-one  or  twenty-two  years.      He  died  January  21,  1710. 

Sontieureuse,  Blaise ;  lately  employed  as  a  soldier  in  the  company  of  De  la  Mothe 
(1707).     Tanguay  savs  his  name  should  have  been  Fondurose. 

Sontieureuse,  Marie,  daughter  of  Blaise  Sontieureuse.     Born  May  14,  1707. 

Stebre,  dit  La  Jeunesse,  Agathe,  daughter  of  Pierre  Stebre,  dit  La  Jeunesse, 
Born  February  14,  1710,  died  February  21,  1710. 

Stebre,  dit  La  Jeunesse,  ,  daughter  of  Joseph  Nicolas  Stebre.  Born  Janu- 
ary 12,  1711.  The  priest  has  omitted  to  give  the  first  name  of  the  infant.  On  Janu- 
ary 19,  1733,  they  buried  Angelique  Esteve,  wile  of  Pierre  Belleperche,  aged  about 
twentj^-one  years.  She  died  of  small-pox.  This  may  be  the  one  born  January  12, 
1711. 

Stebre,  called  La  Jeunesse,  Pierre,  late  a  soldier.  Died  July  16,  1736.  His  wife 
was  Marie  Magdeleine  Frappier.  She  died  December  22,  1759,  aged  eighty  years. 
He  was  at  Montreal  August  27,  1767.  He  had  a  daughter  Marguerite,  who  married 
Jean  Chapoton,  surgeon  of  the  fort,  July  16,  1720.  She  died  July  7,  1753,  aged  forty- 
five  years.  The  name  is  sometimes  given  us  as  Esteve,  and  Steve,  but  the  descend- 
ants are  now  usually  called  La  Jeunesse. 

Stebre,  dit  La  Jeunesse,  Pierre,  son  of  Pierre  Stebre.  Born  May  1,  1708.  Married 
(as  Steve)  Marie  Desforges,  widow  of  Francois  Picard,  October  24,  1729.  Died 
March  24,  1731. 

Surgere,  Blaise,  farmer.  I  find  frequent  mention  of  this  name,  but  cannot  identify 
its  possessor,  unless  it  is  the  same  as  Sontieureuse,  above. 

114 


Susart,  called  Delorme,  Francois  (probably  an  error  on  the  part  of  the  priest  in 
writing  the  name  of  Fafard),  dit  Delorme. 

Tabaux,  Jacques.      Came  as  bargeman,  May  30,  1705, 

Tabaux,  Jean,  jr.  Came  May  15,  1708.  He  married  Angelique  Brunet  in  1710 
and  died  at  Montreal  in  1728. 

Tacet,  Pierre. 

Tesee,  Francois. 

Tessier,  Paul.  He  was  a  resident  of  Montreal.  Came  to  Detroit  in  1708,  and  was 
here  again  in  1710,  when  he  witnessed  the  marriage  of  Martin  Cirier  and  Marie 
Anne  Bone. 

Tessier,  Antoine,  farmer. 

Tetreau,  Jean  Baptiste,  Joseph,  and  Laurent,  brothers.     Came  April  21,  1707. 

Tholme,  Angelique,  wife  of  Pierre  Robert.  This  name  is  given  as  Angelique  Da- 
lonne,  and  in  some  places  as  Ptolme,  by  Tanguay.  She  was  buried  in  1744,  aged 
about  sixty-five  years.     She  married  Guillaume  Bouche,  after  the  death  of  Robert. 

Tichenet,  Pierre. 

Tonty,  Alphonse,  captain  of  a  company,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  Buried  Novem- 
ber 10,  1727.  His  first  wife  was  Anne  Picote.  She  and  Cadillac's  wife  were  the 
first  women  in  Detroit.  She  died  in  1714,  and  in  1717  he  married  Marianne  Dela- 
marque,  a  widow  of  Jean  Baptiste  Nolan.  Tonty  was  an  Italian,  and  frequent 
references  are  made  to  the  Italian  schemer. 

Tousignan,  Michel,  dit  Le  Pointe.  Came  September  6,  1710.  He  was  the  son  of 
Pierre  Tousignan,  and  married  Marie  Catherine  Lemay. 

Trottier,  Alexis.  Came  May  18,  1708.  Son  of  Antoine  Trottier  and  brother  of 
Paul,  below.  He  married  Marie  Louise  Roy  at  Detroit,  January  6,  1735,  and  after 
her  death  married  Catherine  Godfroy. 

Trottier,  Gabriel,  dit  St.  Jean.     Came  as  bargeman.  May  30,  1705. 

Trottier,  Joseph,  dit  Desruisseaux.  Came  on  October  17,  1708.  He  was  a  brother 
of  Michel,  and  born  in  1668.     His  wife  was  Francoise  Cuillerier. 

Trottier,  Michel,  sieur  de  Beaubien.  Came  May  18,  1708.  He  was  born  in  1675 
and  married  Agnes  Godfroy  in  1700. 

Trottier,  Paul  (brother  of  Joseph).     Came  October  17,  1708. 

Truteau,  Jean  Baptiste,  married  Magdeleine  Parant  September  1,  1715,  and  died 
in  1754. 

Truteau,  Joseph,  carpenter,  brother  of  Jean  Baptiste.  They  came  together  April 
2,  1707.     Joseph  died  at  Montreal  in  1745. 

Tuffe,  called  du  Fresne,  Antoine.  The  only  person  I  can  find  bearing  this  name 
was  born  in  Montreal  August  21,  1677. 

Tune,  Magdeleine,  wife  of  Pierre  Malet.  This  name  should  be  Du  Fresne.  Sht  - 
was  born  in  1669  and  married  Francois  Pelletier.  After  his  death  she  married  Pierre 
Malet,  or  Maillet. 

Turpin,  Jean  Baptiste,  son  of  Alexander  Turpin  and  Charlotte  Beauvais,  of  Mon- 
treal. Married  Marguerite  Fafard,  daughter  of  the  late  Jean  Fafard  and  Margue- 
rite Conique,  of  this  parish  an'd  new  colony.  May  5,  1710. 

Turpin,  Jean  Baptiste,  voyageur.     Came  October  2,  1709. 

Turpin,  Jean  Baptiste,  son  of  Jean  Baptiste  T.urpin.      Born  December  14,  1710. 

Vaudry,  Etienne,  voyageur.  Came  August  3,  1707.  Born  at  Three  Rivers,  Oc- 
tober 27,  1685. 

115 


Vaudry,  Jacques.  Came  as  bargeman  May  30,  1705.  Born  in  1670,  and  died  in 
1743. 

Vaudry,  Joseph.  Came  August  19,  1710.  He  was  born  in  1687,  and  married  Mar- 
guerite Lepage,  widow  of  Simon  Gilbert.  Etienne,  Jacques,  and  Joseph  were  broth- 
ers and  sons  of  Jacques  Vaudry  and  Jeanne  Renault. 

Veron,  Etienne,  de  Grandmenil,  appointed  attorney  in  fact  for  Cadillac,  July  26, 
1709.  His  name  has  been  mentioned  above.  He  was  born  in  1649,  married  Marie 
Moral,  dit  Montendre,  and  died  at  Three  Rivers  May  18,  1721.  He  lived  several 
years  at  Detroit,  and  was  a  man  of  considerable  importance,  having  charge  of  the 
public  storehouse  and  acting  as  amanuensis  for  Cadillac. 

Vien,  Ignace,     Came  as  voyageur,  June  12,  1706.     Died  1751,  aged  eighty  years 

Villain,  Pierre,  soldier  in  company  of  De  La  Mothe. 

Volant,  Jean  Francois,  sieur  de  Fosseneuve.  Agreed  to  go  to  Detroit  to  serve  as 
a  hunter,  July  10,  1703.  He  was  born  in  1670,  and  married  Marguerite  Godfrey  June 
6,  1701. 

Xaintonge,  .     When  I  first  encountered   this  name  it  stood   alone  without 

any  connecting  names.  I  concluded  it  was  an  Indian  name  and  so  stated.  Further 
investigation  has  led  me  to  conclude  that  I  was  greatly  mistaken,  and  that  the  in- 
dividual was  named  Pierre  Gareau,  dit  St.  Onge,  and  that  the  name  St.  Onge  has 
been  gradually  changed  to  Saintonge  and  from  that  to  Xaintonge. 

Zerbain,  Pierre,  dit  St.  Pierre,  a  soldier. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


How  the  Confusion  Arose  Among  the  Names  of  the  Pioneers — Father  Christian 
Denissen's  Discoveries  Regarding  the  Changing  of  Family  Names. 

In  compiling  these  records  Mr.  Burton  was  somewhat  embarrassed 
by  the  confusion  which  existed  among  the  early  names,  and  said: 

"  I  confess  that  I  do  not  understand  how  the  old  French  names  were  made  up. 
It  seems  that  each  member  of  a  family  .  .  .  took  to  himself  such  a  name  as 
he  saw  fit — possibly  taking  the  name  of  some  tract  of  land — some  seigniory  that 
he  possessed  and  named.  Thus  we  have,  in  many  instances,  a  family  of  brothers 
each  bearing  a  different  name.  The  use  of  the  given  name  was  little  known.  .  .  . 
Even  as  late  as  1700  the  use  of  the  surname  was  not  fully  understood,  and  it  is  no 
unfrequent  circumstance  to  find  the  name  of  a  descendant  entirely  unlike  that  of  his 
ancestor." 

The  same  difficulty  has  been  experienced  by  all  students  of  French 
colonial  history  and  genealogy,  and  Mr.  Burton's  frank  statement  for- 
tunately elicited  the  following  explanation  from  Rev.  Christian  Denis- 
sen,  Pastor  of  St.  Charles's  church,  Detroit: 

116 


"The  early  colonists  of  Lower  Canada  obtained  from  the  French  government 
grants  of  extensive  tracts  of  land.  These  grants  were  executed  in  the  medieval 
phraseology  used  under  the  feudal  system  of  holding  real  estate.  The  settlers, 
assuming  a  resemblance  between  their  holdings  and  the  domains  of  the  French 
barons  and  '  seigneurs,'  called  their  large,  wild  farms  by  certain  titles,  and  affixed 
the  same  to  their  own  family  names,  in  imitation  of  the  European  nobility.  In 
some  cases  these  titles  were  confirmed  by  the  government.  The  owners  of  these 
estates  considered  themselves  seigneurs  of  this  new  country,  and  were  proud  of  the 
affixes  to  their  names.  In  business  transactions  these  additions  to  their  signatures 
were  used  with  all  their  flourishes.  At  baptisms  the  titles  had  to  be  entered  in 
the  parish  registers;  at  marriages  the  affix  to  the  old  family  name  sounded  high, 
both  for  bride  and  groom,  in  the  verbose  marriage  contract;  respectability  was  in- 
creased by  the  presence  of  many  witnesses  with  titled  names. 

"  In  this  manner  the  owners  of  large  estates  in  Lower  Canada,  at  a  certain  period 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  looked  upon  themselves  and  upon  each  other  as  a  quasi- 
nobility.  Their  children  naturally  assumed  these  titles,  and  often  thought  more  of 
the  affixes  than  of  their  own  family  names.  Feudalism  was  about  dead,  and  fast 
dying  in  Europe  in  those  days,  and  therefore  could  not  gain  foothold  in  America. 
In  the  eighteenth  century  we  do  not  find  new  titles  originating;  still  the  old  ones  re- 
mained. The  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren  of  these  pioneers  often  dis- 
carded the  old  family  names,  and  were  known  only  by  the  new  title.  Hence  the  new 
names  the  genealogists  has  to  contend  with. 

"As  an  illustration,  take  the  Trotier  family.  The  Trotiers  of  America  all  de- 
scended from  Julius  Trotier,  born  in  1590,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Martin,  in  the  town  of 
Ige,  in  the  province  of  Perch,  France.  He,  seemingly  a  common  citizen,  came  with 
the  family  to  Canada  about  the  year  1645.  His  children  married  in  Canada,  and,  in 
the  course  of  time,  had  large  families.  The)'  obtained  extensive  estates,  and  were 
very  lavish  in  originating  titles  for  the  'same.  In  a  few  years  we  find  Trotier  Sieur 
des  Ruisseaux,  Trotier  Seigneur  de  I'lsle  Perrot,  Trotier  Sieur  de  Beaubien,  Tro- 
tier Seigneur  de  la  Riviere  du  Loup,  Trotier  Seigneur  de  ITsle  aux  Herons,  Trotier 
Sieur  des  Aulniers,  Trotier  de  la  Bissoniere,  Trotier  dit  Desrivieres,  Trotier  de 
Bellecour,  Trotier  de  Valcour,  etc.  Many  of  these  Trotiers  gradually  dropped  the 
family  name  and  signed  only  the  assumed  name.  Hence  we  have  the  families  of 
Beaubien,  Desruisseaux,  Bellecour,  Labissonniere,  Desrivieres,  Devalcour,  etc.  All 
these  trace  to  a  common  ancestor,  Julius  Trotier. 

"Another  cause  of  the  change  of  French  names  was  the  custom,  so  prevalent  in 
former  times,  of  nicknam,ing  themselves  and  others.  This  was  done  sometimes  to 
discern  one  family  from  another  of  the  same  name;  as  one  of  the  Baron  families  was 
nicknamed  Lupien — Baron  dit  Lupien — to  distinguish  it  from  other  Baron  families, 
Lupien  being  the  christian  name  of  the  ancestor  of  that  family  in  this  country.  At 
other  occasions  the  nickname  originated  through  family  pride.  When  a  member  of 
a  family  became  distinguished,  that  branch  of  a  family  would  annex  the  christian 
name  of  the  hero,  or,  if  a  woman,  the  family  name  of  the  revered  heroine.  In  this 
manner  some  Cuilleriers  lost  their  own  name  through  the  marriage  of  John  Cuillerier 
with  Mary  Catherine  Trotier  de  Beaubien.  This  lady  was  distinguished  through 
her  family  title  of  Beaubien,  and  after  John  Cuillerier's  death,  by  becoming  the  wife 
of  Francis  Picote  de  Belestre,  the  last  French  commandant  of  Fort  Pontchartrain. 

117 


On  this  account  her  children  from  the  first  marriage  signed  themselves  Cuillerier  dit 
Beaubien,  and  in  later  generations  Cuillerier  was  dropped  and  nothing  left  but 
Beaubien.     These  are  the  Beaubiens  of  our  vicinity. 

"  Another  instance  of  the  same  kind  we  find  in  the  family  of  Leonard.  Leonard 
Simon,  born  at  Montreal,  September  3,  1656,  was  considered  by  his  descendants  to 
have  been  a  great  man,  consequently  the  family  name  became  became  Simon  dit 
Leonard;  in  time  the  old  name,  Simon,  was  dropped  and  Leonard  became  the  fam- 
ily name.     These  Leonards  we  find  in  Monroe  and  vicinity  in  great  abundance. 

"Again  families  glorifying  the  section  of  country  their  forefathers  came  from, 
added  to  their  names  the  province,  city  or  town  of  their  ancestor.  In  this  manner 
the  Sedilot  family,  who  came  from  the  city  of  Montreuil,  in  Picardy,  France,  became 
Sedilot  dit  Montreuil.  So  it  was  with  Casse,  who  emigrated  from  the  town  of  St. 
Aubin ;  they  became  Casse  dit  St.  Aubin,  and  now  are  only  St.  Aubin.  The  same 
we  find  in  Bourgeat,  who  came  from  the  province  of  Provence;  thej'  adopted  Bour- 
geat  dit  Provencal,  and  now  are  Provencal.  We  meet  with  the  same  case  in  the 
family  of  Lootman,  who  are  of  Holland  origin,  and  moved  from  the  Netherlands  to 
the  province  of  Berry,  France;  they  became  in  Canada  Lootman  dit  Barrios;  later 
on  in  Detroit  we  find  them  as  Barrois.  The  same  is  true  of  Toulouse,  Champagne, 
Gascon,  Langoumois,  and  many  others.  There  were  nicknames  that  originated  from 
the  birthplace,  like  Nicolas  Campau  dit  Niagara,  who  was  born  at  the  portage  of 
Niagara,  when  his  parents  were  traveling  from  Detroit  to  Montreal.  It  happened 
also  that  nicknames  were  given  by  Indians,  as  Labadie  dit  Badichon,  Peltier  dit 
Antaya.  Nicknames  have  also  been  given  frivolously,  and  would  stick  in  future 
generations,  as  in  the  family  of  Poissant,  sounding  like  Poisson  (fish);  by  adding 
Lasaline  (salt),  Poissant  dit  Lasaline  (salt  fish).  Another  way  of  nicknaming  was  by 
adopting  a  peculiar  christian  name  by  which  a  certain  person  was  known  in  the 
community.  So  we  find  in  the  family  of  Le  Tourneux  a  Jean  Baptiste  Tourneux, 
who  settled  in  Sandwich,  opposite  the  present  Michigan  Central  depot  of  Detroit, 
about  1786  He  was  known  by  every  one  as  Jeannette,  the  diminutive  of  Jean  ;  by 
incorrect  spelling  he  became  Janet  and  Janette,  hence  Le  Tourneux  dit  Janette. 
His  numerous  descendants  are  called  Janette.  From  him  we  have  Janette  street  in 
Windsor,  Ont.,  and  farther  west,  Janette's  Creek  and  Janette  railroad  station. 

"The  most  curious  way  of  changing  names  we  find  in  the  family  of  Ellair  or 
Elaire.  The  common  ancestor  is  Hilaire  Sureau,  who  came  from  France  and  mar- 
ried at  Quebec,  June  18,  1691.  His  son's  name  was  Peter  Sureau  dit  Blondin,  who 
married  at  Montreal  in  1723;  and  his  children  signed  themselves  Blondin  dit  Hilaire. 
Their  descendants  were  named  Hilaire,  and  in  Detroit  the  name  has  been  corrupted 
into  Ellair. 

"  Other  modes  might  be  mentioned.  It  is  singular  that  scarcely  a  name  has  been 
adopted  from  the  trade,  occupation  or  profession  that  a  person  followed.  These 
nicknames  are  attached  to  the  names  by  the  word  '  dit,'  which  might  be  rendered  in 
our  language  by  'called,'  'named,'  'namely,'  'to  wit,'  'known  as;'  but  'dit'  is  so 
idiomatically  French  that  it  can  hardly  be  translated  into  English.  The  suppression 
of  's'  in  some  names,  as  from  Chesne  to  Chene,  Estienne  to  Etienne  is  accounted 
for  by  the  evolution  of  the  French  language  from  the  old  form  to  the  modern  way 
of  spelling." 

118 


During  the  fifty-nine  years  of  French  rule  in  Detroit  the  Contunie  de 
Paris,  or  custom  of  Paris,  was  the  law  of  the  land.  At  first  the  local 
customs  of  France  were  in  many  cases  peculiar  to  each  province  of 
that  country,  but  after  the  lapse  of  time  they  were  gradually  assimi- 
lated and  were  embodied  in  the  general  law.  The  Coutnme  de  Paris 
was  the  common  law  of  New  France  and  of  all  the  French  colonists  in 
America.  It  was  continued  in  Louisiana,  and  in  the  States  formed  out 
of  it,  after  the  purchase  from  the  French  by  the  United  States,  unless 
expressly  abrogated  by  State  or  United  States  statutes,  ' 

The  coutnme  was  a  printed  book  and  contained  the  legal  forms  for 
conveying  real  estate  or  personal  property  by  deed  or  will,  for  mar- 
riage and  other  contracts,  and  for  other  instruments,  and  these  were 
drawn  up  by  notaries,  who  were  appointed  by  the  governor-general. 
In  each  of  the  settlements  of  New  France  there  was  a  Notaire-Royal, 
who  drew  up  all  legal  papers,  and  was  a  person  of  legal  and  social  con- 
sequence. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Cadillac  is  Made  Governor  of  Louisiana — His  Apparent  Promotion  is  a  Scheme  of 
His  Enemies — They  Confiscate  His  Property  and  He  Returns  to  France  Ruined  and 
Heartbroken— 1710-1720. 

In  1710  the  king  appointed  Cadillac  governor  of  Louisiana,  which  at 
that  time  comprised  all  the  territory  in  the  present  States  of  Louisiana, 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  Arkansas,  Kansas,  Missouri,  and  parts  of  Illi- 
nois, Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Iowa.  He  was  directed  not  to  go  to 
Quebec,  but  to  proceed  to  Mobile  overland.  La  Forest,  who  had  been 
with  L'a  Salle,  and  later  one  of  Cadillac's  subordinates,  was  appointed 
his  successor,  but  as  he  was  old  and  in  feeble  health,  he  could  not  come 
for  a  time.  Lieut.  Joseph  Guyon  Dubuisson  was  dispatched  to  Detroit, 
bearing  Cadillac's  commission  as  governor  of  Louisiana,  and  armed 
with  authority  which  made  him  temporary  commandant  until  La  For- 
est was  able  to  come.  Cadillac  remained  in  Detroit  for  nearly  a  year 
afterward,  during  which  time  he  attempted  to  secure  a  settlement  to 
compensate  him  for  his  investment.  He  had  an  estate  at  Detroit 
which  he  valued  at  125,000  livres,  and  which  he  was  anxious  to  realize 

119 


upon,  so  that  the  proceeds  might  be  applied  in  advancing  his  new  inter- 
ests in  Louisiana ;  but  there  was  no  one  in  the  settlement  able  to  buy, 
and  M.  de  La  Forest  had  neither  money  or  credit,  he  said.  There  was 
an  area  of  400  arpents  of  cleared  land,  several  houses  which  the  com- 
mandant had  built  to  rent,  a  brewery,  a  grist  mill,  a  warehouse,  an  ice 
house,  and  all  the  rents  and  seignorial  dues  appertaining  to  his  office. 
He  had  invested  nearly  all  his  capital  and  could  find  no  purchaser.  He 
appealed  to  the  the  government  to  take  the  material  off  his  hands,  but 
in  vain.  He  was  forbidden  to  sell  the  cattle  he  had  brought  from 
Montreal,  together  with  the  increase.  Even  his  horse  Colin  could  not 
be  sold.  The  regulations  prevented  him  from  disposing  of  a  large 
store  of  ammunition  and  arms  which  he  had  purchased.  It  was  kept 
in  the  name  of  the  king  on  the  pretext  that  the  succeeding  command- 
ant could  not  buy  them,  and  yet  the  post  could  not  be  maintained 
without  the  use  and  benefit  of  Cadillac's  private  property.  The  matter 
was  finally  settled  by  a  written  agreement  in  which  La  Forest  was  to 
allow  Cadillac  two  officers  to  have  charge  of  his  property  until  some 
ships  arrived  from  France  at  Quebec,  next  year,  at  which  time  he 
promised  to  make  a  purchase  of  the  property.  In  the  mean  time  Cad- 
illac was  to  enjoy  the  revenue  of  the  post  as  in  the  past,  and  was  to 
allow  La  Forest  two  hundred  crowns  a  year.  While  he  remained  in 
Detroit  he  collected  rents  for  his  buildings,  and  also  the  revenue  from 
the  flouring  mill.  In  the  spring  of  1711  he  quarreled  with  Dubuisson 
over  the  question  of  authority,  and  they  both  appealed  to  Vaudreuil 
with  the  result  that  three  commissioners,  Pierre  Roy,  Pierre  Chesne 
and  Father  Constantine  de  Niau,  were  appointed  to  take  an  inventory 
of  Cadillac's  property.  They  made  an  inventory,  and  Cadillac  left 
Pierre  Roy  in  charge.  Cadillac's  tenants  were  ordered  to  pay  their 
rents  thereafter  to  Dubuisson.  As  soon  as  Cadillac  departed  in  1711, 
Dubuisson  compelled  Pierre  Roy  to  surrender  all  of  Cadillac's  property, 
which  was  done.  A  large  quantity  of  powder,  ball  and  arms,  which 
had  been  purchased  by  Cadillac  and  stored  in  the  arsenal,  was  thus 
seized  by  Dubuisson  in  the  name  of  the  king,  and  he  sent  a  bill  there- 
for to  Intendant  Begon  and  received  payment,  which  showed  that  he 
was  nothing  but  a  thief. 

Father  De  Niau  wrote  Cadillac  about  the  seizure;  Cadillac  appealed 
to  Count  Pontchartrain ;  and  in  revenge  for  Cadillac's  complaint  Du- 
buisson had  the  western  half  of  the  stockade  torn  down.  The  material 
was  used  to  strengthen  the  eastern  half,  and  a  new  row  of  palisades 

120 


was  erected  so  as  to  inclose  but  one-half  of  the  buildings.  The  house 
in  which  Madame  Cadillac  and  her  children  still  lived,  the  houses  of 
Roy,  Parent,  De  Lorme,  Campau,  Mallette  and  Robert,  all  settlers  who 
had  been  Cadillac's  adherents,  the  house  of  the  priest,  the  church  and 
the  home  of  Dr.  Jaubblivois,  surgeon  of  the  post,  were  left  outside  ex- 
posed to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Indians. 

Soon  afterward  La  Forest  applied  for  all  the  perquisites  of  the  post 
in  a  letter  to  Governor  Vaudreuil.  Cadillac  protested,  but  La  Forest 
said  that  his  own  presence  was  necessary  at  Detroit  because  the  Indians 
were  killing  each  other  and  everything  was  in  an  uproar.  In  the  end, 
the  retiring  commandant  got  nothing  for  his  investments. 

Cadillac  left  Detroit  for  France  and  stayed  there  for  a  time,  but 
probably  proceeded  to  Acadia  before  going  to  Louisiana,  as  the  vessel 
that  brought  him  to  his  new  charge  contained  a  consignment  of 
twenty-five  young  women  from  Cape  Breton  in  Acadia.  He  arrived  at 
Dauphine  (formerly  called  Massacre)  Island  in  Louisiana,  on  May  13, 
1713,  in  a  French  frigate.  Bienville,  who  had  been  governor,  was 
relegated  to  second  place,  and  was  much  disquieted  thereby  and 
showed  his  jealousy  plainly.  Cadillac  soon  found  enemies;  they  sprung 
up  at  every  turn  and  nearly  all  the  French  officials  conspired  against 
him.  As  the  De  Caens,  the  Company  of  the  Colony,  Aubert,  and 
other  traders  of  the  North,  were  granted  special  privileges  by  the 
crown,  so  Antoine  Crozat  was  granted  all  the  profits  of  commerce 
in  Louisiana  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  The  country  was  remote 
from  the  fur  trade,  and  the  adventurers  who  sought  fortunes  in  the 
new  world  were  too  impatient  to  wait  for  the  development  of  agricul- 
ture. Crozat  expected  to  find  mines  which  would  enrich  him  with  gold 
or  silver.  His  grant  was  issued  in  1712,  just  a  year  after  Cadillac  be- 
came governor,  and  he  urged  the  new  chief  of  the  colony  to  search 
diligently  for  precious  metals,  promising  him  a  share  of  the  profits. 
He  also  ordered  Cadillac  to  establish  trading  posts  on  the  Wabash  and 
Illinois  Rivers.  Cadillac  felt  that  he  was  being  treated  as  an  agent  of 
Crozat  rather  than  as  the  governor  of  a  great  area  of  territory;  that  as 
he  was  on  the  ground,  and  with  a  general  knowledge  of  the  country, 
he  should  be  left  to  formulate  plans  for  the  development  of  the  coun- 
try, instead  of  being  ordered  about  by  a  man  who  knew  nothing  about 
its  natural  resources.      He  wrote  to  the  ministry  to  express  his  views: 

"  I  have  seen  Crozat's  instructions  to  his  agents.  I  thought  they  were  issued  from 
a  lunatic  asylum  and  there  appeared  to  me  to  be  no  more  sense  in   them  than  in  the 

121 


Apocalypse.  What !  is  it  to  be  expected  that,  for  any  commercial  or  profitable  pur- 
pose, boats  will  ever  be  able  to  run  up  the  Mississippi  into  the  Wabash,  the  Missouri 
or  the  Red  Rivers?  One  might  as  well  try  to  bite  a  slice  off  the  moon.  Not  only 
are  those  rivers  as  rapid  as  the  Rhine,  but  in  their  crooked  course  they  emulate  to 
perfection  a  snake's  undulations.  Hence,  for  instance,  on  every  turn  of  the  Missis- 
sippi it  would  be  necessary  to  wait  for  a  change  of  wind,  if  wind  could  be  had,  be- 
cause this  river  is  lined  up  with  thick  woods  so  that  very  little  wind  passes  along  its 
bed." 

Cadillac,  however,  obeyed  Crozat's  orders  in  regard  to  prospecting 
for  metal ;  and  sent  out  a  number  of  exploring  parties,  composed  most- 
ly of  Canadians.  No  gold  or  silver  was  discovered  but  lead  mines  were 
found  near  what  is  now  Dubuque.  Gayerre,  in  continuation  of  his  il- 
logical and  absurd  deprecation  of  Cadillac,  says  that  his  daughter  fell 
in  love  with  Bienville,  who,  however,  did  not  seem  conscious  of  his  good 
fortune  and  kept  himself  wrapped  in  respectful  blindness.  Cadillac  did 
not  think  Bienville  was  a  fit  mate  for  his  child,  but  realizing  the  in- 
evitable, invited  his  subordinate  to  an  interview  and  gave  him  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  situation.  Bienville,  however,  declared  he  would  never 
marry  and  the  interview  ended.  The  French  historian  says  that  Cad- 
illac was  transported  with  rage,  and  to  get  even  sent  Bienville  on  an 
expedition  against  the  Natchez  Indians,  who  had  murdered  four  Cana- 
dians in  Illinois.  The  force  allowed  him  was  thirty-four  all  told,  and  he 
had  to  face  800  warriors.  Bienville  remonstrated,  but  Cadillac  insisted, 
and  the  former  departed.  His  mission,  however,  was  successful;  he 
forced  the  Natchez  to  deliver  the  heads  of  the  three  murderers  and  re- 
turned home  in  triumph.  About  this  time  Cadillac  went  to  France, 
probably  to  consult  the  government  in  reference  to  the  affairs  in  the 
colony,  which  were  in  an  unsatisfactory  condition.  In  his  letters  he 
spoke  of  "  subaltern  officers  who  are  swayed  entirely  by  their  own  in- 
terests and  care  little  for  the  prosperity  of  the  colony.  .  .  There  are 
as  many  governors  here  as  there  are  officers.  .  ,  What  can  I  do 
with  a  force  of  forty  soldiers  .  .  badly  fed,  badly  paid,  badly  clothed 
and  without  discipline?"  It  was  a  repetition  of  his  experiences  at  De- 
troit. 

He  returned  to  Louisiana,  but  in  a  short  time  came  to  an  open  rup- 
ture with  Crozat,  the  great  French  merchant,  who  told  him  bluntly 
that  all  the  evils  he  complained  of  originated  from  his  own  bad  admin- 
istration. Then  came  a  letter  of  dismissal.  At  the  foot  of  the  letter 
the  new  minister  of  marine  had  written  these  words:  "The  Governor 
La  Mothe  Cadillac,  and  the  commissary  Duclos,  whose  disposition  and 

122 


humor  are  incompatible ;  and  whose  intellects  are  not  equal  to  the  func- 
tions with  which  his  majesty  has  entrusted  them,  are  dismissed  from 
office."  Cadillac  was  succeeded  by  D'Epinay,  who  came  to  Louisiana 
in  March,  1717,  with  three  French  frigates,  and  Cadillac  went  back  to 
France  in  one  of  them,  and  left  the  new  world  behind  him  forever. 
Crozat  did  not  prosper  under  the  new  regime  and  threw  up  his  monop- 
oly later  in  the  same  year. 

But  little  is  known  of  Cadillac's  life  after  he  returned  to  France,  but 
it  would  appear  that  his  enemies  were  not  content  to  let  him  alone.  A 
year  afterward  he'spent  the  winter  of  1718  in  theBastile;  the  cause  of 
his  imprisonment  is  not  known.  After  being  released  from  the  Bastile 
he  spent  much  time  in  efforts  to  recover  the  value  of  his  Detroit  prop- 
erty. He  wrote  the  following  letter  in  1722  or  1723,  to  "  His  most 
serene  highness,  the  Count  of  Toulouse,  admiral  of  France:" 

"La  Mothe  Cadillac  has  the  honor  to  represent  to  His  Most  Serene  Highness,  that 
the  answer  of  MM.  de  Vaudreuil  and  Begon  is  founded  only  on  the  report  that  M.  de 
Tonty  made  to  them ;  consequently  it  deserves  no  attention.  The  petitioner  has  the 
honor  to  ask  His  Serene  Highness  for  a  formal  grant  of  all  Detroit  as  a  Seigniory 
[carrying  with  it],  higher,  middle  and  lower  jurisdiction,  with  rights  of  hunting, 
fishing  and  trading,  and  on  the  terms  and  conditions  laid  down  in  the  contracts  he 
has  already  granted,  with  the  right  of  patronage  of  the  churches  of  said  seignior}-. 
M.  de  La  Mothe  very  humbly  begs  his  majesty  to  attach  to  said  seigniory  the  title  of 
marquis  or  count.  The  jietitioner's  warehouses  have  been  pulled  down,  and  also  the 
timber  of  the  church  and  other  houses  with  which  the  fort  has  been  repaired  and  re- 
doubts built;  his  cattle  have  been  kiUed  and  eaten;  the  rents  and  proceeds  of  his  lands 
and  his  mill  have  also  been  taken.  His  majesty  should  accord  a  favor  to  the  petitioner 
by  granting  him  a  pension  of  a  thousand  livres  from  the  funds  of  the  order  of  St. 
Louis,  and  a  pension  of  like  amount  to  his  family  on  the  navy  or  elsewhere  by  pref- 
erment, or  in  default  of  the  two,  an  abbey  or  a  benefice  for  M.  Joseph  La  Mothe, 
son  of  petitioner,  who  was  born  at  Detroit,  aged  twenty-one  years,  and  an  ecclesias- 
tic. The  petitioner  asks  this  as  a  recompense  for  his  losses  and  for  forty  years'  ser- 
vice he  has  given  the  king." 

At  this  time  Cadillac  was  negotiating  with  the  government  for  his 
appointment  to  the  governorship  of  Castel-Sarrasin,  if  it  had  not  al- 
ready been  bestowed  upon  him.  His  appointment  came  in  December, 
1722,  and  cost  him  16,500  livres.  He  was  authorized  to  collect  rents 
and  fees  of  the  inhabitants,  and  of  this  amount  he-  was  to  pay  300 
livres  annually  to  the  royal  treasurer.  In  1721  the  king,  in  order  to 
reward  certain  of  his  subjects,  deprived  certain  cities  of  the  right  to 
elect  their  municipal  executives,  and  made  the  offices  appointive  by  the 
crown.     Three  years  later  the  rights  were  restored  to  the  people,  and 

123 


it  is  possible  that  Cadillac  was  deposed  when  the  election  took  place. 
He  died  on  October  15,  1730,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  old 
Carmelite  church  of  Castel-Sarassin.  His  wife  died  in  1746.  They 
had  thirteen  children,  of  whom  Magdalene  was  born  at  Port  Royal  or 
Mt.  Desert,  and  another  daughter  whose  name  is  not  known.  Those 
born  at  Quebec  were  Antoine,  who  came  to  Detroit  with  his  father; 
James  who  came  to  Detroit  with  his  mother;  Peter,  Dennis  and  Mary 
Ann,  who  died  young.  Those  born  in  Detroit  were  a  child  whose  bap- 
tismal record  was  probably  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  1703;  Mary 
Theresa,  who  afterward  married  De  Gregoire  in  France;  John  Anthony, 
died  young;  Mary  Agatha,  Francis,  Louis,  Joseph  and  another  daugh- 
ter. His  children  tried  to  get  possession  of  his  Detroit  property,  but 
their  efforts  were  fruitless.  In  after  years  his  granddaughter,  wife  of 
Bartholomey  De  Gregoire,  petitioned  the  State  of  Massachusetts  for 
the  lands  of  two  townships  of  extent,  on  the  coast,  with  the  islands  in 
front,  granted  to  Cadillac  by  the  French  crown.  Their  petition  was 
successful,  and  in  1787  they  became  the  owners  of  the  lands,  which 
comprised  184,272  acres.  The  Gregoires  lived  on  the  island  of  Mt. 
Desert  for  several  years,  but  sold  the  property  in  1792;  they  died  on 
that  island  and  were  buried  there.  The  lands  are  now  in  the  State  of 
Maine,  which  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in  1820. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Pierre  Francois  de  Charlevoix  Visits  Detroit  in  1721 — Detroit  is  Declared  a  Most 
Desirable  and  Important  Post — Founding  of  the  Huron  Mission  at  Sandwich  in  1728. 

The  first  distinguished  visitor  of  the  new  colony  of  Detroit  was  Pierre 
Francois  de  Charlevoix,  a  Jesuit,  and  a  learned  man,  who  came  from 
France  to  Quebec  in  1705,  and  for  four  years  was  a  teacher  in  the  col- 
lege of  the  order  at  that  place.  He  then  returned  to  France,  but  came 
to  Canada  again  in  1720  to  write  a  history  of  that  province.  He  made 
a  tour  of  the  lake  country  and  arrived  at  Detroit  in  1721.  At  Detroit 
he  wrote  letters,  one  of  which  recommended  that  the  infant  colony 
should  be  strengthened  by  emigrants  from  Montreal.  He  attended  a 
council  of  the  principal  nations  who  had  then  villages  near  Detroit, 

124 


JAVES    MCMILLAN. 


where  the  liquor  question  and  the  practice  of  selling  French  brandy  to 
the  Indians  was  discussed.      In  alluding  to  Detroit  he  wrote: 

"It  is  pretended  that  this  is  the  finest  part  of  all  Canada,  and  really  if  we  can 
judge  by  appearances,  nature  seems  to  have  denied  it  nothing  which  can  contribute 
to  make  a  country  delightful;  hills,  meadows,  fields,  lofty  forests,  rivulets,  fountains, 
rivers,  and  all  of  them  so  excellent  of  their  kind  and  so  happily  blended  as  to  equal 
the  most  romantic  wishes.  The  lands,  however,  are  not  equally  proper  for  every 
kind  of  grain,  but  most  are  of  a  wonderful  fertility,  and  I  have  known  some  to  pro- 
duce good  wheat  for  eighteen  years  running  without  any  manure,  and  besides  all  of 
them  are  proper  for  some  particular  use.  The  Islands  seem  placed  on  purpose  for 
the  pleasure  of  the  prospect,  the  river  and  lake  abound  in  fish,  the  air  is  pure  and 
the  climate  temperate  and  extremely  wholesome-" 

The  following  is  his  description  of  the  council  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
three  Indian  villages  near  Detroit: 

"  On  the  7th  of  June,  which  was  the  day  of  my  arrival  at  the  fort  [Detroit],  Mons. 
de  Tonty,  who  commands  here,  assembled  the  chiefs  of  the  three  villages  I  have 
just  mentioned,  in  order  to  communicate  to  them  the  orders  he  had  received  from 
the  Marquis  Vaudreuil  (the  governor-general).  They  heard  him  calmJy  and  without 
interruption.  When  he  had  done  speaking  the  orator  of  the  Hurons  told  him  in  a 
few  words  that  they  were  going  to  consult  about  what  he  had  proposed  to  them, 
and  would  give  their  answer  in  a  short  time.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  Indians  not  to 
give  an  immediate  answer  on  an  affair  of  any  importance.  Two  days  afterward 
they  assembled  at  the  commandant's,  who  was  desirous  I  should  be  present  at  the 
council,  together  with  the  officers  of  the  garrison.  Sasteratsi,  whom  the  French  call 
king  of  the  Hurons,  and  who  is  in  fact  hereditary  chief  of  the  Tinnontatez,  who  are 
the  true  Hurons,  was  also  present  on  this  occasion,  but  as  he  is  still  a  minor,  he 
came  only  for  form's  sake;  his  uncle,  who  governs  in  his  name,  and  who  is  called 
regent,  spoke  in  quality  of  orator  of  the  nation.  Now,  the  honor  of  speaking  in  the 
name  of  the  whole  is  generally  given  to  some  Huron,  when  any  of  them  happen  to 
be  of  the  council.  Imagine  to  yourself,  Madame,  half  a  score  of  savages,  almost 
stark  naked,  with  their  hair  disposed  in  as  many  different  manners  as  there  are  per- 
sons in  the  assembly,  and  all  of  them  equally  ridiculous ;  some  with  laced  hats,  all 
with  pipes  in  their  mouths,  and  with  the  most  unthinking  faces.  It  is  besides  a  rare 
thing  to  hear  one  utter  as  much  as  a  single  word  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  or  to  hear 
any  answer  made  evenjn  monosyllable;  not  the  least  mark  of  distinction,  nor  any 
respect  paid  to  any  person  whatsoever.  We  should,  however,  be  apt  to  change  our 
opinions  of  them  on  hearing  the  result  of  their  deliberations." 

The  above  gives  a  fair  picture  of  an  Indian  council  under  French  rule 
in  those  parts.  The  aborigines,  being  the  original  owners  of  the  lands 
and  the  source  of  all  the  trade,  were  necessarily  consulted  on  every 
measure  affecting  the  polity  of  the  settlement,  so  that  they  could  co- 
operate with  the  French  in  carrying  it  into  effect. 

135 


THE   HURON   MISSION  OF  DETROIT. 

Father  Charlevoix  was  naturally  solicitous  for  the  interests  of  his  or- 
der, as  well  as  deeply  interested  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Huron 
Indians,  and  accordingly  wrote  to  Quebec  soliciting-  the  father  superior 
to  send  a  missionary  to  the  Hurons  at  this  point.  The  Hurons  were 
the  first  Indian  nation  that  were  converted  to  Christianity.  After  a 
series  of  bloody  wars  with  the  Iroquois  they  had  been  practically  wiped 
out  as  a  confederacy  in  1649.  Some  of  the  tribes  were  forced  to  join 
the  nations  of  the  Iroquois  and  the  rest  were  scattered.  Those  who 
settled  in  Detroit  prospered  under  French  rule,  and  a  report  made  to 
the  French  government  in  1718,  showed  that  their  fort  and  village 
was  near  Fort  Pontchartrain ;  it  was  situated  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Savoyard  River,  which  flowed  into  the  Detroit,  at  the  foot  of  Fourth 
street,  where  the  Michigan  Central  depot  grounds  are  now  situated.  The 
report  stated  that  they  were  very  industrious  and  raised  a  large  amount 
of  corn,  peas,  beans  and  wheat.  "  Their  fields  are  free  from  weeds  and 
their  bark  cabins  are  strong  and  comfortable,  divided  into  rooms  and 
very  clean.  Their  fort  is  strongly  inclosed  with  pickets  and  redoubled 
bastions  and  strong  gates.  The  magazine  in  their  fort  contains  at  all 
times  a  large  supply  of  grain;  their  tribal  organization  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  Iroquois ;  they  are  expert  hunters  and  steadfast  friends  of  the 
French.  They  are  talented  and  most  industrious  of  all  the  Indian  na- 
tions in  this  vicinity ;  they  were  well  clad  and  some  wore  overcoats  in 
winter.  The  men  hunt  summer  and  winter  and  the  women  are  always 
at  work." 

The  same  report  describes  the  Ottawas  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
strait,  their  fortification  being  in  the  limits  of  the  present  town  of  Walker- 
ville,  Ont. ,  opposite  the  eastern  part  of  Detroit.  ' '  Their  fort  is  a  strong 
one;  their  cabins  similar  to  those  of  the  Hurons;  their  people  indus- 
trious and  well  clad,  and  the  finest  formed  and  most  athletic  appearing 
of  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity." 

In  1728,  seven  years  after  Father  Charlevoix's  recommendation,  the 
father  superior  of  the  Jesuits  at  Quebec  sent  Father  Armand  de  la 
Richardie  to  Detroit.  Since  the  founding  of  the  settlement,  the  Recol- 
lects, of  the  Franciscan  order,  had  the  spiritual  care  of  the  garrison  and 
the  colonists  on  both  sides  of  the  Detroit  River,  and  to  avoid  a  conflict 
of  jurisdiction,  Father  Richardie  obtained  authority  to  found  a  mission 
on   the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,   just  above  the  present   town  of 

126 


Sandwich,  Ont.  The  shores  on  both  sides  of  the  river  at  that  time 
were  generally  bordered  by  bluffs  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  height, 
but  at  this  point  they  formed  a  beautiful  semi- circular  bay,  and  sloped 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  The  mission  was  dedicated  to  the  Assump- 
tion and  the  present  Church  and  College  of  the  Assumption  stand  on  a 
part  of  the  extensive  grounds.  The  mission  house,  used  at  first  as  the 
priest's  residence  and  presbytery,  was  built  of  hewn  or  sawed  pine 
timber,  30  by  45  feet,  and  two  stories  and  a  half  in  height,  with  dormer 
windows  in  the  attic.  The  largest  portion  of  this  structure  is  still 
standing  and  is  the  oldest  building  in  these  parts.  The  church,  built 
in  the  same  manner,  was  45  by  90  feet.  Besides  the  church  and 
priest's  residence,  there  was  also  a  large  storehouse  for  furs,  an- 
other for  goods  and  provisions,  and  a  forge  or  blacksmith  shop,  with 
suitable  outbuildings.  This  religious  and  mercantile  establishment  was 
erected  primarily  and  directly  for  the  use  of  the  Hurons  living  in  De- 
troit, and  they  could  there  barter  their  furs  without  fear  of  being 
cheated,  and  it  was  also  a  place  where  the  trade  in  French  brand)^  or 
eau  de  vie  could  be  controlled  and  its  evils  lessened.  But  other  Indians 
could  also  trade  there,  and  so  also  could,  and  did,  many  of  the  citizens 
and  soldiers  of  Detroit.  In  1738,  however,  the  Hurons  became  em- 
broiled with  the  Ottawas,  and  afterward  removed  to  Sandusky,  and 
about  1742  again  removed  to  Bois  Blanc  Island  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  eighteen  miles  below  Detroit.  Here  Father  Richardie  sent 
Father  Peter  Potier  to  be  their  spiritual  guide,  and  the  land  was  culti- 
vated. 

In  1747,  as  will  be  related  further  on,  the  Hurons,  invited  by  the 
Iroquois,  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  against  the  French  in  the  fort,  but 
the  plot  was  discovered  and  no  blood  was  spilled.  The  sub-mission  at 
Bois  Blanc  Island  was  broken  up  and  Father  Potier  returned  to  Sand- 
wich, and  the  Hurons  followed  him  and  settled  around  the  mission 
house. 

Father  Potier  was  born  in  France  in  1709,  entered  the  Society  of 
Jesus  and  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1742.  In  1743  he  came  to 
Quebec  and  was  soon  after  sent  to  Detroit  to  assist  father  Richardie, 
who  placed  him  in  charge  of  the  farm  and  mission  at  Bois  Blanc 
Island.  Here,  in  addition  to  his  pastoral  duties,  he  commenced 
to  study  the  Huron  language  and  was  the  author  of  three  grammars  of 
that  tongue  before  he  died.  The  Huron  language  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  Mohawks,  both  being  of  Iroquois  stock.     In  1755  Father  Richardie 

127 


gave  up  the  charge  of  the  mission  and  went  to  Quebec  and  was 
succeeded  by  Father  Potier.  The  latter  continued  the  good  work  of 
converting  the  Indians  and  ministering  to  their  physical  and  spiritual 
needs  until  1781.  He  became  very  feeble,  being  over  seventy  two 
years  of  age.  On  July  16,  of  that  year,  while  in  his  study  he  was  at- 
tacked by  vertigo,  and  falling  backward,  his  head  struck  one  of  the 
andirons  of  the  hearth,  causing  a  fracture  of  the  skull  which  proved 
fatal.  His  obsequies  were  performed  two  days  afterward  by  Vicar- 
General  Hubert  of  St.  Anne's,  Detroit,  and  his  body  was  buried 
beneath  the  altar  of  the  old  church. 

When  the  present  Church  of  the  Assumption  was  dedicated  in  1851, 
the  remains  were  reinterred  beneath  the  altar  of  that  church.  There 
were  two  other  priests  who  were  also  disinterred  and  reburied  at  the 
same  time,  but  Father  Potier's  remains  were  easily  identified  by  his  tall 
stature  and  the  hole  in  his  skull. 

THE    OLD    JESUIT    REGIME. 

During  the  long  spiritual  rule  of  the  Jesuits  in  America,  their  cour- 
age and  zeal  in  the  interest  of  religion  and  morality  excited  numerous 
and  bitter  enmities.  In  the  old  world  the  same  qualities  and  conduct 
led  them  to  attack  profligacy  in  high  places,  and  for  this  and  other 
causes  they  were  successively  expelled  from  almost  every  country  in 
Europe.  In  1773,  thirteen  years  after  New  France  had  become  a 
British  colony.  Pope  Clement  XIV,  at  the  dictation  of  three  leading 
European  nations,  issued  a  papal  edict,  suppressing  the  Society  of 
Jesus  throughout  the  world.  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  governor  of  Canada, 
heard  of  the  order,  and  in  1774,  when  it  came  to  Bishop  Brand  at 
Quebec,  he  forbade  the  latter  to  promulgate  it.  Carleton,  afterward 
Lord  Dorchester,  was  a  Protestant,  and  as  such  had  no  sympathy  with 
the  order,  but  he  was  a  statesman.  He  knew  that  the  Jesuits  were  the 
only  persons  in  Canada  who  could  control  the  Indians  and  that  Great 
Britain  would  sustain  great  losses  if  the  order  were  disintegrated. 
Thus  commanded,  Bishop  Brand  obeyed,  and  thereby  braved  the  ter- 
rible penalty  of  excommunication.  He  explained  his  course  to  Rome, 
but  before  action  was  taken  Pope  Clement  died  in  1774,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Pius  VI,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  Jesuits.  The  edict 
was  obeyed  in  all  parts  of  the  world  except  Canada  and  White  Russia, 
and  the  missions  and  other  establishments  in  these  countries  were  held 
intact  by  the  order.     But  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  who  had  been  appoint- 

128 


ed  governor  general  of  the  British  possessions  in  America  in  1760,  and 
was  governor  of  Virginia  in  1763,  coveted  the  rich  lands  of  the  Jesuits 
in  Canada,  and  petitioned  parliament  for  them  as  a  recompense  for  his 
services.  The  question  was  referred  to  the  judiciary  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  who  were  quite  willing  to  accommodate  a  distinguished  soldier, 
but  the  fact  that  the  lands  had  been  granted  to  the  Jesuits  for 
educational  purposes,  forbade  them  to  make  a  report  favoring  Gen- 
eral Amherst's  interests.  They  did  report,  in  effect,  that  any  lands 
granted  to  the  Jesuits,  and  not  used  for  educational  purposes,  might 
be  escheated  to  the  crown.  Amherst  paid  the  expenses  of  two  com- 
mittees of  investigation,  and  after  his  death,  in  1797,  the  matter 
was  pressed  by  his  son,  but  their  efforts  were  fruitless.  Finally  it 
was  ordered  that  the  Jesuits  in  Canada  should  not  increase  their  num- 
ber, and  that  after  the  death  of  all  the  existing  members  of  the  order 
the  property  should  revert  to  the  crown.  At  the  time  there  were  thir- 
teen Jesuits  in  the  whole  of  Canada,  whose  names,  locations  and  ages 
were  as  follows: 

Augustine  de  Glapion,  superior,  Quebec,  fifty-five  years. 

Peter  Du  Jaunay,  chaplain  of  the  Ursuline  Convent,  Quebec,  seventy 
years. 

John  Joseph  Casot,  Quebec,  forty-six  years. 

Alexis  Morquette,  Quebec,  sixty-four  years. 

Peter  Rene  Floquet,  Montreal,  fifty-eight  years. 

Bernard  Wall,  Montreal,  fifty  years. 

Stephen  Girault  de  Villeneuve,  with  the  Hurons  at  Loretto,  near 
Quebec,  fifty  years. 

Peter  Potier,  Huron  mission  of  Detroit,  sixty-six  years. 

Antoine  Gordan,  Iroquois  mission  at  St.  Regis,  forty-nine  years. 

Jean  Baptiste  de  la  Prosse,  missionary  with  Abinaquis  at  Tadousac, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  fifty  years. 

Joseph  Huguet,  missionary  with  the  Iroquois  at  Laprairie,  forty-nine 
years. 

Louis  M.  La  Franc,  missionary  with  the  Ottawas,  fifty-eight  years. 

Sebastian  L.  Meaurin,  Kaskaskia,  111.,  sixty-seven  years. 

The  commandants  of  the  various  places  in  which  the  Jesuits  were 
stationed  were  specially  instructed  in  regard  to  filing  reports  of  the 
dates  of  their  deaths,  and  Col.  Arent  Schuyler  De  Peyster,  command- 
ant of  Detroit  from  1779  to  1784,  was  notified  to  seize  Father  Potier's 
papers  immediately  after  his  demise  and  forward  them  to  the  governor- 

129 


general.  De  Peyster  did  so,  but  the  old  priest  had  removed  them,  and 
the  notes  in  his  diary  for  1761-63  were  gone.  The  reason  for  the  latter 
will  be  related  further  on  in  the  chapter  which  treats  of  Gladwin's  de- 
fense of  Detroit  against  Pontiac.  Father  Potier  had  also  taken  good 
care  that  the  British  should  not  profit  at  the  expense  of  the  order.  He 
had  sold  all  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Jesuit  mission  at  Sandwich  and 
Detroit,  the  deeds  having  been  signed  by  the  superior  of  the  order  at 
Quebec,  and  when  he  died  there  remained  only  the  church,  the  priest's 
residence  and  the  graveyard,  neither  of  which  could  be  confiscated. 
The  other  lands  of  the  order  in  Canada,  however,  were  all  seized  and 
the  revenues  applied  to  educational  purposes,  a  majority  of  which  were 
non- Catholic.  About  ten  years  ago,  a  movement  asking  for  a  restora- 
tion of  these  lands  to  the  order  was  commenced,  and  after  several  years 
discussion  in  parliament  it  was  decided  that  $400,000  should  be  con- 
sidered as  an  equivalent  of  the  $4,000,000  worth  of  property  taken  from 
the  Jesuits.  It  was  left  to  the  Pope  and  his  counselors  to  determine 
how  it  should  be  bestowed,  and  they  decided  that  the  Catholic  arch- 
bishop of  the  Province  of  Quebec  should  have  the  largest  half,  and  the 
Jesuit  order  of  that  province  the  smallest  half.  For  legal  reasons  some 
$63,000  were  also  given  for  educational  purposes  to  the  Protestant  de- 
nomination in  Lower  Canada.  When  all  this  was  done,  the  matter 
was  disposed  of  for  all  time. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Detroit  is  Besieged  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Indians  from  Green  Bay — The  Church 
of  St.  Anne's  Burned — Hard  Fought  Battle  at  Windmill  Point  in  Which  the  Hostile 
Indians  are  Defeated — 1712. 

Even  with  Cadillac  out  of  the  way  there  was  still  a  demand  for  an 
able  commandant  at  Detroit.  Dubuisson  found  himself  confronted 
with  an  Indian  war  in  1712,  soon  after  Cadillac  had  gone  to  France  to 
prepare  for  his  new  office.  On  the  peninsula  which  incloses  Green  Bay, 
and  in  the  adjoining  territory,  dwelt  a  tribe  of  Indians  known  as  the 
Foxes;  they  were  Ishmaelites  among  the  western  tribes  and  had  a  sort 
of  alliance  with  the  Iroquois  of  the  east.  An  army  of  this  tribe  came 
down  to  erase  Detroit  from  the  map  in  the  spring  of  1712.     Dubuisson, 

130 


who  had  a  singular  gift  for  romancing,  describes  them  as  an  innumer- 
able throng  who  came  with  streaming  banners  and  accompanied  by 
many  allies,  each  bearing  the  ensign  of  the  tribe.  This  was  an  unusual 
practice  and  was  probably  a  fanciful  description.  At  the  time  of  their 
arrival  the  friendly  Hurons  and  Ottawas  were  on  a  hunting  trip,  but 
runners  were  sent  out  to  notify  them,  and  they  returned  and  rallied  to 
the  defense  of  the  post  and  were  admitted  through  the  gates  of  the  fort. 
The  Foxes  were  associated  with  the  Outagamies  and  Mascoutins  when 
they  commenced  the  siege.  The  church  of  St.  Anne  was  close  to  the 
stockade,  and  for  fear  that  it  might  be  set  on  fire  by  the  blazing  arrows 
and  endanger  the  other  buildings,  the  rattled  commandant  pro  tern. 
burned  it  himself.  The  hostiles  built  a  long  breastwork  within  two 
hundred  feet  of  the  fort,  and  fired  hundreds  of  blazing  arrows  of  pitch 
pine  into  the  roofs  of  the  buildings,  many  of  which  were  thatched  with 
grass,  and  the  place  was  in  danger  of  destruction.  But  the  peltries  in 
the  warehouse  were  brought  out,  and  the  roofs  were  covered  with 
wetted  skins  so  that  the  danger  from  fire  was  greatly  reduced.  After 
making  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  capture  the  fort,  and  failing  also  to 
fire  it,  the  hostiles  withdrew  to  the  banks  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  the 
commandant  forthwith  dispatched  M.  de  Vincennes  with  a  company  of 
Frenchmen  and  an  army  of  Indians  to  drive  them  away.  The  attack- 
ing party  found  the  enemy  entrenched  behind  fallen  trees  near  the 
present  Windmill  Point.  Instead  of  charging  this  breastwork  and  sac- 
rificing many  lives  in  the  assault,  the  French  and  their  allies  erected 
high  stagings  along  the  front  of  the  works,  and  taking  positions  on 
these,  they  compelled  the  Foxes  to  keep  under  cover.  The  latter  were 
not  permitted  to  resort  to  the  lake  shore  for  water  and  were  finally  com- 
pelled by  the  torments  of  thirst  to  break  cover  and  fly.  Dubuisson  in 
his  official  report  said  that  1,000  of  the  invaders  were  killed,  while  his 
loss  was  trivial,  but  his  figures  should  be  taken  with  due  allowance  for 
an  imaginative  temperament.  It  is  certain  that  the  survivors  of  this 
foray  were  a  formidable  body.  They  returned  to  Green  Bay,  where 
they  erected  a  large  stockade  on  a  commanding  site  at  "  Buttes  des 
Morts  "  ("  Hills  of  the  Dead  ")  and  they  caused  that  region  to  be  avoid- 
ed for  years  after  by  the  traders  of  the  fur  companies. 

This  trouble  compelled  the  aged  De  la  Forest  to  come  and  take 
charge  of  the  post  in  person  in  1712,  and  the  friendly  Indians  who  had 
been  so  loyal  were  rewarded  with  many  presents.  One  of  La  Forest's 
first  acts  was  to  rebuild  the  church  of  St.  Anne.     The  first  had  been 

131 


destroyed  in  the  mysterious  fire  of  1703;  the  second  in  1712,  to  prevent 
the  attacking  forces  from  using  it  as  a  shelter ;  and  that  erected  by  De 
la  Forest  was  the  third. 

Detroit  was  but  a  feeble  military  station  at  this  time.  Of  the  fifty 
soldiers  who  had  come  with  Cadillac,  all  but  twenty  had  deserted. 
Settlers  had  not  increased  because  of  the  discouragements  which  had 
been  thrown  in  their  way  by  the  enemies  of  the  post.  M.  de  la  Forest 
saw  the  natural  advantages  of  Detroit,  and  at  first  urged  its  develop- 
ment into  an  important  settlement,  but  soon  yielded  to  the  subtle  influ- 
ence of  the  Mackinaw  traders  and  priests,  and  did  not  attempt  to 
attract  settlers.  He  was  old  in  years  and  his  vital  energies  were  about 
spent.  Before  two  years  had  passed  he  was  relieved  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  that  once  gay  lieutenant,  Charles  Jacques  Sabrevois,  with 
whom  Cadillac  had  a  serious  quarrel  in  Quebec  twenty-nine  years  be- 
fore. Sabrevois  was  no  longer  a  frivolous  lady-killer,  but  a  man  of 
conservative  ideas  and  he  and  Cadillac  were  on  friendly  terms  when 
the  latter  left  the  colony.  He  remained  in  command  from  1714  until 
1717,  when  Henry  Tonty,  brother  of  Captain  Alphonse  and  son  of  Bras 
de  Fer  (Hand  of  Iron),  the  old  companion  of  La  Salle,  was  made  com- 
mandant, although  the  Sieur  de  Louvigny  was  acting  commandant  until 
he  arrived. 

In  1717  the  Foxes  had  become  such  a  detriment  to  travel  in  the 
northwest  that  M.  Louvigny  was  sent  to  Green  Bay  with  an  expedition 
of  French  and  Indians.  For  five  years  the  Foxes  had  so  commanded 
the  territory  of  Wisconsin  that  no  traders  could  cross  from  Green  Bay 
to  the  Mississippi,  without  paying  them  tribute,  and  Louvigny  laid 
siege  to  their  fort  with  the  determination  of  driving  them  out.  Just  as 
he  was  about  to  order  a  general  assault  upon  their  works  the  Foxes 
surrendered,  and  after  that  time  the  tribe  became  amalgamated  with 
the  Sac  tribe.  In  1718  Commandant  Henry  Tonty  received  orders  to 
rebuild  the  fort,  and  the  work  was  done  so  thoroughly  that  Fort  Pont- 
chartrain  was  the  best  wooden  fortification  on  the  continent.  He  was 
relieved  of  the  command  in  1720.  It  was  customary  to  relieve  com- 
mandants at  least  once  in  three  years  by  sending  orders  by  one  of  the 
officers  stationed  at  Quebec,  and  the  official  messenger  took  charge 
until  the  succeeding  commandant  arrived.  The  messenger  and  tem- 
porary commandant  in  this  case  was  Lieut.  Joseph  Noyelle. 

Alphonse  Tonty,  the  new  commandant,  who  was  a  brother  of  Henry, 
soon   arrived  from  Fort  Frontenac,  and  he  remained  in   command  at 

132 


Detroit  for  seven  years,  although  his  management  was  characterized 
by  crooked  dealings  with  the  Indians  and  with  his  government.  He 
was  consistently  dishonest  and  treacherous  to  friend  and  foe  during 
his  term  of  office.  He  petitioned  for  discretionary  powers  in  dispens- 
ing brandy  to  the  Indians,  and  when  it  was  refused  he  dealt  it  out  sur- 
reptitiously. He  installed  four  unscrupulous  intimates  at  the  post  to 
conduct  the  trading,  and  abolished  the  free  trading  of  the  settlers. 
One  of  the  four  was  Nolan,  who  had  been  in  the  conspiracy  with  Ar- 
naud,  Desnoyer  and  the  other  clerks  of  the  Company  of  the  Colony. 
The  other  three  were  named  Chiery,  La  Marque  and  Gatineau.  The 
new  traders  plied  the  Indians  with  liquor,  cheated  them  in  trade,  and 
made  the  most  of  their  opportunities.  Under  such  conditions  the  In- 
dians began  to  grow  unfriendly,  and  the  older  chiefs  wanted  to  go  to 
Albany  to  trade,  but  brandy  served  as  a  magnet  to  hold  them  to  De- 
troit, while  the  commandant  and  his  confederates  feathered  their  nests. 
The  residents  at  the  post  protested  against  the  abuses  in  a  petition  to 
the  governor,  but  Tonty  managed  to  hold  his  position  for  a  time. 
Other  commandants  who  had  succeeded  Cadillac  had  held  the  property 
of  the  first  commandant  in  the  name  of  the  king,  and  transferred  it  in 
turn  to  their  successors,  but  Tonty  seized  everything  he  could  find, 
claiming  it  as  his  personal  property.  The  grains  and  garden  seeds 
introduced  by  Cadillac  had  led  the  settlers  and  Indians  to  practice 
agriculture,  and  at  the  close  of  several  productive  seasons  considerable 
quantities  of  wheat  were  shipped  out  of  Detroit  to  supply  the  other 
posts.  Much  of  this  grain  was  produced  by  the  Indians,  who  made 
great  progress,  while  the  whites  appeared  to  be  at  a  standstill. 

Meanwhile  the  complaints  against  Commandant  Alphonse  Tonty 
were  being  investigated,  and  the  evidence  showed  that  he  was  dis- 
honest. He  was  relieved  of  his  command  on  October  25,  1727,  and  he 
died  at  Detroit  in  the  following  November. 

Governor  Beauharnois  sent  M.  C.  Le  Pernouche  to  Detroit  to  succeed 
Tonty;  and  in  the  following  year  Jean  Baptiste  Deschallions  de  St. 
Ours,  an  able  soldier,  was  installed  as  commandant.  At  this  time, 
through  Alphonse  Tonty's  greed  and  rapacity,  the  post  was  in  a  bad  con- 
dition. The  settlers  had  been  reduced  to  twenty- eight  or  thirty  and 
wheat  was  twenty-two  livres  per  minot.  Agriculture  had  been  dis- 
couraged and  the  settlers  did  not  care  to  cultivate  the  land,  preferring 
to  go  into  trade  with  its  greater  profits. 

St.  Ours  was  followed  in  a  few  months  by  Charles  Joseph  de  Noyelle, 

1 33 


who,  in  the  fall  of  1728,  was  succeeded  by  De  Boishebert,  who  was 
commandant  at  Detroit  from  1728  until  the  summer  of  1734 — a  period 
six  )^ears 

In  1730  the  affairs  of  the  settlement  had  become  burdensome  to  the 
commandant  and  it  became  necessary  to  have  a  civil  officer  who  would 
collect  the  crown  dues  and  attend  to  the  legal  duties  of  the  post.  Robert 
Navarre,  a  native  of  Villeroy,  Britanny,  came  out  from  France  that 
year  and  was  made  intendant  of  Detroit.  He  was  a  young  man  who 
had  just  attained  his  majority,  and  was  one  of  the  very  few  sprigs  of 
nobility  who  settled  in  the  West.  Most  of  those  who  assumed  noble 
titles  could  not  claim  a  noble  lineage,  but  Robert  Navarre  was  only  re- 
moved by  eight  generations  from  the  throne  of  France.  His  royal  an- 
cestor was  Henry  of  Navarre,  afterward  Henry  IV  of  France,  who  had 
a  natural  son  known  as  Jean  Navarre.  The  latter  was  an  older  half- 
brother  of  Louis  XIII,  who  succeeded  to  the  throne.  Robert  Navarre 
left  a  record  in  Detroit  which  was  worthy  of  his  ancestry.  Remarried 
Mary  Lootman  dit  Barrois,  in  1734,  and  reared  a  large  family.  He  re- 
mained in  his  position  of  trust  during  the  thirty  years  of  French  rule 
which  followed,  and  when  the  English  took  possession,  M.  Navarre 
was  retained  in  the  capacity  of  justice,  magistrate  and  notary  for  some 
time.  In  the  official  reports  of  the  English  commandants  he  is  praised 
as  being  a  most  honorable  and  capable  man,  worthy  of  the  highest  confi- 
dence. The  Navarres  became  numerous  in  the  course  of  time,  and  when 
the  war  of  1812  came,  it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  thirty-six  Navarres 
served  with  Winchester  under  command  of  Col.  Francois  Navarre. 
Their  descendants  in  Detroit  and  Michigan  are  still  numerous.  Some  are 
to  be  found  in  the  most  aristocratic  circles  and  others  among  the  lowly. 

Sieur  de  Boishebert  was  an  active  official.  He  was  sent  by  Governor 
de  Callieres  to  Mackinac  to  confer  with  the  savages.  In  1705  he  helped 
to  capture,  off  Boston,  three  British  ships  laden  with  powder.  From 
1707  to  1710  he  was  detached  as  commissary  at  Acadia,  and  was  after- 
ward assistant  engineer  on  the  fortification  of  Quebec.  In  1713  he  offi- 
cially explored  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  was  eighteen  years  adjutant 
at  Quebec.  He  was  quite  popular  while  commandant  of  Detroit,  and 
after  his  death  in  1736  his  widow  petitioned  for  a  pension  to  support 
her  three  daughters  and  one  son.  But  she  did  not  get  it.  The  thrifty 
authorities  in  France  found  that  she  had  a  fair  income  from  an  es- 
tate in  that  country,  which  had  been  inherited  by  her  children,  and  so 
she  had  to  do  without  a  pension. 

134 


Governor  Beauharnois,  whoruled  New  France  from  17'26  to  1757,  tried 
to  have  two  vessels  placed  on  Lake  Erie  in  order  to  establish  a  better 
communication  between  the  French  posts  on  the  lakes,  but  he  was  un- 
successful. At  his  suggestion,  maps  of  the  lake  system  were  forwarded 
to  Count  Maurepas,  then  minister  of  marine  in  France,  but  the  funds 
of  the  empire  were  not  bestowed  and  the  vessels  were  not  built.  Beau- 
harnois also  advised  the  encouragementof  settlers  at  Detroit.  It  would 
seem  that  the  public  mill  which  was  installed  by  Cadillac  must  have 
gone  wrong,  for  under  Boishebert  a  grant  was  issued  to  Charles  Cam- 
pau,  permitting  him  to  erect  a  water  mill  on  a  stream  which  flowed 
into  the  Detroit  River  from  the  west  along  the  little  ravine  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Michigan  Central  depot  tracks  about  Tenth  street,  and 
which  was  called  Cabacier's  Creek  in  later  years.  This  mill  was  au- 
thorized about  the  year  1734. 

Judging  from  the  records  it  would  appear  that  the  commandants  were 
soon  deprived  of  the  revenue  which  Cadillac  and  some  of  his  successors 
derived  from  ground  rents  and  trading  licenses,  and  the  proceeds  were 
turned  over  to  the  crown.  Possibly  the  grasping  methods  of  Alphonse 
Tonty  caused  the  change.  When  Count  Maurepas  became  minister  of 
marine,  he  endeavored  with  the  co  operation  of  Beauharnois,  and  his 
successors,  La  Jonquiere  and  De  laGallissoniere,  to  build  up  the  French 
settlements  and  encourage  farming. 

Then  the  greatest  rascal  of  the  French  regime  was  appointed  com- 
mandant on  June  10,  1734.  Hughes  Pean  de  Livandiere  was  a  bold 
but  clumsy  rogue.  He  acted  in  conjunction  with  Intendant  Begon, 
who  was  his  friend,  and  this  connection  no  doubt  made  him  reckless. 
In  the  archives  of  France  is  a  report  of  a  trial  in  which  Pean  and  Begon 
were  defendants;  they  were  charged  with  malfeasance  in  office,  and 
Pean  was  fined  120,000  livres.  The  actions  of  Pean  during  the  five 
months  of  his  term  must  have  been  extremely  flagrant  and  rapacious 
to  cause  the  infliction  of  such  heavy  punishment.  When  Pean  had  been 
ejected  from  office  in  November,  1734,  Sabrevois  was  sent  back  to  De- 
troit and  this  time  he  remained  in  command  four  years. 

In  1735,  while  Sabrevois  was  serving  his  second  term,  the  Fox  In- 
dians, who  had  united  with  the  Sakis  or  Sacs,  as  they  were  called  by 
the  English,  began  to  make  trouble  again.  They  had  retired  from 
Wisconsin  and  established  their  villages  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, in  the  region  now  known  as  the  State  of  Iowa.  Their  pres- 
ence made  it  dangerous  for  the  French  traders  who  did  business  in  the 

135 


Illinois  country,  and  they  frequently  fell  upon  parties  of  Indians  from 
Detroit  as  they  were  going  to  make  war  upon  the  Flatheads.  Lieu- 
tenants de  Noyelle  and  St.  Ours,  both  ex-commandants,  organized  an  ex- 
pedition against  these  tribes,  and  they  set  out  in  March,  1735,  with  a 
company  of  twenty  Frenchmen  and  several  hundred  Ottawas  and 
Hurons.  Ice  was  running  in  the  Mississippi  and  the  party  had  much 
difficulty  in  crossing.  They  found  that  the  enemy  had  taken  a  strong 
position  on  the  further  bank  of  a  swift  tributary  stream.  The  Ottawas 
were  eager  to  plunge  into  the  river  and  swim  it  in  spite  of  the  cold,  but 
De  Noyelle  and  St.  Ours  saw  that  such  a  course  would  be  fatal,  as 
their  arms  and  ammunition  would  become  wet  and  useless  and  they 
would  then  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  Foxes.  The  Indians  derisively 
said  that  the  Frenchmen  were  no  better  than  squaws,  because  of  their 
hesitation,  and  to  satisfy  the  savages  an  attack  was  made  by  a  party 
which  was  sent  farther  up  the  stream.  This  party  did  not  succeed  in 
surprising  the  enemy,  and  came  near  being  exterminated  as  soon  as 
they  had  crossed,  as  a  superior  force  attacked  them  and  drove  them  to 
the  bank  of  the  stream.  The  French  came  to  their  assistance,  and 
after  two  days  of  hard  fighting  the  Foxes  retired  and  sent  a  messenger 
to  ask  for  peace.  A  treaty  was  finally  accomplished  with  mutual  satis- 
faction and  the  expedition  returned  to  Detroit  after  suffering  many 
hardships. 

In  1735  the  demand  for  beaver  furs  had  revived  to  such  magnitude 
that  178,000  pounds  of  them  had  been  received  at  Quebec  for  shipment 
to  France.  Just  what  caused  the  lack  of  demand  in  1701  is  not  known, 
but  it  was  probably  some  change  in  the  fashion  of  head  wear  in  France 
at  that  time  that  dispensed  with  beaver  as  the  leading  material. 

In  1735  Governor  Beauharnois  and  Intendant  Hocquart  were  most 
emphatic  in  asking  Count  Maurepas,  who  had  succeeded  Pontchartrain 
as  minister  of  marine,  that  a  considerable  force  of  troops  be  sent  to 
Detroit.  They  declared  that  the  system  of  requiring  the  commandant 
to  keep  up  the  post  at  his  own  expense,  and  reimbursing  him  by  allow- 
ing him  a  monopoly  of  the  trading  licenses,  to  be  a  sorry  failure. 
Commandants  were  anxious  to  make  all  possible  profit  out  of  the  office, 
and,  as  every  soldier  was  a  drain  upon  their  pocketbooks,  they  kept 
the  number  down  to  an  inadequate  force.  They  showed  that  it  was 
the  soldiers  who  came  to  Detroit  with  Cadillac  that  had  insured  the 
first  success  of  the  post  as  a  permanent  settlement,  and  insisted  that 
Detroit  was  a  station  which  should  be  strongly  defended.     They  urged 

136 


ALEXANDER  LEWIS. 


that  it  be  made  a  central  station,  from  which  troops  could  be  sup- 
plied to  the  other  posts  of  the  West  whenever  it  should  become  neces- 
sary. 

Again  in  1737  they  pleaded  for  the  strengthening  of  Detroit.  They 
argued  that  the  farming  out  of  the  revenues  of  the  post  tended  to 
make  the  commandant  extortionate  and  that  this  discouraged  the  set- 
tlers. Sieur  de  Noyelle,  the  commandant  at  that  writing,  maintained 
but  seventeen  soldiers  at  Detroit.  In  place  of  the  established  system, 
Beauharnois  and  the  intendant  advised  that  the  office  of  commandant 
be  made  permanent,  and  recommended  that  instead  of  allowing  that 
officer  the  control  of  the  trading,  that  he  be  placed  on  a  salary.  The 
expense  to  the  king  was  estimated  at  $1,200.  The  proceeds  of  the 
trading  permits  averged  ^1,330  a  year,  which  included  $100  paid  by 
the  two  armorers  and  $30  paid  by  private  persons  living  within  the  in- 
closure  of  the  fort. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

A  Feud  Commenced  Between  the  Huron  and  Ottawa  Tribes — The  Hurons 
Compelled  to  Flee  to  Sandusky — They  Return  to  Settle  at  Bois  Blanc  Island  and 
Later  at  Sandwich— 1735-1746. 

A  quarrel  between  the  Hurons  and  the  Ottawas  took  place  at  Detroit 
in  the  spring  of  1738,  which  gave  the  commandant  and  the  governor 
much  trouble  for  five  years  thereafter.  A  council  was  being  held  in 
the  house  of  Commandant  de  Noyelle.  The  Hurons  and  Ottawas 
were  present,  as  were  also  the  Potawatomies  and  the  Sauteurs,  the  lat- 
ter being  a  tribe  from  the  Au  Sable  River,  north  of  Saginaw  Bay. 
During  this  council  the  head  chief  of  the  Hurons  arose  and  presented  a 
belt  to  the  head  chief  of  the  Ottawas,  thus  acknowledging  his  seniority. 

"The  Hurons  have  made  peace  with  the  Flatheads  of  the  west," 
said  he.  ' '  We  are  now  brothers,  and  we  invite  you  to  regard  them  in 
the  same  way.  We  would  be  glad  to  have  peace  in  the  land.  How- 
ever, if  you  continue  to  send  war  parties  against  the  Flatheads,  some 
of  our  young  men  may  go  to  warn  them  of  their  danger." 

The  chief  of  the  Ottawas  replied  in  dudgeon  :  "  Who  art  thou,  Huron, 
to  lay  down  the  law  to  me  ?     What  is  thy  design?     I  think  thou  de- 

137 


sirest  to  do  evil  and  then  to  take  refuge  with  the  Flatheads.  It  was  in 
thy  power  to  make  peace  with  them,  but  as  for  me,  I  do  not  accept 
thy  belt;  I  hand  it  over  to  our  father  who  represents  the  person  of 
Onontio  here.  If  Onontio  tells  us  that  it  is  his  will,  then  we  shall 
hearken  to  his  word.  Thou  shouldst  know  that  when  peace  was  made 
that  our  father  gave  this  tribe  to  all  the  others  to  devour.  Our  blood 
has  been  shed  along  their  path ;  our  bones  are  in  their  huts,  and  our 
scalps  hang  above  them.  The  frames  on  which  they  burned  us  and 
the  stakes  still  stand.  If  the  Flatheads  desired  peace,  they  should 
have  spoken  to  us  about  it." 

The  Potawatomies  and  the  Sauteurs  sided  with  the  Ottawas.  The 
latter  made  up  a  party  of  seventeen  young  warriors  and  sent  them  on  a 
foray  against  the  Flatheads.  The  Ottawas  met  two  parties  of  Hurons 
while  on  the  way.  The  Ottawas  crept  up  unobserved  upon  a  Flathead 
village  and  killed  and  scalped  a  woman.  As  they  were  drawing  nearer 
with  intent  to  surprise  the  camp  the  cry  of  a  raven  was  heard  and  in- 
stantly the  Flatheads  were  on  the  alert.  The  raven  cry  had  two  mean- 
ings among  the  Hurons.  It  meant:  "We  are  hungry  for  meat,"  and 
it  also  served  as  a  warning  against  impending  danger.  It  was  not  used 
by  the  Flatheads,  although  they  appeared  to  understand  it  in  this  case. 
A  moment  later  the  attacking  Ottawas  found  themselves  between  the 
Flatheads  on  one  side  and  the  Hurons  on  the  other,  and  both  were 
firing  upon  them.  Nine  of  the  Ottawas  were  shot  and  scalped,  and 
five  more  were  taken  prisoners  The  remaining  three  broke  through  the 
line  of  the  Hurons  and  killed  one  of  the  party,  whom  they  recognized. 

When  the  three  survivors  came  within  hail  of  their  village  at  Detroit 
they  gave  the  cry  of  mourning  instead  of  the  scalp  yell  which  would 
have  announced  a  victory.  They  came  into  the  village  to  tell  how  the 
Hurons  had  treacherously  betrayed  them,  and  the  whole  tribe  was  in  a 
furious  rage  against  the  Hurons.  The  Hurons  then  at  Detroit  denied 
that  any  of  their  warriors  had  betrayed  the  Ottawas  or  had  killed  any 
of  them  in  the  fight.  "  We  do  not  shed  the  blood  of  our  brothers," 
they  said. 

"You  are  dogs,"  shouted  the  infuriated  Ottawas,  "You  are  capable 
of  shedding  the  blood  of  your  father  as  well  as  your  brothers." 

"We  have  been  to  war  with  the  Flatheads  many  a  time  but  we  never 
heard  the  raven  cry  before,"  said  one  of  the  survivors.  "I  killed  one 
of  your  men,  Orontega.  When  your  warriors  come  home  we  shall  see 
if  he  is  missing.      Then  you  will  see  that  I  am  speaking  the  truth." 

138 


This  show  of  hostility  alarmed  the  Hurons,  who  retired  to  their  fort, 
and  their  women  and  children  dared  not  go  out  to  cultivate  their  crop 
of  corn.  The  Ottawas  taunted  them  with  being  cowards,  and  told  them 
they  need  not  be  afraid,  as  the  Ottawas  did  not  kill  their  friends  by 
stealth,  and  would  not  harm  them  until  notice  had  been  given  of  a  war. 

The  French  commandant,  De  Noyelle,  who  had  been  recalled  in  the 
fall  of  1738,  sent  a  herald  through  the  settlement,  who  beat  a  pan  and 
warned  all  inhabitants  not  to  sell  powder  and  ball  to  the  Indians  while 
they  were  in  their  present  excitement.  It  was  a  very  awkward  compli- 
cation, as  the  Hurons  were  allied  to  but  five  tribes  in  Canada  and  Ohio, 
while  the  Ottawas  were  related  to  all  the  Indians  in  the  upper  country. 
The  Ottawas  asked  the  Potawatomies  and*  Sauteurs  to  take  up  the 
hatchet  with  them  against  the  Hurons.  De  Noyelle  attempted  to  ap- 
pease them.  The  Hurons  asked  Governor  Beauharnois  to  make  a  new 
home  for  them  at  Montreal,  or  in  some  other  place  where  they  would 
be  safe  from  attacks  by  the  Ottawas  and  their  allies.  That  winter  the 
Hurons  dared  not  winter  in  their  village  at  Detroit,  but  took  to  the 
woods  at  some  place  in  the  interior  of  the  State,  leaving  part  of  their 
corn  crop  unharvested.  The  English  and  the  Iroquois  invited  them  to 
come  to  New  York  and  receive  their  protection,  and  Beauharnois,  the 
French  governor,  sent  his  nephew.  Chevalier  Beauharnois,  to  invite 
them  to  Montreal. 

A  secret  influence,  however,  was  at  work  which  defeated  both  prop- 
ositions. Father  Richardie,  Jesuit  missionary  to  the  Hurons  at  Sand- 
wich, across  the  river  from  Detroit,  wrote  to  the  governor  in  January, 
1739,  that  the  Hurons  were  not  reassured,  and  never  would  feel  safe 
again  while  they  were  in  proximity  to  the  Ottawas.  He  feared  that  at 
the  first  alarm  they  would  either  fi}'  to  a  refuge  among  the  Sonontouans 
(Senecas),  or  to  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  in  Kentucky.  It  was  impossible 
for  the  Hurons  to  live  in  constant  terror  of  their  enemies,  as  their 
women  could  not  plant  corn  and  do  their  usual  work  in  the  fields  about 
Detroit.  A  majority  of  the  Detroit  tribe  then  went  to  Sandusky,  in  the 
territory  of  the  Wyandottes, .  who  were  their  kindred.  While  there 
Governor  Beauharnois  offered  them  an  asylum  at  Montreal,  promising 
them  a  grant  of  land  either  at  Lorette,  the  Falls  of  Montmorency,  both 
near  Quebec,  or  at  the  Lake  of  Two  Mountains,  near  and  north  of 
Montreal;  but  the  Hurons  did  not  go,  because  Father  Richardie  want- 
ed to  keep  them  with  him.  The  latter  wrote  several  times  that  the  In- 
dians did  not  want  to  go  to  Lower  Canada,  but  would  prefer  to  remain 

139 


in  some  place  of  security  near  the  Detroit  mission.  He  advised  that 
they  be  placed  on  Grosse  Lie.  This  Beauharnois  said  would  never  do, 
as  their  isolation  from  the  whites  would  make  them  too  independent, 
and  they  would  be  subject  to  attacks  from  their  enemies  just  as  if  they 
remained  at  Detroit.  The  preservation  of  peace,  he  said,  demanded 
that  they  be  sent  to  Montreal,  for  so  long  as  there  was  insecurity  for 
them  at  Detroit,  there  was  danger  of  their  going  to  the  Flatheads. 
Beauharnois  sent  his  nephew  to  Detroit  as  a  special  envoy  to  the 
Hurons  in  June,  1741,  with  the  following  address: 

"  Listen  to  the  words  of  Onontio,  Hurons.  They  are  borne  to  you  by  one  of  ray 
blood  to  show  how  much  I  have  your  welfare  at  heart.  You  say  you  will  always 
live  in  fear  at  Detroit.  Sastaratsy,  your  king,  sent  word  to  his  brother  at  Lorette, 
the  falls,  and  at  the  Lake  of  Two  Mountains,  that  you  would  be  forced  to  come  to 
them  in  the  autumn.  He  said  you  would  always  be  accused  of  taking  part  in  every 
attack  of  the  Flatheads  upon  the  tribes  at  the  post,  and  that  you  wished  to  come 
to  Montreal.  He  sent  word  through  M.  Noj^elle  asking  for  a  grant  of  lands,  and  for 
an  escort  to  conduct  you  safely.  I  immediately  sent  you  a  message  to  take  you 
away  from  your  fire,  and  to  build  another  for  you  in  this  place,  where  you  will  be 
safe.  Come ;  I  stretch  out  my  arms  to  you  to  place  you  under  my  wing.  I  send  a 
delegation  of  your  brothers  from  the  falls  of  St.  Louis  and  the  Lake  of  Two  Moun- 
tains to  escort  you  in  safety." 

Young  Beauharnois  was  instructed  to  be  patient,  and  if  the  Hurons 
hesitated  to  leave  their  harvest,  he  was  to  winter  with  them,  and 
Agent  Du  Buroy  would  persuade  the  Iroquois  not  to  leave  them  unpro- 
tected. As  soon  as  Beauharnois  arrived  at  Detroit  every  Huron  who 
had  remained  in  the  vicinity  disappeared.  Beauharnois,  when  the 
Hurons  would  not  come  to  him,  went  to  the  Hurons  at  Sandusky,  but 
the  best  he  could  do  after  a  long  labor  with  the  tribe  was  to  induce 
three  old  men  to  accompany  him  back  to  Montreal,  ostensibly  for  the 
purpose  of  arranging  with  the  governor  for  the  transfer,  although  ar- 
rangements were  already  made,  and  a  new  mission  house  and  huts 
were  being  built  for  their  accommodation  at  Lorette.  The  reluctance 
of  the  Hurons  to  accompany  him  was  better  understood  when  a  let- 
ter from  Father  Richardie  to  Father  Jaunay,  who  was  at  a  mission  on 
the  Owashtanong  or  Grand  River,  was  intercepted  by  Beauharnois. 
The  letter  was  written  in  December,  1741,  and  the  following  is  an 
extract : 

"  Chevalier  Beauharnois,  after  a  stay  of  one  month  at  Detroit,  decided  to  go  to 
Sandusky,  as  he  had  not  been  able  to  get  the  Hurons  to  come  here  to  listen  to  him, 
or  to  the  message  from  his  uncle.     I  could  not  omit  making  the  journey  with  him, 

140 


although  I  had  reason  to  be  sure  ±hat  I  was  not  pleasing  him  in  doing  so.  The  suc- 
cess of  his  mission  will  be  limited  to  three  old  men,  who  were  persuaded  with  great 
difficulty  to  accompany  him,  and  who  will  not  say  one  word.  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
the  Chevalier  wanted  to  take  their  mission  away  from  us  that  it  might  fall  to  his 
friend,  M.  .Piquet,  who  has  already  begun  to  have  clearings  made  and  huts  built  at  the 
Lake  of  Two  Mountains  to  receive  them.  But  happen  what  may,  the  Hurons  would 
never  have  any  missionaries  but  us.  The  reverened  father  superior  has  sent  me 
word,  acting  in  connection  with  the  general,  to  settle  them  at  the  great  island 
[Grosse  He]  where  they  could  have  been  better  oflf  than  anywhere.  I  do  not  know 
from  what  this  change  arises.  I  shall  patiently  await  the  word  he  may  send  me  on 
this  matter." 

Judging  from  the  correspondence  that  passed  between  Father  Rich- 
ardie  and  St.  Pe,  the  father  superior,  the  order  preferred  to  keep  the 
Hurons  at  Detroit  or  in  that  immediate  vicinity,  and  used  all  means  to 
prevent  their  transfer  to  a  new  pastor  in  the  person  of  Father  Piquet  at 
Quebec.  It  is  probable  that  the  latter  was  a  Recollect  priest,  and  this 
would  account  for  their  opposition.  Beauharnois  decided,  so  long  as 
he  could  not  persuade  the  Hurons  to  come  to  Montreal,  that  the  next 
best  thing  to  do  would  be  to  send  them  to  make  war  against  the  Flat- 
heads,  in  the  hope  of  winning  again  the  friendship  of  their  near  neigh- 
bors, the  Ottawas.  With  this  purpose  in  view  a  party  of  forty  warriors 
was  made  up,  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  set  out  to  the  Mississippi 
valley  Father  Richardie  sent  them  a  belt  secretly  and  told  them  to  re- 
main at  peace  with  the  Flatheads,  upon  which  the  party  scattered. 

In  1741,  while  the  trouble  was  yet  unsettled.  Commandant  Noyelle 
was  succeeded  by  Pierre  Poyan  de  Noyan,  and  one  of  the  first  acts  of 
the  latter  was  to  take  formal  possession  of  Grosse  He  in  the  name  of 
the  French.  Governor  Beauharnois  would  not  permit  the  Hurons  to 
be  settled  on  Grosse  He,  so  Bois  Blanc  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  was  proposed,  but  the  governor  insisted  that  they  be  kept  on  the 
mainland.  Father  Richardie  wrote  coinciding  with  his  views  when 
they  were  peremptorily  expressed.      He  said: 

"  I  have  secured  consent  of  my  people,  the  Hurons  to  settle  on  the  mainland,  and 
it  is  not  advisable  that  they  should  settle  on  the  Great  Island,  which  would  be  a  place 
of  refuge  where  they  would  have  been  able  to  lay  down  the  law." 

Young  Beauharnois  sent  his  uncle  some  of  the  priest's  letters  which 
he  had  intercepted,  and  spoke  very  bitterly  of  the  duplicity  which  had 
defeated  his  purpose  in  coming  to  Detroit.  "  The  Hurons  "  said  he, 
"wanted  to  settle  on  Bois  Blanc  Island,  failing  to  get  Grosse  He. 
Father  Richardie  makes  them  play  all  these  tricks:  you  can  divine  the 
reason." 

141 


Pierre  de  Celeron  de  Blainville  succeeded  Noyan,  and  retired  in  1743, 
having-  failed  to  effect  a  settlement  of  the  Indian  troubles.  He  was 
followed  b\^  Joseph  Lemoyne  de  Longueuil, 

The  Ottawa- Huron  trouble  was  finally  ended  by  the  removal  of  the 
Hurons,  or  the  largest  part  of  them,  to  Bois  Blanc  Island,  and  they  re- 
mained there  until  1747.  After  the  troubles  of  that  year,  as  related 
elsewhere,  they  came  to  Sandwich  and  lived  around  the  mission  house, 
opposite  their  old  fort  across  the  river.  At  this  time  there  was  still 
a  small  village  of  Hurons  near  what  is  now  Trenton,  and  another 
small  village  at  Sandusky. 

During  the  war  between  France  and  England  the  Hurons  fought  on 
the  side  of  the  French.  When  the  war  was  decided  by  the  final  capit- 
ulation of  Montreal,  they  ceased  hostilities  pending  the  treaty  of 
peace  in  1763.  Although  Sir  William  Johnson  was  well  received  by 
the  Hurons  at  Sandwich,  when  he  visited  Detroit  in  1761,  he  did  not 
secure  their  adhesion.  It  was  only  after  the  Anglo  French  treaty  of 
1763  that  they  concluded  a  peace  with  the  English  at  Niagara,  on  July 
18,  1764. 

After  the  death  of  Father  Potier  at  the  Jesuit  mission  at  Sandwich, 
in  1781,  the  Hurons  still  lived  around  the  mission.  In  1791  they  ceded 
all  their  lands  in  Western  Canada  to  the  British  government,  with  the 
exception  of  two  reservations,  one  being  immediately  west  of  and  ad- 
joining the  Huron  mission  church  line,  of  about  one  hundred  acres; 
and  the  other  being  what  is  now  the  whole  township  of  Anderdon,  on 
the  Detroit  River,  just  above  Amherstburg,  fronting  seven  miles  on 
the  river  and  running  back  the  same  distance. 

The  Hurons  served  on  the  British  side  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in 
1819  consisted  of  about  ninety  persons,  old  and  young.  In  this  year 
the  principal  property  owners  of  Amherstburg,  including  Richard  Pol- 
lard, Sheriff  William  Hands,  Matthew  Elliott,  J.  B.  Baby,  John  Gentle, 
George  Benson  Hall,  F.  Baby,  Angus  Mcintosh,  John  B.  Askin,  and 
others,  petitioned  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland,  lieutenant  -  governor  of 
Upper  Canada,  that  the  Hurons  be  removed,  on  the  ground  that  their 
occupation  was  inimical  to  the  improvement  of  the  town  and  the  safety 
of  His  Majesty's  fort  (Maiden).  The  petitioners,  however,  desired 
that  the  Hurons  be  liberally  dealt  with  in  land  and  annuities.  The 
petition  was  not  granted. 

In  1836  the  Hurons  on  the  Canada  side  of  the  Detroit  River  were  all 
livingon  their  reservation  at  Anderdon,  and  in  that  year  they  surrendered 

142 


two-thirds  of  the  land  to  the  British  government,  to  be  sold  for  their 
benefit.  They  retained  the  central  third,  lying  on  the  Detroit  River, 
which  they  reserved  for  their  own  use.  In  1876  they  apportioned  the  land 
among  themselves,  giving  to  each  male  one  hundred  acres  and  to  each 
female  fifty  acres,  and  sold  the  residue.  This  apportionment  ended  their 
tribal  relation  with  the  government,  and  they  ceased  to  be  Indians  in 
a  legal  sense.  In  Anderdon  at  the  time  of  the  disbandment  there  was 
but  one  king  or  head  chief,  whose  Indian  name  was  Mondoron,  and  whose 
English  name  was  Joseph  White.  He  stayed  in  Anderdon  and  lived 
on  his  lands,  and  died  in  Windsor  in  1886.  He  left  six  children — four 
sons  and  two  daughters— who  are  all  living.  His  sons  are  Solomon 
White,  ex-M.  P.  P.  for  Essex  county;  Thomas  B.  White,  merchant, 
Anderdon;  Alex.  White  and  Joseph  White,  capitalists,  Windsor.  The 
daughters  are  Mrs.  Christine  Raymon  and  Mrs.  Eva  M.  Scully,  of 
Windsor.  These  children  inherited  his  patrimonial  acres  and  money. 
Up  to  1843  the  few  Hurons  who  had  lived  near  Trenton,  in  Wayne 
county,  on  the  American  side  of  the  Detroit  River,  and  those  near  San- 
dusky, O.,  still  kept  up  their  tribal  relations.  In  that  year  both  bands 
agreed  to  terminate  their  tribal  relations,  and  they  sold  their  reserva- 
tions and  went  to  Wyandotte,  Kansas,  where  they  bought  a  large  tract 
of  land.  Here,  however,  they  found  it  necessary  to  resume  the  tribal 
ties  and  customs,  but  in  1866  they  sold  the  lands,  divided  the  money, 
and  ceased  to  be  classed  as  Indians. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Recreations  and  Occupations  of  the  Early  Settlers  —  Races  between  the  Fleet 
French  Ponies  on  the  Ice — Attempt  to  Extend  the  French  Domain  in  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania— 1750-1760. 

"  The  recreations  of  the  French  colonists,"  says  Lanman,  "  consisted 
in  attending  the  rude  chapels  on  the  borders  of  the  wilderness,  and  in 
adorning  their  altars  with  wild  flowers;  in  dancing  to  the  sound  of  the 
violin  at  each  other's  houses,  inhunting  the  deer  and  other  game  through 
the  Oakland  openings  and  in  paddling  their  light  canoes  across  the  clear 
and  silent  streams."  To  this  list  might  be  added  horse  racing,  after 
the  speedy  and  hardy  French  pony  was  introduced  into  the  settlement 

143 


about  1740.  In  winter  the  equine  contests  were  continued  on  the  ice, 
and  in  Detroit  the  race  course  for  this  diversion  for  the  past  150  years 
was  that  part  of  the  Rouge  River  between  the  river  road  and  the  Detroit 
River,  some  three  miles  from  the  present  city  hall  The  Indians  were 
expert  players  at  foot  ball  and  lacrosse,  and  in  many  of  these  games 
the  whites  participated.  Both  under  French  and  English  rule,  many 
citizens  indulged  in  bowling  with  cannon  balls  in  the  narrow  streets 
within  the  stockade,  but  this  amusement  ceased  with  the  great  fire  of 
1805. 

The  women,  outside  of  ordinary  domestic  avocations,  occupied  them- 
selves in  making  coarse  cotton  cloths  for  the  Indian  trade,  and  in  later 
years  in  braiding  straw  for  male  and  female  headwear.  Their  com- 
fortable log  houses,  covered  with  clapboards,  fronted  on  the  roadway 
that  ran  close  to  the  banks  of  the  Detroit  and  St.  Clair  Rivers,  and  were 
generally  one  and  a  half  stories  in  height,  the  upper  story  being  chiefly 
within  the  roof.  Dormer  windows  on  the  front  and  sides  gave  light 
and  air  to  this  story.  As  a  rule  the  house  was  whitewashed  or  colored 
white,  and  the  front  door  was  painted  green  and  divided  horizontally 
in  the  center;  the  upper  part  was  kept  open  in  fair  weather,  and  the 
lower  part  closed  to  keep  the  children  from  straying  out  on  the  road 
and  prevent  vagrant  animals  from  entering  the  house.  Inside,  the 
puncheon  floors  were  uncarpeted,  but  kept  very  clean,  and  the  walls 
were  hung  with  rude  pictures  of  the  saints,  the  Madonna  and  her  child, 
and  the  crucifix  of  lead. 

In  front  of  the  house,  across  the  roadway,  was  a  tiny  wharf,  consist- 
ing of  one  or  more  planks  supported  by  sticks  driven  into  the  river 
bed,  and  on  this  the  inmates  walked  out  to  fill  their  pails  with  water. 
Tied  to  the. wharf  was  the  canoe,  which  was  almost  the  only  method  of 
communication  through  the  western  wilds  during  the  French  regime, 
and  was  indispensable  in  fishing  and  trapping. 

The  farms  were  long  and  narrow,  and  stretched  back  into  the  forest 
two  and  three  miles,  but  were  rarely  cultivated  for  more  than  half  a 
mile.  The  farm  houses  being  all  located  on  the  banks  of  the  streain,  on 
a  common  roadway,  the  settlers  were  not  at  all  isolated  from  each  other, 
and  intelligence  of  interesting  or  important  events  could  be  communi- 
cated for  a  distance  of  many  miles,  by  calling  aloud  from  house  to 
house,  each  recipient  of  the  news  repeating  it  to  his  neighbor.  Food 
was  easily  acquired,  and  abundance  of  game  strayed  in  the  woods  and 
sometimes  into  the  very  backyards,  and  the  waters  were  alive  with  fish. 

144 


EUWIN   F.   CONELY. 


Agriculture  was  never  skillfully  conducted  by  the  French  settlers  or 
their  Indian  neighbors,  and  their  implements  were  rude  and  cumbrous. 
The  plow  was  of  wood,  except  the  iron  share,  and  with  its  long  beam 
and  handles,  was  ten  or  twelve  feet  long.  The  mouldboard  was  also 
of  wood.  In  front  were  two  wooden  wheels  of  different  sizes,  the 
smaller  one  to  run  on  the  unplowed  side  and  the  larger  one  in  the  fur- 
row. The  simple  harness  was  of  ropes  or  withes  of  twisted  rawhide. 
When  oxen  were  used,  the  ropes  were  passed  around  the  oxen's  horns 
and  they  pulled  with  their  heads,  and  the  plow  followed  and  broke  the 
ground.  This  description  of  the  homes  and  agricultural  operations  is 
taken  mostly  from  Bela  Hubbard's  "Memorials  of  Half  a  Century, " 
published  in  1888,  which  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of 
Detroit  and  Michigan.  In  this  work  an  error  occurs  relative  to  the  dis- 
position of  manure  by  the  old  French  settlers.  Hubbard  says:  "The 
fields  were  never  manured,  and  the  farmers,  when  their  manure  heaps 
had  accumulated  to  an  inconvenient  degree  about  their  barns,  adopted 
the  most  ready  means  of  relief  by  carting  the  incumbrance  on  to  the 
ice  in  winter.  The  offensive  material  was  thus  washed  away  without 
further  trouble  when  the  ice  broke  up  in  the  spring." 

This  statement  was  first  made  by  Lewis  Cass,  who  may  have  repeat- 
ed the  statement  of  some  writer,  or  may  have  inferred  that  the  manure 
was  thus  sought  to  be  gotten  rid  of  by  seeing  quantities  of  it  on  the 
ice  in  front  of  the  farm  houses.  But  it  is  impossible  to  believe  that 
French  farmers,  whether  born  in  old  France  or  in  the  American  col- 
onies, should  be  so  grossly  ignorant  of  the  virtue  and  benefits  of  ma- 
nure. The  true  reason  was  because  the  horses,  cattle,  etc.,  were 
watered  in  the  winter  through  holes  in  the  ice,  and  the  manure  was 
spread  on  the  ice,  from  the  shore  to  the  hole,  to  keep  them  from  slip- 
ping and  falling  down. 

In  1746  Mackinac  (Turtle),  a  powerful  Chippewa  chief,  aided  by  sev- 
eral northern  tribes,  including  the  Ottawas  of  that  region,  made  a  de- 
scent on  Detroit.  The  French  showed  a  firm  front  and  were  aided  by 
Pontiac,  then  a  young  chief  of  the  Detroit  Ottawas,  who  thus  fought 
against  his  own  nation  and  kindred.  The  Turtle  and  his  forces  were 
driven  away. 

In  1747  a  formidable  conspiracy  was  formed  by  the  Indians  at  De- 
troit against  the  French.  The  Iroquois  sent  belts  to  the  tribes  here, 
and  a  plot  was  made  to  murder  the  garrison.  It  is  said  that  the  at- 
tack was  really  incited  by  the  English,  which  was  probably  true,   as 

145 


many  other  schemes  of  a  like  purpose  were  directly  traceable  to  them. 
The  massacre  was  to  take  place  on  the  night  of  a  church  holiday, 
when  the  Indians  would  have  admittance  to  the  fort,  and  as  many  as 
possible  were  to  sleep  inside  the  palisades.  Rising-  at  a  certain  time 
in  the  night,  each  savage  was  expected  to  kill  everybody  in  the  house 
where  he  was  staying.  In  this  plot  the  Hurons  were  to  be  the  chief 
actors.  A  day  or  two  before  the  time  of  action  an  Indian  woman  had 
occasion  to  go  to  an  upper  floor  in  one  of  the  buildings,  and  hearing 
voices  below,  stopped  and  listened.  She  heard  the  whole  plan  ar- 
ranged, and,  as  soon  as  she  could  leave  safely,  went  to  the  house  of 
Father  Richardie,  where  she  informed  a  lay  brother  of  the  plot.'  The 
news  soon  reached  De  Longueuil,  the  commandant,  who  immediately 
called  the  Huron  and  other  chiefs  together,  upbraided  them  bitterly 
for  their  intended  treachery,  denounced  them  as  ingrates,  and  threat- 
ened punishment.  As  the  commandant  could  withhold  their  winter 
supplies,  the  chiefs  expressed  great  contrition  and  abandoned  the  plot. 

While  the  conspiracy  was  maturing  little  or  no  attention  was  paid  to 
agriculture,  and,  when  it  was  exposed,  the  provisions  of  the  past  year 
were  about  exhausted.  Almost  a  famine  ensued  in  1747,  and  Com- 
mandant Longueuil  sent  to  Montreal  for  supplies.  A  convoy  of  boats 
laden  with  provisions  was  sent  to  Detroit,  and  150  persons,  soldiers, 
merchants  and  servants,  accompanied  the  expedition.  The  Hurons 
abandoned  Bois  Blanc  Island  and  removed  to  Sandwich,  and  built  them 
bark  cabins  in  close  proximity  to  the  old  mission  house. 

From  an  old  report,  without  signature  or  date,  but  which  was  evidently 
made  several  years  before  1747,  the  numbers  of  the  Indian  tribes  lo- 
cated at  or  near  Detroit,  and  connected  with  the  French  government 
of  Canada,  are  given  as  follows ; 

"  There  were  no  tribes  settled  on  the  coast  of  Lake  Erie.  At  Detroit 
(the  Straits),  between  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  the  Pottawatomies  have 
a  village  with  180  warriors.  The  Hurons  are  stated  to  be  reduced  to 
one  village  near  the  fort  of  Detroit,  with  the  exception  of  the  village 
at  Quebec,  and  have  180  warriors.  The  Ottawa  village  on  the  south 
side  of  the  straits,  contains  200  warriors.  The  Mississaquas,  with  60 
warriors,  occupied  a  small  village  at  the  entrance  of  Lake  Huron  [just 
above  the  present  site  of  Port  Huron,  Mich.].  At  the  end  of  Lake 
Huron,  at  the  village  of  Saguinan,  near  Mackinac,  was  another  village 
of  Ottawas  with  80  warriors. " 

Under  the  rule  of  De  Longueuil  the  importance  of  the  outlying  posts 

146 


was  recognized  more  and  more  by  the  French  g-overnment,  and  Gover- 
nor Beauharnois  was  authorized  to  be  more  liberal  in  strengthening 
them.  In  1748  the  fort  at  Detroit  was  enlarged  and  improved,  as  were 
the  other  posts  in  the  North,  Northwest  and  South.  Between  1748  and 
1760,  when  the  French  gave  way  to  the  British,  Fort  Pontchartrain  was 
enlarged  and  strengthened  five  times.  This  was  owing  partly  to  the 
increase  of  population,  and  partly  to  additions  of  military  force,  but 
mainly  to  the  well-founded  belief  that  Detroit  was  the  most  important 
strategic  position  in  the  West,  and  should  be  held  at  all  hazards. 

De  Longueuil  gave  satisfaction  as  commandant  at  Detroit  during  the 
governorship  of  Beauharnois.  When  the  latter  was  superseded  by  the 
Marquis  de  Gallissoniere,  Longueuil  was  retained  for  two  years  after- 
ward. In  1749  the  aged  vSabrevois  was  sent  to  Detroit  for  a  third 
term. 

During  this  period  the  French  and  English  were  bent  on  acquiring 
all  territory  in  North  America  within  their  reach,  and  the  whole  time 
was  spent  in  land  grabs  of  greater  or  less  magnitude.  Both  coveted 
the  fertile  lands  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  and  each  made  efforts  to 
secure  them.  The  French  started  a  small  settlement  at  French  Creek, 
south  of  Lake  Erie.  The  British  offset  this  by  an  organization  called 
the  Ohio  Company,  which  was  granted  500,000  acres  of  the  disputed 
territory.  The  conditions  of  the  grant  were  that  the  company  should 
build  a  fort  and  settle  one  hundred  families  on  the  tract.  This  was  in 
1748. 

At  this  time  everything  tended  to  show  that  the  French  power  in 
America  was  declining,  but  the  Marquis  de  Gallissoniere  would  not 
acknowledge  it,  even  to  himself,  although  he  was  a  man  of  ability.  In 
1749  he  organized  in  Detroit  and  Montreal  an  expedition  to  renew  the 
claims  of  France  to  a  large  portion  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and 
placed  in  charge  of  it  Celeron  de  Bienville,  a  chevalier  of  the  order  of 
St.  Louis.  The  detachment  consisted  of  eight  subaltern  officers,  six 
cadets,  an  armorer,  twenty  soldiers,  180  Canadians,  twenty  Abinakis, 
and  thirty  Iroquois.  A  priest,  named  Father  Bonnecamp,  who  was  a 
scientist,  mathematician  and  map-maker,  accompanied  the  expedition. 
The  party  left  Montreal  in  bateaux  and  traineaux  and  passed  through 
Lake  Ontario;  thence  across  Lake  Erie.  By  another  portage  they 
reached  Chautauqua  Lake  and  thence  by  Conewango  Creek,  they 
reached  the  Alleghany  River  and  proceeded  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Ohio.     About  a  dozen  lead  plates  were  buried  and  affixed  to  trees  at 

147 


different  points,  each  bearing  an  inscription  showing  that  the  lands 
were  owned  by  the  king  of  France,  by  virtue  of  arms  and  treaties. 
But  the  whole  expedition  was  a  characteristic  piece  of  Gallic  vain- 
glory. Not  a  foot  of  the  land  was  either  guarded  or  defended,  and  it 
all  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British  in  good  time.  In  after  years 
some  of  the  plates  were  found  and  hung  up  in  farm  houses  as  monu- 
ments of  French  folly.  One  was  melted  and  cast  into  bullets  by  a 
party  of  boys.  After  the  plates  were  buried  the  members  of  the  ex- 
pedition returned  to  Detroit  and  Montreal. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Feeble  Attempts  to  Strengthen  the  French  Outposts — The  Determination  of  Great 
Britain  to  Seize  the  French  Strongholds  Becomes  Apparent — 1755-1760. 

In  1749  several  hundred  immigrants  were  sent  to  Detroit  by  the 
French  government.  They  were  mostly  composed  of  farmers  and 
were  provided  with  the  necessary  supplies  of  pioneers  in  an  interior 
settlement.  These  included  canvass  for  tents,  hoes,  axes,  sickels,  guns, 
powder,  and  meat,  with  stipulations  that  these  supplies  should  be  paid 
for  when  a  certain  area  of  land  had  been  cleared. 

Sabrevois  was  too  old  and  feeeble  to  be  effective  as  commandant, 
and  in  1751  Pierre  de  Celeron  was  given  another  term,  lasting  until  the 
summer  of  1754. 

These  years  had  been  troubled  by  almost  constant  war  between  the 
French  and  the  British  along  the  eastern  border,  but  Detroit  had  not 
been  threatened  with  any  serious  invasion.  During  the  term  of  Jacques 
d'Anon,  Sieur  de  Muy,  which  began  in  1754  and  closed  in  1758,  Detroit 
was  greatly  strengthened  as  a  military  post  and  supplies  of  provisions, 
arms  and  ammunition  were  laid  in.  Detroit  was  the  emporium  for 
supplying  the  posts  of  Presque  Isle,  Niagara,  Le  Boeuf,  Venango  and 
Du  Quesne,  which  were  on  a  line  from  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Ohio,  and  when  any  of  these  posts  were  threatened 
with  an  attack,  Detroit  sent  soldiers  and  Indians  to  reinforce  them 
with  all  possible  speed.  In  1758  Francis  Marie  Picote  de  Bellestre, 
the  last  commandant  of  the  French  regime,  came  to  Detroit,  and  upon 

148 


him  was  cast  the  unpleasant  task  of  surrendering-  the  last  important 
French  post  to  the  victorious  English.  The  entire  ag-gregation  of  gov- 
ernors from  first  to  last,  was  made  up  of  a  class  of  men  who  were  more 
anxious  for  their  personal  advancement  than  for  the  development  of 
the  country  or  the  upbuilding  of  a  French  empire  in  the  new  world. 
Cadillac  was  perhaps  the  most  promising  man  of  the  lot,  for  with  all 
his  faults  he  had  an  unbounded  energy  which  would  have  built  up  a 
city  about  his  fort  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  his  enemies,  had  he  not 
been  removed  by  a  disastrous  promotion. 

During  the  seven  years'  strife  between  England  and  France  for  the 
possession  of  the  northern  part  of  the  country,  the  settlers  were 
ground  as  between  two  millstones.  In  the  Massachusetts  colony  and  in 
New  York  the  troubles  were  termed  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  be- 
cause the  Algonquin  tribes  and  the  New  England  tribes  were  instigat- 
ed to  attack  the  English  colonists,  and  were  supplied  with  arms  and 
ammunition  by  the  French.  In  Michigan  the  French  settlers  were  the 
sufferers,  as  the  British  authorities  furnished  the  Iroquois  nation  with 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  offered  them  inducements  to  attack  the 
French.  The  first  of  these  savage  wars  occurred  in  1689  and  was 
known  as  "  King  William's"  war,  because  it  occurred  under  the  reign 
of  William  and  Mar5^  The  second  occurred  in  1702,  and  was  known 
as  "Queen  Anne's"  war.  The  third,  in  1744,  was  named  "King 
George's  "  war,  and  the  last  and  worst  was  the  "Old  French  and  In- 
dian "  war,  which  lasted  from  1755  to  1763.  In  the  intervals  between 
these  open  wars  there  was  always  more  or  less  trouble,  each  part}' 
making  bloody  forays  when  the  mood  took  them.  The  bulk  of  the 
fighting  took  place  east  of  Lake  Erie,  but  the  influence  of  these  hos- 
tilities reached  as  far  westv/ard  as  the  white  man  had  penetrated. 
During  these  dreadful  years  the  settler  carried  his  musket  wherever  he 
went,  and  was  in  constant  expectation  of  an  attack.  Fields  could  not 
be  cultivated  except  in  close  proximity  to  the  blockhouses,  as  the 
farmers  were  in  danger  of  being  shot  down  and  scalped.  On  Sunday 
when  the  congregation  gathered  for  worship,  the  men  sat  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  church  aisles  with  loaded  muskets  quite  as  convenient  to 
their  hands  as  bibles  or  prayer  books,  and  they  ready  to  rush  out  and 
battle  for  their  lives  at  any  moment.  Hertel  de  Rouville  of  Montreal 
descended  upon  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in  February,  1704,  killed  part  of  the 
settlers  in  a  night  attack  and  marched  one  hundred  prisoners  away 
toward  Canada.     It  was  bitter  weather,  and  when  captives  succumbed 

149 


to  the  cold  they  were  killed  and  scalped.  The  remnant  were  sold  as 
slaves  to  the  Fi-ench  farmers  in  Canada.  Matters  grew  worse  instead 
of  better,  and  it  became  necessary  for  the  nations  to  engage  more 
seriously  and  fight  it  out  to  a  finish. 

The  Massachusetts  colonists  planned  to  capture  the  French  strong- 
holds on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  cut  off  their  communication  with 
France.  On  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton,  just  north  of  Nova  Scotia,  was 
a  fortress  of  great  strength,  commanding  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  It  was  called  Louisburg,  in  honor  of  the  king,  and  was 
the  Gibraltar  of  the  new  world.  An  expedition  of  four  hundred 
fishermen  and  farmers  was  made  up  in  New  England,  leaving  the 
women  to  plant  and  harvest  the  crops.  Setting  out  from  Marblehead, 
Mass.,  in  the  spring  of  1745,  under  command  of  Gen.  William  Pepper- 
ell,  they  laid  siege  to  Louisburg.  By  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  made  in 
1713,  Nova  Scotia  had  been  ceded  to  the  British,  and  Cape  Breton  was 
the  nearest  French  possession.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  fortress  it  may 
be  said  that  the  town,  two  and  one  half  miles  in  circumference,  was 
surrounded  by  a  wall  thirty  to  thirty-six  feet  high  and  by  a  deep  moat 
eighty  feet  wide.  It  lay  at  the  back  of  a  landlocked  bay  and  was  de- 
fended by  sixty-five  siege  guns  and  sixteen  mortars.  The  harbor  en- 
trance was  but  half  a  mile  wide  and  this  was  defended  by  a  battery  of 
thirty  cannon  on  each  side.  The  attacking  party  was  made  up  of 
farmers  and  fishermen,  who  had  embarked  in  one  hundred  small 
smacks,  and  were  supported  by  a  squadron  of  British  ships  under  Com- 
modore Warren  in  order  to  prevent  their  wholesale  capture  by  some 
French  warship.  These  undisciplined  farmers  charged  the  harbor 
batteries  and  captured  them,  and  in  fifty-five  days  compelled  the  sur- 
render of  the  place.  The  attempt  of  the  French  to  relieve  the  be- 
leaguered cit)^  failed,  and  a  ship  load  of  food  and  munitions  of  war  was 
captured  by  the  British  squadron.  Duchambon,  the  French  com- 
mandant, then  struck  his  flag.  After  this  brilliant  achievement  the 
fort  was  restored  to  France  three  years  later  by  the  treaty  of  Aix  la 
Chapelle.  In  1757  it  was  again  captured  by  General  Amherst  and 
General  Wolfe,  when  the  place  was  utterly  destroyed  and  the  in- 
habitants were  transported  to  France  in  British  ships. 

In  the  hope  of  securing  some  abatement  of  the  French  claims  to  ter- 
ritory in  the  west,  the  governor  of  New  York  and  the  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia counseled  together  and  finally  selected  a  young  surveyor  to 
present  a  remonstrance  to  the  French  commandant  at  Fort  Du  Quesne 

150 


(Pittsburg).  This  was  a  rude  settlement  at  the  junction  of  the  Alle- 
ghany and  Monongahela  Rivers,  forming  the  headwaters  of  the  Ohio. 
Virginia  settlers  had  obtained  some  land  patents  extending  into  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio,  but  the  French  and  Indians  refused  to  allow  them 
even  a  survey.  The  young  surveyor  who  went  to  lay  the  case  before 
Commandant  Legardeur  de  St.  Pierre  de  Repentigny  was  George  Wash- 
ington. He  found  Repentigny  at  Fort  Le  Boeuf  farther  up  the  Alle- 
ghany River,  and  was  courteously  treated,  but  was  not  allowed  to  sur- 
vey. An  attempt  to  erect  a  stockade  on  the  Monongahela  was  made 
by  the  British  in  February,  1754,  six  months  after  Washington's  visit, 
but  Captain  Contrecoeur  attacked  them  with  a  superior  force  and  drove 
them  out  of  the  region.  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  then  made  a  place  of 
considerable  strength,  and  when  it  was  finished  the  French  had  sixty 
strongholds,  mostly  blockhouses,  between  Quebec  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

The  next  step  in  the  wars  was  the  forcible  removal  by  the  English 
of  the  Acadians  who  had  settled  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  in 
1754.  Those  who  refused  to  swear  allegiance  to  the  English  crown, 
7,000  in  number,  were  scattered  all  over  the  country,  and  their  farms 
were  laid  waste.  This  event  gave  the  foundation  for  Longfellow's 
poem,  Evangeline.  In  the  following  year  General  Braddock  set  out 
from  Virginia  with  the  greatest  army  of  British  troops  which  ever 
crossed  the  Alleghanies,  to  capture  Fort  Du  Quesne.  The  story  of  his 
disastrous  defeat  on  July  9,  1755,  and  the  rescue  of  the  remnant  of  his 
force  by  Washington,  who  was  then  but  twenty  three  years  of  age,  is 
familiar  to  all  the  world.  Three  years  later  Washington  accompanied 
an  expedition  under  General  Forbes,  to  Fort  Du  Quesne  and  compelled 
the  French  to  abandon  it. 

At  this  period,  1756,  a  new  commander  appeared  at  Montreal  who 
was  so  active  and  successful  that  he  threatened  to  drive  the  British  out 
of  New  York.  Louis  Joseph  de  St.  Verain  Montcalm,  then  forty-four 
years  old,  had  won  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  battle  of  Piacenza,  in  the 
war  for  the  Austrian  succession.  He  was  regarded  as  an  able  com- 
mander, so  able  that  his  government  expected  him  to  win  with  undis- 
ciplined Canadian  farmers,  aided  by  the  Indians.  He  arrived  at  Quebec 
in  May,  1756,  and  captured  Fort  Ontario  at  Oswego,  August  14.  Next 
year  he  captured  Fort  William  Henry  at  the  head  of  Lake  George, 
which  was  held  by  a  garrison  of  2,500  men  and  defended  by  forty-two 
cannon.     The  half-famished  Frenchmen  and  Indians,  who  had  lived  by 

151 


the  chase  during  the  siege,  were  very  glad  to  get  the  provisions  in  the 
stores.  Montcalm  then  fortified  Fort  Carillon,  or  Ticonderoga,  in  the 
passage  between  Lake  Champlain  and  Lake  George.  Next  year  Gen- 
eral Abercrombie  marched  against  him  with  an  army  of  15,000  men, 
and  tried  to  take  the  fort  by  assault.  Montcalm  had  but  3,600  men, 
but  after  four  hours  of  fierce  fighting,  the  British  fled  in  disorder.  In- 
stead of  supplying  this  brilliant  commander  with  a  reasonable  force  of 
men,  and  enabling  him  to  go  on  with  his  campaign,  the  French  gov- 
ernment treated  him  with  neglect.  But  a  handful  of  men  could  be  left 
to  defend  the  forts  already  taken,  while  Montcalm  retired  to  make 
ready  at  Quebec  for  a  siege  which  was  preparing  against  it. 

Then  the  kaleidoscope  of  national  politics  took  another  turn  which 
completely  altered  the  conditions  between  France  and  England.  France 
was  hampered  in  her  colonial  advancement  by  Nicholas  Fouquet,  her 
minister  of  finance.  Instead  of  employing  the  national  funds  where 
they  were  imperatively  demanded,  he  applied  them  to  the  furtherance 
of  his  own  schemes,  in  the  mean  time  spending  18,000,000  livres  on  his 
private  residence. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Rise  of  William  Pitt  in  England — His  Aggressive  Territorial  Policy  Culminates 
in  a  Border  War — The  French  are  Beaten  at  Every  Point — Quebec,  Montreal,  De- 
troit and  Du  Quesne  Surrendered  to  the  British— 1755-1760. 

In  England  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  brilliant  statesmen  of  her 
history  was  waiting  for  recognition.  William  Pitt  had  successfully  op- 
posed the  policy  of  Walpole,  and  gained  so  much  popularity  with  the 
people  that  George  II  hated  him  beyond  endurance,  and  in  order  to  get 
him  out  of  parliament  made  him  joint  vice-treasurer  for  Ireland  and 
paymaster  in  the  army.  Lord  Pelham,  the  prime  minister,  wanted  him 
for  secretary  of  state,  but  the  king  would  not  allow  it.  Subsequently 
the  cabinet  appointed  him  to  that  office,  but  the  king  dismissed  him. 
Affairs  in  America  and  other  quarters  were  going  to  the  dogs  and  the 
people  compelled  the  king  to  accept  Pitt  as  secretary  of  state  in  1 757. 
In  a  short  time  his  talents  made  him  virtually  prime  minister.  From 
that  moment  the  fortunes  of  England  changed.      Pitt  outlined  a  vigor- 

152 


HENRY  CLAY  HODGES. 


ons  policy  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war  in  America,  resolving-  to  save 
the  colonies  at  all  hazards  and  to  drive  the  French  out  of  the  North. 
He  planned  to  send  General  Amherst  to  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point,  and  then  Amherst  was  to  proceed  down  Lake  Cham- 
plain  to  join  General  Wolfe  at  Quebec  and  lay  siege  to  that  stronghold. 

General  Prideaux  was  sent  against  the  fort  at  Niagara,  and  after  cap- 
turing it  he  too  was  to  join  the  Quebec  expedition.  Pitt  knew  that  the 
French  garrisons  were  weak  in  numbers  and  poorly  provisioned,  but 
he  did  not  appreciate  the  difficulties  involved  in  long  marches  through 
the  wilderness. 

In  July,  1759,  General  Prideaux  arrived  at  Niagara,  where  he  found 
that  the  French  garrison  was  about  to  be  reinforced  from  the  fort  at 
Presque  Isle,  now  Erie;  from  Fort  Venango,  on  Oil  Creek,  Pa.,  and 
from  Detroit.  At  the  first  attempt  against  the  fort  General  Prideaux 
was  instantly  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  gun.  Sir  William  Johnson, 
who  was  to  be  a  figure  of  some  importance  in  the  history  of  Detroit  in 
after  years,  succeeded  to  the  command.  The  reinforcements  were 
routed  before  they  could  join  the  garrison,  and  Fort  Niagara  surren- 
dered with  six  hundred  men,  the  prisoners  being  sent  to  New  York. 
Sir  William  remained  at  the  fort  and  did  not  attempt  to  join  Wolfe. 
General  Amherst  captured  the  two  forts  on  Lake  Champlain  and  then 
went  into  winter  quarters  at  Crown  Point. 

Gen.  James  Wolfe  was  a  young  man  of  thirty-two  years,  son  of 
Colonel  Wolfe,  who  had  fought  under  Marlborough.  He  had  seen 
service  at  Dettingen,  Fontenoy  and  La  Feldt,  and  his  soldierly  gifts 
won  Pitt's  favor.  Though  inexperienced  as  a  commander,  he  was 
selected  to  head  an  expedition  of  8,000  trained  regulars,  which  sailed 
from  England  February  17,  1759,  and  Generals  Monckton,  Townshend 
and  Murray  were  his  brigade  commanders.  He  arrived  before  Quebec 
June  26,  1759,  and  while  waiting  for  Amherst  and  Prideaux  to  join 
him,  made  a  careful  reconnoissance  of  the  citadel.  He  found  it  a  place 
of  considerable  strength,  built  at  the  extremity  of  a  tongue  of  high  land 
which  formed  one  bank  of  the  river.  The  fort  was  a  promontory, 
rising  335  feet  above  the  river.  Its  cannon  commanded  the  lowlands 
forming  the  natural  approach,  and  the  only  apparent  approach  for 
attack  on  the  level  was  from  far  up  the  river.  On  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  stream  is  a  commanding  position  called  Point  Levis,  and  there 
Wolfe  planted  batteries  to  cover  assaults  on  the  height.  The  space  ad- 
joining the  fort  was  a  plain  of  about  fifty  acres  called  the  Heights  of 

153 

20 


Abraham.  Monckton  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  batteries  at  Point 
Levis  and  a  bombardment  was  begun,  but  the  limited  range  and  small 
calibre  of  his  cannon  made  the  attempt  useless.  Discouraged  with 
waiting  for  reinforcements,  Wolfe  ordered  an  assault  up  the  slope  from 
Lower  Town  by  his  grenadiers,  but  they  were  repulsed  with  consider- 
able loss,  and  an  attack  from  the  lower  level  was  found  to  be  imprac- 
ticable with  the  force  at  his  command. 

Wolfe  was  a  nervous  man,  of  delicate  constitution,  and  the  failure 
threw  him  into  a  fever,  but  he  would  not  abandon  his  duty.  Counsel- 
ing with  his  generals,  he  resolved  to  try  a  night  attack  by  sending  his 
best  regiment,  Eraser's  Highlanders,  to  scale  the  precipice  of  more 
than  three  hundred  feet  in  order  to  secure  a  footing  on  the  level  with 
the  French.  Several  bateaux  loaded  with  men  were  sent  up  the  river, 
and  Montcalm,  suspecting  the  design  of  his  enemy,  sent  Colonel  de 
Bougainville  with  1,500  men  to  Point  Rouge,  nine  miles  up  the  river, 
to  repel  an  attack  at  what  was  supposed  to  be  the  nearest  vulnerable 
point.  On  the  night  of  September  13  boats  from  the  British  fleet 
brought  a  force  of  men  under  the  precipice. 

"  Qui  vive?  "  cried  a  sentinel  from  the  heights  above. 

"France,"  answered  a  Scottish  officer  who  could  speak  French. 

"  Quel  regiment?  " 

"  De  la  Reine,"  replied  the  officer. 

The  sentinel  was  satisfied  and  did  not  ask  for  the  countersign,  as  a 
French  convoy  of  provisions  was  expected  from  above.  In  a  few  min- 
utes the  boats  landed,  and  Wolfe  and  Fraser's  Highlanders  climbed  up 
the  dark  heights,  clinging  to  the  bushes  and  to  crevices  in  the  rocks. 
The  greatest  precautions  were  observed  to  avoid  giving  an  alarm,  and  the 
guns  and  accoutrements  were  hauled  up  by  cords  after  a  number  of 
men  had  gained  the  summit.  At  daybreak  the  sentinels  of  the  citadel 
were  astonished  to  find  a  strong  force  of  British  soldiers  on  the  plateau 
ready  for  battle.  They  were  dirty  and  ragged  from  their  long  scram- 
ble up  the  sides  of  the  cliff,  but  they  were  grim  and  determined.  All 
was  confusion  in  a  moment.  Fearing  an  immediate  attack,  and  sus- 
pecting that  the  whole  British  army  was  upon  him,  Montcalm  hurried 
out  a  skirmishing  party  to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  until  his  main  body 
could  form  for  a  charge.  The  skirmish  line  straggled  toward  the  line 
of  Highlanders  and  began  a  scattered  firing,  which  produced  little  ef- 
fect. Then  Montcalm  mustered  his  scanty  and  ill-fed  force  for  an  as- 
sault to  repel  the  invaders.      Where  was  de  Bougainville  now?     The 

154 


clever  fighter  with  his  1,500  musketeers  would  be  worth  an  empire.  A 
dust  cloud  five  miles  away  showed  where  they  were  hurriedly  tramping 
back  to  the  citadel,  having  found  that  the  movement  of  the  British  up 
the  river  had  been  but  a  ruse.  The  column  of  French  soldiers  filed  out 
of  the  citadel  and  formed  in  line  of  battle,  then  marched  toward  the 
line  of  red  coats.  In  front  on  horseback  came  the  bronzed  figure, 
Montcalm,  the  hero  of  many  fights.  He  was  taken  at  a  disadvantage, 
but  his  eagle  eye  sparkled  with  the  light  of  battle,  and  his  fierce  mous- 
tache bristled  with  impetuous  rage.  Opposed  to  him  was  a  thin,  red 
line  of  men  whose  valor  was  unquestioned.  They  must  hold  their  ground 
or  die  in  the  attempt.  Pale,  slender  and  beardless  stood  the  gallant 
Wolfe,  the  ghastly  pallor  of  his  face  relieved  by  the  flush  of  the  fever 
which  still  racked  his  bones.  He  knew  that  he  had  been  selected  for 
this  important  task  by  Pitt  against  the  advice  of  other  statesmen ;  and 
he  was  there  to  defend  the  honor  of  England  and  the  judgment  of  his 
friend  and  patron. 

"  Hold  your  fire,  my  boys,  until  I  give  the  word.  Don't  waste  a 
single  shot.      Stand  firm  for  Old  England  and  the  victory  is  ours." 

The  voice  of  the  young  commander  went  down  the  line,  and  at  his 
inspiring  words  every  man  nerved  himself  for  the  death  struggle. 
Montcalm  realized  that  the  first  onset  would  decide  the  fortune  of  the 
day,  and  his  men  were  also  directed  to  hold  their  fire.  On  came  the 
French  at  a  jog  trot,  while  the  Highlanders  stood  silent  and  grim. 
There  was  a  nervous  fingering  of  firelocks  as  the  French  came  within 
one  hundred  yards,  and  every  eye  was  on  the  young  general,  eager  for 
the  word.  On  came  the  French  without  faltering,  and  all  the  time  the 
muskets  of  the  skirmishers  were  popping.  A  few  of  the  red  coats 
went  down  and  others  stood  in  line  with  widening  blotches  of  blood 
staining  their  uniforms.  Fifty  yards  separated  the  two  lines  and 
a  few  more  strides  would  bring  them  into  collision.  The  sword  of 
Wolfe  was  raised  high  above  his  head  as  the  word  "  Ready  "  came  like 
a  trumpet  note  from  his  lips.  Down  flashed  the  gleaming  sword;  the 
command  "Fire"  rang  out;  a  double  roll  of  musketry  with  its  flashes 
of  fire  and  singing  of  bullets  ran  along  both  lines.  The  commands 
had  been  obeyed  by  both  bodies  of  troops  and  both  were  swept  by 
deadly  volleys  at  the  same  instant. 

Wolfe  received  three  musket  balls  in  his  body,  and  sank  with  a  mor- 
tal wound  that  threw  his  weight  upon  the  nearest  Highlander's  shoul- 
der. 

155 


"  Hold  me  up,"  he  whispered,  "don't  let  my  brave  boys  see  me  fall 
Forward!  charge  them,  boys." 

"They  run!     See  how  they  run,"  cried  a  voice. 

"Who  run?"  asked  Wolfe. 

"The  enemy,  sir,  give  way  everywhere  " 

"Go  one  of  you  to  Colonel  Burton,"  directed  the  dying  man;  "tell 
him  to  march  Webb's  regiment  down  to  Charles  River  to  cut  off  their 
retreat  by  the  bridge." 

Then  turning  on  his  side  he  murmured:  "Now  God  be  praised,  I 
will  die  in  peace;"  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  drew  his  last  breath. 

Montcalm  on  horseback  was  driven  by  the  rush  of  fugitives  into  the 
town.  As  he  approached  the  walls  he  was  shot  through  the  body. 
When  he  was  told  that  he  would  die  he  said:  "  So  much  the  better;  I 
shall  not  live  to  see  the  surrender  of  Quebec." 

The  great  stronghold  of  the  St.  Lawrence  had  fallen  and  thus  Can- 
ada and  the  Northwest  virtually  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  British  on 
September  13,  1759,  although  the  capitulation  of  Montreal  and  the 
formal  surrender  of  all  Canada  did  not  take  place  until  the  following 
year,  when  Montreal  surrendered  September  8,  1760. 

This  blow  must  have  paralyzed  the  remnant  of  the  French  govern- 
ment, for  information  was  not  forwarded  to  Detroit.  Commandant 
Bellestre  was  holding  himself  in  readiness  to  obey  commands  or  to 
repel  invaders  when  Major  Robert  Rogers  appeared  at  the  mouth  of 
Detroit  River  with  a  portion  of  the  Royal  American  Regiment,  made  up 
of  British  colonists  and  a  portion  of  the  Eightieth  Regiment.  Bellestre 
was  an  able  commander,  and  in  consequence  of  the  activity  of  the 
British,  who  were  pressing  the  French  posts  in  the  east,  had  succeeded 
in  massing  a  strong  force  at  Fort  Pontchartrain,  and  had  accumulated  a 
quantity  of  military  stores  to  be  available  for  strengthening  the  sta- 
tions farther  east  whenever  they  were  menaced.  The  fall  of  Louis- 
burg,  Fort  Frontenac,  Niagara,  Du  Quesne  and  Quebec  must  have 
been  the  occasion  of  much  discussion  at  Detroit  in  those  last  days,  but 
still  the  commandant  appeared  to  think  his  government  was  secure. 
Major  Rogers  came  from  Niagara,  part  of  his  force  coming  in  bateaux, 
which  also  carried  supplies  for  the  fort,  while  the  remainder  marched 
along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  driving  a  small  herd  of  cattle  with 
them.  They  camped  one  night  near  the  Cuyahoga  River,  when  a 
number  of  Indian  chiefs  entered  their  camp.  The  leader  of  the  dele- 
gation was  Pontiac,  the  head  of  the  Ottawa  tribe.  He  was  stern  and 
bold  in  demeanor. 

156 


"How  is  it  you  have  come  into  my  territory  without  invitation  or 
permission?     Is  your  business  peace  or  war?"  he  asked. 

"I  have  come  in  the  name  of  the  great  king  of  England  to  take 
possession  of  Detroit,"  replied  Rogers. 

"This  is  my  country;  it  does  not  belong  to  the  great  king;  my  peo- 
ple control  all  the  country  of  the  lakes,"  replied  Pontiac. 

"We  do  not  want  your  lands  or  your  hunting  grounds,"  said 
Rogers,  "We  want  to  trade  with  you  as  we  trade  with  the  Iroquois 
in  the  East.  We  give  better  trade  for  furs  than  the  French.  We  have 
conquered  the  French  and  I  have  the  submission  of  their  governor  at 
Quebec.  When  we  have  taken  possession  at  Detroit,  you  will  be  glad 
and  all  your  people  will  come  to  trade  with  the  English,  who  do  not 
cheat  them  as  the  French  have  done." 

Pontiac  stood  eyeing  the  major  keenly  for  a  time.      Then  he  said: 

"  I  will  stand  in  your  path  until  morning  and  will  protect  you  from 
harm;  at  daylight  you  may  proceed  safely  on  your  way." 

The  proud  savage  gathered  his  blanket  about  his  shoulders  and 
stalked  into  the  gloom  of  the  November  night.  He  made  no  servile 
surrender,  but  had  placed  the  invading  force  under  his  protection,  as  if 
he  had  been  commander  of  a  superior  army. 

When  the  British  soldiers  were  approaching  Detroit,  the  Indian  run- 
ners brought  in  word  that  the  French  were  to  be  turned  away.  Bel- 
lestre  drew  a  rude  picture  of  a  crow  eating  from  the  top  of  a  man's 
head,  hung  it  at  the  gate  of  the  fort,  and  told  the  Indians  that  he  was 
the  crow  and  that  he  would  presently  pick  out  the  brains  of  the  Eng- 
lish soldiers.  The  Indians  doubted  it  and  waited.  Rogers  sent  to  the 
French  commandant  a  report  of  the  surrender,  and  made  a  formal 
demand  for  the  possession  of  the  fort.  At  first  Bellestre  thought  a 
trick  was  being  attempted,  and  he  asked  time  to  consider.  It  was 
granted  and  indubitable  evidence  was  furnished  in  the  correspondence 
that  followed  to  show  that  French  rule  was  at  an  end  in  the  North,  and 
so  the  truth  came  at  last  to  Picote  de  Bellestre,  a  brave  soldier  of  ex- 
cellent family,  who  had  been  made  a  knight  of  St.  Louis  for  military 
prowess.  He  called  his  garrison  to  an  assembly  and  gave  public 
notice  that  New  France  had  been  turned  over  to  the  British  crown. 
With  rolling  drum  and  proper  military  salute,  the  standard  of  France 
was  hauled  down  from  the  staff  where  it  had  waved  for  fifty-nine 
years,  and  the  garrison  marched  out  the  gates  of  the  fort.  The 
British  marched  in  with  flying  colors  and  beating  drums,  and  the  royal 

157 


standard  of  Great  Britain  was  flung  to  the  breeze  with  rousing  cheers. 
The  placard  was  thrown  down  and  the  Indians  transferred  their  alle- 
giance from  the  vanquished  to  the  victors,  and  greeted  the  discomfited 
commandant  with  yells  of  derision.  A  new  regime  was  installed  which 
was  believed  to  be  perpetual,  but  thirty-six  years  later  the  British  were 
destined  to  march  out  as  the  French  had  done,  leaving  all  the  country 
south  and  west  of  the  great  lakes  to  the  possession  of  a  nation  which 
was  to  rise  from  the  soil  of  the  new  world. 

The  French  waited  until  the  war  of  the  Revolution  for  their  revenge. 
At  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  Detroit  Count  de  Vergennes  made  a 
prophecy  which  commanded  little  attention  at  the  time.  "This  triumph 
will  be  fatal  to  England  "  said  he;  "  the  colonies  are  now  able  to  pro- 
tect themselves  without  aid  from  the  home  government;  their  ability 
to  take  care  of  themselves  will  make  them  headstrong;  they  will  pres- 
ently refuse  to  contribute  toward  the  expenses  of  the  home  government, 
and  v/hen  England  attempts  to  coerce  them  they  will  surely  strike  for 
their  independence. "  Sixteen  years  later  his  prophecy  came  to  pass, 
and  when  the  war  was  wavering  in  the  balance,  and  the  case  of  the  col- 
onists appeared  hopeless,  France  sent  La  Fayette,  De  Grasse  and  other 
leaders,  with  ships  and  troops  to  help  the  colonists  win  their  indepen- 
dence. 

By  these  brilliant  and  substantial  victories  over  the  French  Great 
Britain  won  the  whole  of  Canada  and  the  Northwest  and  the  cession 
was  formally  made  by  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763. 

Commenting  on  this  momentous  event  John  Fiske  says:  "  It  maybe 
said  of  the  treaty  of  Paris  that  no  other  treaty  ever  transferred  such  an 
immense  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  from  one  nation  to  another. 
But  such  a  statement,  after  all,  gives  no  adequate  idea  of  the  enormous 
results  which  the  genesisof  English  liberty  had  for  ages  been  preparing, 
and  which  had  now  found  definite  expression  in  the  policy  of  the  English 
prime  minister,  William  Pitt.  The  10th  of  February,  1763,  might  not 
unfitly  be  celebrated  as  the  proudest  day  in  the  history  of  England ;  for 
on  that  day  it  was  made  clear — had  any  one  eyes  to  discern  the  future 
and  read  between  the  lines  of  this  portentous  treaty — that  she  was 
destined  to  become  the  revered  mother  of  many  free  and  enlightened 
nations,  all  speaking  the  matchless  language  which  the  English  Bible 
has  forever  consecrated,  and  earnest  in  carrying  out  the  sacred  ideas  for 
which  Latimer  suffered  and  Hampden  fought.  It  was  proclaimed  on 
that  day  that  the  institutions  of  the  Roman  empire,  however  useful  in 

158 


their  time,  were  at  last  outgrown  and  superseded,  and  that  the  guidance 
of  the  world  was  henceforth  to  be,  not  in  the  hands  of  imperial  bureaus 
or  papal  conclaves,  but  in  the  hands  of  honest  labor  and  the  preachers 
of  righteousness,  unhampered  by  ritual  or  dogma.  The  independence 
of  the  United  States  was  the  first  great  lesson  which  was  drawn  from 
this  solemn  proclamation.  Our  own  history  to-day  is  the  first  extended 
commentary  which  is  gradually  unfolding  to  men's  minds  the  latest 
significance  of  the  compact  by  which  the  vanquished  old  regime  of 
France  renounced  its  pretensions  to  guide  the  world." 

But  Detroit  and  Michigan  had  to  pass  through  many  trials  and 
bloody  experiences  before  she  reached  the  goal  of  human  freedom.  An 
isolated  trading  post  on  the  borders  of  civilization,  her  importance  was 
either  forgotten  or  ignored  amid  the  pressing  concerns  of  other  and 
more  important  centers  of  civilization,  and  it  was  not  until  thirteen 
years  after  the  Revolution  had  been  fought  and  won  that  she  was 
allowed  to  become  an  integral  portion  of  the  great  American  republic. 

THE    FRENCH    COMMANDANTS. 

During  the  fifty-nine  years  of  the  French  regime  in  Detroit  the  post 
at  Fort  Pontchartrain  was  presided  over  by  eighteen  different  com- 
mandants and  the  rule  was  divided  into  twenty-four  terms.  Cadillac 
expected  to  be  the  permanent  commandant  when  the  post  was  estab- 
lished, and  he  hoped  to  enjoy  all  the  benefits  of  trading,  rents  and  seig- 
norial  dues  while  he  built  up  a  populous  colony  about  him.  His  hopes 
were  dashed,  and  then  the  office  of  commandant  became  a  rotating  po- 
litical preferment  with  which  the  governors  general  could  reward  their 
friends  and  favorites. 

From  1701  to  1704  Antoine  de  La  Mothe  Cadillac  ruled.  While  he 
was  absent  and  on  trial  for  alleged  malfeasance  in  office,  his  companion 
and  second  in  command,  Alphonse  de  Tonty,  was  in  charge  from  Sep- 
tember until  February,  while  Lieut.  August  de  Bourgmont  was  making 
his  way  from  Montreal. 

Bourgmont  remained  until  Cadillac  was  sent  back  to  settle  the  In- 
dian trouble  in  1706,  and  from  that  time  the  original  commandant  re- 
mained at  the  post  until  1711,  although  he  was  relieved  of  command  in 
the  fall  of  1710  by  Joseph  Guyon  Dubuisson,  who  brought  his  appoint- 
ment as  governor  of  Louisiana. 

Dubuisson  remained  in  charge  from  the  fall  of  1710  until  the  fall  of 
1712,    when    the    regularly   appointed    successor  of    Cadillac,    Francis 

159 


Dauphine  de  la  Forest  had  recovered  from  an  illness  and  was  able  to 
take  command  in  person. 

Two  years  later  La  Forest  was  deposed,  because  of  his  infirmities, 
and  in  1714,  Jacques  Charles  Sabrevois  came  to  act  as  commandant. 
At  this  time  it  was  decided  that  the  term  of  a  commandant  should  be 
three  years  or  during  good  behavior. 

Sabrevois's  term  appears  to  have  been  uneventful  and  he  was  relieved 
in  1717  by  Henry  Tonty,  son  of  old   "  Bras  de  Fer"  (Iron  Hand). 

Tonty,  it  would  appear,  was  but  a  commandant  pro  tern,  until  the 
appointee,  Sieur  Francois  de  Louvigny,  should  arrive  two  months  later. 
Louvigny  remained  for  three  years  and  in  1720  was  relieved  by  the 
appointment  of  Charles  Joseph  de  Noyelle. 

Noyelle's  term  was  limited  to  a  few  months  and  then  the  audacious 
and  unscrupulous  trickster,  Alphonse  de  Tonty,  whose  fingers  had  long 
been  itching  for  a  chance  at  the  revenues  of  the  post,  was  appointed 
commandant.  So  well  did  Tonty  pull  his  political  wires  that  in  spite  of 
flagrant  abuses  against  the  government  and  in  spite  of  the  protests  of 
the  residents  at  the  post,  he  remained  in  power  for  seven  years  through 
his  influence  with  Governors  Vaudreuil,  Longueuil  and  de  Beauharnois 
successively.     He  died  at  Detroit  in  1727. 

M.  Joseph  Le  Pernouche  was  made  temporary  commandant  and  served 
nearly  a  year. 

In  1728  Jean  Baptiste  Deschaillions  de  St.  Ours,  a  captain  in  the 
French  army  at  Quebec,  was  sent  to  Detroit.  St.  Ours  was  probably 
better  fitted  for  the  duties  of  a  soldier  than  for  those  of  a  civil  ruler, 
for  he  was  relieved  after  eight  months  by  M.  de  Boishebert. 

Boishebert  was  a  very  able  man  and  remained  in  office  for  two  full 
terms.  Hughes  Jacques  Pean  de  Livandiere  came  next  in  1734,  but 
he  inaugurated  a  policy  of  plunder  and  was  soon  deposed. 

Lieutenant  Sabrevois  had  been  promoted  to  a  captaincy,  and  he  came 
again  in  1734  and  served  nearly  four  years. 

Chailes  Joseph  de  Noyelle  was  given  a  second  term  in  1738. 

Pierre  Poyen  de  Noyan  followed  in  1741,  and  was  relieved  in  1742  by 
Pierre  de  Celeron  de  Bienville. 

Celeron  retired  in  1743,  and  Joseph  Le  Moyne,  Sieur  de  Longueuil, 
came  for  two  successive  terms  which  terminated  in  1749. 

The  now  aged  Charles  Jacques  Sabrevois  relieved  Longueuil  of  his 
command  in  1749,  but  he  retired  in  1751,  when  Pierre  de  Celeron  was 
sent  again  to  the  post. 

160 


JOHN   T.   RICH. 


Celeron  remained  a  full  term  and  was  relieved  by  the  appointment 
of  Jacques  d'Anon,  Sieur  de  Muy.  This  commandant  remained  until 
1758  and  saw  the  closing  in  of  the  great  struggle  which  deprived  the 
French  of  Canada  and  the  Northwest. 

Francois  Marie  Picote  de  Bellestre,  a  man  of  unusual  military  ability 
and  great  energy,  was  the  last  commandant  of  the  French  at  Detroit. 
He  came  in  1758  and  directed  the  provisioning  and  reinforcing  of  the 
posts  south  of  Lake  Erie  during  the  war  with  the  British,  but  he  was 
compelled  to  surrender  Detroit  to  the  British  in  1760. 

In  the  foregoing  relation  of  the  French  efforts  to  extend  the  sov- 
ereignty of  that  country  in  America,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  were  not 
good  colonizers,  and  in  this  respect  were  very  much  inferior  to  their 
British  rivals.  The  French  sought  to  perpetuate  in  the  western  wilds 
the  same  feudal  systems  that  obtained  in  Normandy  and  Languedoc, 
the  vital  defect  of  which  was  that  tracts  of  land  and  trade  monopolies 
were  bestowed  upon  the  few,  thus  compelling  the  many  to  labor  and 
pay  tribute,  and  remain  is  hopeless  semi  servitude.  The  vast  domain 
of  New  France,  which  might  have  blossomed  as  a  rose  under  liberal 
disposition  of  the  lands  to  farmers  and  settlers,  practically  remained  a 
wilderness  at  the  expiration  of  148  years  of  French  rule.  As  late  as 
1734  the  entire  population  of  New  France  was  only  34,516.  In  1760, 
when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  it  was  probably  not  more 
than  40,000. 

Between  the  years  1612  and  1760  twenty  five  French  governors  ruled 
over  New  France  from  Quebec.     They  were : 

1612-1635 — Samuel  de  Champlain. 

1635-1636— Marc  Antoine  de  Chateaufort. 

1636-1648— Charles  Huoult  de  Montmagny. 

1648-1651 — Louis  d'Aillebout  de  Coulonges. 

1651-1656— Jean  de  Lauson. 

1656 — Charles  de  Lauson-Charnay. 

1657 — Louis  d'Aillebout  de  Coulonges  (second  term). 

1658-1661 — Pierre  de  Voyer,  Viscount  d'Argenson. 

1661-1663 — Pierre  du  Bois,  Baron  d'Avangour. 

1663 — Chevalier  Augustin  de  Saffrey-Mesy. 

1663-1665 — Alexandre  de  Prouville,  Marquis  de  Tracey. 

1665-1672— ChevaHer  Daniel  Remey  de  Courcelles. 

1672-1682 — Louis  de  Buade,  Count  de  Pelluanet  de  Frontenac. 

1682-1685— Antoine  Joseph  le  Febre  de  la  Barre. 

161 


1085-1689 — Jacques  Rene  de  Brissy,  Marquis  Denonville. 

1689-1099 — Count  Frontenac  (second  term). 

1099-1703 — Chevalier  Louis  Hector  de  Callieres. 

1703-1725 — Philip  Rigaud,  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil. 

1735-1726 — Charles  de  le  Moyne,  Baron  de  Longueuil. 

1726-1747 — Charles,  Marquis  de  Beauharnois. 

1747-1749 — Roland  Michel  Barriu,  Count  de  Gallissoniere. 

1749-1752 — Jacques  Pierre  de  Taffanel,  Marquis  de  la  Jonquiere. 

1752 — Charles  de  le  Moyne,  Baron  de  Longueuil  (second  term). 

1752-1755 — Marquis  Duquesne  de  Menneville. 

1755-1760 — Pierre  Francois,  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil-Casagnal. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


The  British  Take  Possession  of  Detroit — Pontiac  Demands  Recognition  of  Them 
— The  Indians  Prefer  Frenchmen  Who  Treat  Them  as  Equals — They  Show  an  In- 
clination to  Attack  the  Newcomers — 1760. 

There  was  naturally  great  rejoicing  among  the  New  York  and  New 
England  settlers  over  the  great  triumph  of  the  British,  for  the  trouble 
with  the  French  was  at  an  end  and  it  was  believed  that  the  Indian 
wars  would  also  cease.  The  war  with  the  French  was  at  an  end  on  the 
continent,  although  it  continued  until  1763  on  the  sea,  and  the  settlers 
were  still  in  the  midst  of  perils  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  As  has 
been  shown  in  the  foregoing  pages,  the  American  Indians  had  been 
generally  divided  into  two  opposing  factions,  one  fighting  the  battles  of 
the  French,  the  other  the  battles  of  the  British.  Now  that  strife  was 
apparently  at  an  end.  The  French  no  longer  fought  their  conquerors, 
but  they  were  smarting  under  defeat,  and  in  revenge  they  worked  upon 
the  prejudices  of  the  savages.  The  British  were  not  as  congenial  with 
the  Indians  as  the  French  had  been,  because  they  treated  them  as  in- 
feriors, and  it  soon  became  apparant  that  the  contest  between  two  na- 
tions for  territory  had  given  place  to  a  contest  between  the  British  and 
the  Indians.  This  tended  to  unite  the  heretofore  unreconcilable  Iro- 
quois and  Algonquins  against  what  was  now  their  common  enemy 
By  the  terms  of  settlement  those  of  the  French  colonists  who  chose 
could   remain   in   the   colony   and  retain  most  of  their  former  rights- 

162 


those  who  chose  to  leave  could  do  so  by  disposing  of  their  property 
under  the  approval  of  the  British  commandant.  Several  who  had  aided 
the  Indians  in  the  siege  of  Detroit  were  severely  punished,  but  most  of 
those  who  had  been  in  open  hostility  escaped  to  St.  Louis,  on  Peoria 
Lake,  in  what  is  now  Illinois,  then  part  of  Louisiana.  Ten  years  be- 
fore the  surrender  the  Chevalier  Repentigny  had  obtained  a  grant  of 
seigniory  over  lands  near  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  had  erected  a  fort  and 
several  houses  inside  his  stockade,  but  upon  the  surrender  he  aban- 
doned his  land  and  returned  to  France.  Lieutenant  Jamette  was  sent 
to  take  possession  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  but  for  some  time  after  the  Brit- 
ish had  become  masters  of  the  country  the  island  of  Mackinac  was 
abandoned  to  the  Chippewas,  who  had  a  village  there.  When  Com- 
mandant Bellestre  had  been  escorted  by  British  soldiers  away  toward 
the  sea,  there  remained  of  the  settlement  at  Detroit  about  300  dwell- 
ings and  perhaps  2,000  inhabitants.  This  was  the  estimate  of  Major 
Rogers,  who  received  the  surrender,  and  it  is  probably  very  nearly  cor- 
rect. The  French  had  fallen  into  the  customs  of  the  Indians,  ,and 
many  families  held  as  slaves  Indian  captives,  whom  they  had  purchased 
from  victorious  warriors.  These  and  a  few  Africans  were  recognized 
as  property  by  the  British,  and  the  owners  retained  possession.  These 
Indian  slaves  were  captives  who  had  been  brought  from  the  South  and 
Southwest  by  victorious  war  parties,  and  so  many  of  them  were  Paw- 
nees that  the  name  Pawnee  or  Pani  was  applied  to  all.  They  were  later 
given  their  freedom,  but  some  lived  about  the  settlement  to  the  day  of 
their  deaths,  and  Judge  Burnett,  in  his  "  Notes  on  the  Northwest  States, " 
says  that  the  last  of  the  lot  was  in  the  employ  of  Judge  Woodbridge. 
The  French  settlers  at  Detroit  were  well  treated  and  professed  to  be 
grateful  for  the  change.  They  had  endured  great  privations  during 
the  preceding  seven  years,  as  all  the  government  appropriations  had 
gone  to  strengthen  the  two  cities  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  even  those 
had  been  but  meagerly  maintained. 

In  a  letter  written  November  2,  1760,  by  Captain  Donald  Campbell, 
the  first  British  commandant,  to  his  superior,  Colonel  Boquet,  who  was 
stationed  at  Presque  Isle  (Erie),  he  says:  "We  experienced  some  bad 
weather  on  the  lake  during  our  voyage  to  this  place  and  lost  one  man 
overboard.  Our  ammunition  was  considerably  damaged,  so  that  we 
are  in  immediate  need  of  more.  Mr.  Navarre,  the  civil  officer  of  the 
post,  will  continue  in  his  old  capacity  until  he  can  teach  his  successor 
the  duties  of  his  office.     We  find  the  fort  badly  off  for  all  supplies  and 

163 


the  inhabitants  in  sore  distress.  T\\e  stockade  is  one  of  the  best  I  have 
ever  seen;  but  we  must  have  food  and  ammunition,  and  I  fear  it  will 
be  a  hard  matter  to  bring  them  by  water  at  this  time  of  the  year."  In 
another  letter  written  December  11,  1760,  he  says:  "I  am  greatly 
obliged  for  the  flour  you  sent.  It  was  twenty  three  days  on  the  way 
and  somewhat  damaged.  The  ammunition  came  safely.  Captain  Waite 
brought  with  him  thirty-three  barrels  of  pork  (all  Major  Walters  could 
spare  him)  and  it  will  be  a  great  relief.  We  have  also  eleven  bullocks. 
M.  Navarre,  a  most  excellent  man,  has  undertaken  to  furnish  us  with 
20,000  pounds  of  flour,  100  bushels  of  peas  and  100  bushels  of  corn 
We  pay  the  same  rate  as  the  French  king  allowed  for  flour,  fifty  shillings 
per  hundred  weight.  Indians  are  furnishing  venison  at  a  moderate 
price.  Major  Rogers  has  about  stripped  us  in  supplying  the  adjoining 
posts  [at  Maumee  and  Sandusky],  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  food  the 
commander  at  Mackinaw  has  been  obliged  to  take  his  men  to  winter 
among  the  Indians.  Lieutenant  Butler  and  his  rangers  are  living  among 
the  Ottawas  at  the  Miami  [Maumee]  post.  At  the  point  where  he  is 
stationed  he  is  but  nine  miles  from  the  Wabash  River.  I  hope  you  will 
encourage  trade  with  Pittsburg,  for  I  cannot  persuade  the  men  to  go 
there  with  their  horses;  they  are  so  accustomed  to  canoes." 

A  new  era  seemed  about  to  dawn.  The  British,  who  have  always 
been  the  most  successful  colonists,  resolved  to  explore  the  interior  of 
the  country  and  open  up  the  lands  for  settlement.  Their  predecessors 
had  looked  for  nothing  but  furs  and  gold  mines,  without  stopping  to 
consider  that  the  agricultural  products  of  the  soil  are  always  more  val- 
uable than  all  other,  taking  everything  in  the  aggregate.  During  the 
three  years  in  which  the  treaty  of  peace  was  pending,  little  was  done. 
The  old  regulations  governing  the  settlements  of  New  France  continued 
in  operation,  but  the  land-lookers  were  abroad  searching  out  the  rich 
prairie  lands,  the  oak  openings  and  the  timbered  areas. 

This  territory  was  under  the  control  of  Sir  William  Johnson  and 
Gen.  Thomas  Gage,  who  were  lieutenants  of  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  gov- 
ernor-general of  the  British  colony.  Although  Major  Rogers  and 
Colonel  Croghan,  who  led  the  British  troops  to  Detroit,  were  his 
superior  officers,  Capt.  Donald  Campbell,  of  the  Royal  American 
Regiment,  was  made  commandant  pending  the  settlement  of  peace. 
The  reason  for  this  choice  does  not  appear.  Croghan  and  Rogers  un- 
dertook to  reconcile  the  Indians  to  the  change  of  government.  Un- 
scrupulous British  traders  flocked  into  the  region  from  which  they  had 

164 


so  long  been  barred,  and  their  methods  were  such  as  to  rouse  the 
latent  hostility  of  the  Indians,  and  drew  upon  them  the  condemnation 
of  those  settlers  who  loved  law  and  order.  If  the  British  ever  had  an 
opportunity  for  winning  the  favor  of  the  Indians,  these  cheating,  law- 
less fellows  would  have  made  it  impossible.  Sir  William  Johnson,  in 
his  reports  made  years  after,  admitted  that  the  savages  had  been  driven 
to  hostility. 

It  needed  but  one  man  of  will  and  intellect,  who  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Indians,  to  unite  all  the  savages  of  the  country  in  a  com- 
mon cause  against  the  white  invaders.  That  man  was  at  hand,  and, 
although  an  untutored  savage,  he  was  still  a  genius  For  many  years 
the  Ottawas  had  made  what  is  now  Walkerville,  Ont.,  their  Detroit 
headquarters.  Their  head  chief  was  Pontiac,  whose  reputation  as  a 
warrior  was  known  to  all  the  Indians  far  and  near.  The  British  did 
not  suspect  that  they  were  opposed  by  a  ver}^  Cambyses  in  military 
daring,  a  man  whose  personal  influence  could  unite  all  his  fellows  into 
a  harmonious  body,  in  spite  of  their  ancient  feuds,  and  plan  a  series  of 
swift  campaigns  which  were  calculated  to  drive  the  invaders  from  every 
frontier  fort.  Other  Indian  chiefs  had  led  bands  of  several  allied 
tribes  on  campaigns,  but  they  were  always  inspired  by  a  single  purpose, 
and  when  that  failed  or  was  accomplished  the  Indians  scattered  in  the 
forest  and  presently  sued  for  peace.  Pontiac  planned  to  exterminate 
the  British  at  Mackinac,  at  Detroit,  at  the  outposts  near  Toledo  and 
Sandusky,  and  all  along  the  frontier,  and  he  sought  to  execute  his 
purpose  by  a  series  of  masterly  stratagems,  which  nothing  but  for- 
tuitous discovery  prevented  from  being  successful.  It  is  common 
practice  for  writers  of  romance  to  tnake  their  Indian  heroes  a  com- 
pound of  Hercules  and  Apollo;  but  Pontiac,  instead  of  being  gigantic 
and  beautiful,  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  with  a  thick  Roman  nose, 
broad  and  high  cheek  bones  and  a  heavy  jaw.  His  eyes  were  large 
and  bold,  and  his  mental  and  physical  activity  were  somewhat  dis- 
guised by  the  stoical  temperament  of  his  race.  His  favorite  summer 
residence  was  on  Peche  Island,  about  three  miles  from  the  Ottawa 
fort  at  Walkerville.  Within  a  short  time  after  the  British  had  taken 
\\X)ssession  General  Gage  learned  that  Pontiac  was  very  active  among 
the  Indians  of  the  North,  and  also  that  he  was  in  constant  communica- 
tion with  some  French  people  who  had  not  accepted  the  issue  of  war 
with  good  grace.  Alexander  Henry,  a  trader  from  the  east,  was  at 
first  refused  a  permit  to  travel  to  Mackinac  for  fear  of  trouble,  but  he 

165 


finally  went,  leaving  Detroit  disguised  as  a  courciir  de  bois.  Henry 
knew  that  he  was  taking  his  life  in  his  hands,  but  traders  of  that  day 
were  so  accustomed  to  peril  that  it  was  only  the  most  imminent  dan- 
gers that  kept  them  in  the  settlements.  Captain  Campbell  was  a 
pleasure  loving  man  of  unsuspicious  temperament.  The  fact  that  the 
British  had  conquered  both  the  French  and  their  Indian  allies  caused 
him  to  hold  the  Indians  alone  in  contempt. 

During  their  residence  at  Detroit  the  various  French  commandants 
had  enlarged  and  strengthened  the  fort,  and  it  now  inclosed  a  space 
372  feet  north  and  south  by  600  feet  east  and  west.  At  each  corner  on 
the  river  front  strong  bastions  commanded  the  approach  to  the  central 
gate,  and  the  north  gate  was  similarly  protected.  A  bastion  also  pro- 
jected from  the  east  side  of  the  fort,  but  the  battery  of  the  place  was  a 
weak  affair  made  up  of  five  small  guns,  three  mortars  and  two  three- 
pounders.  The  narrow  streets  which  Cadillac  had  laid  out  were  still 
there  and  were  extended  outside  the  stockade.  The  greater  part  of  the 
houses  were  outside  the  inclosure.  Soon  after  the  surrender  the  seat 
of  government  for  the  newly  acquired  territory  was  removed  from  Que- 
bec to  New  York,  and  Gen.  Jeffrey  Amherst,  who  had  been  so  active 
in  the  late  war,  was  placed  in  general  control.  Presently  disquieting 
rumors  began  to  reach  his  ears.  The  French  and  Indians  were  reported 
to  be  working  together  with  suspicious  intimacy,  while  each  showed  a 
lack  of  cordiality  toward  the  British,  and  it  was  believed  that  a  con- 
spiracy was  on  foot  to  drive,  the  British  away  from  Detroit  and  re- 
establish either  the  French  or  Indian  domination.  General  Amherst 
sent  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  ablest  Indian  commissioner  the  English 
possessed  in  the  colonies,  to  Detroit  to  investigate  the  truth  of  the  ru- 
mors, and  ascertain  the  real  status  of  affairs.  Sir  William  arrived  at 
his  destination  September  3,  1761,  having  coasted  in  bateaux  along  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  he  brought  Capt.  Henry  Gladwin  and  a 
detachment  of  300  troops,  with  stores,  ammunition,  etc.,  for  the  post. 
Sir  William  remained  at  the  post  fifteen  days,  holding  councils  with  the 
Indians  in  the  daytime  and  devoting  his  evenings  to  social  pleasures 
with  the  citizens.  He  made  treaties  with  the  Ottawas,  Potawatomies 
and  Miamis,  who  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort,  and  also  with  tiK._'^- 
Chippewas  of  the  North  and  the  Delawares,  Shawnees  and  Senecas  of 
the  Ohio  region.  These  nations  had  been  invited  to  meet  him  in  coun- 
cil and  the  commissioner  w^as  liberal  in  bestowing  presents.  He  also 
sent  troops  and  supplies  to  the  lake  posts  above  and  below,  and  form- 

166 


ulated  new  trade  regulations.  Sir  William  was  an  Irishman  of  cordial 
and  winning  disposition  and  an  official  of  large  experience  and  great 
capacity.  Among  the  French  gentlemen  he  met  at  Detroit  were  Col- 
onel Du  Quesne  and  Major  La  Mothe,  two  officers  who  had  surrendered 
their  swords  to  him  at  Niagara.  There  was  a  round  of  festivities,  Sir 
William  entertaining  his  guests  in  the  quarters  of  M.  Bellestre,  the  last 
French  commandant,  and  he  made  many  visits  to  the  homes  of  the 
leading  citizens,  including  a  visit  to  the  Huron  mission  across  the  river, 
where  he  was  entertained  by  Father  Potier,  the  missionary  priest. 
During  his  visit.  Major  Henry  Gladwin,  the  new  commandant,  was 
confined  to  his  bed  by  an  attack  of  fever  and  ague,  and  Captain  Donald 
Campbell  had  charge  of  the  post.  In  Sir  William's  diary  occurs  the 
following  passages : 

"September  6, — a  very  fine  morning.  This  evening  I  am  to  dine  with  Captain 
Campbell,  who  is  also  to  give  the  ladies  a  ball  that  I  maj'  meet  them.  They  assem- 
bled at  8  p.  M.  to  the  number  of  twenty.  I  opened  the  ball  with  Mademoiselle  Cuil- 
lerier,  a  fine  girl;  we  danced  till  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"Monday,  September  14, — I  had  for  dinner  this  evening  the  French  gentlemen  of 
Detroit;  also  the  vicar-general  Bocquet  of  the  French  church,  and  the  Jesuit  Father 
Potier  of  the  Huron  Mission,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  There  was  plenty 
of  good  wine  and  my  guests  got  very  merry.  I  invited  them  all  to  a  ball  that  I  am  to 
give  to-morrow  night. 

The  entry  for  September  15,  says  that  the  ball  lasted  the  whole  night 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  I  promised  to  write  Mile.  Cuillerier  as  soon  as  possible,  my  senti- 
ments," Sir  William  concludes. 

On  the  17th  Sir  William  crossed  the  river  and  visited  the  Huron  vil- 
lage, where  the  warriors  were  drawn  up  in  line;  they  presented  arms 
and  fired  a  salute.  He  addressed  their  council,  and  afterward  took 
supper  with  Father  Potier.  Next  day  he  embarked  for  his  return 
homeward.  The  beauty  and  attractions  of  Mile.  Cuillerier  made  a 
great  impression  upon  the  gallant  Irish  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs, 
and  he  corresponded  with  her  for  several  years,  and  even  after  her 
marriage  to  James  Sterling,  a  Scotch  merchant  and  British  official  at 
Detroit. 

Sir  William  Johnson  was  a  man  of  varied  talents  and  a  figure  of 
aiuch  importance  in  the  early  English  colonies.  He  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1715.  His  uncle.  Sir  Peter  Warren,  married  Miss  Delancy,  a 
New  York  heiress,  who  had  large  estates,  and  William  Johnson  came 
over  in  1738  to  take  the  management  of  them.     He  settled  at  Warrens- 

167 


burg,  near  Schenectady,  where  the  Mohawks  made  him  one  of  their 
sachems.  Governor  Clinton  made  him  colonel  of  the  Iroquois  in  1744. 
In  1746  he  was  Indian  commissioner  of  the  colony,  and  two  years  later 
he  was  given  command  of  the  New  York  colonial  troops  which  repelled 
an  attack  from  the  French  and  Indians  of  the  north.  In  1750  the  king 
made  him  a  member  of  the  governor's  council.  He  settled  a  serious 
difference  between  the  settlers  of  the  Mohawk  valley  and  the  Indians 
in  1753,  and  General  Braddock  made  him  superintendent  of  the  Iroquois 
and  their  allies.  As  commander-in-chief  of  the  Crown  Point  expe- 
dition, he  defeated  Baron  Dieskiau,  and  for  this  was  given  $25,000  and 
made  a  baronet.  He  succeeded  General  Prideaux  at  the  siege  of  Niag- 
ara, when  the  latter  was  killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  gun,  and  captured 
the  fort.  He  was  also  present  at  the  capture  of  Montreal.  After  his 
return  from  Detroit,  in  1761,  he  was  given  as  a  reward  100,000  acres  of 
land  north  of  the  Mohawk  River,  for  preventing  all  the  Iroquois,  except 
the  Senecas,  from  joining  in  Pontiac's  conspiracy.  In  1764  he  built  a 
home  at  Johnstown.  In  1736  he  married  Catherine  Wisenburg,  who 
died  leaving  a  son  and  two  daughters.  Thereafter  he  had  many  mis- 
tresses, both  white  and  Indian.  His  favorite  was  Molly  Brant,  a  sister 
of  Joseph  Brant,  the  Mohawk  chief,  whom  he  educated,  and  eight  chil- 
dren resulted  from  this  alliance.  He  provided  for  them  in  his  will. 
When  he  died  in  1774,  it  was  said  that  he  left  one  hundred  children, 
but  three  of  whom  were  legitimate. 

Meanwhile  Spain  had  been  playing  an  important  but  secondary  role 
in  North  America.  Her  wars  with  other  European  powers  were  gen- 
erally followed  by  losses  or  acquisitions  of  territory  on  this  continent. 
Louisiana  was  settled  by  the  French  in  1609,  two  years  before  the 
founding  of  Detroit,  and  Iberville  founded  the  first  colony  at  Biloxi, 
which  is  now  in  the  State  -of  Mississippi.  The  French  remained  in 
possession  of  Louisiana  until  1762,  when  they  ceded  it  to  Spain,  being 
glad  to  avoid  a  possible  contest  with  England  for  it.  Spain  found  the 
holding  of  this  vast  territory  too  onerous  and  it  was  retroceded  to 
France  in  1800.  Napoleon  saw  that  it  could  not  be  held  as  against 
Great  Britain,  so  in  1803  he  shrewdly  sold  it  to  the  United  States,  the 
only  power  that  had  successfully  resisted  British  domination  on  the 
continent.  The  price  paid  was  $15,000,000.  Louisiana  at  that  tirffi, 
included  all  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  not  occupied  by  Spain, 
extending  as  far  north  as  the  British  territory  and  comprising  the 
whole  or  part  of  the  present  States  of  Arkansas,  Kansas,  Indian  Ter- 

168 


DON    M.  DICKINSON. 


^^ 


ritory,  Missouri,  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
Alabama,  the  Dakotas,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Idaho,  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington. In  1762  there  was  trouble  between  England  and  Spain,  and 
Pontiac  was  made  to  believe  that  Spain  would  help  the  French  to 
recover  New  France. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Pontiac,  the  Napoleon  of  the  Western  Indians — He  Conspires  with  the  Chiefs  of 
Sixty  Tribes  to  Drive  the  British  Out  of  the  Country — His  Plans  are  Betrayed  to 
Commandant  Gladwin— 1761-1763. 

When  Gladwin  assumed  command  he  made  Captain  Campbell  his 
deputy.  Campbell  had  made  himself  very  popular  with  the  old  resi- 
dents of  Detroit,  and  the  Indians  regarded  him  with  more  favor  than 
was  usually  bestowed  by  them  upon  an  Englishman.  His  influence 
tended  to  keep  the  savages  in  good  humor  at  Detroit,  even  while 
trouble  was  brewing.  Gladwin  was  a  brusque  and  business-like  com- 
mandant, with  a  manner  in  striking  contrast  to  that  of  Captain  Camp- 
bell, and  the  Indians  did  not  like  him.  Some  of  the  French  who 
were  in  suspicious  intimacy  with  the  savages  also  disliked  the  new 
commandant,  but  Gladwin  scarcely  gave  the  threatening  troubles  a 
serious  thought,  although  strict  regulations  were  observed  in  furnish- 
ing the  savages  with  rum  and  gunpowder.  While  he  was  resting  in 
fancied  security  at  the  fort,  Peche  Island,  the  summer  home  of  Pontiac 
on  Lake  St.  Clair,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  present  eastern  limits  of 
Detroit,  was  a  center  of  great  activity.  Indian  runners  came  and 
went,  some  in  canoes  and  others  on  foot.  They  carried  the  war  belts 
and  the  plans  and  instructions  of  the  great  Ottawa  chieftain  to  distant 
tribes,  and  brought  reports  of  the  defenses  and  garrisons  at  each 
frontier  fort,  so  that  the  chief  would  know  when  and  in  what  manner 
to  strike  his  intended  blow.  Between  the  fort  and  Pontiac's  head- 
quarters stood  Belle  Isle,  then  known  as  He  au  Cochon  (Hog  Island), 
and  its  dense  growth  of  forest  shut  off  the  view  of  Pontiac's  headquar- 
ters from  the  fort. 

Early  in  April  Pontiac  called  a  grand  council  of  nations  at  the  River 
aux  Ecorces,  which  empties  into  the  Detroit   River  a  few  miles  below 

169 


Detroit,  and  there  the  Ottawas  held  conference  with  the  Chippewas, 
Potawatomies,  Miamis,  Shawnees,  Ottagamies,  Winnebagoes,  Massasa- 
gas  and  several  other  tribes,  including  the  Senecas  of  the  Iroquois 
confederacy.  He  submitted  his  scheme  for  a  simultaneous  attack  upon 
Forts  Pitt,  Venango,  Presque  Isle,  Le  Boeuf,  Sandusky,  Detroit,  St. 
Joseph,  Mackinac  and  Green  Bay.  This  included  all  the  posts  from 
Pittsburg  to  the  north,  and  these  controlled  the  headwaters  of  the 
Ohio,  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  the  Detroit  River,  the  Straits  of 
Mackinac  and  Lake  Michigan.  The  attacks  were  to  be  made  so  that 
each  post  would  be  too  busy  in  its  own  defense  to  render  assistance  to 
any  other,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  the  attacks  were  to  be  made  while 
the  defenders  were  thrown  off  their  guard  by  their  apparent  security. 
After  submitting  his  plan  Pontiac  delivered  an  impassioned  speech 
which  roused  the  fighting  blood  of  the  assembled  chiefs  to  fever  heat. 
In  the  speech  he  alluded  to  the  fact  that  in  1746  he  had  aided  the 
French  in  defending  Detroit  against  Turtle,  chief  of  the  Chippewas, 
and  also  at  Fort  Du  Quesne  (Pittsburg)  in  1755  against  the  British 
under  Braddock,  and  was  successful  in  both  cases. 

About  the  first  of  May  the  various  tribes  engaged  in  the  plan  com- 
menced gathering  about  the  various  forts  which  were  marked  for  de- 
struction during  that  month.  The  Ottawas,  who  were  the  leaders  in 
this  war,  were  the  most  civilized  of  all  the  Michigan  tribes,  and  their 
wars  and  forays  were  far  less  atrocious  than  those  of  the  treacherous 
Chippewas,  who  reveled  in  indiscriminate  slaughter.  More  than  once 
in  the  history  of  the  colony  did  the  Ottawas  save  white  men  from  death 
and  torture  at  the  hands  of  other  tribes,  and  this  gave  them  the  repu- 
tation of  being  friendly.  Bands  of  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Potawato- 
mies were  dispatched  to  Mackinac  and  St.  Joseph,  the  latter  at  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River,  on  Lake  Michigan,  to  capture  these 
forts,  while  Pontiac  took  personal  charge  of  the  operations  against  the 
more  formidable  fort  of  Detroit.  Other  bands  were  sent  against  the 
other  forts  nained.  Pontiac's  warriors  began  to  congregate  about  the 
fort  of  Detroit  on  May  1,  1763,  and  in  order  to  allay  suspicion  and  at 
the  same  time  examine  the  surroundings,  a  band  of  forty  braves  danced 
the  calumet  dance  before  the  commandant's  house.  At  this  time  Major 
Gladwin  had  no  suspicion  of  an  immediate  attack.  The  main  body  of 
Pontiac's  tribe  was  then  encamped  on  the  Michigan  shore,  a  little  more 
than  a  mile  east  of  the  fort,  on  the  farther  side  of  Parent's  Creek,  which 
was  later  known  as  Bloody  Run.     The  French  residents,  as  usual,  went 

170 


back  and  forth  between  the  settlement  and  the  camp  to  trade.  Most 
of  them  were  anxious  to  see  the  territory  restored  to  France,  which 
was  perfectl}'  natural.  The  better  class  of  them,  however,  were  not 
willing  to  have  it  done  at  the  expense  of  a  general  massacre,  although 
the  British  in  former  years  had  done  little  to  merit  consideration.  Three 
days  later  Madame  Guoin,  wife  of  a  settler,  visited  the  Ottawa  camp, 
and  on  returning  told  her  husband  that  the  Ottawas  were  up  to  some 
mischief,  as  she  had  seen  a  number  of  them  filing  off  their  gun  barrels 
to  half  length  with  a  show  of  secrecy.  Guoin  informed  some  of  the 
soldiers  at  the  fort,  and  two  days  later,  on  the  evening  of  May  7,  the 
plan  of  Pontiac  to  capture  the  fort  was  revealed  to  Major  Gladwin. 
This  information  was  given  under  the  seal  of  secrecy,  because  the  in- 
former would  have  met  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  had  his  or  her 
name  been  discovered,  and,  as  will  presently  appear,  there  may  have- 
been  other  powerful  reasons  for  keeping  the  secret  for  all  time  to  come. 
Gladwin  was  a  man  of  honor  and  so  scrupulously  did  he  keep  his 
word  that  no  mention  is  made  of  the  informant  in  all  his  papers,  which 
have  been  carefully  examined  and  collated  by  Charles  Moore,  and 
which  were  recently  published  in  the  records  of  the  Michigan  Histor- 
ical Society.  Mr.  Moore  has  spent  much  time  and  research  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Michigan's  early  history,  and  some  of  the  details  of  this  account 
of  the  Pontiac  conspiracy  were  obtained  from  his  published  brochure 
entitled,  "The  Gladwin  Papers."  One  of  the  theories  of  the  revela- 
tion to  Gladwin  is  based  upon  an  ancient  French  manuscript  which  was 
found  tucked  away  amid  the  rafters  of  an  old  Canadian  homestead  as  it 
was  being  demolished  to  make  room  for  a  more  modern  structure.  It 
is  not  signed,  but  the  author  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  priest  of  old 
St.  Anne's.  Translations  of  it  appear  in  at  least  four  of  the  histories 
of  Michigan.  This  manuscript  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  Mo- 
hiacan,  an  Ottawa  warrior,  who  was  opposed  to  Pontiac's  scheme,  re- 
vealed  the  conspiracy.  He  is  said  to  have  come  to  the  gate  of  the  fort 
late  Friday  evening,  and  told  Captain  Campbell  that  on  the  next  day 
Pontiac  with  sixty  of  his  picked  warriors  would  enter  the  fort  to  talk 
about  a  treaty,  and  at  a  given  signal  they  would  draw  their  concealed 
weapons,  kill  the  English  officers  and  give  the  residents  over  to  slaugh- 
ter. He  was  so  afraid  of  betrayal  that  he  would  not  trust  his  revela- 
tion to  the  French  interpreter.  La  Butte,  but  gave  it  as  best  he  could 
in  broken  English.  Another  tradition  has  it  that  a  daughter  of  La 
Butte  told  Gladwin  of  the  conspiracy,  and  still  another  has  it  that  a 

171 


Pawnee  slave  saved  the  British.  The  most  popular  theory  is  that  of 
Parkman.  It  was  about  an  Indian  girl  of  the  Ojibway  or  Chippewa  tribe, 
named  Catherine,  who  had  frequented  the  fort,  and  become  enamored 
of  the  commandant.  She  had  done  various  tasks  in  his  employ  in  the 
making  of  articles,  which  he  had  sent  as  presents  to  his  friends  in  Eng- 
land. On  the  evening  of  May  7  she  came  to  the  commandant's  quar- 
ters with  a  pair  of  elkskin  moccasins,  which  she  had  embroidered  with 
stained  porcupine  quills.  With  the  moccasins  she  returned  the  re- 
mainder of  the  skin  which  he  had  given  her,  and  which  had  not  been 
used.  Gladwin  had  intended  the  slippers  for  a  friend,  but  they  pleased 
him  so  much  that  he  told  the  young  woman  to  take  back  the  rest  of 
the  skin  and  make  another  pair  of  moccasins  for  his  personal  use.  The 
girl  refused  to  take  the  skin  and  stood  apart  looking  out  of  the  window, 
apparently  undergoing  some  sort  of  a  struggle  with  herself.  When 
pressed  as  to  her  reason  for  not  taking  the  task  she  replied  that  if  she 
made  the  moccasins  she  would  not  be  able  to  deliver  them  to  him  in 
the  spirit  land.  Her  strange  words  led  to  further  inquiry  and  on  being 
pressed  with  questions  she  revealed,  under  promise  of  strict  secrecy, 
the  details  of  Pontiac's  diabolical  scheme.  A  writer  remarks:  "If 
this  were  all  that  is  told  of  her  she  ought  to  be  enshrined  in  history 
with  Nancy  Ward,  the  prophetess  of  the  Cherokees.  But  tradition  has 
added  that  after  the  siege  she  took  to  strong  drink,  and  while  in  a 
maudlin  condition  she  fell  into  a  vat  of  boiling  maple  syrup  and  so 
perished  ingloriously.  Alas!  that  so  much  fidelity,  human  compas- 
sion and  loveliness  should  come  to  an  end  in  a  kettle  of  boiling  mo- 
lasses." 

When  Parkman  wrote  the  "Conspiracy  of  Pontiac  "  his  informants 
in  regard  to  the  betrayal  of  Pontiac's  plans  were  a  few  old  men  who 
were  children  when  the  drama  was  enacted,  and  whose  stories  were 
simply  a  repetition  of  tales  told  them  while  they  were  very  young,  and 
whose  memories  were  naturally  unreliable.  Mr.  Parkman  also  care- 
fully searched  the  archives  in  the  British  Museum  which  related  to  De- 
troit, but  could  find  no  corroborative  documents  in  support  of  the 
romantic  episode  he  relates  in  his  famous  work. 

Another  theory  respecting  the  person  who  gave  the  timely  informa- 
tion to  Major  Gladwin  has  been  broached  by  Richard  R.  Elliott,  of  this 
city,  whose  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  Detroit  is  extensive  and 
profound,  and  to  whom  the  compilers  of  this  work  are  indebted  for  the 
'  interesting  sketch  of  the  Huron  mission  of  Detroit.     There  is  probably 

172 


no  positive  or  direct  proof  existing  of  the  identity  of  Gladwin's  inform- 
ant, but  Mr.  Elliott's  theory  is  more  circumstantial  than  any  that  has 
yet  appeared.  It  may  be  premised  that  Fathers  Richardie  and  Potier, 
of  the  Huron  mission,  were  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the  old  French 
families  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  notable  with  Pierre  Meloche,  a 
prominent  habitan,  whose  workshop  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
just  east  of  the  Ottawa  fort.  Meloche's  home  was  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Detroit  River,  just  opposite  his  workshop,  and  his  near  neighbor 
was  Charles  Parent.  Both  of  these  men  were  great  friends  of  Pontiac, 
as  were  most  of  the  French  families  in  the  region.  Pontiac  also  did  a 
good  deal  of  business  with  the  Huron  mission  storehouse,  which  was 
on  the  river,  about  three  miles  below  the  Ottawa  fort,  as  he  naturally 
preferred  to  deal  with  the  French  rather  than  the  English.  One  of  the 
details  of  Pontiac's  plan  was  the  cutting  off  of  a  portion  of  the  rifle 
barrels  of  his  chiefs  in  order  to  conceal  them  from  the  eyes  of  the  gar- 
rison. These  must  have  been  cut  off  by  means  of  fine-tempered  steel 
files.  Where  were  these  files  obtained?  They  were  not  kept  in  stock 
by  the  French,  English  or  Scotch  traders  in  Detroit,  but  they  could  be 
procured  at  the  Huron  mission,  which  had  a  forge  where  arms  and  agri- 
cultural implements  could  be  repaired  or  remodeled.  One  of  the  en- 
tries in  the  account  book  of  the  mission  during  the  French  regime, 
dated  February  20,  1751,  is  as  follows:  "Jean  Bart,  armorer  of  Fort 
Pontchartrain,  15  pounds  steel  springs;  18  pounds  steel  bars;  28  steel 
files."  Exclusive  purchases  of  files  were  previously  entered.  It  is  more 
than  probable  that  these  files  were  procured  at  the  mission,  for  they 
could  not  have  been  purchased  elsewhere  in  this  region.  Such  an  un- 
usual transaction  coming  to  the  notice  of  Father  Potier  doubtless  led 
him  to  investigate  its  cause,  and  that  Gladwin  was  warned  by  him  is 
more  than  probable.  Of  course  Father  Potier  would  effect  his  object  in 
such  a  manner  as  not  to  compromise  his  friends,  and  also  to  make  it 
impossible  for  Pontiac  to  ascertain  who  was  the  informant,  whose  days 
would  be  numbered  if  his  identity  were  discovered. 

After  Father  Potier's  death  in  1781  the  following  papers  were  found 
among  his  effects:  The  Huron  Grammar;  a  diary  of  events  which 
occurred  at  the  mission;  an  account  book  in  which  the  prices  of  mer- 
chandise and  the  names  of  customers  are  set  forth ;  a  resume  of  the 
important  events  that  happened  in  the  old  world;  a  directory  of  resi- 
dent Frenchmen  on  both  sides  of  the  straits  and  their  status  at  the 
post  of  Detroit  and  vicinity;  a  census  of  the   Huron   Indians  at  San- 

173 


dusky,  Bois  Blanc  and  Detroit;  a  census  of  the  Ottawas  whose  canton- 
ment was  on  the  present  site  of  Walkerville,  Ont. ;  and  his  private 
correspondence,  which  consisted  of  copies  of  letters  written  by  himself 
and  the  originals  of  letters  received.  But  his  diary  did  not  contain 
anything  relating  to  events  transpiring  in  1761-63,  during  which  the 
conspiracy  of  Pontiac  and  the  siege  of  Detroit  took  place.  The  leaves 
containing  these  records  had  been  removed  by  him,  a  fact  which 
strengthened  the  belief  that  he  informed  Gladwin  of  the  murderous 
object.  Summing  it  all  up,  Mr.  Elliott's  theory  is  that  Father  Potier 
warned  the  commandant  through  Mile.  Cuillerier,  the  sparkling  and 
attractive  daughter  of  Antoine  Cuillerier,  the  French  trader.  Mr, 
Elliott  adds  that  if  the  Canadian  records  were  carefully  searched, 
it  is  probable  that  some  document  may  be  found  that  will  throw  a  light 
upon  these  services  and  thus  prove  or  disprove  his  theory.  Whoever 
informed  Gladwin  did  so  under  the  seal  of  secrecy,  and  this  was 
honorably  observed  by  the  commandant.  None  of  his  papers  throw 
any  light  on  the  subject,  and  he  evidently  wished  it  to  be  kept  secret 
for  all  time. 

■  Gladwin,  although  but  twenty- three  years  of  age,  was  no  novice  in 
Indian  warfare.  He  had  accompanied  the  disastrous  Braddock  expe- 
dition against  Fort  Du  Quesne,  and  was  aware  that  Pontiac  had  been 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  fight  at  Little  Meadows  eight  years  before. 
So  it  may  be  imagined  that  he  lost  no  time  in  planning  to  meet  the 
treachery  of  Pontiac  with  a  show  of  force  that  would  check  the  con- 
spiracy at  the  very  outset.  He  had  no  idea  that  the  Indians  would 
muster  in  sufficient  force  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Detroit  by  siege. 

The  night  of  May  7,  1763,  was  a  busy  one  inside  the  palisades;  sen- 
tinets  patrolled  the  inner  wall  of  the  fort,  casting  anxious  glances  out 
into  the  darkness  where  the  gleam  of  distant  camp  fires  showed  through 
the  forest.  Canoes  crossed  and  recrossed  the  river,  bringing  more 
warriors  from  the  Canadian  shore  and  landing  them  a  short  distance 
below  Belle  Isle.  Captain  Campbell  and  the  officers  of  the  fort  walked 
the  narrow  streets,  giving  warning  to  the  inhabitants  that  they  must 
keep  inside  the  fortifications  on  the  following  day,  as  the  Indians  were 
known  to  be  in  a  dangerous  mood.  Arms  were  carefully  loaded  and 
put  in  order  for  immediate  use;  ammunition  was  dealt  out,  every  man 
saw  that  the  flint  of  his  gun  was  in  condition  for  immediate  use,  and  all 
possible  precautions  were  taken  to  defeat  the  project  of  the  enemy. 
All  night  the  stars  shone  upon  a  scene  of  woodland  beauty ;   on  the 

174 


river  gently  rippling  past  the  fort,  and  on  the  Indian  camp  where  the 
warriors  were  dreaming  of  the  scene  of  massacre  and  the  scalp  harvest 
which  they  expected  on  the  morrow.  Sixty  chiefs  were  to  enter  the 
assembly  hall  in  the  fort,  each  man  clad  in  his  blanket  and  gripping 
through  its  folds  a  shortened  musket  with  its  death-dealing  load. 
Pontiac  was  to  address  the  commandant  as  if  preparing  for  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  every  warrior  was  to  be  on  the  alert.  If  the  occasion  proved 
favorable  for  an  onslaught,  Pontiac  was  to  present  Major  Gladwin  with 
a  belt  of  wampum  held  in  reversed  position;  if  unfavorable  he  was  to 
present  it  in  the  usual  fashion.  In  the  mean  time  the  other  warriors 
were  to  collect  close  to  the  gate,  and  if  the  signal  for  the  massacre  was 
given,  they  would  be  admitted  immediately  and  would  participate  in 
the  slaughter. 

At  ten  o'clock  next  morning  Pontiac  led  his  sixty  warriors  to  the 
gate  and  they  were  admitted  within  the  stockade.  He  saw  that  the 
sentinels  at  the  gate  were  armed  with  sword,  pistol  and  musket,  and 
that  the  narrow  streets  were  filled  with  soldiers,  every  one  of  whom 
was  fully  armed.  It  may  be  imagined  that  the  chief  and  his  warriors 
exchanged  meaning  glances  at  this  display  of  force,  but  they  had  gone 
too  far  to  recede.  They  entered  the  assembly  hall  and  met  Major  Glad- 
win surrounded  with  a  goodly  company  of  men  all  fully  armed.  The 
Indian  chief  sat  on  the  floor  as  usual.  "Why  does  my  English  brother 
keep  his  young  men  armed  and  on  parade  as  if  for  battle?"  inquired 
Pontiac  coldly.      "  Does  my  brother  expect  the  soldiers  of  the  French?" 

"I  keep  my  "soldiers  armed  that  they  may  be  perfect  in  their  ex- 
ercise of  arms,  so  that  they  may  be  ready  to  fight  well  if  a  war  should 
come,"  replied  Gladwin  pointedly. 

During  this  trying  moment  the  sixty  chiefs  sat  grim  and  silent,  their 
dark  eyes  turning  from  Pontiac  to  Gladwin  and  casting  furtive  glances 
at  the  soldiers  in  the  room  who  appeared  to  be  peculiarly  alert.  Their 
stoical  training,  which  enabled  them  to  undergo  torture  without  com- 
plaint, stood  them  in  good  stead,  for  not  an  eye  quailed,  and  not 
a  tremor  of  a  muscle  betrayed  the  deadly  purpose  on  which  they  were 
bent.  They  were  ready  to  slay  or  be  slain,  and  the  manner  in  which 
their  chief  presented  the  wampum  belt  would  decide  a  matter  of  life  or 
death  for  perhaps  six  hundred  souls.  Pontiac  arose  at  one  end  of  the 
row  and  began  an  address  to  Gladwin,  assuring  him  of  his  regard  for 
the  Englishmen.  They  had  driven  the  French  warriors  from  Detroit, 
he  said,  because  they  were  mighty  men  in  battle,  and  the  Ottawas  and 

175 


all  other  tribes  of  the  region  desired  to  express  their  good  will  and 
eternal  friendship  for  the  white  chief.  In  token  of  that  friendship  he 
had  brought  a  belt  of  wampum  which  he  would  give  in  honor  of  the 
occasion.  Thej^  would  light  the  calumet  in  token  of  peace  which 
should  be  observed  between  them.  As  Pontiac  began  unfastening 
the  wampum  belt  from  his  girdle  the  British  soldiers  in  the  council  hall 
at  a  signal  from  Gladwin  half  drew  their  swords  from  their  scabbards; 
the  sentinel  who  stood  in  the  open  door  signaled  to  a  long  row  of 
soldiers  ranged  in  front  of  the  entrance;  the  drums  rolled  the  assem- 
bly and  the  soldiers  outside  made  a  noisy  clatter  of  arms.  Death 
hovered  in  the  air  about  that  assembly,  and  Pontiac  felt  its  presence. 
His  hand  did  noL  tremble;  the  belt  was  calmly  unfastened  and  after  an 
instant  of  hesitation  he  handed  it  over  to  Gladwin  in  the  usual  fashion 
— and  death  passed  them  by.  It  was  Gladwin's  turn  to  reply.  He 
took  the  belt  and  turned  upon  Pontiac  and  his  followers  with  bitter 
words  of  reproach.  He  taunted  them  with  being  traitors  who  had 
planned  to  butcher  the  men  and  women  for  whom  they  had  professed 
friendship  but  a  moment  before. 

"  Look!  false  chief,  you  have  thought  to  deceive  me  with  lies  and  to 
slay  me  by  treachery,  but  I  know  the  treachery  and  hate  that  your 
lying  tongue  would  hide.  You  are  armed,  every  man  of  you  with 
a  shortened  gun  like  this  chief  by  my  side." 

He  stepped  to  the  nearest  Indian  and  pulling  aside  the  folds  of  his 
blanket  revealed  the  shortened  musket. 

"My  brother  does  me  wrong;  he  does  not  believe?  Then  we  will 
go,"  replied  Pontiac. 

His  dark  eyes  sparkled  with  baffled  rage,  but  with  perfect  dignity  he 
rose,  gathered  the  folds  of  his  blanket  about  his  broad  shoulders  and 
walked  with  measured  tread  down  the  hall  and  out  between  the  double 
file  of  armed  soldiers.  He  might  have  been  passing  in  review,  but  for 
the  look  of  scorn  and  hate  which  distorted  his  countenance.  His 
picked  warriors  followed  sullenly  and  silently,  and  they  passed  through 
the  gate  into  the  village  beyond. 

Less  fortunate  were  the  other  posts  in  Michigan.  At  the  moulh  of 
the  St.  Joseph  River,  where  Father  Allouez  had  founded  a  mission 
among  the  Miamis  and  La  Salle  had  built  a  rude  fort,  was  a  garrison  of 
fourteen  men  under  command  of  Ensign  Schlosser.  They  had  no 
warning  of  the  great  conspiracy,  and  on  the  morning  of  May  25,  1763, 
a  band  of  Potawatomies  suddenly  attacked  the  fort.       Eleven  of  the 

176 


soldiers  were  killed  and  scalped  before  they  could  attempt  defense. 
Ensign  Schlosser  and  three  others  were  taken  to  Detroit  and  ran- 
somed. 

At  Fort  Sandusky,  on  May  17,  Ensign  PauUy  was  called  upon  by  a 
party  of  Indians  who  had  been  perfectly  friendly  up  to  that  moment. 
He  admitted  seven  of  them  and  gave  them  tobacco.  At  a  signal  from 
the  chief  of  the  party  he  was  seized  and  bound  and  carried  out  of  the 
fort.  He  passed  his  sentry  lying  dead  across  the  entry.  His  twenty- 
seven  soldiers  were  all  dead  and  lying  scalpless  in  the  yard,  the  mer- 
chants of  the  post  had  been  killed  in  their  places  of  business  and  their 
stores  were  being  plundered.  Paully  was  carried  to  Detroit,  where  he 
was  given  as  a  husband  to  an  unattractive  old  squaw,  from  whom  he 
made  his  escape  to  the  fort  June  14. 

Ensign  Holmes,  in  charge  of  the  fort  on  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes,  or 
Maumee  River,  was  preparing  for  defense  against  a  possible  attack 
when  he  was  called  out  to  bleed  a  sick  Indian  in  a  wigwam  near  the 
fort.  He  was  shot  down  while  on  his  way,  and  the  garrison  surren- 
dered to  a  party  of  Frenchmen  who  were  on  their  way  to  St.  Louis 
(Peoria),  Illinois,  to  secure  a  French  commandant  for  Detroit. 

At  Mackinac,  on  June  2,  the  slaughter  was  far  worse,  as  the  place 
was  defended  by  a  garrison  of  thirty  six  men  under  Captain  Ethering- 
ton.  The  commandant  was  a  man  of  easy  disposition  who  held  the 
savages  in  contempt  and  disregarded  warnings  to  prepare  for  treachery. 
The  Indians  were  numerous  about  the  fort  every  day,  but  so  long  as 
they  were  not  allowed  to  enter  while  bearing  arms  they  were  con- 
sidered harmless.  On  the  morning  of  June  2  an  unusual  number 
collected  to  witness  a  game  of  lacrosse,  into,  which  the  two  sides 
entered  with  great  zeal,  and  the  ball  was  flung  wildly  about.  The 
squaws  stood  near  the  entrance  to  the  fort  looking  on  and  presentl}^  a 
wild  throw,  apparently  by  accident,  sent  the  ball  over  the  palisades. 
In  great  excitement  the  Indians  rushed  through  the  gate  apparently  in 
quest  of  the  ball,  but  each  man  as  he  ran  was  handed  weapons  by  the 
squaws,  who  had  concealed  them  in  their  garments.  The  character  of 
the  scene  changed  in  an  instant.  Captain  Etherington  and  his  soldiers 
had  been  looking  on  with  interest  and  several  bets  had  been  made  on 
the  result  of  the  game,  when  suddenly  they  were  surrounded  by  a 
hundred  yelling  savages  who  attacked  the  defenseless  garrison  with 
tomahawk  and  scalping  knife.  The  captain.  Lieutenant  Leslie  and 
fourteen  privates  were  all  the  soldiers  that  were  spared.      Alexander 

177 


Henry,  the  trader,  was  sought  for,  but  a  Pawnee  slave  woman  hid  him 
away  in  the  garret  of  Mr.  Langlade,  a  French  resident,  where  he  was 
subsequently  discovered.  But  Wawatam,  an  Indian  whom  he  had 
befriended,  interceded  for  him  and  the  trader's  life  was  spared.  While 
Henry  was  hidden  in  the  Langlade  garret  he  could  hear  the  blows  of 
the  tomahawks,  and  amid  the  frenzied  yells  of  the  Indians  he  could 
distinguish  the  moans  of  the  dying.  When  the  awful  orgie  of  blood 
was  ended  the  bodies  of  Lieutenant  Jomet,  twenty  soldiers,  and  a  trader 
named  Tracy,  were  cut  up  and  boiled  in  huge  kettles  for  a  general 
feast.  The  Indians  in  this  massacre  were  mostly  Chippewas.  Henry 
was  concealed  for  a  few  days  on  Mackinac  Island  in  Scull  Cave,  and 
when  the  excitement  had  died  out  he  made  his  way  to  Detroit.  Cap- 
tain Etherington  and  his  few  surviving  captives  were  taken  to  the 
mission  at  L'Arbe  Croche,  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  lower  penin- 
sula, and  were  well  treated  until  they  were  exchanged.  It  is  said  that 
they  owed  their  lives  to  the  intercession  of  the  few  Ottawas  who  were 
present  at  the  massacre.  In  all  these  massacres  the  French  were  not 
molested. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Detroit  is  Besieged  by  2,000  Indians — Murder  of  Captain  Donald  Campbell  and  a 
Number  of  Settlers — Massacres  at  Mackinaw,  St.  Joseph,  Miami,  Sandusky  and 
Other  Posts— 1763. 

Major  Gladwin  no  doubt  believed  that  the  crisis  was  over,  for  the 
idea  of  a  well  organized  siege  of  the  fort  probably  did  not  occur  to  him. 
He  had  but  123  soldiers  and  eight  officers,  together  with  about  fifty  fur 
traders  who  were  stopping  in  the  fort,  and  his  artillery  was  limited  to 
two  six-pounders  and  five  smaller  guns.  The  garrison,  however,  was 
well  protected  within  its  strong  log  walls,  and  outside  the  barrier  was 
a  glacis  protected  by  three  rows  of  sharp  pickets.  There  was  no  lack 
of  water,  for  the  savages  could  not  turn  aside  the  river  which  flowed 
close  to  the  south  gate ;  and  two  small  vessels,  the  sloop  Beaver  and  the 
schooner  Gladwin,  were  available  for  bringing  supplies  to  the  garrison 
and  the  besieged  settlers.  No  doubt  Gladwin  underestimated  the  force 
which   was  opposed  to  him.      It  was  characteristic  of  Indian  warfare 

178 


that  the  greater  part  of  the  fighting  men  kept  out  of  sight  as  much  as 
possible,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  determine  their  numbers, 
but  the  army  which  Pontiac  gathered  at  Detroit  was  between  1,500  and 
2,000  warriors.  There  were  no  immediate  signs  of  hostility  after  the 
baffled  chiefs  had  left  the  fort.  The  afternoon  passed  quietly,  but  at 
sundown  six  warriors  appeared  before  the  gate  leading  an  old  squaw, 
whose  appetite  for  liquor  often  led  her  into  indiscretions.  They  were 
admitted  and  Gladwin  was  asked  if  she  was  the  informant  who  had  told 
lies  about  the  Indians.  Gladwin  assured  them  that  she  was  not  the 
person,  and  when  they  demanded  the  name  of  the  informer,  he  replied 
that  it  was  one  of  themselves,  and  that  he  had  sworn  never  to  reveal 
the  name.  They  dragged  their  captive  back  to  the  camp,  and  Pontiac 
vented  his  spite  upon  her  by  beating  her  over  the  head  with  a  stick 
until  she  fell  half  stunned  to  the  ground.  His  followers  clamored  for 
her  life,  but  he  waived  them  back  because  it  was  possible  that  she  was 
innocent.  Nearly  twenty  hours  passed  before  the  Indians  appeared 
again  about  the  fort.  Sunday  morning  was  quietly  spent,  but  late  in 
the  afternoon  several  canoes  paddled  down  from  the  Indian  camp  and 
landed  at  the  fort.  Pontiac  was  the  leader  of  the  party.  He  sent  word 
to  Gladwin,  asking  him  to  come  out  on  the  common,  as  he  wanted  to 
smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  The  young  commandant  saw  in  this  another 
treacherous  ruse  to  get  possession  of  his  person,  and  he  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  chief. 

Captain  Campbell  had  never  considered  the  Indians  seriously,  but 
believed  with  kind  treatment  and  a  little  finesse  they  could  be  perfectly 
controlled.  No  doubt  he  was  somewhat  conceited  because  of  the  gen- 
eral good. will  which  he  enjoyed  above  the  rest  of  the  garrison,  for  both 
the  French  and  the  Indians  were  very  friendly- toward  him.  He  ob- 
tained permission  to  go  out  and  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  with  the  del- 
egation of  chiefs,  thinking  that  a  little  courtesy  would  pacify  them. 
He  brought  back  information  that  next  day  Pontiac  would  call  a  grand 
council  of  all  the  tribes,  and  that  he  would  them  disperse  them  in  peace. 
Next  morning  canoes  were  seen  massing  below  Belle  Isle,  and  soon 
after  a  Aeet  of  fifty-six  came  down  the  stream  to  land  about  500  In- 
dians at  the  fort.  The  gates  were  closed  and  an  interpreter  was  sent 
out  to  parley  with  Pontiac.  He  asked  admission  for  all  his  followers 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  grand  council,  but  was  informed  that  he 
and  sixty  of  his  followers  would  be  admitted  and  no  more.  The  answer 
made  Pontiac  furious. 

179 


"Tell  the  chief  of  the  Red  Coats  that  my  warriors  are  all  equal, 
said  he;   "unless  every  man  of  them  is  admitted  not  one  will  enter. 
Tell  the  white  chief  that  he  may  stay  in  his  fort  if  he  will,  but  I  will 
keep  the  country." 

He  leaped  into  his  canoe  and  was  paddled  swiftly  toward  the  Ottawa 
village  up  the  river.  There  was  no  occasion  for  dissimulation  now, 
and  the  Indians  looked  about  for  victims.  The  French  settlers  were 
on  friendly  terms  with  the  Indians  and  showed  no  alarm,  and  the  few 
British  settlers  outside  of  the  fort  believed  they  would  be  secure.  The 
widow  Armstrong  and  her  two  sons  lived  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
fort.  They  were  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  butchered  within  sight 
of  the  fort.  On  He  au  Cochon  (Belle  Isle)  lived  an  English  settler 
named  James  Fisher,  who  had  been  a  sergeant  in  the  arm}'.  He  had 
a  wife  and  four  children  and  he  employed  a  man  servant.  Three  sol- 
diers from  the  fort  were  stopping  at  his  house  at  the  time.  A  band  of 
Indians  landed  on  the  island  and  butchered  all  the  adults.  The  four 
little  children  (children  of  Fisher)  were  either  drowned  in  the  river  or 
carried  away  into  captivity.  The  Indians  also  killed  twenty- four  head 
of  cattle  on  the  island.  Unfortunately  a  boating  expedition  was  absent 
from  the  fort,  employed  in  searching  out  the  most  available  passage  for 
large  boats  from  Lake  St.  Clair  into  the  St.  Clair  River.  With  this 
party  was  Sir  Robert  Davers,  who  had  spent  the  winter  at  the  fort  and 
was  a  boon  companion  with  Captain  Campbell.  Sir  Robert  was  accom- 
panied by  Captain  Robertson  and  a  crew  of  six  men.  The  Indians  met 
them  and  the  entire  party  were  murdered  on  their  way  back  to  the  fort. 
The  Indians  then  sent  word  to  the  fort  by  a  Frenchman  that  all  the 
English  people  outside  the  fort  had  been  killed,  and  that  those  inside 
would  meet  the  same  fate  imless  they  took  to  the  two  vessels  and  left 
the  fort  with  all  its  supplies  to  the  Indians.  Pontiac's  mission  to  the 
Ottawa  village  was  to  order  all  supplies  carried  to  the  new  camp  ground 
east  of  the  ravine  of  Parent's  Creek,  now  known  as  Bloody  Run,  and 
the  squaws  were  to  come  over  from  the  village,  which  was  located  on 
the  site  of  Walkerville,  to  prepare  food  for  the  fighting  men.  Return- 
ing to  the  camp  Pontiac  put  on  the  war  paint  of  his  tribe,  after  which 
he  danced  the  grand  war  dance;  chanted  about  the  prowess  of  his  war- 
riors, and  recounted  the  wrongs  they  had  to  revenge  upon  the  English. 
His  example  was  imitated  by  the  others;  the  circle  of  the  dance  widened, 
and  the  chanting  was  interrupted  by  wild  yells  as  the  Indians  worked 
themselves  into  a  frenzy  of  passion.      In  a  short  time  the  whole  camp 

180 


was  inflamed  with  a  thirst  for  blood,  and  the  echoing  yells  were  wafted 
down  to  the  fort,  givingnotice  that  a  war  had  begun.  When  morning- 
broke  upon  the  settlement  the  sentinels  discovered  that  the  Indians  had 
moved  up  close  to  the  fort  where  they  could  find  shelter  from  the  soldiers' 
muskets  behind  the  outer  row  of  houses.  War  was  declared,  but  strat- 
egy was  not  at  an  end.  A  party  of  Wyandottes  stopped  at  the  fort  on 
their  way  to  join  Pontiac,  and  after  being  cheered  with  rum  they  went 
away  promising  to  do  what  they  could  to  secure  peace.  A  delegation 
of  chiefs  from  each  tribe  in  the  camp  soon  appeared  before  the  fort, 
accompanied  by  Frenchmen  in  order  to  assure  the  garrison  that  they 
were  on  a  peaceful  mission.  They  were  admitted  to  the  commandant 
and  they  told  him  that  all  the  chiefs  were  assembled  at  the  house  of 
trader  Cuillerier,  father  of  the  black  eyed  belle  of  the  settlement,  and 
that  they  desired  to  hold  council  with  a  delegation  from  the  fort.  They 
asked  that  Captain  Campbell  and  another  officer  be  allowed  to  come  to 
the  council,  and  assured  Gladwin  that  a  peace  could  probably  be  ar- 
ranged. By  this  time  the  commandant  had  lost  all  faith  in  Indian  in- 
tegrity and  he  refused,  but  Campbell  pleaded  for  the  opportunity  and 
asked  that  Lieutenant  McDougall  might  be  his  companion.  Gladwin 
gave  reluctant  permission. 

Night  was  falling  as  the  party  left  the  fort.  As  they  were  passing- 
through  the  village  they  saw  M.  Guoin,  who  had  reported  the  shorten- 
ing of  the  gun  barrels,  which  was  the  first  intimation  of  trouble.  He 
begged  the  two  officers  to  go  back  and  abandon  their  hazardous  un- 
dertaking, and  told  them  that  even  if  the  chiefs  were  acting  in  good 
faith  it  would  be  d(;ubtful  if  they  could  control  the  frenz}^  of  their  fol- 
lowers. Campbell  laughed  at  his  fears  and  passed  on  toward  the  house 
of  Cuillerier.  A  hundred  yards  further  on  the  peril  of  the  situation 
dawned  upon  them,  for  a  number  of  warriors  landed  from  their  canoes 
and  ran  upon  them.  The  warning  shouts  of  Pontiac  and  his  swift  rush 
to  their  rescue,  saved  them  from  destruction.  Arriving  at  the  house 
they  found  M.  Cuillerier  seated  upon  a  table  in  the  middle  of  the  largest 
room.  Antoine  Cuillerier  had  some  peculiar  traits  of  character;  he 
was  noted  as  a  vain,  conceited  man  who  believed  that  his  mental 
and  physical  gifts  were  of  the  finest  quality.  He  habitually  wore  loud 
and  showy  clothes  and  a  profusion  of  trinkets  and  gold  lace;  his  moc- 
casins being  of  fantastic  pattern  and  his  sash  elaborately  decorated  with 
beads.  He  had  a  restless  ambition  to  be  considered  a  leader  in  the 
affairs  of  the  community,  and  posed  as  the  friend  of  the  Indian  and  a 

181 


hater  of  the  English.  The  latter  trait,  however,  was  not  publicly  dis- 
played for  very  good  reasons.  It  is  believed  that  he  was  but  little 
more  than  a  tool  of  Pontiac  in  the  machinations  of  that  wily  warrior. 
His  house  was  on  the  bank  of  Parent's  Creek. 

After  Campbell  and  McDougall  arrived,  Pontiac  announced  that  he 
recognized  Cuillerier  as  the  father  of  the  settlement,  in  place  of  M.  Bel- 
lestre,  until  the  latter  should  return.  The  Indians,  he  said,  would  not 
tolerate  the  presence  of  the  British  in  that  territory,  and  the  only  way 
in  which  to  secure  peace  was  for  the  garrison  to  agree  to  abandon  the 
fort,  and  without  arms  or  baggage  leave  the  country  under  escort. 

This  announcement  appeared  to  please  Cuillerier,  who  thereupon 
shook  hands  with  the  British  officers,  saying:  "This  is  my  work;  I 
have  made  the  best  terms  I  could  for  you ;  I  thought  that  Pontiac 
would  not  be  so  easy." 

The  good  faith  of  the  French  trader  in  this  matter  will  naturally  be 
questioned.  It  is  known  that  he  had  been  a  prominent  man  in  the 
French  settlement  and  that  he  naturally  longed  for  a  return  of  the 
French  to  power  at  Detroit.  Ordinary  patriotism  would  inspire  such 
sentiments.  On  the  other  hand  he  had  been  on  excellent  terms  with 
the  British,  and  the  theory  set  forth  in  the  Elliott  manuscript  indicates 
that  his  daughter  was  probably  the  person  who  revealed  the  conspiracy 
to  Gladwin.  He  must  have  known  that  the  Indians  were  on  the  war 
path,  at  which  time  honor  and  integrity  are  laid  aside  by  them  and 
pledges  of  safe  conduct  to  surrendered  prisoners  are  not  regarded.  To 
accept  the  terms  offered  to  the  garrison,  and  for  the  latter  to  leave  De- 
troit unarmed,  would  have  invited  a  wholesale  massacre. 

Captain  Campbell  addressed  the  council,  recalling  the  good  will  which 
he  had  always  shown  toward  the  Indians.  He  counseled  peace  and 
friendly  relations  as  conducing  to  trade  and  the  mutual  benefit  of  the 
Indians  and  the  British.  But  he  told  them  he  was  not  the  chief  and 
therefore  Major  Gladwin  must  answer.  He  would  bear  the  message 
of  Pontiac  to  the  fort  and  bring  back  the  answer. 

No  sign  of  approval  followed  his  remarks  and  Captain  Campbell  and 
his  companion  arose  to  return  to  the  fort.  Pontiac  stopped  them  with 
the  remark:  "My  father  will  sleep  to-night  in  the  lodges  of  his  red 
children."  The  two  British  officers  then  realized  that  they  were 
prisoners.  They  were  conducted  to  the  house  of  M.  Meloche,  another 
French  settler,  and  placed  under  guard.  It  is  suggested  that  Gladwin 
at   this  time   was   holding  several   Potawatomies  in  custody,  and  the 

182 


Indians  spared  the  lives  of  the  two  envoys  because  they  feared  retalia- 
tion at  the  fort. 

Pontiac's  dictum  was  conveyed  to  Gladwin  next  day  by  a  delegation 
of  Frenchmen,  who  urged  him  to  accept,  but  the  young  commandant 
was  not  to  be  intimidated,  and  he  told  the  envoys  that  he  would  hold 
the  fort  at  all  hazards.  He  wrote  a  message  to  General  Amherst,  in- 
forming him  of  the  situation  and  asking  that  the  necessary  supplies  be 
forwarded  in  order  that  the  siege  might  be  sustained.  This  was  borne 
down  the  river  by  the  schooner  Gladwin.  Five  canoes  filled  with 
armed  Indians  put  off  to  board  the  schooner,  and  Captain  Campbell 
was  placed  in  the  bow  of  the  foremost  canoe  to  screen  the  savages,  but 
he  bravely  shouted  to  those  on  board:  "Pay  no  attention  to  me;  do 
your  duty."  A  shot  from  one  of  the  crew  killed  a  Potawatomie  in  the 
foremost  canoe  and  they  then  turned  back.  When  they  reached  the 
shore  Cuillerier,  it  is  said,  jeered  at  them  for  their  faint-hearted  re- 
treat.     From  that  time  the  fort  was  fully  besieged. 

Reports  of  the  capture  of  the  forts  at  Sandusky  and  St.  Joseph  and 
at  the  Miami  settlement  on  the  Maumee  River  came  to  Detroit  and  nat- 
urally tended  to  dishearten  the  garrison.  On  the  morning  of  May  29 
ten  bateaux  were  seen  coming  up  the  river,  and  the  soldiers  rejoiced  at 
the  arrival  of  supplies  and  reinforcements.  When  the  boats  came 
nearer  the  fort,  however,  the  besieged  British  saw  that  their  hopes  were 
vain,  for  the  bateaux  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Lieutenant 
Cuyler,  who  had  set  out  from  Niagara  in  charge  of  the  relief  expedi- 
tion, had  been  surprised  by  a  night  attack  as  they  were  encamped  near 
Pelee  Island  in  Lake  Erie.  They  had  landed  on  the  previous  night 
about  ten  o'clock,  the  men  having  been  kept  at  the  paddles  until  long 
after  dark  in  order  that  the  Indians  might  not  discover  their  landing 
place  for  the  night.  Two  of  the  men  began  to  collect  dead  limbs  for  a 
fire,  while  the  others  prepared  a  place  for  hanging  their  camp  kettle. 
The  men  in  the  woods  roused  a  party  of  Indians,  who  were  following 
the  canoe  expedition  on  shore,  and  one  of  the  foragers  was  killed  and 
scalped.  The  other  ran  into  camp  and  in  the  midst  of  the  confusion 
that  followed  several  were  shot  down.  Lieutenant  Cuyler  rallied  thirty 
men  about  him  and  held  the  savages  off;  some  of  the  others  ran  to  the 
bateaux,  but  there  were  but  two  or  three  men  to  a  boat,  and  they  were 
captured  before  they  could  get  into  deep  water.  Cuyler  and  his  fol- 
lowers escaped  in  the  darkness,  but  the  men  who  fled  to  the  boats  were 
forced  to  assist  in  paddling  them  to  Detroit.     As  the  bateaux  arrived 

183 


just  below  the  fort  two  soldiers,  who  were  rowing  the  foremost  boat, 
resolved  to  make  their  escape  or  die  in  the  attempt.  They  made  a 
movement  as  if  to  change  places  in  the  boat,  and  each  seized  his  Indian 
guard.  One  of  them  threw  his  man  into  the  river;  the  other  rolled  in- 
to the  water  in  a  death  grapple  with  the  Indian.  The  boats  were  close 
to  the  shore  and  in  shoal  water.  As  the  soldier  and  the  Indian  strug- 
gled to  their  feet  the  more  active  Indian  drove  his  tomahawk  into  his 
adversary's  brain,  but  the  other  soldier  brought  down  his  paddle  with 
all  his  might  upon  the  surviving  Indian's  head,  fracturing  his  skull, 
and  although  he  was  able  to  stagger  to  the  shore,  he  died  half  an  hour 
later.  The  two  soldiers  in  the  second  boat  attacked  their  guards  with 
their  paddles  and  drove  them  into  the  river.  The  three  desperate  men 
landed  the  two  boats  under  the  fire  of  more  than  sixty  Indians,  and  thus 
saved  several  barrels  of  pork  and  other  provisions  for  the  hungry  gar- 
rison. The  other  eight  bateaux  were  landed  at  the  Indian  camp  above, 
and  the  captors  all  got  drunk  on  the  rum  they  found  in  the  stores. 
They  killed  and  scalped  the  soldiers  who  had  not  escaped,  and  sent 
their  dead  bodies,  tied  to  logs,  floating  past  the  fort  to  intimidate  the 
garrison.  Ten  days  later  came  Father  La  Jaunay  from  Mackinac  Isl- 
and to  tell  of  the  slaughter  of  that  garrison. 

Six  weeks  rolled  by  and  the  provisions  of  the  savages  were  about  ex- 
hausted, so  Pontiac  set  about  obtaining  a  new  supply.  The  contents 
of  eight  bateaux,  and  twenty-four  cattle  killed  on  He  au  Cochon, 
indicated  great  consuming  powers  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  The 
French  residents  across  the  river  from  the  fort  had  fertile  farms  and  a 
few  cattle,  so  Pontiac  attended  mass  on  the  morning  of  June  26,  in  the 
French  chapel  of  the  Huron  mission.  There  were  no  carriages  in  the 
settlement,  but  some  of  the  wealthy  farmers  had  rigged  easy  chairs 
with  side  bars,  and  seated  in  these  were  carried  to  church  in  state  on 
the  shoulders  of  their  Pawmee  slaves.  Pontiac  and  two  of  his  asso- 
ciate chiefs  seized  three  of  these  rude  sedan  chairs,  which  were  stand- 
ing at  the  church  door,  and  they  were  carried  about  the  settlement  to 
purchase  cattle  and  corn.  In  imitation  of  the  commandants  at  the 
fort,  he  gave  his  note  to  signify  his  indebtedness.  These  promissory 
notes  were  pieces  of  bi  ch  bark  on  which  was  cut  or  scratched  the 
outline  of  a  coon,  the  chosen  totem  of  Pontiac  representing  his  signa- 
ture.     He  afterward  redeemed  these  pledges  in  honorable  fashion. 

With  fresh  provisions  his  warriors  were  encouraged  to  continue  the 
siege,  and  hoping  to  hasten  the  capitulation  of  the  fort,  Pontiac  sent 

184 


(UWU! 


ouTyfcii^^^^t^ 


T 


word  to  Gladwin  that  a  force  of  nine  hundred  warriors  was  on  its  way 
from  Mackinac.  When  they  arrived,  he  said,  he  feared  he  would  no 
longer  be  able  to  control  his  forces,  and  he  would  not  be  answerable 
for  the  consequences. 

In  the  mean  time  the  houses  and  barns  nearest  to  the  fort  had  been 
fired  by  red  hot  shot,  and  by  sallying  parties  sent  out  for  the  purpose, 
so  that  the  Indians  no  longer  had  shelter  for  a  near  approach.  The 
success  of  the  campaign  depended  on  supplies  being  delivered  to  the 
garrison.  Gladwin  answered  that  he  could  make  no  terms  with  Pontiac 
until  Captain  Campbell  and  Lieutenant  McDougall  had  been  returned 
in  safety,  according  to  his  pledge.  Incensed  at  the  determined  atti- 
tude of  the  commandant,  Pontiac  replied  that  the  kettles  were  heating 
to  boil  the  inmates  of  the  fort,  and  if  the  two  hostages  were  returned 
they  would  only  share  the  fate  reserved  for  the  others.  Four  days 
later,  when  the  hope  of  the  British  had  almost  departed,  the  schooner 
Gladwin  sailed  up  the  river  with  a  load  of  provisions  and  a  force  of 
fifty  soldiers  to  protect  her.  The  ammunition,  which  had  been  almost 
exhausted  in  keeping  the  savages  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  which 
alone  prevented  the  latter  from  firing  the  buildings  within  the  fort, 
was  now  replenished.  As  the  Indians  returned  victorious  from  the 
other  captured  forts  Pontiac  was  deeply  mortified  to  find  that  he,  the 
leader  of  the  great  campaign,  was  the  only  one  who  had  failed  to  ac- 
complish his  purpose.  He  had  one  more  plan  in  his  busy  brain,  and 
that  was  to  force  the  neutral  French  to  take  up  arms  and  unite  with 
the  savages.  He  argued  that  the  war  was  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
storing the  French  to  power,  and  in  the  expectation  of  success  a  secret 
messenger  had  been  dispatched  to  the  Mississippi  valley  to  bring  on  a 
French  commandant  named  Neyons,  from  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  to  take 
charge  of  the  fort  at  Detroit  after  it  should  be  taken.  The  pressure 
was  strong  on  the  French  at  Detroit  and  they  knew  not  which  way  to 
turn,  v/hen  a  copy  of  the  definitive  treaty  between  France  and  England 
arrived  at  the  settlement.  This  announced  that  the  French  king  had 
abandoned  the  settlements  in  the  North,  and  that  he  acknowledged  the 
sovereignty  of  the  British  crown  over  the  territory.  When  Gladwin 
assembled  the  French  on  July  4,  1763,  and  read  the  treaty,  James  Stir- 
ling, who  afterward  married  the  pretty  daughter  of  Cuillerier,  took 
service  under  the  commandant,  and  forty  others  (mostly  French)  fol- 
lowed his  example.  Once  more  the  spirits  of  the  garrison  arose  and  a 
bold  sortie  was  made  to  the  house  of  M.  Baby,  where  a  quantity  of  am- 

185 


munition  had  been  concealed  to  keep  it  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 
It  was  a  bold  dash,  but  it  was  rendered  less  heroic  by  an  act  of  barbar- 
ism. As  the  soldiers  charged  for  the  house  a  number  of  Indians  fired 
upon  them  without  effect,  but  in  the  return  volley  a  young  Chippewa 
warrior,  son  of  a  chief,  was  killed.  Lieutenant  Hays  then  scalped  him 
at  the  door  of  the  house,  and  shook  the  gory  trophy  toward  the  Indian 
camp.  That  barbarous  act  cost  the  life  of  Captain  Campbell,  who 
might  otherwise  have  survived  the  siege.  Lieutenant  McDougall  and 
a  trader  from  Albany  named  Van  Epps,  who  had  been  captured  on  the 
river,  made  their  escape,  and  got  safely  into  the  fort.  Captain  Camp- 
bell refused  to  accompany  them,  because  he  was  an  elderly  man  and 
not  fleet  of  foot,  and  in  waiting  for  him  the  other  two  might  sacrifice 
their  lives.  When  the  Chippewa  chief  heard  of  the  scalping  of  his  son 
he  was  crazed  with  passion,  and  rushing  into  the  lodge  where  Captain 
Campbell  was  kept,  he  dragged  him  out,  struck  him  down  with  his 
tomahawk,  and  scalped  him.  Then  he  cut  his  heart  out  and  ate  it 
and  afterward  cut  off  his  head.  The  body  was  finally  cut  in  small 
pieces  and  was  boiled  and  eaten  like  those  of  the  first  victims  of  the 
siege. 

This  is  the  report  commonly  accepted  by  historians,  but  according  to 
the  reports  submitted  by  Gladwin  to  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst  the  captain 
was  killed  under  different  circumstances,  as  follows :  The  Indians  had 
erected  a  rude  breastwork  of  small  logs  near  the  fort  on  the  night  of 
July  3,  from  which  they  could  harass  the  sentries  and  the  British  sharp- 
shooters. Soon  after  it  was  discovered  a  sortie  was  made  from  the 
fort  by  a  company  of  soldiers  and  the  breastwork  was  destroyed.  A 
party  of  twenty  Indians  attempted  to  defend  the  work,  one  of  whom 
was  shot  dead  and  two  were  wounded,  "  which  our  people  scalped  and 
cut  to  pieces,"  Major  Gladwin  states  in  his  report.  Half  an  hour 
afterward  the  dead  were  brought  into  the  house  where  Captain  Camp- 
bell was  confined.  Then  the  savages  stripped  the  captain  and  killed 
him  with  shocking  barbarity. 

The  Gladwin  and  the  sloop  Beaver  were  lying  in  front  of  the  fort  on 
the  night  of  July  10,  threatening  with  their  cannon  any  war  party 
which  might  attempt  to  reach  the  fort.  To  get  rid  of  them  the  In- 
dians, under  Pontiac's  direction,  made  huge  rafts  of  logs  and  piled 
upon  them  masses  of  bark  and  brush  saturated  with  pitch.  When 
these  had  been  lighted  they  were  floated  down  to  the  two  boats  and 
threatened  their  destruction.     But  the  fire  rafts  were  met  by  boats  and 

186' 


pushed  to  one  side,  and  a  shifting  of  cables  allowed  the  vessels  to 
sheer  out  of  harm's  way. 

It  would  seem  that  all  the  warnings  of  the  past  would  have  led  the 
soldiery  to  continue  their  policy  of  waiting  until  the  Indians  would 
become  discouraged  and  abandon  the  siege.  So  long  as  the  garrison 
could  be  provisioned  and  supplied  with  ammunition  it  was  evident  that 
the  fort  was  safe.  But  the  desire  to  make  a  record  for  heroism  often 
leads  to  sacrifice  of  life,  and  the  siege  of  Pontiac  was  not  to  pass 
without  its  slaughter.  Captain  Dalzell  arrived  from  Niagara  with  a 
force  of  260  men,  on  July  29,  and  General  Amherst  had  given  him 
orders  to  put  an  end  to  the  siege.  The  boats  of  the  flotilla  made  a  fine 
show  on  the  river  as  they  came  on  that  sunny  morning  with  their 
regularly  dipping  oars,  and  those  who  were  not  rowing  awoke  the 
echoes  with  volleys  of  musketry.  Dalzell  was  anxious  to  go  out  and 
give  the  Indians  battle,  but  Gladwin  advised  him  to  give  up  that  idea, 
as  the  Indians  were  very  numerous,  and  the  chances  were  that  an 
attacking  party  would  be  flanked  and  ambushed  with  disastrous  re- 
sults. Dalzell,  however,  was  hot  headed  and  impatient,  and  said  that 
if  he  was  not  allowed  to  go  out  and  accomplish  something,  after  bring- 
ing his  regiment  two  hundred  miles,  he  might  as  well  return  at  once. 
Gladwin  gave  reluctant  consent,  but  warned  Dalzell  to  proceed  with 
great  caution,  and  have  his  skirmish  line  well  advanced  to  discover  any 
attempt  at  an  ambush.  It  is  supposed  that  some  of  the  French  warned 
Pontiac  of  the  intended  sortie,  for  that  able  warrior  prepared  to 
destroy  the  attacking  party. 

Just  before  daybreak  on  July  31,  Dalzell  marched  quietly  out  of  the 
fort  at  the  head  of  250  men ;  they  took  their  way  along  the  ridge  about 
on  a  line  with  Jefferson  avenue.  The  morning  birds  were  beginning 
their  songs  as  they  came  to  the  small  ravine  of  Parent's  Creek,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  fort.  This  stream,  which  had  its  source 
three  miles  to  the  northward,  had  in  the  lapse  of  ages  furrowed  out  a 
little  gorge,  the  last  remnant  of  which  is  still  preserved  within  the  limits 
of  Elmwood  Cemetery.  All  the  rest  has  been  filled  up  and  obliterated 
by  the  march  of  public  improvements.  A  rude  bridge  crossed  the  creek 
near  where  the  Michigan  Stove  Works  now  stands  on  Jefferson  avenue. 
Day  had  not  yet  broken  when  the  skirmishers,  numbering  twenty-five 
men,  walked  across  the  bridge.  Not  a  soimd  broke  the  silence  of  the 
forest  except  the  measured  tread  of  the  soldiers  and  the  clank  of  their 
accoutrements.      Suddenly  the  side  of  the  ravine  was  a  blaze  of  fire  and 

187 


a  storm  of  bullets  swept  the  bridge.  Half  the  skirmishers  fell  where 
they  stood,  and  most  of  the  others  were  wounded.  Dalzell  was  brave 
and  he  charged  across  the  bridge  with  the  main  body  of  his  men  in 
close  order,  offering  a  fine  target  for  his  unseen  foes.  The  bridge  was 
left  covered  with  dead  bodies.  Wherever  he  saw  flashes  of  fire  and 
heard  the  sound  of  musketry  Dalzell  charged  with  the  idea  of  driving 
out  the  Indians  and  cutting  them  down,  but  he  never  came  to  close 
quarters,  and  presently  as  day  broke,  he  found  himself  surrounded  by 
a  multitude  of  savages  His  only  hope  of  escape  was  to  cut  his  way 
back  to  the  bridge  and  this  he  did,  his  soldiers  falling  all  around  him. 
He  retreated  toward  the  fort,  but  every  woodpile,  farmhouse  and  out- 
building was  an  ambush.  As  they  ran  past  an  excavation  for  a  cellar 
it  belched  fire,  and  a  number  of  men  fell  to  be  butchered  and  scalped 
by  the  pursuing  host.  When  the  soldiers  grew  panic  stricken  Dalzell 
brought  them  to  their  senses  by  beating  them  with  the  flat  of  his  sword. 
Major  Rogers,  who  had  received  the  surrender  of  Detroit,  saw  a  house 
on  the  way  to  the  fort  belching  fire  and  showering  bullets  from  every 
window.  At  the  head  of  his  bold  rangers  he  burst  the  doors  and  the 
Indians  leaped  out  of  the  windows  taking  to  the  trees  aud  continuing 
their  fire.  Captain  Gray  fell  riddled  with  bullets.  Dalzell,  fatally 
wounded,  tried  to  help  a  wounded  sergeant  toward  the  fort,  but  both 
went  down  under  the  ceaseless  fire.  A  painted  savage  ran  up  to  the 
bleeding  body  of  Captain  Gray  and  cut  his  heart  out.  But  for  the  cool- 
ness of  Major  Rogers,  who  succeeded  to  the  command,  not  a  man 
would  have  lived  to  reach  the  fort.  When  escape  was  cut  off  he  took 
refuge  with  the  remnant  of  his  followers  in  the  Jacques  Campau  house, 
which  was  of  unusual  strength,  and  managed  to  keep  the  enemy  at  a 
distance  until  word  could  be  sent  to  the  fort.  The  boats,  armed  with 
swivel  guns,  put  off  from  the  fort,  and  under  protection  of  their  fire, 
Rogers  made  his  way  back  with  ninety  men.  This  was  all  that  was 
left  of  the  250  who  went  out  under  Dalzell.  It  is  said  that  less  than  a 
score  of  Indians  were  killed  during  the  fight. 

The  river  and  ravine  were  then  christened  Bloody  Run,  and  until  the 
summer  of  1893  a  scarred  and  bullet  pierced  tree  was  preserved  on  the 
ground  by  an  iron  railing,  the  last  silent  witness  of  the  slaughter. 
That  summer  it  was  cut  down,  and  now  no  living  thing  remains  which 
existed  at  the  time  of  that  battle. 

Pontiac  was  quick  to  see  that  his  only  hope  of  subduing  the  fort  was 
to  cut  off  communication  with  the  outside  world,   and  this  he  deter- 

188 


mined  to  accomplish.  The  schooner  Gladwin  was  becalmed  off  Fighting 
Island  on  the  evening  of  September  4,  as  she  was  on  her  way  np  the 
river.  She  was  compelled  to  anchor,  and  the  crew  of  twelve  men  had 
to  risk  their  lives  in  an  exposed  position  where  the  savages  might 
attack  in  force  under  cover  of  darkness.  In  the  dead  of  the  night  a 
fleet  of  canoes  was  discovered  almost  upon  the  vessel,  and  there  was 
but  time  for  one  exchange  of  shots  before  a  large  force  of  savages 
boarded  the  vessel.  Commander  Horst  had  fallen  at  the  first  fire. 
Nothing  but  death  by  torture  confronted  the  seven  survivors,  and  this 
they  immediately  realized.  "  Fire  the  magazine!  "  shouted  Mate  Ja- 
cobs. His  order  was  understood  by  the  Indians,  and  they  precipitated 
themselves  into  the  river.  The  rest  of  the  night  was  passed  without 
molestation,  and  the  Gladwin  made  her  way  to  the  fort  next  morning. 
This  failure  dampened  the  ardor  of  the  Indians,  but  the  last  act  which 
would  bring  about  peace  was  about  to  take  place.  General  Amherst 
was  of  the  opinion  that  the  French  had  a  sinister  influence  upon  the 
Indians,  and  that  they  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  Pontiac  trouble.  He 
wrote  a  vigorous  letter  to  M.  Neyons,  commandant  of  the  French  in 
the  Illinois  region,  and  to  prevent  serious  complications  with  the  Eng- 
lish government,  Neyons  wrote  to  Detroit  warning  the  settlers  and  In- 
dians that  peace  had  been  declared  between  the  English  and  the  French, 
and  that  the  two  kings  desired  no  further  warfare.  The  shedding  of 
blood  and  all  evil  counsels  must  stop,  he  said,  because  under  the  peace 
regulations  the  Indians  could  not  attack  one  nationality  without  offend- 
ing the  other.  This  was  read  to  the  French  citizens  of  Detroit,  who 
promptly  acknowledged  the  right  of  the  English  to  possession. 

Pontiac  abandoned  hope  October  12,  and  sued  for  peace,  but  Major 
Gladwin  merely  agreed  to  a  truce  until  orders  could  be  received  from 
General  Amherst.  There  was  no  profit  to  be  gained  by  the  British  in 
prosecuting  the  war.  The  Indians  were  hard  to  strike  owing  to  their 
superior  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  their  destruction  would  ruin 
the  peltry  trade  and  stop  the  consumption  of  large  quantities  of  goods 
that  were  sold  to  the  outposts.  Gladwin  was  bitter  against  the  French, 
who  in  his  judgment  were  far  from  blameless.  In  regard  to  the  In 
dians  he  wrote  his  superior:  "They  have  lost  between  eighty  and 
ninety  of  their  warriors,  but  if  your  excellency  still  intends  to  punish 
them  for  their  barbarities  it  may  be  easier  done,  without  any  expense 
to  the  crown,  by  permitting  a  free  sale  of  rum,  which  will  destroy  more 
effectually  than  fire  and  sword.      But,  on  the  contrary,  if  you  intend  to 

189 


accommodate  matters  in  the  spring,  which  I  hope  yon  will  for  the 
above  reasons,  it  may  be  necessary  to  send  up  Sir  William  Johnson." 
The  letter  is  a  tribute  to  the  wisdom  of  Sir  William  as  being  the  man 
best  adapted  for  handling  the  Indians.  After  more  than  five  months 
of  confinement  and  constant  danger,  after  weeks  of  short  rations,  with 
starvation  apparently  near  at  hand,  the  beleaguered  garrison  marched 
out  upon  the  green  sward  of  the  outer  village  with  glad  hearts.  The 
siege  had  lasted  153  days. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Detroit  was  Saved  by  Pretty  Angelique  Cuillerier  Beaubien — The  Belle  of  the 
French  Settlement  Learns  of  Pontiac's  Treachery — She  Tells  Her  Lover,  James 
Sterling,  and  Sterling  Informs  Gladwin — 1763. 

Historians  who  have  written  the  story  of  Pontiac's  conspiracy  have 
accepted  as  a  plausible  theory  a  time-honored  tradition  which  has  no 
foundation  in  fact.  The  Ojibway  maiden  Catherine  is  unquestionably 
a  myth.  Recent  discoveries  show  beyond  doubt  that  the  information 
came  from  Angelique  Cuillerier,  and  that  her  lover,  James  Sterling, 
who  later  became  her  husband,  waS  the  actual  informant. 

In  the  Canadian  archives.  Series  B,  Vol.  70,  page  214,  is  a  letter 
from  Major  Henry  Bassett,  British  commandant  at  Detroit  in  1773,  to 
Sir  Frederick  Haldimand,  governor-general  of  Canada.  After  report- 
ing to  his  chief  various  matters  concerning  the  several  tribes  of  Indians 
who  lived  about  Detroit,  Major  Bassett  says: 

"  I  have  received  an  account  from  the  Wabash  Indians,  that  near  the  Ohio  some 
Indians  fell  in  with  four  English  traders  who  had  fifteen  horses  loaded  with  goods, 
and  that  they  have  scalped  the  traders  and  taken  the  horses  and  goods.  This  is  not 
confirmed,  although  the  Hurons  have  mentioned  it  to  me,  and  they  are  seldom  out. 
I  don't  think  the  Indians  are  at  present  much  to  be  trusted.  They  seem  very  rest- 
less, as  you  will  perceive  by  the  inclosed  report,  which  I  received  from  the  Indians 
in  council  ready  wrote  in  French,  and  translated  by  Mr.  James  Sterling  for  me.  I 
believe  some  French  traders  amongst  them  help  to  stir  them  up. 

"  For  want  of  a  civil  officer  here  the  commanding  officer  is  very  much  employed 
with  the  disputes  which  must  naturally  happen  between  the  inhabitants.  I  am  so 
uncomfortable  as  not  to  speak  French,  or  understand  it  sufficiently  without  an  inter- 
preter. Hitherto  I  have  been  under  obligations  to  Mr.  Sterling,  merchant,  who  has 
been  ready  on  all  occasions  to  attend,  and  has  wrote  and  answered  all  my  French 

190 


letters  without  any  gratuity.  A  French  interpreter  where  the  inhabitants  amount  to 
near  1,300  souls,  I  should  conceive,  with  submission  to  your  excellency,  government 
would  not  object  to ;  more  particularly  as  I  am  informed  one  is  paid  at  the  Illinois 
settlements.  Should  your  excellency  allow  me  one  here,  I  beg  leave  to  recommend 
Mr.  James  Sterling,  who  is  the  first  merchant  at  this  place,  and  a  gentleman  of  good 
character  during  the  late  Indian  war.  Through  a  lady  whom  he  then  courted, 
from  whom  he  had  the  best  information,  he  was  in  part  a  means  to  save  this  gar- 
rison. This  gentleman  is  now  married  to  that  lady  and  is  connected  with  the  best 
part  of  this  settlement ;  has  more  to  say  with  them  than  any  one  else  here.  The  In- 
dians can't  well  begin  hostilities  without  his  having  information  of  their  designs.  If 
your  excellency  disproves  of  adding  third  interpreter,  mine  for  the  Hurons  is  a 
drunken,  idle  fellow  scarcely  worth  the  keeping  except  out  of  charity.  If  your  ex- 
cellency will  appoint  Mr.  Sterling  both  French  and  Huron  interpreter,  he'll  oblige 
himself  to  find  a  proper  person  for  that  nation. 

"  Mr.  Sterling  tells  me  he  has  the  honor  to  be  known  to  your  excellency  as  com- 
missary of  provisions  in  the  year  1759  at  Oswego,  and  at  Fort  Augustus  in  1760. 
At  his  earnest  request  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  inclose  to  your  excellency  a 
memorial  from  him.     I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  very  great  respect, 

"Your  Excellency's  very  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

"H.   Bassett,  Major  of  the  10th  Reg't." 

In  this  and  foregoing  correspondence  is  a  picture  of  a  very  zealous, 
and  also  a  very  nervous  officer.  He  is  in  command  of  a  limited  force 
of  men  in  a  region  which  is  several  hundred  miles  from  military  sup- 
port. The  nearest  relief,  in  case  of  an  unexpected  attack,  is  Niagara, 
two  hundred  miles  away,  where  there  is  but  a  mere  handful  of  soldiers. 
About  him  are  several  tribes  of  Indians,  who  can  muster  1,500  war- 
riors, and  they  are  constantly  reminding  him  that  they  prefer  the 
French  to  the  English  rule.  They  come  to  Detroit  and  hold  excited 
councils  with  the  French,  at  which  the  British  are  denounced  as  in- 
truders and  interlopers.  The  only  means  of  keeping  in  touch  with 
them  and  watching  their  movements  is  by  the  courtesy  of  the  versatile 
Scotch  merchant,  James  Sterling,  who  takes  notes  of  their  utterances 
and  those  of  the  French  traders,  and  translates  them  to  the  command- 
dant  in  the  privacy  of  his  quarters.  Sterling  saved  the  garrison  by  re- 
vealing Pontiac's  plot  in  May,  1763,  and  he  got  his  information  through 
Mile.  Cuillerier,  his  sweetheart.  The  missing  link  in  the  chain  of  evi- 
dence is  the  manner  in  which  Mile.  Angelique  Cuillerier  obtained  the 
information.  In  the  foregoing  pages  it  has  been  shown  that  Antoine 
Cuillerier,  her  father,  was  in  more  than  suspicious  intimacy  with  Pon- 
tiac.  At  the  conference  in  the  Cuillerier  cabin  old  Antoine  was  the 
central  figure.  Seated  in  a  chair  which  had  been  placed  on  the  family 
table,  and  wearing  a  tall  hat  rigged  out  fantastically  in  gold  braid  and 

191 


gay  ribbons,  he  was  recognized  by  Pontiac  as  the  head  of  the  white 
colony.  When  Pontiac  told  the  English  officers  that  all  the  English 
must  depart  from  Detroit,  Caillerier  urged  the  acceptance  of  Pontiac's 
pledge  of  safe  conduct,  saying  it  was  the  best  terms  he  had  been  able 
to  obtain  for  the  British.  The  inference  is  that  Cuillerier  had  previ- 
ously been  plotting  with  the  Indians  for  the  removal  of  the  British, 
peaceably  if  possible,  but  to  get  rid  of  them  and  restore  French  rule  in 
Detroit  at  any  cost.  It  is  easily  possible  that  the  fair  daughter,  Ange- 
lique,  would  be  prompted  by  a  woman's  curiosity  during  these  secret 
meetings,  and,  while  Pontiac  and  her  father  were  plotting  in  the  great 
living  room  down  stairs,  she  was  probably  listening  with  attentive  ear 
at  the  opening  in  the  loft,  where  the  younger  members  of  the  house- 
hold usually  slept.  The  plots  were  of  such  a  nature  that  she  would 
naturally  be  touched  with  a  woman's  tender  sympathy  for  the  doomed. 
Further  than  this,  Sterling,  her  lover,  was  a  Briton  born.  His  sym- 
pathies would  naturally  be  with  his  countrymen  rather  than  with  the 
French  and  Indians,  a  condition  which  would  undoubtedly  influence  his 
sweetheart. 

Nine  years  after  Pontiac's  failure,  Jacques  Campau,  whose  house 
gave  shelter  to  the  soldiers  retreating  from  Bloody  Run,  sent  a  memo- 
rial to  the  king  of  England  asking  for  a  grant  of  land  of  twelve  arpents 
frontage  on  the  river,  nearly  opposite  the  foot  of  Belle  Isle.  He  stated 
that  250  soldiers  had  found  refuge  in  his  house  during  the  day  of  Dal- 
zell's  disastrous  battle,  but  instead  of  being  grateful  for  the  shelter  af- 
forded them  for  several  hours,  and  refreshments  given  by  the  owner, 
they  robbed  his  house  of  $300  worth  of  its  furnishings.  For  this  they 
had  been  court  martialed  by  Gladwin,  but  the  loser  was  not  reimbursed. 
Campau  accepted  a  captain's  commission  under  Gladwin  and  went  to 
Mackinaw  with  120  men.  He  succeeded  in  pacifying  two  tribes  of 
hostile  Indians,  and  spent  ten  weeks  there  cutting  wood  and  preparing 
the  post  for  the  winter,  but  he  never  received  a  cent  of  pay  and  all  his 
appeals  to  the  commandant  were  unsuccessful. 

Pontiac  abandoned  all  hope  of  driving  the  British  out  of  the  West, 
but  he  was  regarded  as  a  dangerous  character  by  the  settlers  in  case  of 
trouble  between  England  and  France.  In  such  a  case  he  no  doubt 
would  have  renewed  hostilities  in  behalf  of  the  French.  So  distasteful 
was  the  presence  of  the  English  to  him  that  he  first  retired  to  the  Mau- 
mee  valley,  and  later  made  his  way  west  to  the  French  settlements  of 
the  Mississippi  valley.      He  did  not  die  in  battle  as  his  martial  spirit 

192 


WILLIAM    H.   TEFFT. 


would  have  chosen.  He  went  to  visit  a  French  friend  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
then  in  the  possession  of  the  French,  where  he  adopted  the  dress  of  a 
French  military  officer.  One  day  an  English  trader  named  Wilkinson, 
who  had  a  grudge  against  the  chief,  offered  an  Illinois  Indian  a  barrel 
of  rum  if  he  would  waylay  and  kill  Pontiac.  The  mercenary  followed 
his  victim  into  the  woods  and  shot  him  dead,  and  thus  earned  his  re- 
ward, but  the  vengeance  of  Pontiac's  followers  afterward  resulted  in 
the  destruction  of  the  tribe  of  the  Illinois.  Pontiac  was  buried  some- 
where within  the  present  limits  of  St.  Louis  with  military  honors,  but 
no  stone  marks  the  spot  and  it  will  probably  never  be  discovered. 

Not  a  man  in  the  garrison  at  Detroit  cared  to  remain  longer  amid  the 
scenes  of  their  past  sufferings,  and  the  report  that  Major  Wilkins  was 
on  his  way  from  Niagara  with  a  flotilla  of  canoes,  containing  a  large 
force  of  men,  was  received  with  joy.  They  did  not  arrive  as  expected, 
and  fears  were  entertained  for  their  safety.  These  fears  were  confirmed 
about  November  12,  when  two  friendly  Indians  arrived,  bearing  a  dis- 
patch from  Major  Wilkins,  stating  that  his  fleet  had  met  disaster  in  a 
sudden  storm  on  Lake  Erie  and  that  seventy  of  his  men  had  been  lost. 
Their  stores  and  ammunition  had  been  sacrificed  to  keep  the  boats 
afloat,  and  the  party  had  been  compelled  to  put  back  to  Niagara.  It 
was  not  until  August,  1764,  that  Colonel  Bradstreet  came  from  the  east 
with  a  body  of  soldiers,  and  relieved  Gladwin  of  the  post  which  he  had 
grown  to  dislike.  Major  Gladwin,  although  not  lacking  in  bravery, 
wanted  no  more  of  life  in  the  wilderness.  He  went  to  England,  after 
resigning  his  commission,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  with  his  wife 
and  children. 


193 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

The  British  Home  Government  Neglects  the  Colonies  and  Detroit  Languishes  as 
Settlement— The  Selfish  Policy  of  the  British  Tradesmen  Was  the  Cause  of  Most  of 
the  Colonial  Troubles— 1763-1773. 

Detroit,  notwithstanding  the  restriction  on  trade,  grew  rapidly  in 
population  and  prosperity  during  the  ten  years  that  succeeded  the  Pon- 
tiac  war.  Under  British  rule  it  became  an  emporium  of  a  vast  trade 
in  furs,  and  the  wealth  that  gave  leisure  for  cultivation  soon  brought 
its  best  society  to  a  condition  of  refinement  which  rivaled  that  of  the 
seaboard  cities.  The  rough  Indian  trader  was  there,  scarcely  more  re- 
fined than  the  imtutored  savage,  but  mingling  with  him  was  the  cul- 
tured British  officer  and  the  aristocratic  French  resident,  who  had  be- 
come rich  by  trade  and  the  growth  in  value  of  his  landed  possessions. 
The  extent  of  the  trade  in  furs,  considering  that  the  peltries  were  car- 
ried over  the  lakes  eastward  altogether  in  birch  bark  canoes,  was  a 
thing  that  strikes  with  astonishment.  When  the  English  took  posses- 
sion in  1760,  they  found  in  storage  furs  to  the  value  of  half  a  million 
dollars.  Soon  the  trade  increased  so  that  as  many  as  two  hundred 
thousand  beaver  skins  were  shipped  in  a  single  year.  Crowds  of  In- 
dians in  their  brightly  painted  bark  canoes  were  constantly  coming  and 
going  upon  the  river,  bringing  the  peltries  of  the  deer,  the  otter  and 
the  beaver,  and  carrying  away  the  numerous  articles  of  civilized  pro- 
duction which  they  received  in  exchange,  for  most  of  the  Indian  trade 
was  still  barter.  Often  these  gaudy  crafts  completely  lined  the  river 
bank,  and  the  vicinity  of  the  fort  became  the  mart  of  a  thriving  com- 
merce. The  canoes  were  both  shop  and  dwelling  house  for  the  abo- 
rigines. In  them,  turned  bottom  up,  and  slightly  canted  to  one  side 
to  allow  of  an  easy  entrance,  whole  families  lived  by  day  and  lodged 
by  night.  These  consisted  of  the  copper-colored  brave  and  his  dusky 
mate,  with  the  small  papoose  strapped  to  a  board  at  her  back,  and  an 
indefinite  number  of  "  little  Injun  "  boys  and  girls,  rolling  on  the  sand, 
with  only  a  raiment  of  bear's  grease  to  protect  them  from  the  swarm  of 
insects  that  infested  the  quarters.      Here  the  head  of  the  house  dis- 

194 


played  his  wares — peltries,  baskets,  brooms,  mococks  of  sugar  and 
moccasins — and  exhibited  a  keenness  in  bargaining  fully  equal  to  that 
of  his  more  civilized  white  brother.  Lovers  of  the  picturesque  no 
doubt  enjoyed  the  traffic,  if  not  over  fastidious  in  the  matter  of  dirt. 

John  Bradstreet,  the  new  commandant,  was  a  man  of  little  principle, 
and  he  made  a  practice  of  beguiling  the  Indians  into  treaties  which 
they  did  not  well  understand,  and  into  giving  grants  of  land  which 
were  fraudulently  obtained.  These  were  the  cause  of  much  trouble  in 
later  years. 

As  soon  as  the  treaty  of  Paris  was  ratified,  steps  were  taken  to  estab- 
lish some  form  of  local  government  in  the  territory  acquired  by  the 
treaty.  This  was  done  at  the  urgent  appeal  of  the  settlers,  who  were 
tired  of  military  rule.  A  portion  of  the  country,  later  known  as  Lower 
Canada,  was  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  governor  and  council,  to 
whom  was  delegated  power  to  establish  courts  in  conformity  with  the 
the  English  law,  and  appeals  were  to  be  made  to  the  privy  council. 
Western  Canada,  including  the  present  province  of  Ontario,  had  not 
been  ceded  by  the  Indians,  and  purchases  of  land  from  the  Indians  were 
forbidden  except  by  treaty  through  the  government.  Detroit  was 
therefore  left  without  courts  of  law,  and  for  twelve  years  after  the  date 
of  the  treaty  it  was  like  the  French  regime,  and  had  no  system  of  gov- 
ernment other  than  the  military  rule  of  the  commandant  and  his 
appointees.  Detroit  was  annexed  to  the  province  of  Quebec  in  April, 
1775.  One  of  the  first  acts  under  the  administration  of  Bradstreet  was 
a  deal  with  the  Indians  by  which  they  ceded  to  the  white  settlers  a 
strip  of  land  beginning  a  short  distance  west  of  the  fort  and  continuing 
along  the  river  as  far  as  Lake  St.  Clair.  Then  followed  a  long 
conflict  of  schemes  for  private  interest  which  retarded  the  growth  of 
the  colony.  Commandants,  officers  and  traders  seem  to  have  been 
ruled  by  mercenary  motives,  and  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  in 
England  were  as  selfish  as  the  others.  Fur  traders  bitterly  opposed 
the  settling  of  the  country,  because  the  establishing  of  farmers 
throughout  the  territory  would  lead  to  an  extermination  of  the  fur- 
bearing  animals,  and  their  very  profitable  calling  would  be  affected. 
Their  opposition  was  backed  by  the  tradesmen  of  England,  who  argued 
that  the  development  of  the  country  would  eventually  lead  to  local 
manufactures  and  their  market  would  thus  be  in  danger  of  destruction. 
All  the  arguments  of  the  more  intelligent  leaders  could  not  convince 
the  tradesmen  that  the  development  of  the  western  world  would  en- 

195 


large  instead  of  restrict  their  trade.  This  war  of  selfish  interests  con- 
tinued all  over  the  British  colonies  until  the  American  Revolution 
broke  out,  and  was,  in  fact,  the  great  cause  of  precipitating  it.  The 
tradesmen  appeared  to  control,  for  the  power  to  grant  lands  for  farm- 
ing purposes  was  taken  away  from  the  local  commandant  and  vested  in 
the  governor  at  Montreal,  and  private  purchases  from  Indians  were 
made  illegal.  The  most  the  commandant  could  do  was  to  recommend 
certain  grants. 

In  1765,  soon  after  the  British  were  well  established  at  Detroit,  the 
the  first  money  began  to  circulate,  and  it  was  known  as  New  York  cur- 
rency. With  the  advent  of  money,  the  payment  of  taxes  in  peltries 
and  other  local  produce  was  gradually  discontinued.  For  two  years 
after  the  treaty  had  been  completed  the  British  practically  abandoned 
Mackinaw,  and  the  place  was  occupied  by  a  village  of  Chippewas. 
Major  Robert  Rogers  was  sent  to  the  command  of  Mackinac  in  1765, 
and  he  immediately  began  to  scheme  for  his  own  advancement.  He 
was  soon  detected  in  dealing  with  the  Indians  for  private  grants  of 
lands,  by  making  lavish  presents  and  promising  many  things  which  he 
did  not  perform.  The  true  purport  of  his  scheme  was  never  fully  as- 
certained. He  may  have  learned  that  there  were  rich  deposits  of  cop- 
per in  the  region  of  the  upper  peninsula,  and  have  planned  to  secure  a 
title  to  them  in  defiance  of  the  crown.  He  was  suspected  of  acting  as 
an  agent  of  either  the  French  or  the  Spanish  government,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  possession  of  the  Northwest,  but  the  latter  sus- 
picion does  not  appear  to  be  well  founded.  Both  these  governments 
must  have  known  that  such  a  scheme  would  stir  the  British  to  war 
against  them,  and  each  had  been  exhausted  with  wars  in  Europe.  The 
most  probable  case  is  that  Rogers  was  planning  to  establish  himself  as 
a  feudal  lord  among  the  Indians  of  the  North.  He  was  arrested  and 
taken  to  Montreal,  where  he  was  tried  by  court-martial  on  a  charge  of 
treason,  but  the  charge  could  not  be  sustained  and  Rogers  was  dis- 
charged. The  chief  evidence  against  him  was  an  intercepted  letter 
written  by  Colonel  Hopkins,  a  British  officer,  who  had  taken  service 
with  the  French,  which  urged  Rogers  to  get  the  good-will  of  the  In- 
dians, and  to  use  his  influence  toward  securing  the  independence  of  the 
colonies.  Hopkins  was  in  the  French  service  because  of  real  or 
fancied  wrongs  he  had  sustained  at  the  hands  of  his  own  government, 
and  this  early  propagator  of  revolution  was  no  doubt  seeking  a  per- 
sonal revenge  against  the  government  under  which  he  had  been  born. 

196 


France  had  ceded  her  possessions  on  the  upper  Mississippi  and  all  of 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  and  it  was  merely  surmised  that  Rogers  might  be 
acting  for  one  of  these  powers. 

As  the  commandants  at  Detroit  had  many  duties  and  responsibilities, 
and  as  there  was  much  litigation  in  petty  civil  cases  among  the  settlers, 
it  became  necessary  to  deputize  some  person  with  authority  to  hear  and 
adjust  such  cases.  Capt.  George  Turnbull,  commandant,  in  1767,  is- 
sued a  warrant  to  a  merchant  named  Philip  Dejean,  who  had  been  a 
bankrupt  in  Montreal,  authorizing  him  to  take  evidence  under  oath  and 
to  hold  tribunals  of  arbitration  for  the  settlement  of  disputes.  Dejean 
was  also  authorized  to  draw  all  legal  instruments  and  to  conduct  pub- 
lic sales.  The  office  combined  the  duties  of  a  justice  of  the  peace,  no- 
tary and  sheriff,  and  Dejean  was  known  as  the  chief  justice  of  Detroit. 
This  authority  was  issued  April  24,  1767,  and  it  was  renewed  by  Major 
Robert  Bayard  when  he  succeeded  to  the  command  on  July  28,  of  the 
same  year.  Persons  locked  up  for  either  debt  or  misdemeanor  were 
required  to  pay  one  dollar  on  being  liberated.  A  tariff  regulation  was 
instituted  about  the  same  time.  Non-residents  who  brought  boatloads 
of  merchandise  to  Detroit  were  assessed  an  entrance  fee  of  two  dollars 
for  each  boat.  The  mild  rule  of  the  French  regime  had  given  way  to 
a  system  of  petty  despotism,  and  this  continued  until  the  banner  of 
England  was  replaced  at  Detroit  by  the  stars  and  stripes  The  governor- 
general  of  Canada  was  supposed  to  be  in  control,  but  most  of  the  au- 
thority was  deputized  to  the  resident  commandants,  and  the  rule  of  the 
latter  was  almost  absolute.  In  the  summer  of  1771  Michael  Due,  a 
resident  of  Detroit,  murdered  a  voyageur  named  Tobias  Isenhart,  pre- 
sumably for  his  money.  Due  was  examined  before  Justice  Dejean, 
sent  to  Quebec  for  trial,  and  was  subseqently  hanged  at  Montreal. 

The  presence  of  copper  in  northern  Michigan  and  in  the  islands  of 
Lake  Superior  was  known  to  the  French  at  a  very  early  day,  but  sev- 
eral circumstances  caused  these  mineral  deposits  to  be  neglected.  The 
Jesuit  fathers  were  more  interested  in  saving  souls  than  in  making 
fortunes  for  adventurers,  and  the  fur  traders  could  carry  on  their  busi- 
ness wnth  a  small  capital  and  make  rich  profits,  while  a  heavy  in- 
vestment of  capital  was  needed  to  develop  a  mine  and  erect  the  neces- 
sary smelting  works.  There  was  one  trader,  however,  of  a  different 
opinion,  the  same  Alexander  Henry  who  so  narrowly  escaped  destruc- 
tion at  the  time  of  the  massacre  at  Mackinaw.  He  made  an  extended' 
exploration  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Superior  in   1770;  even 

197 


putting  off  from  the  main  land  to  Michipicoten  and  the  more  remote 
Caribou  Island.  Private  Norburg  of  the  Royal  American  Regiment, 
and  several  other  adventurous  spirits  accompanied  him,  and  Norburg 
made  the  first  discovery  of  silver  ore.  While  on  this  trip  he  picked  up 
a  small  boulder,  rich  in  silver,  weighing  about  eight  pounds,  vi^hich  was 
sent  to  England  for  assay.  On  his  return  Henry  told  of  a  mass  of 
rock  copper  which  he  had  discovered  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  and 
from  which  he  had  chopped  a  mass  weighing  about  one  hundred 
pounds.  In  1773  he  induced  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  Indian  agent, 
to  unite  with  him  for  the  development  of  a  mine  near  Ontonagon 
River,  but  from  the  difficulty  of  raising  the  ore  without  expensive 
machinery,  and  the  lack  of  a  smelting  plant,  the  enterprise  was  soon 
abandoned.  The  duke  of  Gloucester,  Sir  Samuel  Tutchet,  and  several 
other  capitalists  were  interested,  but  after  experiments  they  found  that 
profits  could  not  be  realized.  At  this  time,  1770,  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  which  had  received  its  charter  from  Charles  II  in  1669,  after 
conducting  a  profitable  and  almost  exclusive  fur  trade  for  more  than  a 
century,  found  a  rival  in  the  field  known  as  the  Northwest  Company. 
Individual  traders  also  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  and  for  a  long  time 
there  was  much  lawlessness  among  the  coiireurs  of  the  rival  companies. 
These  coiireurs  stopped  at  no  device  to  induce  the  Indian  to  trade  with 
their  respective  employers,  or  to  injure  that  of  their  competitors. 
Serious  troubles  were  threatened,  but  they  were  averted  by  Lord  Sel- 
kirk, who,  by  a  clever  bit  of  financiering,  united  the  interests  of  the 
two  companies,  and  thereafter  the  consolidated  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
being  in  complete  control,  managed  to  keep  settlers  out  of  the  fur 
countr)'-  for  many  years. 

In  the  winter  of  1773  a  trader  named  McDowell,  from  Pittsburg, 
who  was  stopping  in  a  house  near  the  fort,  refused  to  sell  rum  to  an 
Indian.  The  Indian  went  outside  of  the  house,  and,  poking  his  gun 
through  the  window,  shot  McDowell  dead  as  he  sat  before  the  fire. 
This  caused  Major  Bassett  to  write  to  Governor  William  Tryon,  pro- 
testing against  the  introduction  of  rum  from  Albany  and  Canada. 
' '  Trading  will  never  be  safe  while  it  continues, "  said  he ;  "  the  leading 
chiefs  complain  that  the  English  are  killing  all  their  young  men  with 
spirits.  They  purchase  poison  instead  of  blankets  and  the  necessaries 
of  life.  They  say  they  lose  more  young  men  by  rum  than  they  lose  by 
war.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  the  commandant  at  this  post  to  prevent, 
for  the  traders  land  it  down  the  river,   and  have  a  thousand  tricks  to 

198 


deceive  the  commandant  and  cheat  the  poor  savages.  The  traders  are 
generally  the  outcasts  of  all  nations  and  the  refuse  of  mankind.  The 
commandant  at  Detroit  has  no  power  to  punish  them,  but  they  should 
be  made  subject  to  him  while  at  this  post.  They  trade  on  the  river 
bank,  within  three  miles  of  the  post,  and  cheat  the  Indians  outrageous- 
ly. They  lodge  in  French  houses  while  so  doing,  and  conceal  their 
peltry  there  until  they  can  slip  it  into  the  fort  unobserved.  This  prac- 
tice cannot  be  prevented  until  the  commandant  has  authority  to.  lock 
these  fellows  up  and  send  them  back  to  New  York  or  to  Canada. " 

Even  Major  Bassett  had  his  enemies  among  the  settlers.  In  1773  a 
strip  of  land,  known  as  the  King's  Domain,  covered  twelve  acres  in 
front  of  the  fort  and  thirty  acres  back.  The  king's  garden  was  located 
in  this  tract  on  the  east  side  of  the  fort.  Major  Bassett  built  a  fence 
around  a  small  piece  of  ground  back  of  the  king's  garden,  making  a 
pasture  for  his  horse,  and  the  residents  immediately  made  loud  com- 
plaints that  he  was  taking  a  part  of  the  common.  He  wrote  to  Quebec 
for  authority  to  inclose  all  of  the  king's  domain  of  fortj^-two  acres, 
which  was  then  used  as  a  cow  and  sheep  pasture  by  the  residents,  say- 
ing that  it  would  be  valuable  ground  in  a  few  years ;  but  the  residents 
immediately  trumped  up  charges  that  he  was  trying  to  secure  the  land 
for  his  private  use.  It  would  seem  that  there  was  a  lack  of  skilled  arti- 
sans even  at  this  period,  for  the  letter  states  that  there  are  but  three 
"  joyners  "  among  the  soldiers,  and  "  they  are  the  worst  the  commandant 
ever  saw;  a  carpenter  cannot  be  had  for  a  dollar  a  day  and  his  keep." 

In  1774  John  Logan,  the  celebrated  Cayuga  chief,  came  to  Detroit. 
Early  in  that  year  several  members  of  his  family  had  been  killed  by 
traders  at  his  home  on  the  Muskingum,  in  the  southeast  portion  of  Ohio. 
He  had  previously  been  friendly  to  the  settlers,  but  after  this  terrible 
bereavement  he  took  the  warpath  and  killed  many  of  the  whites.  This 
gave  rise  to  what  is  known  as  Lord  Dunmore's  war,  which  began  and 
terminated  in  1774,  At  the  decisive  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  the  In- 
dians were  defeated  and  they  all  sued  for  peace  except  Logan,  who 
came  to  Detroit.  He  was  requested  to  come  to  Chillicothe,  where  a 
treaty  was  to  be  made,  but  he  refused,  and  then,  it  is  said,  delivered 
the  speech  which  ever  school  boy  knows.  To  drown  his  trouble  he 
took  to  drink  and  in  a  short  time  became  a  drunkard.  One  day,  in 
1780,  while  drunk,  he  felled  his  wife,  and,  supposing  he  had  killed  her, 
fled  from  Detroit  and  was  making  his  way  to  Sandusky,  when  he  was 
overtaken  near  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  by  a  party  of  friendly  Indians. 

199 


Supposing  that  they  were  avengers  on  his  trail  he  shot  at  them,  and 
was  killed  by  his  relative,  Tod-hah-dohs,  in  self  defense. 

In  1774  a  law  known  as  the  Quebec  act  was  passed  by  the  English 
parliament  for  the  government  of  all  the  British  colonies  west  of  New 
York,  north  of  the  Ohio  River  and  east  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  an 
act  which  established  a  regime  something  between  a  feudal  system  and 
a  despotism.  It  was  evidently  the  intention  to  deprive  the  settlers  of 
the  benefits  of  the  English  law,  so  that  life  in  the  West  would  be  dis- 
tasteful to  colonists  and  prevent  them  from  filling  up  the  countr}'.  In 
substance,  the  act  placed  the  settlers  under  the  old  French  law  of  the 
province,  so  far  as  civil  matters  were  concerned,  and  under  the  Eng- 
lish law  in  criminal  cases.  No  man  in  parliament  nor  in  the  colonies 
knew  what  the  French  colonial  law  had  been,  because  no  special  code 
had  ever  been  enacted  for  the  colonies;  and  the  commandants  and  gov- 
ernors had  been  the  law  and  the  supreme  court.  This  law  was  one  of 
the  British  offenses  against  the  American  colonists  which  led  to  the 
Revolution.  Allusion  is  made  to  it  in  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, which  declares  that  the  crown  had  abolished  "the  free  syst^em  of 
English  laws  in  a  neighboring  province,  establishing  therein  an  arbi- 
trary government  so  as  to  render  it  an  example  and  a  fit  instrument  for 
introducing  the  same  absolute  rule  into  these  colonies."  In  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  Chatham  and  Camden,  who  were  ever  the  friends  of  liberty 
and  justice,  the  English  parliament  passed  this  obnoxious  act.  Some 
of  the  leaders  admitted  its  true  purpose,  holding  that  the  colonists  had 
few  rights  which  the  government  was  bound  to  respect,  and  that  the 
French  settlers  had  none.  All  of  the  oppression  of  the  crown  did  not 
suffice  to  keep  settlers  out  of  the  West,  and  three  years  after  the 
Pontiac  war  there  was  a  string  of  settlers'  cabins,  nearly  all  French, 
extending  for  twenty  miles  along  Detroit  River  and  Lake  St.  Clair,  and 
the  sites  of  these  early  settlements  may  be  located  at  the  present  day 
by  the  groups  of  ancient  French  pear  trees  which  are  to  be  found  at 
various  points  between  Grosse  Isle  and  Mt.  Clemens.  The  log  cabins 
have  disappeared,  but  some  of  the  pear  trees  which  once  grew  about 
their  doors  still  bear  fruit  for  the  benefit  of  the  present  generation. 


200 


EDWIN    S.    BARBOUR. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Obstructive  Legislation  and  Excessive  Taxation  Breed  Discontent — New  Eng- 
land Settlers  Rise  in  Rebellion — Detroit  Under  Lieut.-Gov.  Henry  Hamilton  Be- 
comes a  Fire  in  the  Rear — The  "Great  Hairbuyer"  and  His  Corrupt  Rule — 1773- 
1775. 

In  anticipation  of  trouble  with  the  colonists  of  the  East,  the  fort  at 
Detroit  was  strengthened  in  1775  and  afterward  kept  in  good  repair. 

Even  before  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  borders  of  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  were  filled  with  an  admixture  of  adventurous  pioneers 
and  bold  desperadoes.  The  former  attempted  to  found  settlements  and 
till  the  soil;  the  latter  preyed  upon  the  Indians,  hunting  them  like 
wild  beasts  and  robbing  their  villages.  They  were  as  cruel  as  the  sav- 
ages and  usually  scalped  their  victims.  Then  the  Indians  would  re- 
taliate by  murdering  the  settlers  and  the  latter  were  in  constant  peril. 
It  frequently  became  necessary  for  the  settlers  to  organize  sinall  war 
parties,  sally  forth  and  drive  the  Indians  back  in  order  to  secure  peace 
while  they  planted  and  harvested  their  crops.  Forays  were  constantly 
made  across  the  Ohio  River  into  Kentucky,  where  the  Virginians  were 
extending  their  settlements,  while  the  Pennsylvanians  extended  their 
colonies  westward  from  Fort  Pitt  or  Pittsburg.  Matters  became  so  bad 
that  Lord  Dunmore,  governor  of  Virginia,  raised  a  small  army  and 
placed  it  in  charge  of  General  Lewis  at  Fort  Pitt,  from  which  point  he 
made  campaigns  against  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio  valley.  As  soon  as 
the  Revolution  was  on  in  the  East,  the  British  began  to  stir  up  the  In- 
dians against  the  American  settlers  on  the  border.  They  told  the  sav- 
ages that  the  Americans  were  lawless  marauders  who  delighted  in 
murder,  and  who  were  plotting  against  the  life  of  their  father,  the 
great  king.  If  they  were  permitted  to  invade  the  West  they  would 
seize  Detroit  and  the  Ohio  country,  and  murder  all  the  residents.  At 
first  the  French  were  prejudiced  as  well  as  the  Indians.  It  required 
but  a  little  rum  and  a  few  presents  to  instigate  the  Indians  to  massacre 
the  American  settlers  wherever  they  were  to  be  found  on  the  border. 
No  sooner  had  it  become  evident  that  the  American  colonists  intended 

201 


to  make  a  stand  for  their  rights  than  Great  Britain  began  to  prepare  for 
the  collision. 

At  the  very  outset  the  British  planned  to  strengthen  their  hold  in  the 
West,  so  that  they  would  be  able  to  attack  the  colonists  from  their 
western  frontier  as  well  as  from  the  seaboard.  Three  lieutenant-gov- 
ernors were  appointed  in  pursuance  of  this  scheme.  Capt.  Henry 
Hamilton  was  appointed  to  the  office  at  Detroit,  Capt.  Patrick  Sinclair 
to  Mackinaw,  and  Capt.  Edward  Abbott  to  Fort  Sackville  at  Vincennes. 
Earl  Dartmouth,  the  colonial  secretary,  made  these  appointments,  but 
he  did  not  clearly  define  the  functions  of  the  lieutenant-governors  and 
the  commandants  at  the  posts,  so  that  a  series  of  quarrels  occurred  at 
each  place  over  questions  of  authority.  Each  of  the  appointees  had 
more  liking  for  the  perquisites  and  salary  of  the  respective  posts  than  for 
the  duties,  and  each  laid  claim  to  the  revenues  dating  from  May  1, 
1775,  although  they  did  not  go  to  their  commands  until  six  months 
later.  Hamilton,  in  fact,  took  all  the  revenues  of  the  post  and  inaugu- 
rated a  system  of  plunder  with  the  notorious  "Chief  Justice"  Philip 
Dejean  as  his  accomplice.  As  local  magistrate  the  lieutenant-governor 
had  jurisdiction  over  petty  civil  cases  only.  All  criminal  cases  were 
under  jurisdiction  of  the  court  at  Quebec.  Hamilton,  through  his  ally 
Dejean,  abused  his  authority,  oppressed  the  debtors,  foreclosed  mort- 
gages in  summary  fashion  and  bled  the  people  to  the  limit  by  means 
of  fines.  Jonas  Schindler,  a  traveling  jeweler  from  Montreal,  was 
charged  with  selling  alloyed  silver  for  pure  metal,  but  a  jury  acquitted 
him.  In  spite  of  this  acquittal  Hamilton  ordered  Schindler  to  be 
dressed  in  fantastic  fashion  and  drummed  out  of  town,  and  he  was 
marched  through  all  the  public  streets,  preceded  by  a  drum  corps. 
Captain  Lord,  the  commandant,  was  indignant  at  this  breach  of  justice 
When  the  drum  corps  and  the  abused  Schindler  came  to  the  gate  of 
the  inner  fort,  Lord  barred  the  way  and  said  that  he  was  in  command 
of  the  fort  and  would  permit  no  such  outrage  to  be  perpetrated  on 
ground  where  he  held  command.  A  man  named  Joseph  Hecker  mur- 
dered Moran,  his  brother-in-law,  and  according  to  law  he  should  have 
been  examined  and  then  sent  to  Quebec  for  trial,  but  Dejean,  with 
Hamilton's  sanction,  tried  and  convicted  the  culprit  and  hanged  him  at 
Detroit.  Jean  Constanciau,  a  French  resident,  and  a  negress  named 
Ann  Wiley,  were  convicted  of  robbing  a  store  of  furs  and  other  goods. 
Dejean  tried  them  and  sentenced  them  to  be  hanged,  but  not  a  man  in 
Detroit  could  be  found  to  execute  the  sentence.     In  this  emergency 

202 


Hamilton  offered  the  negress  her  freedom  and  full  pardon  if  she  would 
hang  the  Frenchman,  and  she  consented.  The  job  was  done  in  bung- 
ling fashion  and  the  unfortunate  thief  was  slowly  strangled.  The 
records  of  these  proceedings  were  suppressed  by  Dejean,  and  it  was  four 
years  later  when  the  reports  of  their  doings  came  to  the  governor- 
general  at  Quebec  Dejean  appears  to  have  been  a  man  without 
scruples.  Through  some  mysterious  influence  which  has  never  been 
understood  he  appeared  to  enjoy  the  protection  of  the  commandants, 
who  made  him  the  legal  factotum  of  the  post,  with  supreme  power  in 
civil  cases.  The  colonists  were  bitterly  opposed  to  him,  and  they  drew 
up  a  long  petition  asking  for  his  removal  on  the  ground  that  he  was  ex- 
tortionate in  his  charges  for  legal  services,  merciless  in  his  fines,  and 
dishonest  generally,  showing  favors  to  his  friends  and  visiting  his 
judicial  wrath  upon  his  opponents.  The  petition,  which  was  forward- 
ed to  the  governor-general,  was  signed  by  nearly  every  white  resident 
at  Detroit.  But  Dejean  was  not  removed  and  he  remained  in  power 
eleven  years.  It  is  probable  that  his  remarkable  influence  was  due 
to  a  tacit  partnership  with  each  succeeding  commandant,  and  that  he 
divided  with  them  the  spoils  of  his  office.  Among  the  Canadian 
archives  pertaining  to  Detroit  is  a  record  of  a  grand  jury  investigation 
held  in  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  at  Montreal,  September  7,  1778. 
The  investigation  resulted  in  an  indictment  against  Philip  Dejean,  who 
at  various  times  during  the  years  1775  and  1776  was  charged  with  com- 
mitting "divers  unjust  and  illegal  tyrannical  and  felonious  acts  con- 
trary to  good  government."  Lieutenant-Governor  Henry  Hamilton, 
having  knowledge  of  these  transactions  at  the  time,  was  also  indicted. 
When  the  officers  came  to  Detroit  to  arrest  them  both  men  were  at 
Vincennes,  and  when  they  returned  to  British  soil  in  1780,  after  their 
captivity,  the  case  was  not  pressed. 


203 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Hamilton  Arms  the  Indians  and  Sets  Them  on  the  Ohio  Settlers— Human  Scalps 
luring  /^l  Each  in  the  Detroit  Commandant's  Office — Philip  Dejean,  Hamilton's 
Unscrupulous  "Chief  Justice" — 1776-1777. 

When  the  Revolution  had  begun  in  earnest  Detroit  became  a  center 
of  activity,  and  although  the  rough  edges  of  battle  never  reached  the 
settlement,  the  post  played  a  most  important  part  in  the  war  on  the 
borders.  Hamilton  wanted  to  employ  the  Indians  as  a  fire-in-the-rear 
with  which  to  gall  the  colonists  of  the  East,  but  Sir  Guy  Carleton, 
governor-general,  opposed  the  proposition,  because  he  knew  that  the 
savages  could  not  be  controlled,  and  that  they  would  inflict  awful  bar 
barities  upon  the  helpless  and  inoffensive  as  well  as  upon  prisoners  of 
war.  He  was  over-ruled  by  Lord  George  Germain,  who  wrote  to  him 
saying  that  "  Divine  Providence  had  placed  the  Indians  in  the  hands 
of  Great  Britain  as  fitting  instruments  for  punishing  the  rebels." 
Nothing  could  be  done  with  the  Indians  without  rum,  presents  and 
feasting,  so  rum  came  into  Detroit  in  great  quantities  for  free  distri- 
bution among  the  savages.  Barbecues  were  held  at  which  their  glut- 
tonous appetites  were  sated,  and  rifles,  scalping  knives  with  crimson 
handles,  powder,  ball  and  hatchets  were  distributed  with  a  lavish  hand. 
Public  mass  meetings  were  held,  at  which  the  Indians  were  told  that 
the  Americans  were  a  dangerous  and  wicked  people,  who  conspired 
against  their  great  father  the  king,  and  who  would  drive  the  Indians 
out  of  the  country  and  seize  all  their  lands,  unless  the  Indians  would 
aid  the  British  in  exterminating  those  along  the  border.  Weapons 
were  presented  with  a  show  of  formality,  which  helped  to  captivate  the 
Indians.  Hamilton  would  clasp  hands  with  a  savage  chief  and  grasp- 
ing the  scalping  knife  or  hatchet,  would  say:  "  We  are  friends  in  peace 
and  in  war;  your  enemies  are  our  enemies,  and  we  will  work  together 
for  their  destruction.  The  great  Manitou  will  aid  you  when  you  go 
forth  with  your  father's  weapons."  At  a  barbecue  when  several  hun- 
dred Indians  would  be  seated  in  a  great  circle  about  a  roasted  ox,  the 
head  of  the  ox  would  be  set  on  a  pole  and  a  hatchet  would  be  driven 

204 


into  the  skull.  Then  bearers  would  march  around  the  circle  with  this 
trophy  representing  the  head  of  an  American,  and  Hamilton  would  fol- 
low it  chanting-  a  war  song  in  Indian  fashion.  Captain  Lord,  the  com- 
mandant, was  constantly  quarreling  with  Hamilton  over  the  propriety 
of  such  proceedings,  and  he  was  finally  sent  away  to  Niagara.  Capt. 
Richard  Beranger  Lernoult  was  transferred  from  Niagara  to  Detroit, 
and  was  made  a  major  in  the  summer  of  1779.  Indians  would  gather 
at  Detroit  by  the  thousand,  but  it  was  impossible  to  get  them  to  make 
raids  against  the  American  settlers  unless  they  were  accompanied  by 
British  leaders.  They  preferred  to  idle  about  the  post,  drinking  rum 
and  eating  roast  ox,  rather  than  undergo  the  privations  of  campaign- 
ing. They  were  soon  consuming  forty  barrels  of  rum  a  month  at  De- 
troit, and  the  quantity  was  later  increased  to  sixty  barrels.  Prisoners 
were  troublesome,  as  they  involved  much  expense  for  their  keeping,  as 
they  had  to  be  sent  to  Montreal  or  Quebec  for  confinement.  Hamilton 
instructed  the  Indians  that  scalps  would  be  less  troublesome  than  pris- 
oners, and  they  were  quick  to  take  the  hint.  From  the  beginning  of 
the  war  Detroit  was  a  great  rendezvous,  and  the  formal  councils  of  the 
tribes  with  the  military  authorities  were  of  almost  daily  occurrence. 
Then  would  follow  the  distribution  of  presents  consisting  of  guns, 
powder,  lead,  provisions,  cloth  for  the  squaws  and  children,  and  rum. 
When  a  large  bod}^  of  savages  had  been  worked  up  to  a  fighting  frenzy, 
they  would  set  out  for  the  Ohio,  Pennsylvania  or  Virginia  wilderness, 
led  either  by  the  three  Girty  brothers,  Simon,  James  and  George, 
Capt.  Henry  Bird,  John  Butler,  and  William  Caldwell,  of  the  regulars, 
or  Captains  Alexander  McKee,  Mathew  Elliott,  Chene,  Dequindre,  or 
La  Motte,  of  the  Indian  and  French  militia.  Arrived  at  the  American 
settlements,  these  bands  always  indulged  in  a  general  massacre.  Then 
they  would  return  to  Detroit,  the  braves  carrying  long  poles  on  which 
gory  scalps  were  strung.  Their  appearance  was  greeted  with  cheers 
and  they  were  received  as  conquering  heroes.  After  receiving  liberal 
rewards  for  their  scalps,  and  rum  enough  for  a  wild  debauch,  fresh 
supplies  of  ammunition  would  be  dealt  out  and  they  would  go  out  for 
another  raid. 

As  Detroit  was  the  key  to  the  West,  great  caution  was  observed  in 
keeping  it  well  prepared  for  attack,  and  at  times  the  military  force 
numbered  five  hundred  men.  Cordial  relations  never  existed  between 
the  majority  of  the  French  and  the  British,  and  many  of  the  former 
sympathized  with  the  Americans   and   hoped   for  their   success;    still 

205 


there  were  a  few  who  fought  as  officers  and  common  soldiers  in  the 
British  war.  Some  were  indiscreet  enough  to  air  their  American  lean- 
ings, and  several  were  imprisoned  for  so  doing.  Others  were  dismissed 
from  the  settlement  and  went  away  to  the  Illinois  country,  while  a  few 
were  sent  away  as  prisoners  to  Niagara  and  Montreal.  When  the  British 
and  their  Indian  allies  were  preparing  for  a  raid  upon  some  American 
settlement,  the  French  sometimes  succeeded  in  warning  the  Americans 
of  their  intentions  and  thus  prevented  a  surprise.  Orders  were  re- 
ceived from  Quebec  to  treat  such  persons  as  spies  and  hang  them. 
James  Sterling,  the  merchant  who  married  Mile.  Cuillerier,  was  pro- 
scribed for  his  known  sympathies  with  the  rebels  and  had  to  leave  the 
settlement.  Sometimes  the  Indians  would  come  back  with  prisoners 
and  proceed  to  torture  them,  and  frightful  barbarities  were  performed 
within  sight  of  the  fort,  and  with  the  knowledge  of  the  lieutenant- 
governor.  One  day  a  prisoner  had  been  terribly  beaten  with  clubs  in 
running  the  gauntlet,  and  had  suffered  numerous  wounds,  when  the 
savages  tied  him  to  a  stake  and  began  to  burn  him  alive.  A  humane 
citizen  rushed  in  and  cut  his  bonds  in  spite  of  the  threats  of  the  sav- 
ages. He  supported  the  unhappy  wretch  to  his  own  home  and  after- 
ward concealed  him  from  the  Indians  in  a  vacant  building.  The 
savages  made  a  great  outcry  against  this  interference  with  their  time- 
honored  customs,  and  complained  to  Hamilton  and  Dejean,  Next 
morning  Dejean  arrested  the  rescuer,  and  searched  out  the  victim  who 
had  been  doomed  to  the  torture  in  order  to  deliver  him  over  to  the  In- 
dians, but  the  poor  fellow  died  of  his  injuries  before  the  torture  could 
be  resumed.  Hamilton  called  the  humane  citizen  before  him  and 
threatened  him  with  imprisonment  if  he  ever  dared  to  interfere  with 
the  practices  of  the  savages  again. 

In  the  year  1777  steps  were  taken  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
navy  on  Lakes  Erie,  Huron  and  Michigan,  and  Governor-General  Guy 
Carleton  issued  an  order,  dated  at  Quebec,  October  20,  providing  that 
the  navy  should  be  officered.  The  pay  of  the  commander-in-chief  was 
fixed  at  fifteen  shillings  a  day;  masters,  ten  shillings;  lieutenants  of 
various  grades,  six  shillings,  four  shillings  and  six  pence,  and  three 
shillings  and  six  pence. 

In  1777,  a  commission  was  issued  to  Normand  McLeod,  creating  him 
"town  major,"  by  authority  of  Henry  Hamilton,  lieutenant-governor 
and  superintendent  of  Detroit  and  dependencies.  The  commission 
bore  the  signatures  of  Henry  Hamilton  and  Philip  Dejean. 

206 


Hamilton's  chief  instruments  of  destruction  against  the  Americans 
were  Alexander  McKee,  Matthew  Elliott  and  Simon  Girty,  three  men 
who  deserted  from  the  American  garrison  of  General  Lewis  at  Fort 
Pitt.  McKee  was  the  leader  in  this  desertion.  He  was  an  Indian  agent 
in  the  pay  of  the  British  government,  and  it  was  learned  that  he  was 
holding  out  various  inducements  to  persuade  the  American  soldiers 
to  desert.  He  was  arrested  and  placed  on  parole,  but  on  the  night  of 
March  28,  1778,  McKee,  Elliott  and  Girty,  accompanied  by  a  man 
named  Higgins,  and  two  negroes,  escaped  into  the  wilderness  and  made 
their  way  to  Detroit.  In  Detroit  plans  were  laid  for  organizing  the 
Indians  of  the  territory  now  covered  by  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Michigan  into  a  confederacy  for  a  war  against  the  American  settlers. 
Girty  had  been  brought  up  among  the  Seneca  or  Mingo  Indians,  in  the 
Hocking  Valley,  and  was  accustomed  to  barbarous  surroundings.  He 
spoke  several  Indian  dialects  and  was  very  influential  with  the  savages. 
He  made  his  home  among  the  Wyandottes  at  Upper  Sandusky,  near 
the  present  site  of  Fremont,  Ohio,  and  acted  under  immediate  direction 
of  McKee  and  Elliott.  Girty  had  two  brothers,  James  and  George,  who 
were  also  made  Indian  agents.  Tradition  has  it  that  Girty,  who  was 
always  a  tory  a  heart,  had  been  rebuked  at  Fort  Pitt  by  General  Lewis, 
who  called  him  a  traitor,  and  that  Girty  retorted  that  if  any  one  was  a 
traitor  it  was  General  Lewis.  The  general,  who  was  a  passionate  man, 
struck  Girty  over  the  head  with  his  cane,  drawing  a  stream  of  blood. 
Girty  rushed  to  the  door  of  the  general's  quarters  and  turning  said : 
"  Your  quarters  shall  yet  swim  in  blood  for  this."  An  instant  later  he 
had  plunged  into  the  forest. 

Historians  in  speaking  of  Girty  have  usually  called  him  a  renegade, 
but  he  called  himself  a  tory.  It  is  certain  that  he  was  a  scourge  to  the 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  settlers  for  years  after,  and  he  organized  and 
led  some  of  the  bloodiest  Indian  raids  in  the  history  of  the  countrv. 
In  the  fall  of  1778  Simon  Kenton,  a  pioneer  of  great  renown,  had  set 
out  from  the  Kentucky  shore  with  a  few  daring  hunters  to  attack  the 
Indians  on  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio;  he  was  captured  and  condemned 
to  death  at  the  stake.  Girty  and  he  had  been  boys  together  and  three 
times  within  a  few  days  did  Girty  save  him  from  death  by  torture.  He 
was  finally  brought  to  Detroit,  but  escaped  and  went  back  to  his  home 
where  he  had  been  given  up  as  dead.  That  same  summer  Daniel 
Boone,  the  great  Kentucky  pioneer,  was  captured  while  in  company 
with  several  other  settlers  who  were  boiling  salt  at  Blue  Lick  Springs. 

207 


He  was  broug-ht  to  Detroit  with  the  Indians  when  they  returned  north- 
ward with  their  customary  spoils.  Captain  Lernoult,  the  commandant, 
offered  to  buy  him  from  his  captors,  but  the  Indians  refused  to  give  up 
so  noted  a  captive  and  took  Boone  back  to  Chillicothe,  whence  he 
made  his  escape  to  Kentucky. 

In  1778  John  Butler,  a  tory  who  had  formerly  lived  in  Wyoming 
valley,  Pa.,  went  from  Detroit,  accompanied  by  Captain  Bird  and  a 
company  of  rangers,  to  make  an  attack  upon  his  old  neighbors.  Most 
of  the  able  bodied  men  in  the  valley  were  away  in  the  American  army, 
but  the  residents  fled  to  the  fort.  When  Butler  appeared  with  a  horde 
of  yelling  savages  at  his  heels  they  feared  to  surrender.  Only  a  part 
of  the  attacking  force  showed  itself  and  it  soon  retired  to  entice  the  of- 
fenders outside.  A  party  of  two  hundred  men  set  out  in  pursuit,  and 
suddenly  found  themselves  surrounded  by  Indians.  In  a  short  time 
the  Indians  returned  to  the  fort  with  196  scalps,  and  again  demanded 
a  surrender.  The  fort  was  set  on  fire,  and  some  of  the  inmates  perished 
in  the  flames  rather  than  risk  a  death  by  torture.  Another  raid  was 
made  into  the  adjoining  Cherry  Valley  and  more  scalps  were  taken. 
For  this  and  other  services  Butler  was  given  the  rank  of  a  colonel,  an 
annual  pension  of  $2,500  and  a  tract  of  5,000  acres  of  land.  Captain 
Bird,  who  took  part  in  this  and  many  other  bloody  raids  against  the 
American  settlers,  is  described  as  a  man  of  repulsive  appearance,  with 
a  very  red  face,  prominent  teeth  and  a  hair  lip.  He  was  unfortunate 
in  love,  and  his  fellow  officers  twitted  him  with  it,  and  this  it  is  said 
led  him  to  ask  and  obtain  command  of  military  sevices  that  would  di- 
vert his  mind  from  his  disappointments. 

An  attack  upon  Detroit  was  planned  at  Fort  Pitt  in  1778.  In  the 
same  year  Generals  Gibson  and  Mcintosh,  under  directions  from  Gen. 
George  Washington,  erected  a  fort  at  Beaver  Creek  and  another  on  the 
Tuscarawas  River,  both  in  southern  Ohio.  The  first  was  named  Fort 
Mcintosh  and  the  latter  Fort  Laurens.  General  Gibson  remained 
through  the  winter  at  Fort  Laurens.  He  intended  to  set  out  for 
Detroit  in  the  spring,  but  by  spies  or  treason,  his  intentions  became 
known  to  the  British,  and  Simon  Girty  with  a  force  of  800  Indians 
started  from  Detroit  with  the  intention  of  capturing  Fort  Laurens.  He 
and  Gibson  hated  each  other  cordially,  and  each  longed  for  the  scalp  of 
the  other.  Meanwhile  intelligence  of  Girty's  approach  had  come  to 
David  Zeisberger,  the  Moravian  missionary  at  Gnadenhutten,  which 
was  situated  not  far  from  the  fort.     His  informant  was  a  Delaware 


FREDERICK    C.   STOEPEL. 


Indian.  Zeisberger,  who  sympathized  with  the  Americans,  wrote  a 
letter  to  Gibson  cautioning  him  to  keep  close  to  the  fort,  as  he  would 
soon  be  attacked.  The  warning,  however,  was  disregarded,  and  Gib- 
son sent  a  detachment  to  Fort  Mcintosh  for  provisions.  They  were 
attacked  on  their  return  when  within  sight  of  the  fort,  the  supplies 
captured  and  two  were  killed,  four  wounded,  and  one  taken  prisoner. 
Letters  to  General  Gibson  were  also  captured  which  gave  full  details 
of  the  projected  attack  on  Detroit.  Girty's  Indians  besieged  the  fort, 
but  in  a  few  days  went  away.  Meanwhile  Captain  Bird  and  120  sav- 
ages arrived  on  February  22,  and  lay  in  ambush  near  the  fort.  A 
wagoner  and  eighteen  men,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  get  wood,  were 
attacked  and  all  killed  and  scalped,  except  two.  Bird  conducted  the 
siege  for  four  weeks,  but  was  unsuccessful.  Had  he  persevered  a  few 
days  more  he  would  have  captured  the  fort,  as  the  garrison  was  nearly 
starved  when  he  left. 

In  the  summer  of  1779  the  garrison  of  Detroit  was  reinforced  by  200 
troops  from  Niagara  In  time  Girty  advanced  toward  Fort  Pitt,  but 
Heckewelder,  the  Moravian  missionary  at  Salem,  warned  General 
Brodhead,  the  American  commandant.  This  was  discovered  by  Girty 
and  he  ordered  a  young  brave  to  kill  Heckewelder,  but  Captain  Pipe, 
a  Delaware  chief,  told  the  brave  to  let  the  missionary  alone  and  the 
latter  was  saved.  In  April,  1779,  Girty  and  Bird  made  another  raid 
from  Detroit  on  Fort  Henry  (Wheeling,  W.  Va. ),  but  they  failed  and 
raised  the  siege.  At  that  time  there  was  an  emigration  of  settlers  from 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  to  "  Kentuck,"  as  Kentucky  was  then  called, 
and  300  canoe  loads  of  emigrants  and  their  effects  landed  at  Louisville 
during  that  year.  Girty's  men  would  lie  concealed  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  as  the  boats  were  passing  they  would  cry  out  for  help.  Three 
boats  containing  twenty-four  people  were  thus  lured  by  the  cries  to  the 
shore,  when  they  were  set  upon  and  most  of  the  party  slaughtered. 
Peter  Malott  escaped  by  swimming  to  the  other  shore,  but  his  wife, 
his  daughter  Catherine  and  two  small  children,  were  taken  prisoners. 
The  two  small  children  were  killed,  but  Mrs.  Malott  and  Catherine 
were  captives  in  the  Wyandotte  village  at  Upper  Sandusky  for  some 
time.  Subsequently  Catherine  became  Mrs.  Simon  Girty,  and  the 
marriage  took  place  at  Detroit. 

The  British  forts  or  outposts,  from  which  expeditions  were  sent 
against  the  rebel  colonists  in  the  Ohio  valley  and  Kentucky,  were  Kas- 
kaskia.  111.,  Vincennes,  Ind.,  and  Detroit.      Kaskaskia  was  founded  by 

209 


La  Salle  in  1682  and  consisted  of  a  log  fort  and  the  houses  of  a  few 
traders  and  farmers.  The  first  French  residents  there  became  assimi- 
lated with  the  Indian  tribes,  but  the  later  British  settlers  had  withstood 
the  influence  of  barbarism.  Vincennes  was  the  seat  of  a  French  Jesuit 
mission  as  early  as  1702,  and  it  had  become  a  post  of  some  importance. 

As  soon  as  the  British  colonies  demonstrated  their  strength,  a  tacit 
agreement  came  into  existence  between  England  and  Spain  that  the 
colonists  must  not  extend  their  borders  beyond  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains, and  the  British  undertook  the  task  of  keeping  them  back.  Ex- 
peditions were  fitted  out  at  Detroit,  Vincennes  and  Kaskaskia  to  drive 
them  out  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  A  hundred  or  more  British  soldiers  would 
set  out  for  the  valley,  gathering  Indians  as  they  went,  and  each  expe- 
dition was  a  campaign  of  blood  and  murder,  with  all  the  atrocities  of 
savage  warfare. 

Quite  a  number  of  vessels  plied  the  lakes  in  the  early  years  of  the 
English  rule.  During  the  Pontiac  war  the  schooner  Gladwin  and  the 
sloops  Beaver  and  Bear,  helped  to  keep  communication  between  De- 
troit and  Niagara.  In  1777  a  small  fleet  could  assemble  at  Detroit  in 
support  of  the  fort,  including  His  Majesty's  ship  Gage,  armed  with  six- 
teen carriage  guns,  six  swivels  and  forty-eight  men; -H.  M.  S.  Dun- 
more,  twelve  guns,  four  swivels  and  thirty-six  men;  the  schooner 
Ottawa,  twelve  guns,  and  six  swivel  blunderbusses  and  thirty-six  men  ; 
the  schooner  Wyandotte,  four  guns,  six  swivels  and  fourteen  men;  the 
schooner  Hope,  six  guns  and  eighteen  men;  and  the  sloops  Angelica, 
Faith,  Welcome,  Adventure,  Archangel  and  Galley.  In  the  spring  of 
1780  the  Wyandotte  went  ashore  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Huron,  but 
the  Welcome  went  to  her  assistance  and  she  was  hauled  off  safely  with 
her  cargo.  The  Angelica  got  aground  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and 
she  had  to  be  lightered  by  bateaux.  The  Dunmore,  Wyandotte,  Gage, 
Felicity  and  the  Ottawa,  made  trips  between  Detroit  and  Mackinaw, 
but  most  of  the  other  crafts  were  too  small  to  be  trusted  in  such  stormy 
waters.  They  coasted  along  Lake  Erie  carrying  goods  and  military 
supplies  between  Detroit,  the  Miami  fort  on  the  Maumee,  Sandusky, 
Erie  and  Niagara. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1778  General  Brodhead,  of  the  Continental  army, 
advanced  into  Ohio  with  a  large  force  of  men,  estimated  at  between 
2,000  and  3,000.  It  was  feared  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  attack  Detroit 
and  there  was  considerable  consternation  among  the  British.  Captain 
Lernoult,  who  had  been  promoted  to  major,  when  he  arrived  at  Detroit, 

210 


realized  that  Fort  Detroit,  while  a  fairly  safe  refuge  from  hostile  Indians, 
could  not  be  held  against  an  enemy  supplied  with  artillery,  as  the  hill 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Savoyard  Creek  was  somewhat  higher  than  the 
fort.  He  saw  that  an  enemy  could  throw  up  earthworks  there  and 
mount  a  battery,  which  would  soon  make  kindling  wood  of  the  older 
fortification.  After  consulting  with  his  officers  Major  Lernoult  decided 
that  no  time  must  be  lost,  although  Lieut.  Henry  Du  Vernet,  the  only 
competent  engineer  of  the  post,  was  absent  at  Vincennes.  In  his  ab- 
sence Capt.  Henry  Bird  went  that  evening  to  the  hill  and  traced  a  square 
outline  on  the  ground  for  a  new  fort,  where  the  new  government  build- 
ing now  stands.  Later  he  added  four  half  bastions,  so  as  to  afford 
flanking  protection  against  attacks  on  the  gates.  This  redoubt  was 
built  with  clay  walls  ten  feet  thick,  and  the  clay  was  bound  by  layers 
of  brush  and  cedar  posts  every  three  feet  and  the  earth  was  well  rammed. 
The  glacis  was  beset  with  sharpened  stakes,  and  the  foot  of  it  was  pro- 
tected by  abatis  of  felled  trees  with  the  limbs  trimmed  and  sharpened. 
To  prevent  the  slopes  from  being  washed  away  by  the  rains,  they  were 
sodded,  but  during  that  winter  and  during  all  the  following  spring  the 
embankments  washed  and  slid  into  the  ditch  in  exasperating  fashion. 
When  Lieutenant  Du  Vernet  returned  the  new  fort  was  too  far  ad- 
vanced to  be  altered,  although  it  was  faulty  in  many  respects.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  fort  a  subterranean  magazine  of  stone  was  built;  it 
lay  at  the  foot  of  the  glacis  and  a  short  distance  from  it  so  that  in  case 
of  an  explosion  those  in  the  fort  would  not  suffer.  It  was  arched  with 
stone  over  the  top  and  an  underground  passage  led  from  the  fort  to  its 
interior.  The  magazine  was  situated  not  far  from  the  south  side  of 
Fort  street,  and  at  a  point  perhaps  150  feet  west  of  Shelby  street.  In 
consequence  of  the  slope  of  the  ground  at  the  time  when  the  fort  was 
built  the  top  of  the  magazine  was  below  the  ground  level  of  the  inter- 
ior of  the  fort.  The  work  on  the  fort  was  constant  from  the  middle  of 
November  until  February,  but  the  alarm  proved  to  be  groundless,  as 
Brodhead  did  not  come  nearer  Detroit  than  ninety  miles  down  the 
Maumee  Valley.  When  George  Rogers  Clark  heard  that  Fort  Lernoult 
had  been  added  to  the  other  fortifications  at  Detroit,  he  sent  a  letter  by 
a  prisoner  whom  he  had  taken  in  southern  Ohio,  thanking  Lernoult  for 
the  new  work.  He  said  that  the  new  fort  would  save  the  Americans 
the  trouble  of  building  much  needed  improvements  at  Detroit  when  it 
would  presently  come  into  their  hands. 

The  British  expedition  which  left  Detroit  in  1778-79,  and  ravaged 

211 


the  entire  Ohio  valley,  is  familiar  histor)^,  and  the  bloody  tragedies  at 
Boonesboro  and  Harrodsburg,  Ky,,  are  among  the  most  horrible  events 
of  the  period.  It  was  this  series  of  raids  which  instigated  Clark,  then 
a  colonel  and  afterward  a  general,  in  the  Continental  army,  to  under- 
take the  capture  of  the  seat  of  trouble  in  the  North.  He  was  opposed 
by  the  border  settlers  because  they  thought  that  he  would  only  bring 
more  troubles  upon  them,  and  he  had  a  host  of  personal  enemies  who 
interfered  with  his  plans,  but  he  organized  a  company  of  500  rangers 
and  struck  out  into  the  wilderness.  His  first  campaign  was  on  the 
northern  Ohio  shore,  where  he  laid  waste  several  Indian  villages  in 
the  Muskingum  valley.  Those  Indians  were  quiet  for  a  long  time 
after.  Next  he  invaded  the  Miami  and  Scioto  valleys,  with  1,000 
mounted  riflemen,  and  destroyed  several  Indian  towns,  striking  terror 
into  the  heart  of  the  savage. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark  Captures  Vincennes  and  Other  British  Posts — Hamilton 
Goes  to  Recover  Them  and  is  Captured — He  Narrowly  Escapes  Hanging  at  the 
Hands  of  the  Colonists— 1778-1779. 

In  the  fall  of  1778  Gen,  George  Rogers  Clark  set  out  with  about  500 
men  to  make  a  secret  raid  into  the  Illinois  country,  for  the  purpose  of 
capturing  Kaskaskia,  Kahokia,  and  Vincennes  before  they  could  be  re- 
inforced from  Detroit.  He  expected  that  his  success  would  give  him 
a  prestige  with  Congress  that  would  result  in  a  more  pretentious  expe- 
dition against  Detroit,  the  center  of  disturbance.  He  believed  that 
that  stronghold,  if  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  would  prevent  the 
British  from  stirring  up  the  Indians  against  the  settlers.  The  perilous 
nature  of  Clark's  project  was  well  understood  by  his  men,  who  were  mere 
rangers  and  woodsmen  without  much  military  training,  and  they  de- 
serted in  large  numbers.  Col.  Archibald  Lochry,  who  attempted  to 
follow  him  in  canoes  with  a  force  of  100  volunteers  from  Westmore- 
land, Pa.,  was  attacked  on  the  Ohio  River  by  an  army  of  Miamis  and 
Shawnees,  which  had  been  sent  out  from  Detroit  under  Joseph  Brant  and 
George  Girty.  The  American  party  was  utterly  destroyed,  none  of  the 
troops  returning  to  tell  the  tale. 

212 


It  would  require  a  vast  amount  of  research  to  make  an  exact  enumer- 
ation of  all  the  raids  sent  out  from  Detroit,  and  the  counter  raids  or- 
ganized in  Pittsburg-,  Louisville  and  Virginia  against  Detroit  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  None  of  the  latter  were  formidable  until 
attempts  were  made  by  Harmar,  St.  Clair  and  Wayne,  but  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark  was  for  more  than  five  years  a  cause  of  great  anxiety  to 
Hamilton  and  De  Peyster.  British  spies  brought  the  information  that 
the  capture  of  Detroit  was  the  pet  scheme  of  this  dashing  commander, 
who  never  had  a  disciplined  body  of  men,  but  was  apparently  invinci- 
ble when  he  set  out  for  a  raid.  The  French  residents  of  Detroit,  who 
sympathized  with  the  American  cause,  would  taunt  the  British  soldiers 
and  Indian  agents  when  they  came  back  from  their  raids  with  the 
bloody  trophies  of  war,  saying:  "Wait  until  old  Clark  brings  his 
rangers  to  Detroit  and  you  will  see  some  scalping  of  another  sort. 
Clark  will  one  day  nail  all  your  scalps  against  the  wall  of  the  fort." 

There  was  good  reason  for  the  hesitation  of  the  Americans  in  attack- 
ing Detroit,  for  such  an  enterprise  meant  a  march  through  a  wilderness 
of  300  or  400  miles,  through  which  there  were  no  roads  available  for 
wagon  trains  or  for  the  hauling  of  artillery.  This  was  the  least  of  the 
difficulties.  This  region  was  occupied  by  perhaps  3,000  hostile  Indians. 
Most  of  them  were  pledged  to  the  British  cause;  and  those  who  were 
not  would  resent  an  invasion  of  Americans.  The  long  march  thus 
promised  to  be  a  series  of  ambuscades  to  the  invading  force.  The 
British,  on  the  other  hand,  could  proceed  through  the  country  of  their 
allies  secure  from  attack,  and  their  forces,  instead  of  being  constantly 
lessened  by  fighting,  would  be  constantly  augmented  by  additions  of 
Indian  warriors.  This  in  part  explains  why  Detroit  was  so  long  un- 
disturbed by  an  invasion  from  the  south  and  east.  The  British  had 
absolute  control  of  the  lakes  so  that  an  expedition  by  water  was  out  of 
the  question.  With  a  constantly  diminishing  force  of  men  Clark  marched 
through  the  wilderness  of  Illinois,  coming  upon  Kaskaskia,  in  Illinois, 
with  a  complete  surprise.  The  settlers  and  soldiers  in  the  Illinois  set- 
tlements were  terror  stricken  in  consequence  of  the  tales  of  ferocity 
they  had  heard  regarding  the  "Long  Knives,"  as  the  Kentuckians 
were  called.  Most  of  them  hid  in  their  cellars,  and  a  delegation  of 
Frenchmen  came  to  Clark  offering  themselves  as  slaves  if  the  "  Long 
Knives "  would  spare  their  lives  and  those  of  their  families.  They 
were  told  that  they  should  come  to  no  harm  if  they  submitted  peace- 
ably.    General  Clark  compelled  them  to  keep  within  doors  until  the 

213 


fort  and  all  the  arms  of  the  place  were  turned  over  to  his  troops.  Then 
he  sent  word  to  the  settlers  that  they  mig-ht  go  about  their  regular 
business  in  perfect  security.  The  announcement  was  received  with 
cheers  of  delight.  The  French  denounced  the  English  as  liars  and 
swore  allegiance  to  the  Americans.  When  they  learned  that  Kahokia, 
further  up  the  Kaskaskia  River,  and  Vincennes  were  also  to  be  taken, 
they  wanted  to  send  messengers  who  would  inform  the  people  at  those 
posts  of  the  true  character  of  the  "Long  Knives."  But  Clark  was 
still  suspicious  and  he  kept  the  French  in  his  rear  until  he  had  sur- 
prised Kahokia.  This  capture  was  as  easy  as  that  of  Kaskaskia.  Clark 
then  allowed  a  delegation  of  French  to  go  to  Vincennes  to  notify  the 
people  of  his  approach  and  of  his  good  will  toward  them.  Vincennes 
surrendered  without  striking  a  blow,  and  so  loyal  did  the  French 
appear  that  Fort  Sackville,  as  the  fortification  was  called,  was  left  in 
charge  of  Captain  Leonard  Helm  and  a  private  named  Moses  Henry, 
in  the  belief  that  the  French  would  help  defend  it  in  case  the  English 
should  attack  and  attempt  a  recapture.  But  the  French  preferred  to 
remain  neutral  for  a  time  while  England  fought  it  out  with  her  colonies. 
Some  refugees  from  Vincennes  arrived  at  Detroit  and  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Hamilton  organized  an  expedition  to  recapture  the  posts, 
Clark  and  his  men  had  returned  to  Kaskaskia  to  await  reinforcements 
which  never  came,  and  they  were  royally  entertained  there  by  the  French 
.settlers.  Hamilton  set  out  with  thirty  regulars  of  the  Eighth  Regiment, 
eighty-eight  French  volunteers  and  150  Indians,  under  command  of 
Guillaume  La  Mothe  and  Lieut.  Jehu  Hay.  The  route  was  by  the  river 
and  lake  to  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee,  thence  to  the  Miami  fort,  and 
from  there  by  portage  to  the  Wabash.  When  he  arrived  before  Vin- 
cennes in  January,  1779,  he  found  the  gate  of  the  fort  wide  open  but  a 
loaded  cannon  pointed  outward  from  the  opening.  Beside  it  stood 
Captain  Helm  holding  ablazing  match  of  tarred  rope  in  his  hand,  while 
private  Henry  trained  the  gun  on  the  approaching  enemy, 

"Halt!"  shouted  the  dauntless  Helm  as  the  British  soldiers  ap- 
proached within  a  hundred  yards. 

Commandant  Hamilton  sent  Lieut.  Jehu  Hay  forward  with  a  demand 
for  a  surrender  of  the  fort. 

"Tell  Hamilton  that  I  know  his  ways,"  replied  Helm;  "no  man 
shall  enter  here  until  I  know  the  terms  of  surrender." 

The  message  came  back  that  the  garrison  would  be  allowed  to  march 
out  with  the  honors  of  war  and  be  fully  protected. 

214 


"  Your  terms  are  accepted,"  answered  Helm,  dashing  his  match  to 
the  ground.      "Attention  company !     Shoulder  arms!    March!" 

Hamilton,  who  had  supposed  that  a  considerable  force  of  men,  at 
least  half  of  Clark's  army,  were  concealed  within  the  stockade,  was 
amazed  to  see  the  hardy  Kentuckian  march  out  in  great  dignity,  sword 
in  hand,  followed  by  a  single  private  with  shouldered  musket.  But  the 
honors  of  war  were  observed. 

This  is  one  account  of  the  capture  which  has  come  down  as  a  tra- 
dition, and  it  has  been  accepted  as  history  by  Bryant,  but  Hamilton  left 
another  record.  According  to  his  report,  he  sent  Hay  forward  with  a 
company  of  men  to  notify  the  residents  of  Vincennes  that  the  British 
lieutenant-governor  from  Detroit  was  approaching  with  a  large  body  of 
troops.  The  people  of  Vincennes  were  warned  to  lay  down  their  arms 
and  to  abandon  the  cause  of  the  rebels,  or  they  would  be  killed  without 
mercy.  Hamilton's  barbarous  methods  had  made  his  name  a  terror, 
although  he  was  a  coward  at  heart,  and  the  French  laid  down  their 
arms.  Hay  took  possession  of  the  arms,  and  Captain  Helm's  force, 
which  consisted  of  seventy  men,  abandoned  him.  There  was  no  one 
left  to  defend  the  post,  and  Helm  delivered  it  over  to  Hamilton  upon 
his  arrival. 

One  report  appears  as  improbable  as  the  other,  but  it  is  certain  that 
the  fort  was  surrendered  to  Hamilton  without  striking  a  blow.  As 
may  be  seen,  the  situation  of  Clark  and  his  men  was  indeed  desperate, 
being  in  the  enemy's  country  hundreds  of  miles  from  reinforcements 
and  supplies.  The  French  were  friendly  and  would  help  them  to  food, 
but  they  would  not  help  them  fight  their  common  enemy  the  British. 
Hamilton  was  known  to  be  a  man  of  barbarous  methods  who  would  be 
likely  to  accept  a  surrender  and  then  turn  the  savages  loose  upon  dis- 
armed prisoners.  To  retreat  was  practically  impossible,  for  the  enemy 
was  well  supplied  with  boats  for  pursuit,  and  marching  was  almost  im- 
possible, because  a  snow  fall  of  great  depth  had  melted  so  suddenly 
that  most  of  the  country  was  under  water.  Clark  resolved  to  strike 
boldly  at  his  enemy  and  take  him  by  surprise,  regardless  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  outnumbered  by  the  British  and  that  they  were  protected 
by  a  fort.  The  few  canoes  which  were  available  were  manned  by 
forty  six  men  and  loaded  with  supplies  for  a  long  journey.  The  time 
was  at  hand  for  the  desperate  effort. 

Owing  to  the  bad  weather  Hamilton  had  neglected  to  attack  the  two 
forts  at  Kaskaskia  and  Kahokia  still  held  by  Clark,  thinking  that  there 

215 


would  be  plenty  of  time  after  the  high  water  had  subsided.  He  had 
dispatched  a  force  of  thirty  men  to  waylay  Clark  if  possible  and  cap- 
ture him,  realizing  that  his  followers  would  scatter  immediately  if  the 
master  spirit  was  not  at  hand  to  inspire  them.  The  kidnaping  party 
returned  unsuccessful. 

Clark  led  his  little  army  of  130  men  by  a  circuitous  route  toward 
Vincennes,  evading  any  outposts  which  might  have  been  stationed  to 
watch  the  trail.  For  four  days  they  marched  amid  the  greatest  hard- 
ships. They  were  seldom  on  dry  land,  the  water  on  the  bottom  lands 
of  the  Wabash  valley  averaging  between  three  and  four  feet  deep,  and 
it  was  icy  cold.  Guns  were  held  high  and  knapsacks  were  carried  on  the 
heads  of  the  soldiers.  Some  were  drowned  in  deep  holes  while  cross- 
ing branches,  but  at  last  the  Kentuckians  came  out  on  dry  ground  near 
Vincennes.  Some  of  the  residents  of  the  locality  were  captured,  and  to 
prevent  the  British  from  learning  how  small  the  attacking  force  really 
was,  Clark  prevented  these  men  from  going  about  in  his  camp,  while 
he  gave  them  the  idea  that  he  had  a  force  of  more  than  a  thousand 
riflemen.  When  he  arrived  before  Vincennes,  after  sixteen  days' 
march,  he  sent  word  to  the  residents  that  those  who  chose  to  fight  for 
their  oppressors  should  go  into  the  fort,  and  those  who  would  fight  for 
political  freedom  would  be  welcomed  in  his  ranks.  The  neutrals  were 
warned  to  betake  themselves  to  places  of  safety.  Many  of  the  residents 
went  into  the  fort,  where  they  merely  helped  to  exhaust  the  provisions. 
Hamilton  had  much  the  superior  force,  but  he  could  make  no  estimate 
of  Clark's  army,  and  being  a  cowardly  as  well  as  a  cruel  man,  he  kept 
to  the  fort.  His  enemy  fought  in  backwoods  fashion,  just  as  the  In- 
dians had  compelled  the  early  pioneers  to  fight,  and  every  man  was 
armed  with  the  long  Kentucky  rifle,  which  was  much  superior  in  range 
and  accuracy  to  the  muskets  of  the  soldiers.  They  took  possession  of 
every  sheltered  position  about  the  town  and  every  time  an  inmate  of 
the  fort  showed  his  head  it  would  be  the  target  for  the  deadly  rifles.  A 
ruse  of  the  commander  was  most  successful  in  intimidating  Hamilton. 
On  the  last  day  of  the  siege  two  log  cannons  were  made  and  painted 
black,  and  when  ostentatiously  placed  in  front  of  the  fort,  they  were 
mistaken  for  genuine  artillery.  As  the  defenders  of  the  fort  were  now 
out  of  provisions,  Hamilton  sent  out  for  terms  of  surrender.  Clark 
sent  word  that  the  surrender  must  be  unconditional,  and  that  the  Brit- 
ish must  evacuate  the  territory,  leaving  all  their  supplies.  Hamilton 
refused  to  accept  and  the  siege  went  on.     Later  Hamilton  secured  a 

216 


COL.  THORNTON    F.  BRODHEAD. 


personal  interview  with  Clark,  who  took  care  to  make  a  great  show  of 
strength,  and  was  firm  in  his  demands.  Justice  Dejean  had  been  sent 
back  to  Detroit  for  reinforcements  and  supplies,  and  an  expedition  led 
by  Dejean  was  on  its  way  to  relieve  the  fort  in  canoes  and  bateaux, 
carrying  $50,000  worth  of  supplies.  Clark  learned  of  this,  and  with- 
out showing  any  weakness  in  front  of  the  fort,  sent  half  his  men  to  in- 
tercept the  flotilla  of  canoes  as  they  were  coming  down  the  Wabash. 
The  attack  was  successful,  and  the  soldiers  and  their  supplies  were  cap- 
tured by  the  Kentuckians.  Some  of  the  Indians  who  had  participated 
in  the  massacre  of  Col.  Archibald.  Lochry  and  his  100  volunteers 
from  Westmoreland,  Pa.,  were  captured  near  the  fort,  and  by  Clark's 
orders  they  were  tomahawked  and  scalped  in  front  of  the  gate.  He 
allowed  several  white  prisoners  to  escape  and  make  their  way  into  the 
fort  that  Hamilton  might  learn  that  the  relieving  expedition  had  been 
captured.  Hamilton  lost  heart  and  surrendered  the  fort  the  next  day. 
On  March  5,  1779,  Hamilton,  Dejean,  Capt.  Guillaume  La  Mothe, 
Lieut.  Jehu  Hay,  Lieutenant  Scheiffelin,  and  twenty  others  were  sent 
as  prisoners  of  war  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  later  to  Williamsburg,  Va. 

Clark  in  his  official  report  alluded  to  Hamilton  as  the  "great  hair- 
buyer,"  referring  to  his  practice  of  paying  bounties  for  scalps.  Charges 
of  barbarism  were  preferred  against  the  prisoners,  the  recital  of  which 
made  the  Americans  furious  with  rage.  They  were  tried,  and  Hamil- 
ton was  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  Washington  and  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, then  governor  of  Virginia,  interceded  for  their  lives.  They  were 
paroled  in  October,  1780,  and  exchanged  during  the  following  year — 
all  except  Lieutenant  Scheiffelin,  who  ran  away  to  Detroit  at  the  first 
opportunity. 

The  peril  which  hung  over  these  prisoners  is  shown  in  a  letter 
written  by  an  American  soldier,  John  Dodge,  who  had  been  captured 
during  the  colonists'  attack  on  Quebec  in  1775.  Under  date  of  July 
13,  1779,  he  wrote  from  Pittsburg  to  Philip  Boyle,  merchant  at  St. 
Duski  (Sandusky),  as  follows:  "It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  inform  you 
that  I  have  escaped  from  Quebec.  I  have  now  the  honor  of  wearing  a 
captain's  uniform  and  commission  and  am  managing  Indian  affairs 
here.  There  has  been  a  battle  in  Carolina  and  the  English  were  de- 
feated. I  am  going  to  Williamsburg,  Va. ,  in  a  few  days  to  prosecute 
Hamilton,  that  rascal  Dejean,  Lamotte,  likewise  Haminey  and  Hay. 
They  will  all  be  hanged  without  redemption  and  the  Lord  have  mercy 
on  their  souls." 

217 


In  addition  to  his  barbarism  Henry  Hamilton  had  other  aults.  Not 
only  did  he  usurp  the  supreme  authority  of  the  law  and  enforce  the 
extreme  penalties,  but  he  was  dishonest.  During  his  term  of  service 
at  Detroit  he  pocketed  all  the  crown  revenues  and  made  no  returns. 
In  spite  of  his  faults  his  government  rewarded  him  for  his  zeal  in  perse- 
cuting American  settlers.  Not  only  were  his  past  sins  forgiven,  but  he 
was  made  lieutenant  governor  of  Canada,  and  the  city  of  Hamilton,  in 
the  Bermuda  Islands,  was  named  in  his  honor.  He  was  afterward  made 
governor  of  the  Bahama  Islands.      He  died  in  1796. 

Thomas  Williams  whose  son,  John  R.  Williams,  was  the  first  Amer- 
ican mayor  elected  by  the  people  of  Detroit,  under  the  charter  of  1824, 
was  afterward  appointed  a  justice  by  Major  Lernoult  to  succeed  Dejean. 
When  Hamilton  and  his  crew  had  been  taken  to  Virginia  as  prisoners 
of  war,  Governor-General  Sir  Frederick  Haldimand  ordered  Col.  Arent 
Schuyler  De  Peyster  to  leave  his  command  at  Mackinaw  and  proceed 
to  Detroit. 

De  Peyster  had  long  been  complaining  because  Hamilton,  a  mere 
captain,  had  been  given  the  most  important  post  on  the  frontier, 
while  he  had  been  thrust  away  as  commandant  of  an  insignificant  post, 
where  there  was  no  chance  to  achieve  either  wealth  or  glory.  De  Peys- 
ter was  not  appointed  lieutenant-governor,  but  was  made  commandant 
in  place  of  Major  Lernoult,  who  was  presently  transferred  to  Niagara. 
De  Peyster  was  a  more  humane  man  than  Hamilton,  but  he  soon  de- 
generated into  a  human  butcher.  At  first  he  instructed  the  Indians  to 
take  prisoners  rather  than  scalps  and  to  abstain  from  torturing  their 
captives,  but  the  Indians  would  not  harass  the  Americans  unless  they 
could  also  kill  and  torture  them,  and  De  Peyster  finally  consented  to, 
and  upheld,  their  barbarities. 

George  Rogers  Clark  was  tendered  a  resolution  of  thanks  by  the 
Legislature  of  Virginia,  and  was  made  a  general  as  a  reward  for  his 
heroic  accomplishments.  He  had  undertaken  the  capture  of  the  British 
posts  on  his  own  authority,  and  had  not  even  informed  Washington  of 
his  purpose.  He  sent  to  Virginia  for  reinforcements,  saying  that  the 
one  fort  which  now  menaced  the  settlers  of  the  west  was  at  Detroit  (he 
spelled  it  Detroyet),  and  he  could  not  feel  satisfied  until  he  had  taken 
that  British  stronghold.  His  request  was  ignored,  and  Clark,  who  was 
a  man  of  boundless  energy,  courage  and  ambition,  was  compelled  to 
desert  the  scenes  of  his  brilliant  victories,  and  lead  his  sadly  weakened 
army  back  to  Kentucky.     Clark  corresponded  with  Washington  and 

218 


with  the  Virginia  authorities,  begging  for  a  company  of  men  and  suffi- 
cient supplies  to  make  an  attack  upon  Detroit,  so  as  to  stop  the  Indian 
depredations.  All  his  ambition  was  centered  in  this  one  accomplish- 
ment, but  Washington,  while  recognizing  his  courage  and  ability,  was 
aware  of  his  defects — for  Clark  was  a  man  of  violent  temper  and  of  intem 
perate  habits.  Gen.  Daniel  Brodhead  was  given  the  mission  for  which 
Clark  had  pleaded,  but  he  appears  to  have  been  unsuccessful,  for 
while  the  British  were  repeatedly  alarmed  by  rumors  of  his  approach 
with  an  army  of  several  thousand  men,  he  never  came  nearer  than  a 
point  about  twenty  miles  south  of  the  present  site  of  Toledo.  Clark 
led  several  successful  raids  into  Ohio  in  1780  and  1782,  destroying  the 
Shawnee  villages  along  the  Scioto  River  and  the  Miami  villages  around 
the  present  site  of  Piqua  He  was  appointed  Indian  commissioner, 
and  the  savages  had  great  respect  for  this  fearless  fighter.  His  disap- 
pointment grew  upon  him  as  he  saw  Detroit,  the  key  of  the  west,  re- 
main in  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  he  retired  to  his  log  cabin  at  the 
falls  of  the  Ohio.  Like  that  flower  of  Spanish  chivalry,  Bernado  del 
Carpio — 

"His  heart  was  broke;  his  later  days 
Untold  in  martial  strain, 
His  banner  led  the  spears  no  more 
Amid  the  hills  of  Spain." 

Clark   sank  into  a    profound    melancholy,    became  more  intemperate 
than  ever,  and  died  in  poverty  and  neglect  in  Louisville,  Ky. 


219 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

How  the  Fort  and  Settlement  Looked  During  the  Revolutionary  War — Character 
of  the  Houses — Costumes  of  the  Various  People — Drunken  Indians  and  Returning 
Raiders  with  Reeking  Scalps  and  Live  Prisoners  to  Torture  on  the  Common. 

Detroit  was  a  bustling  center  of  activity  in  the  year  1780.  The  new 
fort,  on  the  rising  ground,  had  been  much  enlarged  and  strengthened, 
and  the  stockade  now  enclosed  several  acres.  Many  houses  were 
located  outside  the  fortifications,  but  these  were  almost  forts  in  them- 
selves, with  their  strong  log  walls  and  their  palisades  of  stout  pickets 
inclosing  the  grounds.  North  of  the  fort,  reaching  to  a  marshy  tract 
of  land  where  Grand  Circus  Park  is  now  located,  stretched  the  commons, 
where  the  cattle,  ponies  and  pigs  of  the  settlers  roamed  for  pasturage. 
The  houses  for  the  most  part  lay  along  the  river,  and  each  night  the 
boys  of  the  settlement  could  be  seen  driving  the  cattle  homeward  by 
winding  paths.  Beyond  the  common  stretched  an  interminable  wil- 
derness, from  which  the  whoo-whoo  of  the  owls  and  the  weird  howl  of 
the  wolf  could  be  heard  after  nightfall.  The  houses  of  the  wealthier 
settlers  were  quite  pretentious  in  their  dimensions.  They  were  all 
built  of  logs,  and  the  huge  beams  which  supported  the  upper  floors 
were  hung  with  seed  corn,  dried  pumpkin,  hanks  of  yarn,  smoked 
hams,  jerked  venison,  and  the  vegetable  seeds  saved  during  the  pre- 
vious season.  The  decorations  were  almost  exclusively  of  Indian 
manufacture.  Great  elk  skins,  tanned  a  pale  buff  color  and  decorated 
with  dyed  porcupine  quills,  served  as  curtains  and  window  shades. 
Huge  grass  mats,  plaited  by  the  hands  of  the  busy  squaws,  covered  the 
floors;  and  the  spinning  wheel,  the  flax  wheel  and  the  old  fashioned 
hand  loom  were  among  the  ornaments  of  the  living  rooms.  Indian 
pipes,  richly  decorated  moccasins  and  other  bric-a-brac  were  to  be 
found  everywhere.  On  the  antlers  of  giant  elk,  nailed  to  the  walls, 
hung  the  long,  flintlock  rifles,  powder  horns  which  had  once  been  the 
defense  of  huge  buffalo,  and  bullet  pouches  of  squirrel  skin.  Nearly 
every  wealthy  settler  had  one  or  more  slaves,  who  were  either  Pawnee 
Indians  or  Africans,  and  who  attended  to  the  duties  of  the  household 

220 


and  tilled  the  gardens.  Each  house  had  a  cellar  with  its  store  of  vege- 
tables and  salt  meat,  a  barrel  of  cider,  some  jugs  and  bottles  of  wine 
made  from  the  scuppernong  grape,  which  was  a  luxuriant  vine  in  the 
local  forest,  or  perhaps  a  cask  of  ale  or  strong  beer  from  the  local 
brewery,  which  was  first  installed  by  Cadillac  and  his  brewer,  Joseph 
Parent.  On  the  narrow  streets  the  young  ladies  wore  short  skirts  of 
gay  colors,  with^  neatly  fitting  bodices,  and  white  kerchiefs  about  their 
necks  and  shoulders.  Their  bonnets  were  usually  homemade,  but 
much  beautified  by  the  art  of  the  seamstress.  The  family  table  never 
lacked  for  meat,  for  the  woods  abounded  in  wild  turkeys,  deer,  elk  and 
pheasants.  The  river  was  alive  with  wild  geese,  ducks,  brant  and  wild 
swans.  Whitefish  were  to  be  had  for  the  casting  of  a  net,  and  there 
was  a  great  variety  of  other  fish. 

Though  a  far  inland  town,  Detroit  had  even  then  the  manners  of  the 
seaboard,  and  its  fashions  were  those  of  the  London  and  Paris  of  the 
period — somewhat  later,  however,  owing  to  the  ninety  days'  sail  from 
Europe  and  a  two  months'  paddle  up  the  Hudson,  Mohawk  and  Oswego 
Rivers  and  then  throughout  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario.  Matrons  wore 
dresses  with  long  skirts  and  short  waists  and  very  short  sleeves,  and  quite 
often  veiled  their  faces;  while  the  gentlemen  went  in  shovel  hats  and 
powdered  perukes,  with  silk  hose  and  knee  breeches  with  silver  buck- 
les. On  festive  occasions,  which  were  numerous  even  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  there  was  no  end  to  the  display  of  silk  and  satin 
gowns,  and  gold  bespangled  shoes,  and  costly  jewels  glittered  as  the 
slow  and  stately  figures  of  the  minuet  moved  through  the  richly  fur- 
nished drawing  rooms  with  the  solemn  precision  of  a  funeral.  This  was 
of  course  among  the  upper  classes.  Less  pretentious  but  equally 
picturesque  was  the  dress  of  the  settlers  of  small  means  and  the  fur 
traders  and  their  agents.  Their  coats  were  usually  made  of  heavy 
blanket  cloth,  black  or  blue  in  color,  belted  at  the  waist  and  with  a  ca- 
pote or  hood  for  covering  the  head  in  severe  weather.  Many  of  them 
had  a  sort  of  barbaric  taste  for  gay  colors,  and  these  would  wear  even 
scarlet,  red  or  crimson  coats,  while  the  cuffs,  pocket  flaps  and  collars 
were  bound  with  fur  according  to  the  taste  or  extravagance  of  the 
wearer.  Their  trousera  were  of  the  knickerbocker  pattern,  usually  of 
coarse  and  heavy  cloth  and  often  of  elk  skin.  Their  legs  were  en- 
cased in  thick  leggins,  green  being  a  favorite  color,  and  moccasins  of 
elk  skin,  ornamented  by  the  hands  of  some  industrious  squaw,  took  the 
place  of  the   silver  buckled  shoes  affected  by  the  rich.     Their  hands 

221 


were  protected  by  very  heavy  mittens,  and  their  heads  by  fur  caps 
made  of  the  skins  of  small  animals,  beautifully  dressed.  It  was  com- 
mon practice  to  make  the  cap  of  the  skin  of  the  muskrat,  woodchuck, 
fox  or  marten,  with  the  head  at  the  front,  in  place  of  a  visor,  and  the 
tail  hanging  down  over  the  shoulders,  the  sport  of  every  passing  breeze. 

Out  in  the  streets  of  old  Detroit  a  visitor  from  the  heart  of  civiliza- 
tion could  witness  a  panorama  of  never  ending  interest.  Voyageurs, 
boatmen  and  fur  traders  strolled  about  in  fantastic  dress,  their  faces 
bronzed  by  exposure  until  they  rivaled  the  hue  of  the  Indians.  Each 
one  bore  with  him  the  peculiar  scent  of  peltries,  combining  the  odors 
of  the  beaver  and  muskrat  and  the  odor  of  the  smoke  of  the  camp  fires, 
about  which  they  usually  slept  on  their  journeys  through  the  wilder- 
ness. Those  half  wild  men  joked  with  the  shy  Indian  girls  and  looked 
with  undisguised  admiration  at  the  pretty  French  girls  who  walked  and 
danced  with  the  grace  of  Diana,  but  who  could  make  the  best  of  the 
men  bend  their  strong  backs  in  a  race  on  the  river  in  birch  bark  canoes. 
These  daughters  of  the  wilderness  were  fair  and  exceedingly  vivacious. 
They  lacked  the  adornments  to  be  found  in  the  great  cities  of  Europe, 
but  they  made  themselves  attractive  with  the  natural  art  that  appears 
to  be  born  in  the  French  woman. 

Indians  were  to  be  found  everywhere.  They  were  picturesque  when 
sober,  but  repulsive  in  appearance  when  drunk,  and  the  average  sav- 
age of  that  time,  two  hours  after  arriving  in  the  town,  was  in  one  of  the 
many  stages  of  intoxication  and  not  at  all  pleasant  to  meet.  As  they 
were  away  much  of  the  time  on  marauds  against  the  American  settlers, 
their  squaws  hung  about  the  settlement  making  baskets,  birch  boxes, 
maple  syrup,  bead  work,  moccasins  and  tanning  hides,  working  indus- 
triously, while  their  brown-skinned  little  ones  tumbled  about  on  the 
river  bank  or  swam  in  the  clear  waters  with  as  much  ease  as  the  frogs. 
Their  papooses,  bound  to  boards,  were  hung  on  the  low  boughs, 
where  the  breezes  could  rock  them.  The  male  Indian  despised  work 
and  made  his  wife  a  slave.  When  he  came  to  Detroit  to  trade,  if  his 
march  was  overland,  he  tramped  along  with  head  erect,  his  dress  orna- 
mented with  a  profusion  of  trinkets  and  feathers,  and  narrow  strips  of 
the  scalps  he  had  taken  made  a  fringe  for  his  deerskin  breeches.  His 
gun,  scalping  knife,  hatchet,  powder  horn  and  bullet  pouch,  w'ere  all 
the  burdens  he  essayed  to  carry.  Behind  came  his  squaw,  prematurely 
aged  by  hard  work,  loaded  to  a  bending  posture  with  a  pack  of  peltries 
and  camp  utensils.     The  children  followed  in  single  file,  the  boys  being 

222 


armed  with  bows  and  arrows  and  the  girls  carrying  burdens  suspended 
upon  their  backs  by  a  band  across  their  foreheads.  In  Detroit  the  In- 
dian husband  and  father  disposed  of  his  wares  and  his  wife  sold  hers, 
both  trading  for  goods  at  the  stores.  The  Indian's  first  purchase  was 
rum,  and  then  he  bought  powder  and  ball ;  but  the  wife  bought  cloth 
and  other  necessities  for  her  little  ones,  occasionally  indulging  in  a 
cheap  ornament  for  her  own  person.  Sometimes  gray-coated  mission- 
aries, Moravians  from  the  Clinton  River,  came  to  the  king's  common 
and  preached  to  the  Indians;  but  they  could  make  but  little  headway 
against  the  influence  of  free  rum  and  the  inducements  to  barbarity 
offered  by  the  government  officials  at  the  post. 

The  fort  loomed  up  a  formidable  looking  work  for  that  time.  Its 
strong  bastions,  armed  with  six-pound  cannon,  frowned  on  each  cor- 
ner. Massive  blockhouses  with  overhanging  second  stories  flanked 
every  gate ;  and  on  the  ramparts  the  scarlet  coated  soldiers  strode  to 
and  fro,  keeping  watch  over  the  settlement  in  the  name  of  the  king. 
Soldiers  off  duty  flirted  with  the  French  maidens  and  strutted  about 
the  narrow  streets  fully  conscious  of  their  own  importance.  In  front 
of  the  fort  along  the  river  bank  were  the  first  rude  wharves  of  Detroit. 
One  near  the  tipper  end  of  the  stockade  reached  out  into  the  river 
more  than  150  feet,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  the  fort  was  a  shorter 
wharf.  Between  the  two  was  the  harbor  pool  or  anchorage  for  ships, 
and  usually  two  or  three  schooners,  sloops  or  brigs  lay  in  this  anchorage, 
swaying  at  their  anchors  with  the  strong  current.  Midway  between 
the  two  wharves  and  close  to  the  water  was  a  large  and  very  massive 
blockhouse,  armed  with  two  swivel  guns  to  protect  the  landing  of 
friendly  troops  in  case  of  war.  The  experience  of  the  Pontiac  war  had 
taught  the  British  how  necessary  it  was  to  have  certain  access  to  the 
river  at  all  times.  Just  east  of  the  long  or  upper  wharf  was  one  of  the 
Detroit  ship  yards,  where  there  was  constant  activity  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  for  it  was  a  standing  order  that  Great  Britain  must 
maintain  control  of  the  great  lakes  and  that  no  other  power  should  be 
permitted  to  launch  a  craft  in  their  waters.  More  than  twenty  vessels 
were  launched  from  the  yard  on  the  Rouge  River  near  the  present 
Woodmere  Cemetery  during  the  last  ten  years  of  British  possession — 
1770  to  1780 — and  there  was  always  one  or  more  on  the  stocks.  Over- 
head, on  the  tall  flagstaff  of  the  fort,  floated  the  banner  of  Great 
Britain,  emblem  of  the  most  powerful  government  of  the  time.  Notices 
of  public  events  were  usually  given  out  from  Ste.  Anne's  church  each 

223 


Sunday  morning-,  but  notices  were  frequently  published  by  the  town 
crier,  who  went  through  each  street  beating  a  drum  and  calling  out 
the  advertisement  he  had  been  given  to  publish.  From  the  forest 
paths  leading  southward,  parties  of  Indians  were  constantly  arriving. 
They  bore  scalps  of  murdered  settlers,  and  drove  before  them  half 
starved  captives,  torn  by  briars  and  bleeding  from  the  stripes  and  stabs 
which  had  been  inflicted  upon  them  when  their  sore  and  swollen  feet 
faltered  on  the  way.  Girty,  the  malignant  renegade,  sometimes  swag- 
gered about  the  streets  boasting  of  his  deeds  of  blood,  or  wild  with 
rum,  filled  the  air  with  imprecations  against  the  Americans  who  had 
sworn  vengeance  against  him.  Captains  McKee  and  Elliott,  James 
Girty  and  George  Girty,  and  Dequindre,  Chesne  and  Beaubien  and 
other  French  residents  who  had  taken  service  under  the  British,  were 
also  familiar  figures  and  always  in  close  association  with  the  Indian 
allies  whom  they  controlled.  The  cost  of  the  peculiar  warfare 
which  was  waged  from  Detroit  was  greater  than  the  British  govern- 
ment had  anticipated,  and  there  was  much  complaint  against  the  ex- 
pense, but  the  Indians  would  do  nothing  without  rum  and  presents, 
and  their  demands  became  every  day  more  exorbitant.  In  1781  the 
cost  of  keeping  them  in  arms  against  the  Americans  was  over  ;!^124,000, 
or  $320,000,  according  to  the  drafts  drawn  by  De  Peyster,  and  much 
more  was  sent  to  them  from  Montreal.  Inside  the  fort  was  the  store- 
house of  supplies  for  the  Indians.  In  an  adjoining  apartment  was  the 
dreadful  charnel  house  of  the  post.  Hanging  from  the  beams  and 
upon  the  walls  of  this  large  room  were  painted  poles  strung  with 
human  scalps.  Bales  of  scalps  were  piled  in  the  corners  of  the  room, 
each  being  the  ghastly  relic  of  a  wholesale  murder.  There,  hanging 
side  by  side,  were  the  silver  locks  of  the  grandsire,  who  had  been 
murdered  at  his  fireside,  the  scalp  of  the  farmer  and  soldier,  the  long 
braided  locks  of  the  matron,  the  flowing  tresses  of  the  girl  in  her  'teens 
and  the  flaxen  haired  scalp  of  the  tender  babe.  Each  was  carefully 
stretched  into  a  flat  disk  by  drying  on  a  hoop,  and  the  flesh  side  was 
painted  a  bright  red.  On  the  red  ground  were  the  private  marks  of  the 
slayer  in  blue  and  black,  showing  the  manner  in  which  the  victims  had 
been  killed. 

Coiireurs  de  bois  no  longer  carried  their  stock  in  trade  from  the  in- 
terior upon  their  backs.  Each  of  these  commercial  travelers  of  the 
wilderness  had  now  one  or  more  ponies,  rough  coated,  broad  backed 
and  very  hardy.     They  traveled  with  a  pacing  or  ambling  gait,  and 

224 


v^ 


s. 


when  the  lakes  and  streams  were  frozen  over  in  winter  they  could  pull 
rough  sledges  at  surprising  speed.  Winter  races  between  these  val- 
uable beasts  of  burden  formed  one  of  the  pleasures  of  the  settlement, 
and  the  whole  populace  turned  out  to  cheer  the  rival  racers.  The  de- 
scendants of  these  ponies  are  common  in  Canada  and  about  Detroit, 
and  pony  races  are  still  a  winter  recreation  on  the  frozen  bosom  of 
the  River  Rouge,  between  Fort  Street  and  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River. 

After  General  Clark  had  captured  the  Illinois  posts,  the  French  set- 
tlers at  Kahokia  and  Kaskaskia,  Ohio,  which  were  then  in  Spanish  ter- 
ritory, picked  up  courage  and  did  some  fighting  on  their  own  account 
against  the  British.  In  1780  Lieutenant  Scheiffelin,  who  had  been 

taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  Williamsburg  in  company  with  Hamilton  and 
Dejean,  made  his  escape.  He  said  that  the  prisoners  were  treated 
brutally  and  compelled  to  work  like  menials  about  the  jail.  Hamilton 
was  in  great  need  of  money  while  in  prison  and  drew  upon  Governor 
Haldimand  for  ^700.  Strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  secure  his  ex- 
change, but  up  to  that  date  they  had  failed.  The  protests  of  the 
American  Congress,  the  stories  of  wholesale  massacres  and  the  great 
number  of  scalps  of  settlers  brought  to  Detroit,  excited  the  sympathy 
of  Lord  Shelburne,  the  British  colonial  secretary,  and  he  wrote  to  Gov- 
ernor Haldimand  ordering  him  to  call  off  the  savages.  Haldimand 
wrote  to  De  Peyster  conveying  the  order,  but  the  latter  replied  that  the 
Indians  were  so  enraged  that  it  was  impossible  to  restrain  or  to  call 
them  away  from  the  frontier.  In  the  fall  of  1780  Col.  Augustin  Mottin 
de  la  Balme  left  Kahokia  and  made  a  first  movement  toward  the  Ohio 
River.  This  was  to  disguise  his  purpose.  He  had  planned  to  make  a 
sudden  descent  upon  Detroit  after  he  had  united  with  the  French  at  Vin- 
cennes.  He  waited  twelve  days  at  Miami  town,  on  the  Maumee  River, 
for  the  arrival  of  the  Vincennes  men,  and  then  partially  destroyed  the 
village  during  the  absence  of  the  warriors,  who  were  fighting  the  settlers 
on  the  border.  As  he  was  on  his  way  toward  Vincennes  a  party  of  Miamis 
surprised  him  and  killed  the  commander  and  forty  of  his  men,  and  the 
remainder  retreated.  He  had  a  force  of  about  130  men.  Colonel 
De  la  Balme  cuts  little  figure  in  the  published  histories,  but  he  was  a 
brave  man  who  did  much  for  the  American  colonies.  He  was  a  friend 
of  Count  D'Estaing,  who  commanded  the  French  allies  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  upon  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  with  letters  from  Dr. 
Franklin,   he  was  made  inspector -general  of  the  Continental  cavalry. 

225 


When  D'Estaing,  in  the  fall  of  1778,  issued  a  proclamation  to  the 
French  people  of  the  Northwest,  calling  upon  them  in  the  king's  name 
to  take  up  arms  in  behalf  of  the  Americans  and  assist  them  in  winning 
their  independence,  De  la  Balme  was  the  bearer  of  the  message  to  the 
French  of  Illinois.  His  military  training  showed  him  that  he  could 
strike  a  telling  blow  by  capturing  Detroit,  and  but  for  the  failure  of  his 
compatriots  to  join  him  at  the  expected  time  he  might  have  accom- 
plished this  valuable  service. 

An  expedition  set  out  from  Detroit  in  1780  under  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Patrick  Sinclair,  of  Mackinac,  with  the  intention  of  capturing 
the  Spanish  settlements  of  Pen  Coeur  and  Kahokia  in  the  Illinois 
country,  the  latter  being  one  of  the  places  captured  in  1778  b}^  General 
Clark  of  Virginia.  Pen  Coeur  (Hanging  Heart)  was  captured  and  sixty- 
eight  of  the  garrison  was  killed.  This  was  probably  a  wholesale 
slaughter,  for  it  is  doubtful  if  the  population  exceeded  that  number. 
The  report  of  Commandant  De  Peyster  mentions  no  prisoners  taken  at 
this  place.  At  Kahokia  some  traders  had  warned  the  settlement  of  the 
approach  of  the  British.  De  Peyster  reported  twenty- three  prisoners 
taken  and  50,000  tons  of  lead  ore  was  ''stopped." 

The  winter  of  1780  was  the  most  severe  ever  experienced  at  Detroit 
up  to  that  time.  It  was  not  until  May  16,  1781,  that  the  ice  was  suffi- 
ciently cleared  from  the  river  to  permit  the  first  vessel  to  depart  for 
Erie.  A  census  of  Detroit  taken  in  1780  reads  as  follows :  Heads  of 
families,  394;  married  and  young  women,  374;  married  and  young 
men,  332;  men  absent  in  Indian  territory,  100;  boys  ten  to  fifteen 
years  of  age,  455;  girls,  385;  male  slaves,  79;  female  slaves,  96; 
horses,  772;  oxen,  474;  cows,  793;  steers,  361;  sheep,  279;  hogs,  1,016; 
bushels  of  wheat,  13,316;  corn,  5,380;  peas,  488;  oats,  6,253;  flour, 
358,000  pounds;  bushels  of  wheat  sown,  2,028;  potatoes,  2,885;  bar- 
rels of  cider,  828;  acres  under  cultivation,  12,083.  The  males  in  the 
above  list  probably  include  soldiers,  and  the  total  population  was  2,205. 


226 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

Shocking  Butchery  of  Ohio  Settlers  by  the  British  Indians— A  Bill  of  Lading  for  a 
Shipment  of  954  Human  Scalps,  Which  tell  a  Gruesome  Story— Reprisals  by  the  Set- 
tlers— Shameless  Butchery  of  the  Moravian  Indians. 

Perhaps  the  best  idea  of  the  attitude  of  the  British  at  Detroit,  during 
the  years  of  the  Revolution,  may  be  gained  from  papers  submitted  in 
evidence  by  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  when  he  went  to  France  to  appeal 
for  assistance  against  British  barbarities  toward  non-combatants. 
One  of  these  papers  was  a  letter  from  a  British  officer,  which  was  in- 
tercepted on  its  way  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  at  Detroit: 

"  May  it  please  your  excellency:  At  the  request  of  a  Seneca  chief  I  hereby  send 
to  your  Excellency  under  care  of  James  Hoyd,  eight  packages  of  scalps,  cured,  dried, 
hooped  and  painted  with  all  the  triumphal  marks,  and  of  which  consignment  this  is 
an  invoice  and  explanation.  Package  number  1,  forty  three  scalps  of  Congress  sol- 
diers, inside  painted  red  with  a  small  black  dot  to  show  they  were  killed  by  bullets; 
those  painted  brown  and  marked  with  a  hoe  denote  that  the  soldiers  were  killed 
while  at  their  farms;  those  marked  with  a  black  ring  denote  that  the  persons  were 
surprised  by  night ;  those  marked  with  a  black  hatchet  denote  that  the  persons  were 
killed  with  the  tommahawk.  Package  number  2,  ninety  eight  farmers'  scalps;  a 
white  circle  denotes  that  they  were  surprised  in  the  daytime ;  those  with  a  red  foot 
denote  that  the  men  stood  their  ground  and  fought  in  the  defense  of  their  wives  and 
families.  Number  3,  ninety-seven  farmers'  scalps;  the  green  hoops  denote  that  they 
were  killed  in  the  fields.  Number  4,  102  farmers'  scalps ;  eighteen  are  marked  with 
a  yellow  flame  to  show  that  they  died  by  torture ;  the  one  with  a  black  band  attached 
belonged  to  a  clergyman.  Number  5,  eighty-eight  scalps  of  women;  those  with  the 
braided  hair  were  mothers.  Number  6,  193  boys'  scalps.  Number  7,  211  girls' 
scalps.  Number  8,  122  scalps  of  all  sorts;  among  them  are  twenty-nine  infant 
scalps,  and  those  marked  with  small  white  hoops  denote  that  the  child  was  unborn 
at  the  time  the  mother  was  killed.  The  chief  of  the  Senecas  sends  this  message: 
'  Father,  we  send  you  here  these  many  scalps  that  you  may  see  that  we  are  not  idle 
friends.  We  wish  you  to  send  these  scalps  to  the  Great  King  that  he  may  regard 
them  and  be  refreshed:  and  that  he  may  see  our  faithfulness  in  destroying  his  ene- 
mies and  be  convinced  that  his  presents  are  appreciated.'  " 

A  fine  present,  this  set  of  trophies,  evidence  of  954  murders  which 
spared  neither  age  nor  infirmity,  man,  woman  or  child  or  even  babe 

227 


unborn — to  forward  to  a  monarch  by  the  grace  of  God  and  defender  of 
the  faith! 

Settlers  continued  to  be  murdered  right  and  left  by  prowling  bands  of 
Indians,  and  many  of  them  after  being  captured  were  submitted  to  the 
most  horrible  tortures.  The  first  torture  would  be  to  run  the  gauntlet 
between  double  files  of  savages,  armed  with  any  weapon  they  chose  to 
use.  Those  condemned  to  death  were  stripped  naked  and  painted 
black.  Sometimes  their  flesh  would  be  filled  with  large  pine  splinters 
and  these  would  be  set  on  fire.  Some  would  be  impaled  on  red  hot 
irons,  or  pinned  fast  to  the  ground  and  roasted  under  a  fire  of  brush. 
Others  would  be  fired  at  with  blank  charges  of  powder  at  such  close 
range  that  the  burning  powder  would  penetrate  far  into  their  flesh. 
The  most  common  method  was  to  tie  prisoners  to  a  stake  and  build  a 
wall  of  fire  about  them  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty  feet  so  that  they 
would  linger  for  hours  in  dreadful  torture.  Girty  was  frequently  pres- 
ent at  such  scenes  and  often  scoffed  at  the  victims;  but  it  is  also  known 
that  he  rescued  many  from  such  a  death. 

In  March,  1780,  Simon  Girty  was  at  Detroit  to  conduct  Captain  Bird 
to  an  attack  upon  Louisville,  where  the  Virginians  had  a  fort  of  some 
strength  under  command  of  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark.  They  started 
with  a  considerable  force  of  Canadians,  most  of  them  mounted,  and 
carried  two  light  pieces  of  cannon.  On  the  route  Girty  called  out  the 
Indians  at  different  villages  in  the  Miami  valley,  until  the  force 
amounted  to  600  men.  They  could  not  reach  Louisville  during  the 
high  water  of  the  freshet  season,  so  they  attacked  two  small  settle- 
ments— Ruddle's  Station,  known  as  Fort  Liberty,  and  Martin's  Station, 
both  on  the  Licking  River,  immediately  south  of  where  Cincinnati 
now  stands.  It  was  impossible  for  the  settlers  to  make  resistance 
against  such  a  force,  so  they  surrendered  upon  promise  of  protection. 
Captain  Bird  was  unable  to  control  the  savages,  however,  and  a  num- 
ber of  settlers  were  slaughtered  and  scalped.  Girty  succeeded  in  pre- 
venting a  general  massacre.  The  settlers  who  survived,  numbering 
about  400,  were  loaded  with  their  own  household  goods  and  hurried  to 
Detroit  on  foot  as  prisoners  of  war.  A  number  escaped,  but  350  of  the 
settlers  arrived  at  Detroit  on  August  4,  1780.  The  horrors  of  such  a 
march,  where  the  men,  women  and  children  were  loaded  with  burdens, 
needs  no  description. 

In  the  summer  of  1780  Joseph  Brant,  chief  of  the  Mohawk  nation, 
with  a  force  of  warriors,  marched  from   Detroit  to  Niagara  and  from 

228 


there  to  Oswego,  He  went  to  punish  the  Oneidas,  who  had  refused 
to  join  with  the  British,  and  sympathized  with  the  Americans.  March- 
ing- inland  he  attacked  and  burned  several  villages  of  the  Oneida 
nation,  and  the  latter  took  refuge  in  the  forts  at  Stanwix  and  Schen- 
ectady, in  N-ew  York.  This  is  the  only  noticeable  case  where  two 
nations  of  the  Iroquois  confederacy  took  different  sides  during  the 
Revolution. 

Moravian  missionaries  had  several  times  warned  the  American  com- 
mandants at  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburg)  and  other  frontier  posts  of  the  ap- 
proach of  Girty  and  his  Indians,  and  of  Col.  John  Butler  and  his  rangers, 
who  always  aimed  to  surprise  the  Americans.  In  the  fall  of  1780  a 
grand  council  of  the  Iroquois  was  called  by  Alexander  McKee,  the 
British  Indian  agent,  and  was  held  at  Detroit.  At  the  council  he  asked 
the  Six  Nations  to  break  up  the  Moravian  settlements  atGnadenhutten, 
Salem  and  Schoenbrun,  all  three  in  southern  Ohio.  It  was  a  class  of 
dirty  work  which  the  Iroquois  did  not  care  to  undertake,  so  they  sent 
word  to  the  Chippewas,  accompanied  by  a  wampum  belt,  that  they 
might  "make  soup,"  if  they  wished,  of  the  Christian  Indians  who  were 
being  taught  by  the  Moravian  missionaries.  But  even  these  fierce 
northern  savages  did  not  care  to  kill  their  own  race  without  cause.  The 
Moravians  were  a  peculiar  religious  sect  who  termed  themselves  ' '  United 
Brethren  in  Christ."  They  developed  from  the  missions  which  carried 
Christianity  into  Bohemia  in  the  ninth  century,  and  began  to  assume 
their  present  form  as  a  religious  society  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
They  came  to  America  in  1735  to  evangelize  the  Indians,  first  settling 
in  Georgia,  but  afterward  removing  to  Pennsylvania  where  they  founded 
the  towns  of  Bethlehem,  Nazareth  and  Lititz.  From  there  they  sent 
missionaries  over  into  Ohio  and  also  into  Michigan.  Gnadenhutten,  on 
the  Tuscarawas  River,  was  their  chief  settlement  in  Ohio,  the  name 
signifying  "  tents  of  grace."  The  Moravian  church  was  a  sort  of  re- 
ligious communism.  It  held  all  real  estate  as  church  property  and 
would  not  sell  to  persons  outside  the  society.  Personal  property  be- 
longed to  the  individual,  but  the  church  exercised  a  temporal  as  well 
spiritual  authority  over  its  adherents  until  1844.  The  Moravians  were 
lovers  of  peace,  and  would  not  offer  resistance  to  their  oppressors. 
They  taught  their  followers  humility  and  industry;  when  one  died  in 
the  faith  it  was  a  matter  of  rejoicing  rather  than  mourning,  and  their 
funeral  processions  were  accompanied  with  the  blowing  of  trumpets 
and  trombones.     Each  member  was  pledged  to  do  what  he  could  toward 

229 


evangelizing-  the  Indians,  and  their  communities  were  the  abodes  of 
peace  and  general  happiness  except  when  invaded  by  their  oppressors. 
In  the  spring  of  1781  Col.  Matthew  Elliott,  who  had  deserted  the 
American  army  with  Girty,  went  to  the  Moravian  villages,  resolved  to 
get  rid  of  the  non-combatants  at  any  cost.  They  made  no  resistance 
and  were  placed  in  charge  of  a  Frenchman  named  Le  Villiers,  who 
took  them,  several  hundred  in  number,  to  Detroit.  Girty  hated  the 
Moravian  missionaries,  and  tried  to  get  the  young  Miamis  to  murder 
them,  but  the  Delawares  would  not  permit  it.  He  ordered  Le  Villiers 
to  rush  them  to  Detroit  under  the  lash,  allowing  the  women  no  time  to 
rest  or  to  prepare  food,  but  Le  Villiers  was  a  humane  man  and 
showed  them  as  much  kindness  as  he  could,  and  shielded  them  when 
he  could  from  the  brutality  of  the  savages.  David  Zeisberger,  over 
sixty  years  of  age,  John  Heckewelder,  Gottlieb  Senseman,  John  Jacob 
Schemick,  John  Bull  and  William  Edwards,  were  the  missionaries  in 
this  party.  Their  villages  were  depopulated  and  the  corn  crop  was 
left  unharvested  in  the  fields.  The  prisoners  were  ill  clad,  many  being 
barefoot,  and  they  were  torn  with  briars  and  almost  perishing  from 
hunger  and  fatigue  when  they  arrived  at  their  destination.  As  they 
came  near  Detroit  the  squaws  and  young  Indians  set  upon  them  and 
beat  them  cruelly.  James  May,  of  Detroit,  went  out  to  witness  their 
arrival,  when  two  girls,  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  of  age  respectively, 
broke  away  from  their  tormentors  and  fled  to  him  for  protection.  The 
Indians  pursued,  and,  as  the  girls  were  clinging  to  May,  that  citizen, 
who  was  a  very  large  man,  weighing  about  300  pounds,  defended  them 
with  his  fists  and  knocked  two  of  the  Indians  down.  He  then  took  the 
girls  to  the  council  house  for  shelter.  The  Indians  complained  to  Cap- 
tain McKee,  and  the  latter  went  to  De  Peyster  in  a  passion,  saying 
that  his  Indians  must  be  allowed  to  do  as  they  pleased  with  their  vic- 
tims, or  they  would  desert  the  British  cause.  De  Peyster  summoned 
May  before  him  and  said  that  he  would  send  him  to  a  dungeon  at 
Montreal  if  he  ever  dared  to  interfere  between  the  Indians  and  their 
captives  again.  When  the  Moravian  missionaries  had  been  brought 
before  Commandant  De  Peyster  and  the  council  house  was  filled  with 
Indian  chiefs,  who  had  been  called  to  consider  the  missionary  matter, 
Girty  told- the  assemblage  that  the  Moravians  were  friends  of  the  Revo- 
lutionists, and  had  given  valuable  information  to  the  American  com- 
manders by  apprising  them  of  the  movements  of  the  British  scalping 
parties.     Captain  Pipe,  the  Delaware  chief,  a  magnificent  savage,  arose 

230 


and  addressed  De  Peyster,  saying:  "You  Englishmen  may  fight  the 
Americans,  your  brothers,  if  you  choose ;  the  quarrel  is  yours,  not  ours. 
The  Indians  have  no  cause  or  reason  for  taking  sides  and  shedding  their 
blood  in  this  war,  but  you  have  set  them  upon  the  Americans  as  the 
hunter  sets  his  dog  upon  the  game."  At  this  moment  he  took  from  an 
Indian  at  his  side  a  pole  strung  with  white  settlers'  scalps.  "Look, 
father!  here  is  what  has  been  done  with  the  hatchet  you  gave  me.  I 
have  made  use  of  it  as  you  ordered  me  to  do,  and  I  found  it  sharp," 

Like  most  of  the  Delawares  he  had  no  particular  grudge  against  the 
Americans,  but  instead  of  remaining  on  their  own  lands  in  southern 
New  York,  where  their  neutrality  would  be  in  doubt,  most  of  the  tribe 
came  to  Ohio  to  assure  the  Senecas  that  they  were  to  be  trusted.  The 
British  had  hired  some  of  them  to  take  part  in  some  raids,  but  Captain 
Pipe  was  disgusted  with  the  style  of  warfare.  He  was  averse  to  war- 
ring upon  the  settlers  and  bitterly  opposed  to  attacking  the  unoffending 
Moravians. 

The  Moravians  were  kept  at  Detroit  for  several  weeks,  during  which 
the  commandant  and  the  Indian  agents  tried  to  induce  them  to  take  up 
the  cause  of  the  British,  but  they  refused  to  fight  on  either  side.  In 
order  to  get  rid  of  the  expense  of  keeping  them  they  were  acquitted  in 
November  and  sent  to  Upper  Sandusky,  there  to  be  kept  under  guard 
by  Half,-King,  head  chief  of  the  Wyandottes.  Provisions  soon  ran  low 
at  Sandusky  and  something  had  to  be  done,  so  a  party  of  ninety-six 
Moravian  Indians,  mostly  Delawares,  was  allowed  to  go  back  to  their 
villages  to  gather  the  unharvested  corn.  They  were  accompanied  by 
a  delegation  of  Wyandottes,  ostensibly  to  insure  their  return  to  the 
Half  King's  village,  but  perhaps  for  a  more  sinister  purpose.  Under 
the  lead  of  the  Wyandottes  they  divided  into  small  parties  and  went  by 
different  routes.  One  party,  led  by  Wyandottes,  surprised  Mrs.  Robert 
Wallace  in  her  cabin  during  the  absence  of  her  husband,  and,  with 
awful  barbarity,  killed  her  and  three  of  her  children.  The  bodies  of 
the  dead  were  stripped  and  the  bloody  clothing  was  carried  to  the  Mo- 
ravian village  of  Gnadenhutten,  and  there  left  in  the  cabins.  Another 
party  murdered  John  Fink,  an  American  settler,  and  carried  his  bloody 
clothing  to  the  village.  A  third  party  carried  John  Carpenter  of  Buf- 
falo Creek  into  captivity.  The  Wyandottes  then  went  away,  leaving 
the  Moravians  unguarded.  News  of  these  raids  caused  James  Marshel 
to  order  out  the  militia  of  Washington  county,  Pa.,  of  which  he  had 
command,  and  Col.  David  Williamson,  at  the  head  of  this  body  of  men, 

231 


went  across  the  border  to  punish  the  marauders.  They  arrived  at  the 
Moravian  villages  and  took  the  Indians  into  custody  to  march  them 
away  to  Fort  Pitt,  but  after  they  had  shut  their  captives  in  two  of  the 
houses,  a  party  of  the  white  men  found  the  bloody  clothing  of  the  mur- 
dered settlers  hidden  about  the  houses.  They  concluded  that  the  Mo- 
ravians were  dangerous  hypocrites,  who  had  been  responsible  for  many 
of  the  murders.  Wild  with  passion  they  rushed  to  where  the  unarmed 
Indians  were  awaiting  transportation  to  Fort  Pitt.  Entering  the  houses, 
they  said  to  the  Indians,  "You  are  murderers  and  you  must  die. "  The 
Indians  sank  to  their  knees  and  began  to  pray,  when  one  of  the  rangers 
seized  a  mallet  and  struck  several  of  them  dead.  Handing  the  mallet 
to  another  the  slaughter  was  resumed,  guilty  and  innocent  falling 
alike,  until  ninety-four  of  the  ninety  six  Indians  lay  dead.  Two  Indian 
boys  alone  escaped  to  tell  the  dreadful  story.  This  murderous  act 
aroused  every  Indian  in  the  country,  and  those  who  had  entered  into 
the  marauds  of  the  British  in  a  half-hearted  way  before,  were  now  fired 
with  vengeance.  Their  wrath  was  visited  principally  upon  the  settlers, 
but  before  many  months  they  had  their  revenge  upon  the  soldiers  as 
well. 

In  the  summer  of  1781  the  Spanish  commandant  at  St.  Louis,  on 
the  Mississippi,  organized  a  raid  against  the  British  post  at  St.  Joseph 
on  Lake  Michigan.  With  about  300  men  he  marched  600  miles  across 
Illinois,  and  when  he  arrived  before  the  log  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Joseph  River,  the  small  British  garrison  took  to  the  woods  and  ran 
away  to  Detroit.  The  report  of  this  attack  created  some  alarm  at 
Detroit,  but  the  Spaniards  contented  themselves  with  destroying  the 
fort  and  burning  the  palisades  and  the  houses.  The  invaders  took  all 
the  stores  of  provisions  and  then  marched  back  to  St.  Louis.  It  was 
the  last  attempt  made  by  the  Spaniards  against  the  British. 


232 


ELISHA  TAYLOR. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Martyrdom  of  Colonel  Crawford — He  is  Burned  at  the  Stake  by  the  Indians — 
Simon  Girty,  the  Renegade,  Scoffs  at  His  Agonies — Dr.  Knight's  Story  of  the 
Tortures. 

In  the  spring  of  1782  Col  William  Crawford,  an  American  officer  of 
Westmoreland,  Pa.,  started  from  Pittsburg  with  480  mounted  volun- 
teers to  make  a  raid  against  the  Indians  of  the  Upper  Sandusky  vil- 
lages. General  Irvine,  commandant  at  Fort  Pitt,  supplied  hiin  with 
ammunition  and  sent  Dr.  John  Knight  and  John  Rose,  one  of  his  aides, 
to  accompany  the  expedition.  The  soldiers  met  a  large  party  of 
Indians  and  British  near  Upper  Sandusky  on  June  5  and  had  an  en- 
gagement at  a  place  known  as  Battle  Island,  situated  in  what  is  now 
Crane  township,  Wyandot  count3\  Captain  Elliott  and  Lieutenant 
Clinch,  of  the  British  force,  conducted  themselves  with  great  gallantry, 
as  did  John  Rose  and  John  Gunsalus  of  the  Americans.  Simon  Girty 
was  also  very  active  in  the  fight.  Darkness  parted  the  contestants, 
and  both  sides  slept  on  their  arms,  each  building  large  fires  and  then 
retiring  some  distance  to  avoid  a  surprise.  Instead  of  resuming  the 
fight  at  daybreak  Colonel  Crawford  made  a  fatal  mistake  by  waiting 
for  his  men  to  recuperate.  A  reinforcement  of  Shawnees  arrived  at  the 
British  camp  during  the  day.  The  Americans  learned  of  it,  and  at  a 
council  of  war  it  was  decided  to  retire  at  night  and  make  the  best  pos- 
sible retreat  from  the  dangerous  position.  During  the  march  through 
the  forest  that  night,  Colonel  Crawford,  Major  McClelland,  Captain 
Briggs,  Dr.  Knight,  John  Slover  and  about  twenty  others,  who  were 
riding  in  the  rear,  became  separated  from  the  command,  which  was  led 
by  Colonel  Williamson  and  John  Rose.  The  main  army  crossed  the 
Ohio  on  June  13,  losing  but  three  killed  and  eight  wounded  while 
en  route.  Colonel  Crawford  and  his  men  strayed  eastward  and  they 
were  captured  at  noon  on  June  7,  at  a  place  which  is  now  the  site  of 
Leesville,  Crawford  county,  Ohio.  A  party  of  Delawares  and  Shaw- 
nees took  them  toward  Sandusky,  but  the  prisoners  were  confident 
that   Girty   and    the    British    officers  would    procure    their   exchange. 

233 


Captain  Pipe,  the  Delaware  chief,  told  them  they  would  come  to  no 
harm.  But  he  painted  black  the  faces  of  Crawford  and  ten  other  pris- 
oners, which  was  equivalent  to  a  death  warrant  among-  the  savages. 
Colonel  Crawford  and  Dr.  Knight  were  marched  in  the  rear  and  were 
guarded  by  Captain  Pipe  and  Wingemund,  another  Delaware  chief, 
while  the  other  prisoners  went  on  ahead.  Soon  after  setting  out 
Crawford  and  Knight  came  upon  the  bodies  of  four  of  the  other  prison- 
ers lying  mutilated  beside  the  road.  Crawford  asked  Captain  Pipe 
about  the  fate  of  his  son  William,  and  his  son-in-law,  William  Harrison, 
who  had  been  captured  during  the  battle,  and  was  told  that  they  had 
been  sent  to  Detroit  They  had,  however,  been  burnt  at  the  stake 
during  the  previous  night.  At  Tymoochtee  Creek  a  party  of  squaws 
and  boys  attacked  the  helpless  prisoners  who  were  just  ahead  of  Craw- 
ford and  Knight,  and  butchered  them.  Then  they  slapped  the  faces 
of  the  colonel  and  the  surgeon  with  the  bloody  scalps.  That  night 
Colonel  Crawford  was  stripped  naked,  beaten  with  switches,  and  tied 
to  a  post  about  fifteen  feet  high  with  enough  rope  to  enable  him  to 
walk  several  times  about  the  post.  Dr.  Knight  was  tied  at  a  short  dis- 
tance away  where  he  could  see  the  torturing  of  his  commander. 

"  Do  they  intend  to  burn  me,  Girty,"  asked  the  Colonel. 

"Yes,  5^ou  are  a  doomed  man,"  replied  Girty. 

Crawford  offered  $1,000  in  money  for  his  release  and,  it  is  said, 
offered  to  give  valuable  information,  but  the  Indians  were  determined 
to  avenge  the  murder  of  the  Moravians  upon  him  and  Dr.  Knight. 
He  had  known  Girty  nearly  all  his  life,  and  when  it  became  apparent 
that  he  must  endure  the  torture  he  composed  himself  like  a  brave  man 
and  said  to  the  renegade:  "I  shall  try  to  bear  it  patiently."  Captain 
Pipe  arose  and  delivered  an  impassioned  address  to  the  warriors,  re- 
citing the  story  of  the  Moravian  massacre.  At  the  conclusion  of  his 
speech  a  large  fire  of  hickory  poles  was  built  at  a  distance  of  twenty 
feet  from  the  post  where  Crawford  was  tied,  and  the  savages  with  yells 
of  frenzy  began  their  awful  work.  They  loaded  their  guns  with  pow- 
der only,  and  fired  seventy  charges  into  the  naked  flesh  of  their  victim 
at  such  close  range  that  the  burning  powder  was  driven  through 
Colonel  Crawford's  skin.  Then  they  cut  off  his  ears,  and  the  young 
boys  took  the  burning  poles  from  the  fire  and  jabbed  them  into  his 
fiesh.  The  squaws  scooped  up  the  coals  with  pieces  of  bark  and  threw 
them  upon  him  as  he  ran  about  the  post  to  escape  his  tormentors. 
Soon  the  ground  was  a  mass  of  burning  coals  beneath  his  feet. 

234 


"Girty!  Girty!  "  called  the  colonel  in  tones  of  agony,  "shoot  me  to 
the  heart  and  end  this  torture." 

Girty  laughed  in  a  heartless  manner  and  said:  "  How  would  I  shoot 
you  ?     Don't  you  see  I  have  no  gun  ?  " 

Then  he  turned  to  joke  with  an  Indian  who  stood  beside  him,  ridi- 
culing the  sorry  figure  the  colonel  was  making.  Crawford  walked 
about  the  stake  for  a  long  time,  praying  for  death.  The  odor  of  his 
burning  flesh  filled  the  air,  and  his  feet  were  broiling  upon  the  coals, 
but  he  showed  no  signs  of  weakness.  A  young  Indian  rushed  in, 
knocked  him  down  and  kneeling  on  his  prostrate  body  tore  his  scalp 
off.  The  tortured  man  lay  as  if  dead  on  the  ground.  A  squaw  ran  up 
and  threw  a  quantity  of  hot  coals  upon  his  bared  skull  and  he  arose 
and  shook  them  off,  and  then  resumed  his  agonizing  march  about  the 
stake.  His  scalp  was  slapped  against  Dr.  Knight's  face,  and  the  doc- 
tor was  told  that  he  would  be  treated  in  the  same  fashion  at  the  Shaw- 
nee town  next  evening.  For  three  hours  Colonel  Crawford  walked  in 
his  fiery  trial  and  then  he  fell.  No  further  tortures  could  bring  him 
to  his  feet,  so  the  coals  of  the  great  fire  were  heaped  above  his  body  and 
it  was  totally  consumed.  Dr.  Knight  escaped  that  evening  and  brought 
the  story  to  Pittsburg. 

In  the  spring  of  1782  Col.  William  Caldwell,  of  Detroit,  estabhshed 
his  headquarters  among  the  Miamis  and  Delawares  where  Piqua,  Ohio, 
now  stands.  His  lieutenants  were  McKee,  Elliot,  and  Simon  Girty. 
They  had  a  force  of  1,100  Indians  at  hand,  and  300  more  within  a  day's 
march.  Captain  Joseph  Brant,  of  Detroit,  was  also  with  this  army. 
In  July  they  made  a  raid  into  Kentucky  and  attacked  Bryan's  Station, 
but  could  not  capture  it.  Col.  John  Todd,  a  Kentuckian,  started,  with 
150  Kentuckians,  to  relieve  the  garrison,  but  the  siege  had  already 
been  raised.  Todd  and  his  men  came  upon  the  enemy  at  Blue  Lick 
Springs  on  August  19,  and  fell  into  an  ambush.  Seventy  riien  were 
killed  on  the  spot  and  seven  were  taken  prisoners,  while  the  British 
and  Indians  lost  but  eleven  men.  That  fall  General  Clark  made  a  raid 
into  the  Shawnee  towns  and  destroyed  the  villages  at  Piqua  and  Lori- 
mer's  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami.  His  150  rangers  lost 
but  one  man  killed,  and  they  killed  ten  Indians  and  took  seven  prison- 
ers. For  some  time  thereafter  the  Indians  could  not  be  induced  to 
attack  American  settlers. 

Girty's  suspicions  of  the  Moravians  were  not  allayed;  he  had  a 
horror  of  capture  by  the  Americans,  knowing  that  he  would  be  exe- 

235 


cuted  as  a  traitor.  In  March,  1782,  he  led  another  company  to  the 
Moravian  settlements  and  hurried  the  missionaries  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Sandusky  River  and  from  there  they  were  taken  to  Detroit  in 
ships.  This  time  they  were  treated  kindly,  but  De  Peyster  said  they 
must  not  remain  longer  in  their  settlements  on  the  Ohio  border;  that 
they  could  either  settle  in  the  Michigan  region  north  of  Detroit,  or 
they  could  go  back  to  their  towns  in  Central  Pennsylvania.  Their 
Indian  followers,  by  direction  of  the  Indian  agents,  had  been  scattered 
as  much  as  possible,  but  a  few  came  to  Detroit  to  join  the  missionaries. 
The  latter  were  David  Zeisberger,  Jacob  Jungman,  Gottlieb  Senseman, 
John  Heckevvelder,  John  Bull,  William  Edwards,  Michael  Jung  and 
others.  They  discussed  the  proposition  made  by  De  Peyster,  and  de- 
cided to  settle  in  and  about  Detroit.  As  the  Moravian  Indians  pre- 
ferred to  remain  in  Detroit,  Heckewelder  and  Senseman  remained 
with  them  at  first,  while  the  others  went  up  to  Lake  St.  Clair  and 
made  a  new  settlement  on  the  south  side  of  the  Clinton  River  near  the 
present  site  of  Mt.  Clemens.  They  named  the  settlement  New  Gnaden- 
hutten,  in  memory  of  their  abandoned  settlement  in  the  Ohio  valley. 
Here  they  remained  until  1786,  preaching  the  gospel  to  both  whites 
and  Indians.  Meanwhile  the  Chippewa  Indians  resented  their  settling 
on  these  lands,  which  they  claimed  to  belong  to  that  tribe.  The  Chip- 
pewas  were  willing  that  the  Moravians  should  settle  there  during  the 
war,  but  now  that  peace  was  restored  they  must  depart.  Major 
Ancram,  the  British  commandant  at  Detroit  from  1784  to  1786,  sus- 
tained the  claim  of  the  Chippewas  and  told  the  missionaries  not  to 
clear  any  more  land.  When  they  were  leaving,  Heckewelder  asked 
several  leading  Detroiters,  among  whom  was  John  Askin,  to  intercede 
with  Major  Ancram  to  have  their  property  protected,  as  their  settle- 
ment of  nearly  sixty  families,  exclusive  of  the  missionaries,  owned 
twenty-four  log  houses,  and  a  number  of  persons  were  waiting  there 
intending  to  occupy  them  after  their  departure.  The  missionary  asked 
for  compensation  for  the  houses  and  other  improvements.  Major 
Ancram  and  John  Askin,  in  a  joint  letter,  said  they  would  advance 
^200  on  the  prospective  sale  of  the  houses,  and  that  persons  would  be 
detached  to  take  charge  of  the  property  untillt  was  sold.  They  were 
also  guarantied  protection  and  safe  conduct  to  their  destination  when 
they  left  the  settlement.  The  Moravians  left  New  Gnadenhutten  in 
twenty-two  canoes  on  April  20,  1786,  and  came  to  Detroit;  they  left 
Detroit  on  April  28,  on  the  sloops  Beaver  and  Mackinaw,  and  after  four 

236 


weeks'  tossing  about  in  Lake  Erie  storms,  reached  the  mouth  of  Cuya- 
hoga River,  at  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Cleveland.  Here  they 
built  several  bark  canoes,  and  traversing  the  Cuyahoga  and  Tuscara- 
was Rivers,  they  finally  reached  old  Gnadenhutten,  in  what  is  now 
Tuscarawas  county,  near  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio.  Congress  bestowed 
upon  them  three  tracts  of  4,000  acres  and  at  that  place.  They  lived 
there  until  about  1807  when  the  influx  of  white  settlers  and  traders, 
and  their  whisky,  demoralized  their  Indian  converts.  The  settlement 
was  then  removed  to  River  Raisin,  in  Ohio.  Its  after  history  may  be 
learned  in  works  devoted  to  the  subject.  At  the  present  day  the  de- 
nomination has  over  100,000  communicants  and  its  theological  head- 
quarters are  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  and  at  Salem,  N.  C. 

Father  Potier,  the  Jesuit  in  charge  of  the  Huron  mission  of  Detroit 
at  Sandwich,  was  very  feeble  in  the  spring  of  1781.  On  July  16,  while 
in  his  study,  he  was  attacked  by  vertigo  and  fell  down.  His  head 
struck  an  andiron  in  the.  fireplace,  his  skull  was  fractured  and  he  died 
without  regaining  consciousness.  Commandant  De  Peyster,  following 
his  instructions  in  regard  to  the  Jesuit  property,  immediately  seized 
everything  at  the  mission,  including  the  priest's  papers,  hoping  to 
acquire  valuable  information  in  regard  to  the  French  element  and  their 
relations  with  the  Indians,  but  he  was  unsuccessful.  It  was  found  that 
Father  Potier,  anticipating  such  action,  had  sold  all  the  lands  of  the 
mission,  which  had  been  granted  by  the  Indians,  including  the  church, 
mission  house  and  burying  ground,  to  Francois  Pratt,  one  of  his  parish- 
ioners, taking  a  mortgage  running  to  the  Company  of  Jesus.  This 
mortgage  in  the  course  of  time  was  paid  to  Francis  Xavier  Hubert, 
vicar-general  of  Detroit,  and  afterward  bishop  of  Quebec.  The  church 
and  cemetery  were  both  deeded  to  the  church  several  years  afterward. 
The  papers  seized  did  not  contain  the  information  sought  by  the  British 
commandant.  It  was  found  that  Father  Potier  had  removed  the  leaves 
of  his  private  diary,  which  referred  to  events  in  1761-63,  and  thus  the 
curiosity  of  the  commandant  was  balked.  The  death  of  the  pious  and 
able  priest  ended  the  Huron  mission  of  Detroit.  The  later  history  of 
the  Hurons  has  been  already  related  in  this  book. 

When  peace  was  declared  in  1783,  Girty  was  ordered  to  call  all  the 
chiefs  of  eleven  Indian  nations  to  Detroit.  De  Peyster  told  them  that  the 
war  was  over  and  that  they  should  now  bury  the  hatchet.  Presents 
were  sent  to  all  the  tribes,  and  while  McKee  and  Elliott  became  Indian 
agents,  Girty  became  an  interpreter  at  the  post  of  Detroit.      In  1784 

237 


he  married  Catherine  Malott,  whose  parents  and  brother  and  sister,  as 
before  related,  had  been  butchered  on  the  Ohio  during  the  wars. 
They  settled  upon  a  piece  of  land  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below  Fort 
Maiden  (Amherstburg),  near  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River. 

It  is  a  characteristic  of  the  British  that  they  never  yield  territorial 
possessions  with  good  grace.  The  terms  of  the  treaty  of  Versailles  sur- 
rendered Detroit  and  Michigan  to  the  Americans,  and  it  gave  to  the 
Americans  the  sole  privilege  of  purchasing  lands  from  the  western 
Indians  within  certain  limits.  When  the  British  had  reviewed  the 
treaty  they  considered  that  they  had  surrendered  too  much.  The  vast 
extent  of  the  western  territory  was  not  realized  by  the  commissioners 
who  signed  the  treaty,  but  was  better  known  in  this  country.  Although 
no  protest  against  the  terms  of  the  treaty  already  signed  could  be  made 
by  the  British  with  any  show  of  propriety,  there  were  pretexts  at  hand 
which  gave  them  an  excuse  for  holding  fast  to  Detroit,  Mackinaw, 
Niagara,  Oswego  and  Fort  Miami  on  the  Maumee,  while  they  endeav- 
ored to  push  their  claims  for  other  territory  which  they  had  already 
surrendered. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Great  Britain's  Motives  for  Ignoring  the  Treaty  of  Peace — Determined  to  Hold  the 
Border  Posts  from  Which  to  Renew  the  War  on  the  Colonists — Why  They  Held 
Detroit  Unjustly  for  Thirteen  Years. 

The  generally  accepted  theory  among  American  authorities  is  that 
the  excuses  made  by  the  British  for  not  carrying  out  their  treaty  agree- 
ments were  merely  pretexts  to  cover  their  determined  purpose  to  re- 
tain possession  of  Detroit  and  the  Northwest.  The  reasons  were 
apparent.  By  holding  this  territory  they  controlled  the  lucrative  fur 
trade,  which  was  a  virtual  monopoly  in  the  hands  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  and  the  merchants  of  Montreal.  The  representatives  of 
their  interests  in  London  were  in  close  touch  with  the  British  govern- 
ment, which  is  always  solicitous  for  the  advancement  of  trade — a  na- 
tion's chief  strength.  The  retention  of  the  Northwest  would  also  give 
a  vantage  ground  from  which  to  renew  the  war  against  the  colonies. 
The  English  never  give  up  a  project  until  after  they  are  defeated,  and 

238 


sometimes  not  then,  and  there  was  a  strong  sentiment  at  home  that 
this  territory  should  be  reclaimed  by  the  mother  country.  Above  all 
things  it  would  enable  the  British  to  retain  the  support  of  the  Indians, 
who  could  be  depended  on  to  fight  England's  battles  in  the  event  of  war. 
That  this  object  was  not  only  entertained,  but  that  it  succeeded,  is  evi- 
denced by  the  fact  that  the  Indians  of  the  West,  within  the  American 
territory,  were  the  allies  of  the  'British  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  this 
struggle  England's  savage  contingent  committed  some  of  the  most 
devilish  atrocities  in  the  annals  of  so-called  civilized  warfare.  There  is 
also  damning  evidence  that  the  English  incited  the  Indians  against  the 
American  white  settlers,  and  were  responsible  for  the  most  horrible 
crimes  against  men,  women  and  children.  It  is  shown  by  official 
records  that  as  far  back  as  1778  the  redskins  were  being  urged  to  vio- 
lence by  the  infamous  Simon  Girty  and  other  agents,  and  that  under 
Girty's  orders  they  assisted  in  bringing  guns  to  Detroit  for  the  pur- 
pose of  strengthening  the  British  position.  In  1793,  prompted  by  the 
same  power  behind  the  throne,  the  general  council  of  Indians  declared 
that  they  would  not  believe  that  the  United  States  intended  to  do 
them  justice  unless  it  was  agreed  that  Ohio  should  be  the  boundary  line 
between  them  and  the  Indian  territory  of  the  Northwest.  This  was  in 
accordance  with  the  British  policy  of  having  a  "  buffer  state  "  next  to 
their  own  dominions  in  America,  which  could  be  controlled  in  the 
British  interests.  The  American  government  would  not  acquiesce  in 
this  proposition  to  alienate  the  Northwest,  because  it  knew  that  it  was 
inspired  by  Great  Britain. 

Why  this  section  was  not  evacuated  by  the  British  in  compliance  with 
the  treaty  of  1783,  has  ever  since  been  a  subject  of  controversy  and  has 
not  yet  been  determined.  It  was  among  the  stipulations  of  that  treaty 
that  Great  Britain  should  be  allowed  a  reasonable  time  within  which  to 
withdraw  her  forces  from  this  country,  but  even  the  most  radical  de- 
fenders of  the  British  policy  do  not  attempt  to  claim  that  her  action 
was  justified  under  this  provision.  It  took  eight  years  to  drive  British 
soldiers  from  the  United  States,  and  that  Great  Britain  should  take 
thirteen  years  to  completely  withdraw  from  the  victorious  country, 
seemed  to  be  an  arrogant  breach  of  faith.  The  contention  made  by 
the  British  and  their  defenders  ever  since  has  been  that  the  United 
States  had  failed  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  treaty.  A 
special  count  in  this  charge  was  that  British  merchants  were  creditors 
of  merchants  in  this  country ;  that  the  new  government  had  agreed  in 

239 


the  treaty  to  guarantee  the  payment  of  these  debts ;  that  several  States 
had  refused  to  comply  with  this  agreement  because  they  had  no  con- 
stitutional right  to  do  so ;  and  because  of  all  this  the  British  government 
rightly  refused  to  surrender  the  sovereignty  of  the  northwest  territory 
until  the  British  merchants  were  paid  or  secured.  The  excuse  of  the 
American  merchants  and  others  for  not  paying  their  British  debts  was 
that  slaves  which  had  been  taken  from  some  of  the  settlers  by  the  Brit- 
ish, were  to  be  restored,  but  the  return  had  not  been  made.  Baron 
Steuben,  who  was  a  close  friend  of  Washington,  was  dispatched  on 
diplomatic  service  to  Quebec,  to  secure  an  adjustment  of  the  existing 
disputes.  Baron  Steuben  asked  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  treaty  by  the 
surrendering  of  the  forts  in  the  lake  country,  Detroit,  Niagara  and 
Oswego,  but  he  was  coolly  informed  that  Great  Britain  had  concluded 
to  hold  them  because  when  the  treaty  was  signed  the  commission- 
ers had  not  understood  that  so  much  valuable  territory  was  being  sur 
rendered.  Steuben  had  intended  to  proceed  up  the  lakes  and  take 
formal  possession,  but  Sir  Frederick  Haldimand,  governor  at  Quebec, 
refused  to  grant  him  passports.  The  purpose  of  the  British  was  then 
unmasked,  and  the  old  practices  were  resorted  to  of  setting  the  Indians 
upon  the  American  settlers.  This  engendered  a  bitterness  which  not 
only  led  to  a  sharp  diplomatic  correspondence,  but  in  1794  made  a 
second  war  imminent. 

In  1782,  when  the  fortune  of  war  had  turned  in  favor  of  the  Ameri- 
can cause,  the  Iroquois,  who  had  fought  for  the  British,  were  greatly 
disheartened.  Their  employers  had  promised  to  drive  the  Americans 
away  from  the  Indian  territory  they  had  seized,  and  to  place  the  orig- 
inal owners  again  in  possession.  When  the  inability  of  the  British  to 
do  this  became  apparent  the  Indians  reproached  Governor  Haldimand 
and  his  agents,  saying  that  the  Americans  were  about  to  win  their  in- 
dependence and  become  rulers  of  the  country.  In  that  case  the 
Iroquois  would  forever  lose  their  lands  and  the  Americans  would  cer- 
tainly wreak  vengeance  upon  them  for  the  part  they  had  taken.  The 
Oneidas,  on  the  other  hand,  they  said,  had  done  no  fighting,  but  they 
had  been  given  a  safe  refuge  at  Fort  Stanwix  and  Schenectady,  when 
they  were  attacked  by  Joseph  Brant  and  the  rest  of  the  Indians  of  the 
Six  Nations  in  1780.  Brant  had  destroyed  their  villages,  but  they 
would  be  restored  to  their  lands  and  could  soon  rebuild,  while  the 
other  five  nations  would  be  outcasts.  In  1783,  when  the  American  set- 
tlers had  begun  to  flock  into  the   Ohio  valley,  the  Indians  were  in- 


THOMAS    BERRY. 


formed  at  a  council,  by  the  British  agents,  that  the  Americans  were 
preparing  to  invade  their  country  to  kill  off  the  game  and  to  drive  the 
aborigines,  who  were  rightful  owners,  out  of  their  possessions.  The 
agents  said  the  Americans  were  plotting  to  deprive  the  Indians  of  the 
protection  of  their  great  father,  the  king  of  England.  The  character 
given  the  "Yankees"  by  the  British  agents  was  far  from  flattering, 
and  when  the  council  broke  up  its  members  went  home  to  inflame  the 
prejudice  and  hatred  of  their  people.  The  British  agents  promised 
them  arms  and  ammunition,  to  be  delivered  at  Detroit,  and  rewards 
were  to  be  paid  for  the  scalps  of  American  settlers  who  were  found 
north  of  the  Ohio  or  west  of  New  York.  Spain  was  brought  into  the 
quarrel  as  a  sort  of  ally  to  Great  Britain.  The  Americans  were  for- 
bidden the  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi  River,  and  when  the  right 
was  insisted  upon,  Spanish  agents  were  sent  into  the  Indian  country 
to  aid  in  perfecting  an  Indian  confederacy,  which,  it  was  believed, 
would  prevent  all  attempts  to  extend  the  colonies  westward.  Alex- 
ander McKee,  the  British  Indian  agent,  was  entrusted  with  the  task  of 
uniting  the  northern  tribes  in  a  confederacy.  He  painted  himself  like 
an  Indian  and  donned  the  Indian  garb  to  impress  upon  the  Indians 
that  he  was  their  friend  and  brother.  Each  tribe  he  visited  was  in- 
formed that  all  the  other  tribes  were  in  arms  ready  for  a  descent  upon 
the  settlements  of  Virginia,  Ohio  and  Kentucky.  All  the  horrors  of 
Revolutionary  days  were  to  be  repeated  and  the  savage  dogs  of  war 
were  to  be  set  upon  the  settlers  once  more. 

Again  Detroit  became  the  emporium  for  hatchets  and  guns,  powder 
and  ball,  red-handled  scalping  knives  and  rum,  and  these  were  dealt 
out  to  the  Indians  with  a  lavish  hand.  Hunters  were  sent  out  against 
the  noblest  of  game  and  were  promised  rewards  for  human  scalps. 
During  the  days  of  the  Revolution  there  was  a  secret  understanding 
between  the  variovis  commandants  at  Detroit  and  the  merchant-justice, 
Dejean,  and  in  consequence  there  was  no  report  of  the  revenues  of  the 
post.  In  1784  Henry  Hamilton,  the  ex-commandant,  was  ordered  to 
prepare  a  statement  of  all  the  revenues  of  that  period,  and  his  report 
to  Governor  General  Haldimand  says:  "  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  to 
your  excellency  the  best  statement  I  have  been  able  to  procure  of  the 
territorial  and  casual  revenues  collected  at  Detroit  between  April,  1775, 
and  April,  1782,  amounting  to  ;^2,729  2s.  Gd.,  New  York  currency,  oi 
_^1,535  2s.  Sd.  sterling;  as  required  in  the  words  of  Major  Matthews's 
letter  of  October,  1782." 

241 


De  Pe)'-ster  was  ver}'-  well  satisfied  with  his  command  at  Detroit, 
where  he  also  succeeded  in  holding  all  the  revenues,  and  he  wanted  to 
remain  permanently  at  the  post.  But  Lieutenant  Jehu  Hay,  who  was 
stationed  at  Niagara,  had  family  influence,  which,  in  1782,  had  secured 
his  appointment  as  lieutenant-governor  of  Detroit,  making  him  the 
superior  of  De  Peyster.  The  latter  was  a  man  of  considerable  ability 
and  far  above  Hay  in  rank.  The  contemplated  change  provided  that 
De  Peyster  was  to  be  continued  in  the  position  of  commandant,  but  he 
rallied  his  friends  to  his  support  and  they  remonstrated  with  Governor 
Haldimand,  saying  that  it  would  be  ridiculous  to  put  a  half-pay  lieu- 
tenant and  a  man  of  no  apparent  ability  in  authority  over  a  colonel  of 
the  British  army,  who  had  done  long  service  for  the  king.  De  Peyster 
by  various  machinations  managed  to  hold  to  his  position  for  more  than 
a  year  after  his  successor  was  appointed.  In  the  fall  of  1783  he  was 
transferred  to  Niagara  and  Hay  was  ordered  to  Detroit,  as  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  two  officers  never  could  be  at  peace.  Hay  started  for 
Detroit,  but  was  taken  sick  with  malarial  fever  and  went  to  Montreal 
instead,  where  he  remained  until  the  following  summer.  He  came  to 
his  command  in  1784  and  proceeded  to  file  charges  against  his  prede- 
cessor. Commandant  De  Peyster  was  charged  with  official  neglect  of 
duty,  incompetence  and  crookedness.  The  charges  stated  that  De  Peys- 
ter had  permitted  certain  residents  to  inclose  lands  adjoining  their  prop- 
erty upon  payment  of  a  fee;  that  he  had  neglected  the  fortifications  so 
that  the  whole  river  front  of  the  palisades  had  fallen  outward  and  floated 
off  down  the  river,  compelling  the  erection  of  a  new  front  to  the  fort  at 
considerable  expense.  He  was  also  charged  with  permitting  large  quan 
titles  of  wood  to  be  piled  close  to  the  walls  of  the  fort,  thereby  endanger- 
ing its  security.  De  Peyster,  in  a  letter  written  to  Governor  Haldimand 
from  Niagara,  on  October  27,  1784,  replied  in  detail.  The  lands  inclosed 
were  fenced  by  his  order,  he  said.  They  were  situated  on  a  hill  near 
the  fort,  immediately  back  of  a  row  of  houses,  and  had  long  been  a 
dumping  ground  for  rubbish  and  a  resort  for  drunken  Indians.  He 
had  ordered  them  inclosed  to  get  rid  of  a  nuisance  and  had  received  no 
fee  from  adjoining  property  owners.  This  he  asserted  "on  the  honor 
of  a  gentleman,"  High  water  in  the  river  he  said  had  washed  away 
the  palisades  before  the  damage  of  the  freshet  could  be  prevented,  and 
he  had  allowed  settlers  to  pile  their  wood  on  the  high  ground  about  the 
fort  in  order  to  prevent  it  from  being  washed  away  in  the  flood.  But 
it  is  a  notable  fact   that   Detroit    River  is  not  subject  to  floods,  and 

242 


either  the  season  alluded  to  was  an  unusual  one,  or  De  Peyster's  verac- 
ity may  justly  be  questioned.  Hay  did  not  succeed  in  ruining  De  Pey- 
ster,  but  the  crown  demanded  and  reserved  the  revenues  of  the  post  so 
that  his  office  was  less  profitable  than  he  had  anticipated.  His  disap- 
pointment so  preyed  upon  him  that  in  the  fall  of  1785  he  had  another 
attack  of  malarial  fever  and  died  just  thirteen  months  after  his  arrival. 

Col.  Arent  Schuyler  De  Peyster  was  a  great-grandson  of  Johannes 
De  Peyster,  a  Huguenot  refugee  who  settled  on  Manhattan  Island  un- 
der Dutch  rule  in  a  very  early  day  and  died  there  in  1685.  Colonel 
De  Peyster  was  born  in  New  York  in  1736.  Although  of  French  an- 
cestry and  American  birth,  he  was  always  attached  to  the  British  cause. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  British  army  during  the  last  days  of  the  seven 
years  war,  which  resulted  in  the  downfall  of  the  French.  His  siding 
with  the  British  against  the  people  of  his  own  blood  was  probably  due 
in  part  to  the  religious  feeling,  for  the  descendants  of  the  Huguenots 
seldom  forgot  the  persecutions  of  their  ancestors  at  the  hands  of  the 
Catholic  French,  and  they  no  doubt  found  the  society  of  the  Protestant 
English  more  congenial.  His  American  birth  and  French  ancestry  in 
part  explain  why  De  Peyster  was  not  made  lieutenant-governor  at  De- 
troit, and  why  the  office  was  given  to  Jehu  Hay,  an  inferior  soldier  of 
British  connections.  De  Peyster  was  a  man  of  education  and  consider- 
able refinement;  he  had  a  taste  for  literature  and  his  accomplished 
lady  was  the  social  leader  in  Detroit  during  the  years  of  their  residence 
at  this  place.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  he  left 
Niagara  and  w^ent  to  Dumfries,  Scotland.  At  the  close  of  the  French 
Revolution,  which  was  followed  by  the  rise  of  Napoleon,  the  British 
people  were  constantly  expecting  a  French  invasion  and  every  town 
had  its  body  of  militia.  De  Peyster  became  an  officer  and  a  drill  mas- 
ter of  the  Dumfries  soldiers  in  1796,  when  he  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  tall,  swarthy,  black-eyed  recruit  named  Robert  Burns.  The  poet 
and  the  soldier  became  fast  friends  in  spite  of  their  difference  in  social 
rank. 

When  Burns  was  stricken  with  his  last  illness  and  was  confined  to  his 
bed  De  Peyster  sent  daily  to  inquire  after  his  welfare,  and  this  atten- 
tion pleased  the  poet  so  much  he  wrote  his  last  verses;  "A  Poem  on 
Life,"  directed  to  his  commander.      The  first  stanza  reads: 

"  My  honored  Colonel,  deep  1  feel 
Your  interest  in  the  poet's  weal. 
Ah !  sma'  heart  ha'e  I  now  to  speel 

243 


The  steep  Parnassus 
Surrounded  thus  by  bolus,  pill 
And  potion  glasses. " 

De  Peyster  was  himself  a  poet  of  some  pretensions,  having  published 
a  small  volume  of  verses.  He  also  conducted  a  political  controversy 
with  Burns  in  the  Dumfries  Journal.  De  Peyster  died  at  Dumfries  in 
1832. 

In  the  year  1784  a  Mr.  Brass  came  from  the  east  and  erected  a  saw 
mill  and  grist  mill  at  Detroit.  The  expense  was  borne  by  govern- 
ment and  Governor  Haldimand  paid  ^485  New  York  currency,  or 
about  $1,200,  for  the  two  jobs. 


CHAPTER   XXXIH. 

Indian  Wars  Following  the  Revolution — British  Influence  Causes  Constant  Vio- 
lations of  Treaties — Disastrous  Campaigns  of  Gen.  Josiah  Harmar  and  Gen.  Arthur 
St.  Clair— Mad  Anthony  Wayne  Wins  a  Signal  Victory— 1784-1792. 

In  1784  murders  were  common  in  all  the  region  about  Pittsburg, 
and  Indian  raids  from  Detroit  were  frequent.  Col.  Josiah  Harmar,  of 
the  Continental  army,  was  ordered  to  mass  a  strong  force  of  Pennsyl- 
vania rangers  at  Fort  Pitt  in  1784,  and  to  call  a  council  with  the  Indians 
of  the  West  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  peace  on  the  border.  The 
troops  were  to  serve  as  a  guard  for  Arthur  Lee,  Richard  Butler  and 
George  Rogers  Clark,  the  treaty  commissioners  appointed  by  Congress. 
Messages  were  sent  to  all  the  tribes  asking  their  chiefs  to  come  to  the 
council,  but  McKee  and  Elliott  warned  the  British  at  Detroit  that  peace 
would  be  followed  by  an  encroachment  of  American  settlers,  and  these 
agents  were  sent  in  company  with  Simon  Girty  to  dissuade  the  Indians 
from  making  a  treaty.  A  treaty  was  finally  made  with  the  Wyan- 
dottes,  Delawares,  Chippewas  and  Ottawas,  and  signed  at  Fort  Mcin- 
tosh on  the  Ohio,  in  January,  1785.  The  British  agents  kept  the 
Shawnees,  Cherokees,  Senecas  or  Mingoes,  and  the  Miamis  from  join- 
ing, and  stirred  them  up  to  renew  hostilities  against  the  Americans. 
The  Cherokees  made  a  raid  down  the  Scioto,  Hocking,  Muskingum  and 
Tuscarawas  valleys  in  September,  1785.      In  November  another  coun- 

244 


cil  was  called  by  Congress  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  River,  but  Simon 
Girty  and  Colonel  Caldwell,  of  Detroit,  worked  against  it  among  the 
Indians,  The  Americans  built  a  fort  called  Fort  Finney  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Miami  River,  and  on  February  1  another  treaty  was  signed. 
By  the  terms  of  this  treaty  the  Shawnees  were  allotted  all  the  territory 
lying  between  the  Miami  and  the  Wabash  Rivers  and  south  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  Miamis  and  Wyandottes.  It  was  agreed  that  no  settlers 
were  to  encroach  in  this  region.  No  sooner  had  the  treaty  been 
signed  than  McKee,  Elliott  and  Girty  went  into  the  Wabash  valley  to 
persuade  the  Indians  that  they  had  been  robbed  by  the  terms  of  the 
treaty,  and  in  the  spring  of  1786,  two  months  after  the  signing  of  the 
treaty,  the  Shawnees  were  on  the  war  path  in  pursuit  of  settlers  in  the 
Scioto  and  Hocking  valleys.  This  kind  of  see-sawing  made  too  much 
work  for  the  British  Indian  agents.  They  saw  that  the  Indians  were 
inclined  to  make  peace  with  the  settlers,  so  in  June  they  gathered  forty 
chiefs  of  the  various  nations  and  went  with  them  to  Niagara  to  confer 
with  Sir  John  Johnson,  son  of  the  late  Sir  William.  Sir  John  told  the 
Indians  if  they  continued  living  independently  and  making  war  as  in- 
dependent tribes,  they  would  soon  be  exterminated.  Their  only  hope 
for  preservation  against  the  encroachments  of  the  Americans  was  to 
organize  as  one  nation.  In  that  case,  he  said,  they  would  be  great  in 
peace  or  war.  His  language  was  vague  and  diplomatic,  but  the  In- 
dians understood  it  as  advising  them  to  make  a  general  war  upon 
the  American  settlers  in  order  to  preserve  themselves  from  destruction. 
Then  Joseph  Brant,  the  great  Mohawk  chief,  also  known  as  Thayan- 
danega,  made  a  tour  of  Canada  and  gathered  up  another  lot  of  chiefs 
at  Niagara  to  listen  to  Sir  John  Johnson's  words  of  wisdom.  Brant 
was  a  well  educated  Indian,  having  received  his  schooling  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Sir  William  Johnson,  at  Willoughby,  Conn.  He  held  a  com- 
mission as  captain  in  the  British  army  and  was  a  man  of  ability.  At 
the  conclusion  of  this  conference  the  forty  chiefs  were  loaded  with 
presents  and  supplied  liberally  with  rum,  while  Girty,  Elliott,  McKee 
and  Colonel  Caldwell  were  granted  tracts  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River  near  the  present  site  of  Amherstburg.  A  third  council 
was  afterward  held  in  the  British  interest,  at  the  Huron  village  on  De- 
troit River  (Sandwich).  Representatives  of  the  Iroquois  or  Six  Na- 
tions, and  the  Wyandottes,  Ottawas,  Miamis,  Shawnees,  Cherokees, 
Chippewas,  Potawatomies  and  Wabashes  were  present  at  this  assembly, 
which    took    place    December  18,   1786.      There  a  memorial  was  pre- 

345 


pared  by  the  British  representatives  to  be  presented  to  the  American 
Congress.  It  pledged  the  several  tribes  to  peace  forever,  providing 
there  should  be  no  further  influx  of  settlers  into  the  western  territory. 
Even  the  chiefs  had  some  misgivings  as  to  the  good  faith  of  this  docu- 
ment, so  each  man  signed  the  totem  of  his  tribe  instead  of  signing  his 
individual  mark.  The  memorial  came  to  naught,  as  its  purpose  was 
plainly  apparent 

During  the  summer  of  1786  Benjamin  Logan,  a  Kentucky  pioneer, 
led  a  raid  through  the  villages  of  the  Shawnees,  who  had  so  soon 
broken  their  treaty,  and  captured  eighty  prisoners  besides  killing 
twenty  of  their  warriors. 

In  1787  the  American  government  held  out  various  inducements  to 
soldiers  of  the  late  war  if  they  would  settle  in  the  Ohio  valley  and  the 
tributary  country,  which  was  at  that  time  ceded  to  the  government  by 
Virginia  and  Connecticut.  There  was  no  cessation  of  murder  or  mas- 
sacre, however.  Between  the  years  1783  and  1790  over  1,500  men, 
women  and  children  were  slaughtered  by  savages  and  their  scalps  were 
brought  to  Detroit.  Congress  saw  that  a  heavy  blow  must  be  struck 
at  the  allied  Indians  and  British,  or  the  war  of  extermination  would  go 
on  indefinitely.  It  became  necessary  for  the  settlers  and  the  British 
to  come  together  once  more  in  a  death  grapple  in  order  to  secure 
peace. 

Gen.  Josiah  Harmar,  a  distinguished  Pennsylvania  officer,  was 
'authorized  to  collect  an  army  and  make  a  raid  against  the  hostiles  in 
1789.  He  was  better  adapted  for  civilized  warfare  than  Indian  fight- 
ing, but  when  he  had  mustered  a  motley  crew  of  1,400  men  he  thought 
he  was  marching  to  a  certain  victory.  General  Knox,  secretary  of  war, 
foolishly  sent  word  to  the  British  at  Detroit  that  a  war  was  to  be  waged 
against  Indians  only;  the  British  immediately  notified  the  Indians  and 
equipped  them  for  the  conflict.  Harmar's  force  was  badly  clothed,  ill 
fed  and  poorly  armed,  and  there  was  little  discipline  among  his  troops. 
When  the  Indians  retired  beyond  the  Wabash,  Harmar  began  to  fear 
they  would  not  make  a  stand  against  him.  He  finally  encountered  the 
Indians  in  large  numbers  where  the  city  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  now 
stands.  They  surprised  his  camp,  routed  the  undisciplined  soldiers, 
and  many  were  left  dead  on  the  field.  Harmar  retired  in  disgrace  to 
Fort  Washington — the  present  site  of  Cincinnati.  Success  made  the  In- 
dians all  the  fiercer  and  the  settlers  of  the  West  were  panic  stricken  at 
their  plight. 

24G 


General  St.  Clair  was  called  to  Washington's  home  and  the  president 
gave  him  careful  advice  in  regard  to  fighting  Indians.  He  furnished 
him  with  a  force  of  2,300  regulars,  who  had  fought  in  the  Revolution, 
and  told  him  to  fortify  himself  in  every  possible  way  against  disaster 
by  building  a  line  of  forts  across  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio  territory, 
extending  from  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Miami  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami 
of  the  Lakes,  or  the  Maumee.  Above  all  things  he  was  instructed  to 
keep  his  pickets  well  extended,  so  as  to  guard  against  surprise.  St.  Clair 
was  a  victim  of  the  gout  and  was  hardly  fit  for  the  trust.  On  Novem- 
ber 3,  1791,  he  arrived  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Joseph  and  St.  Mary's 
Rivers  in  Indiana,  near  the  Ohio  border.  Next  day  his  army  was 
beset  on  every  side  with  Indians  led  by  Little  Turtle,  chief  of  the 
Miamis,  and  a  force  of  British  from  Detroit.  The  American  officers 
formed  their  men  in  line  of  battle  at  close  range  in  the  open  field,  and 
they  were  mowed  down  rapidly  by  their  foes,  who  were  concealed  in 
high  grass  and  behind  fallen  trees.  The  American  officers  were  picked 
off  first  and  the  soldiers  were  soon  left  without  commanders.  A  great 
panic  ensued.  The  militia,  which  had  been  in  the  rear  acting  as  a  re- 
serve, were  flanked  and  driven  in  upon  the  front.  Many  soldiers  threw 
away  their  guns  and  fled,  only  to  be  shot  down  and  scalped.  Out  of  a 
force  of  1,400  men,  593  were  killed  or  missing,  and  38  officers  and  242 
privates  were  wounded.  Nothing  but  the  bravery  of  Colonels  Butler 
and  Darke  and  Major  Clark  saved  the  entire  army  from  extermina- 
tion. Each  of  these  officers  plunged  into  the  thick  of  the  fight  and 
rallied  the  scattering  soldiers.  Butler  was  shot  through  the  arm  and 
leg,  but  fought  until  another  bullet  pierced  his  abdomen  when  he  fell 
mortally  wounded.  Simon  Girty  and  the  Indians  came  upon  him  as 
he  lay  in  agony  on  the  field,  and  he  begged  Girty  to  kill  him  and  put 
him  out  of  his  misery.  Girty  called  a  savage  to  his  side,  who  readily 
drove  his  tomahawk  into  the  dying  man's  brain.  The  Indians  gathered 
about  the  corpse  of  the  brave  man  Butler,  who  had  won  their  admiration 
by  his  conduct  in  that  awful  hour,  and  they  divided  his  heart  into 
pieces,  giving  one  piece  to  each  tribe  present.  Not  a  horse  was  left 
alive  and  the  artillery  was  abandoned.  A  poet  soldier  who  accom- 
panied the  expedition  wrote  an  epic  on  the  subject  of  this  battle,  of 
which  one  verse  is  enough : 

"  '  Twas  November  the  Fourth  in  the  year  1791 

We  had  a  sore  engagement  near  to  Fort  Jefferson ; 

St.  Clair  was  our  commander,  which  may  remembered  be. 

For  there  we  left  900  men  in  the  western  territory." 

247 


Washington  was  much  incensed  when  he  heard  of  the  carelessness 
which  had  caused  such  an  appalHng  disaster.  Next  year  Gen.  An- 
thony Wayne,  commander-in  chief  of  the  American  army,  was  sent 
against  the  Indians.  The  best  officers  of  the  army  had  been  killed  in 
the  two  previous  engagements,  and  the  volunteers  regarded  another 
war  as  inviting  certain  disaster.  While  General  Wayne  was  at  Pitts- 
burg enlisting  men  and  drilling  them  for  the  contest,  Secretary  of  War 
Knox  suggested  that  he  invite  the  Indians  to  a  treaty  council.  He  did 
so,  but  the  Indians  were  flushed  with  victory  and  would  not  listen. 
Secretary  Knox  became  panic  stricken,  and  fearing  that  Wayne  would 
also  be  defeated,  begged  of  him  not  to  invite  a  conflict.  In  May,  1793, 
General  Wayne  led  his  half  drilled  soldiers  to  Fort  Washington  (Cin- 
cinnati), where  he  enlisted  some  Kentucky  rangers.  Peace  negotia- 
tions having  failed,  he  advanced  his  army  to  Fort  Jefferson,  seventy 
miles  up  the  Miami,  October  6,  and  a  week  later  he  was  established  at 
Greenville,  six  miles  further  on.  There  he  passed  the  winter  amid 
great  hardships,  as  his  provision  trains  were  sometimes  captured  by 
the  Indians  and  the  escorts  slaughtered.  In  order  to  educate  his  men 
to  the  serious  business  at  hand  and  train  them  in  Indian  warfare,  Gen- 
eral Wayne  sent  out  a  party  to  bury  the  dead  who  fell  on  St.  Clair's 
battlefield.  Then  he  built  a  fort  on  the  site  and  called  it  Fort  Re- 
covery. Every  moment  his  men  were  on  the  alert  against  a  surprise, 
and  the  Indians  began  to  fear  the  new  commander,  whom  they  called 
"The  Blacksnake,"  because  of  his  swiftness  and  cunning.  They 
talked  of  peace  to  the  British,  but  the  latter  scoffed  them  out  of  the 
notion,  and  braced  up  their  courage  with  rum  and  tales  of  their  former 
prowess.  Wayne  was  now  near  the  Miami  fort,  which  was  held  by  a 
British  garrison.  Washington  authorized  him,  if  it  should  become 
necessary,  to  attack  the  fort  and  dislodge  the  garrison,  although  the 
two  nations  were  ostensibly  at  peace.  On  June  30  a  small  body  of 
Indians,  led  by  British  soldiers  disguised  as  Indians,  attacked  a  party 
of  dragoons  or  mounted  riflemen.  They  were  repulsed  and  next  day  a 
messenger  came  to  General  Wayne  and  said  the  Indians  would  like  to 
make  peace.  Wayne  demanded  a  surrender  of  all  their  prisoners  as 
an  evidence  of  good  faith,  and  the  negotiations  ceased.  On  July  10 
General  Scott  arrived  with  more  Kentucky  rangers,  and  Wayne  ad- 
vanced close  to  Fort  Miami,  the  British  post,  where  he  built  a  work 
and  named  it  Fort  Defiance,  It  was  situated  at  a  point  where  the  Mau- 
mee  receives  the  waters  of  the  Au  Glaize  River. 

248 


MERRILL  B.  MILLS. 


August  20,  1792,  found  everything  in  readiness  for  a  decisive  battle. 
The  enemy  were  believed  to  be  entrenched  in  strong  force  not  far 
away,  and  at  eight  o'clock  that  morning  General  Price's  corps  formed 
a  skirmish  line,  and  deploying  in  front  of  the  army,  advanced  down 
the  west  bank  of  the  Maumee  River.  For  five  miles  they  picked  their 
way  with  care  amid  a  perfect  silence.  Suddenly  puffs  of  smoke  came 
from  the  tall  grass  along  the  enemy's  front  and  several  of  the  skir- 
mishers fell.  The  enemy  were  drawn  out  in  battle  array  three  lines 
deep.  Their  left  rested  on  the  river  bank  and  their  right  stretched 
away  for  a  distance  of  two  miles  into  the  forest.  Some  time  before,  a 
tornado  had  swept  over  the  forest  and  the  trees  had  been  thrown  down 
in  great  confusion,  forming  the  best  possible  covert  for  Indian  war- 
fare. It  was  impossible  to  send  the  mounted  men  against  them  in  this 
position,  but  General  Wayne  mapped  out  his  plan  of  battle  while  the 
skirmishers  were  falling  back  to  the  support  of  the  main  body.  The 
Indians  tried  to  turn  his  left  flank  but  were  balked.  General  Scott 
was  sent  around  to  the  enemy's  right  with  his  mounted  rangers,  mak- 
ing a  long  detour  to  get  clear  of  the  fallen  timber  and  intending  to  fall 
upon  the  Indian  flank  or  rear.  Capt.  Robert  Campbell  was  sent  along 
the  river  bank  to  turn  the  enemy's  left.  As  soon  as  these  were  dis- 
patched Wayne  ordered  his  men  in  front  to  advance  at  double  quick 
with  trailed  arms  and  to  drive  the  enemy  from  the  grass  and  trees 
with  the  bayonet.  When  they  were  dislodged  the  soldiers  were  to  fire 
at  close  range.  So  well  and  so  swiftly  was  the  last  order  executed  that 
the  Indians  were  flying  in  a  panic  before  the  flanking  parties  were  pre- 
pared to  strike.  The  British  and  Canadians  were  driven  out  of  their 
concealment  and  joined  in  the  flight.  A  force  of  2,000  were  flying 
from  an  attacking  party  of  only  900.  Then  General  Scott  came  upon 
the  retreat,  and  his  rangers  made  havoc  with  sword  and  bayonet. 
Wayne  advanced  to  within  pistol  shot  of  Fort  Miami,  while  the  enemy 
was  scattering  panic  stricken  in  all  directions.  In  his  report  of  the 
fight  the  commander  makes  honorable  mention  of  Col.  John  Francis 
Hamtramck,  who  took  command  of  Campbell's  division  when  the  latter 
was  shot  down..  General  Wilkinson,  Captains  De  Butts  and  Lewis, 
Lieutenant  Harrison  and  Adjutant  Mills.  The  woods  for  a  distance 
of  more  than  a  mile  were  filled  with  the  dead  Indians  and  Canadians. 
British  guns  and  bayonets  were  scattered  along  the  line  of  flight. 
General  Wayne  stayed  three  days  on  the  field  and  destroyed  the  houses 
and  crops  about  the  British  post.      Among  the  property  destroyed  was 

249 


the  house  and  stores  of  Captain  McKee,  the  British  Indian  agent.  It 
was  reported  that  reinforcements  for  the  Indians  were  expected  from 
Niagara,  and  Wayne  waited,  hoping  the  enemy  would  make  another 
stand  and  give  him  another  battle.  During  the  fight  General  Wayne 
was  suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  gout  and  his  swollen  legs  were 
swathed  in  flannels  as  they  lifted  him  to  his  saddle.  He  soon  forgot 
his  pain  and  was  dashing  about  everywhere,  stirring  the  soldiers  on 
the  pursuit.  Several  days  afterward  Capt,  Joseph  Brant  tried  to  re- 
inforce the  British  Indians  and  lead  them  into  another  battle,  but  they 
had  a  surfeit  of  fighting.  Mad  Anthony  Wayne  had  inspired  them 
with  terror,  and  they  willingly  signed  a  treaty  at  Greenville  in  1795, 
making  very  humble  submission  to  the  American  government.  The 
blow  had  been  struck  which  settled  the  fate  of  Detroit,  as  the  British 
could  no  longer  urge  the  Indians  against  the  Americans.  In  the  fol- 
lowing winter  John  Jay,  minister  to  Great  Britain,  secured  from  the 
British  government  an  agreement  by  which  the  disputed  forts,  Detroit, 
Niagara,  Mackinaw,  Oswego,  and  Fort  Miami  on  the  Maumee,  were  to 
be  surrendered  to  the  Americans  and  all  claims  upon  the  territory 
were  to  be  given  up. 

Although  the  British  government  had  refused  to  carry  out  the  terms 
of  the  treaty,  which  surrendered  the  right  of  purchase  and  settlement 
in  the  region  west  of  Pennsylvania  and  north  of  the  Ohio,  the  Ameri- 
can Congress  went  ahead  with  legislation,  assuming  that  this  territory 
must  eventually  be  surrendered.  Previous  to  1780  Virginia,  Connecti- 
cut, New  York  and  Massachusetts  had  each  laid  claim  to  the  disputed 
lands;  but  each  of  these  States  being  unable  to  take  possession  through 
their  own  powers,  ceded  their  claims  to  the  Federal  government  before 
1787.  As  soon  as  this  was  done  Congress  began  to  prepare  for  posses- 
sion, and  in  1787  a  code  of  special  laws  was  passed  to  govern  the  vast 
region,  which  was  called  the  Northwest  Territory.  These  laws  were 
prepared  by  Nathan  Dane,  an  eminent  legal  authority  of  Massachusetts 
and  founder  of  the  Dane  Law  School  at  Harvard,  and  Rev.  Manasseh 
Cutler.  Dr.  Cutler  was  negotiating  at  that  time  for  the  purchase  of  a 
tract  of  1,500,000  acres  of  land  in  the  Ohio  region,  and  he  was  anxious 
that  law  and  order  should  be  enforced,  and  that  slavery  should  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  western  country.  On  October  16,  1787,  as  soon  as  legis- 
lation was  provided  for  the  Northwest  Territory,  President  Washington 
appointed  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  as  governor,  Winthrop  Sargent  as 
secretary,  and   Samuel    Holden   Parsons,  James  Mitchell  Varnum,  and 

250 


John  Armstrong  as  judges.  Armstrong  resigned  February  19,  1788, 
and  the  vacancy  was  filled  by  John  C.  Symmes,  The  governor  and 
judges  were  authorized  to  prepare  such  laws  as  became  necessary  for 
the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  but  in  strict  conformity  with 
the  National  Constitution.  At  first  the  new  territory  comprised  the 
present  States  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  part 
of  Minnesota. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  British  Evacuate  Detroit,  July  11,  1796— The  Victory  of  General  Wayne  is 
Followed  by  the  Jay  Treaty — Death  of  General  Wayne — The  Northwest  Territory 
Created  before  Possession  was  Secured  by  the  Americans — Winthrop  Sargent  Gives 
the  Name  of  Wayne  County  to  a  Great  Territory. 

It  was  Monda}^  July  11,  1796,  and  the  scene  was  the  British  military 
post  of  Detroit.  The  sun  rose  brightly  over  the  little  town.  Fort  Ler- 
noult,  and  the  broad  expanse  of  the  beautiful  river.  At  the  first  notes 
of  the  bugle  that  sounded  forth  the  reveille  the  banner  of  St.  George — 
the  meteor  flag  of  England — was  given  to  the  breeze,  the  main  gate  or 
entrance  to  the  fort  was  opened,  and  red-coated  sentinels  were  seen  on 
guard.  The  few  privates  left  in  the  fort  fell  into  ranks  and  answered 
to  their  names,  and  then  dispersed  to  get  their  breakfasts  and  help  pack 
up.  There  was  to  be  no  guard-mounting  that  day.  All  around  could 
be  seen  wagons  loaded  with  household  goods  and  military  supplies,  for 
the  "  flitting  "  had  commenced  several  days  before,  and  the  work  of 
building  Fort  Maiden,  at  Amherstburg,  had  been  going  on  for  several 
weeks.  On  the  ramparts  several  officers  conversed  in  groups,  apparently 
on  a  subject  of  engrossing  interest,  and  the  massive  form  of  Col.  Rich- 
ard England  appeared  on  the  scene.  Telescopes  were  brought  out  and 
the  river  below  was  scanned  with  interest.  Everybody  in  Detroit  knew 
that,  by  the  terms  of  the  Jay  treaty,  the  fort  and  its  dependencies  were 
surrendered  by  England  to  the  United  States,  and  that  possession  was 
to  be  given  on  July  1.  But  from  several  causes  the  United  States  troops 
had  not  come  to  claim  their  own.  In  the  intervening  days  some  evil- 
disposed  soldiers  or  others  had  destroyed  several  of  the  windmills  that 
lay  on  the  river  bank,  and  did  some  other  mischievous  acts,  but  these 

251 


were  not  probably  sanctioned  by  the  commandant,  who  was  a  gentle- 
man and  an  old  and  experienced  soldier. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  when   the  telescope  discovered  two  vessels 
coming  around  the  bend  of  the  river  below  the  town.     The  flags  were 
not  at  first  distinguishable,  but  in  a  short  time  they  became  plainer  to 
the  lookers  and   the  word  went  round:   "  The  Yankees  are  coming! " 
Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  two  vessels,  which   were  small  schooners, 
each  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes.     At  this  time  a  number  of  officers 
and  men  went  down  to  the  king's  wharf,  which  then   projected  about 
150  feet  into  the  river  at  the  foot  of  Shelby  street.     At  the  wharf  were 
several  loaded  vessels,  all  ready  to  clear.     The  American  vessels  tacked 
in    and  were  fastened   to  the   wharf,  around  which   were  gathered  a 
motley  group  of   Indians,    soldiers  and  white   settlers.      There   is   no 
record  of  how  the  small  American  advance  force  was  received      It  was 
strictly  on  a  peace  footing,  for  it  numbered  only  sixty-five  men.     The 
two  vessels  also  contained  several  cannon,  ammunition  and  provisions, 
the  whole  being  nnder  the  command  of  Capt.  Moses  Porter.      Being 
officers  and  gentlemen,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  Colonel  England  and 
his  subordinates  received  them  at  the  wharf  with  courtesy  and  good 
feeling.     That  the  latter  feeling  predominated  is  certainly  true,  for  the 
records  show  that  the  British  commissary  at  Chatham  loaned  fifty  pounds 
of   pork   to  the   United  States   commissary  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 
Meanwhile  the   only  one  to  show  emotion   was  the  renegade,  Simon 
Girty,  the  miscreant  who  had  laughed  when  Crawford,  the  American 
officer,  was  being  burned  at  the  stake  by  the  Indians  near  Sandusky. 
He  seemed  anxious  to  leave  what  was  now  American  territory,  and  too 
impatient  to  wait  for  the  ferry  boat,  he  spurred  his  horse  into  the  river 
and  swam  it  over  to   Canada.      On  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side  he 
stopped  and  furiously  cursed  the  American  government  and  its  soldiers. 
Like  Marmion,  when  he  had  got  outside  of  the  Douglas  castle, 

"  His  shout  of  loud  defiance  pours, 
And  shook  his  gauntlet  at  the  towers." 

Then  came  the  ceremony  of  taking  possession.  The  sixty-five 
United  States  troops  formed  and  marched  up  the  hill  to  the  fort. 
They  were  probably  received  by  the  few  British  troops  that  were  left, 
with  military  honors.  The  British  flag  came  down  at  noon,  and  then 
the  starry  banner  of  the  free  was  hoisted  and  Detroit  and  the  North- 
west became   United   States  territory.     A    letter  written   by   Colonel 

252 


England  a  few  days  later,  on  Bois  Blanc  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River,  shows  that  he  was  in  Detroit  at  the  time  of  the  evacua- 
tion. There  was  certainly  no  reason  why  he  should  not  be  present  at 
that  time.  The  two  nations  were  at  peace  and  the  evacuation  was  the 
result  of  ah  amicable  treaty,  and  it  would  have  been  boorish  and  dis- 
courteous for  him  to  be  absent.  On  the  13th  came  Col.  John  Francis 
Hamtramck,  who  was  in  command  of  this  post  until  the  arrival  of  his 
superior  officer,  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne,  who  came  in  September. 
It  was  fitting  that  General  Wayne  should  be  authorized  to  make  official 
visits  to  all  the  posts,  and  after  he  had  received  the  thanks  of  Congress 
he  began  his  tour  in  the  month  of  June,  1796,  in  the  capacity  of  civil 
commissioner  as  well  as  commander-in-chief.  The  Indians  loved  a 
brave  man  and  they  received  him  at  Detroit  with  great  enthusiasm 
when  he  arrived  in  September.  The  brave  warrior's  work  was  done. 
He  remained  at  Detroit  two  months  and  then  set  sail  for  Erie,  Novem- 
ber 17,  but  while  on  the  way  was  attacked  by  the  gout  again.  He  was 
carried  ashore  and  died  at  Erie,  December  15,  1796.  At  his  request 
he  was  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  flagstaff  on  the  parade  ground.  Years 
afterwards  his  remains  were  removed  to  St.  David's  church,  in  Radnor, 
Pa. ,  and  when  the  parade  ground  was  graded  at  Erie  about  forty  years 
ago,  the  last  trace  of  his  burial  place  was  destroyed.  General  Wayne 
was  born  in  1745  and  was  but  forty-six  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  but  he  had  seen  almost  twenty  years  of  fighting. 

Little  Turtle,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Miamis  in  the  battles 
against  Harmar,  St.  Clair,  and  Wayne,  and  was  here  at  the  time  of  the 
evacuation,  must  have  been  a  picturesque  savage  as  well  as  a  military 
genius.  His  name  was  given  not  on  account  of  his  stature,  for  he  was 
said  to  be  upward  of  six  feet  in  height  and  powerfully  built.  He  wore 
a  kilt  or  short  skirt  of  bright  blue  flannel  reaching  nearly  to  the  knee 
and  a  coat  and  vest  of  European  pattern.  His  Indian  cap  was  a  baggy 
sort  of  turban  which  hung  far  down  his  back,  and  it  was  ornamented 
with  two  hundred  brooches  of  silver.  He  wore  two  rings  in  each  ear 
and  from  them  depended  strings  of  coins  and  medals  twelve  inches  in 
length,  one  string  hanging  in  front  of  each  shoulder  and  the  others 
behind.  He  also  wore  a  nose  jewel  of  large  proportions.  After  the 
battle  with  Wayne  he  became  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  his  conqueror. 
He  died  at  Fort  Wayne  in  1812,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

In  1782  a  number  of  British  sympathizers  residing  in  the  revolted 
colonies  removed  to  Canada,  the  emigrants  forseeing  that  the  war  was 

353 


going  against  their  country,  and  that  the  lake  region  would  probably 
be  the  ground  of  a  dispute,  at  the  end  of  the  Revolution.  These  emi- 
grants, as  a  class,  were  of  superior  birth,  means  and  education,  and 
they  settled  along  the  Canadian  banks  of  the  Thames,  Detroit,  St. 
Clair  and  St.  Lawrence  Rivers,  where  they  were  styled  United  Empire 
Loyalists.  This  movement,  however,  was  not  general  in  Detroit,  for 
many  continued  to  believe  that  Great  Britain  would  hold  fast  to  the 
norlhern  territory.  But  this  illusion  was  dispelled  when  Col.  Ham. 
tramck  took  possession  of  Detroit,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  in 
1796.  The  population  of  Detroit  numbered  2,190  in  1782,  which  in- 
cluded 178  slaves,  but  it  soon  fell  off  to  about  500.  This  was  afterward 
increased  by  the  arrival  of  soine  French  immigrants,  but  immigration 
from  New  York  and  New  England  did  not  begin  until  1805,  when  the 
population  reached  2,200. 

In  1792  Lieutenant-Governor  Simcoe  of  Upper  Canada  organized  all 
the  present  State  of  Michigan  and  a  strip  of  land  running  north  as  far 
as  Hudson  Bay  into  the  county  of  Kent.  In  August,  1796,  less  than  a 
month  after  the  surrender  of  Detroit  to  the  Americans,  Secretary  Win- 
throp  Sargent,  who  accompanied  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  on  his  trip  to 
Detroit,  after  consulting  with  several  prominent  residents,  made  a 
public  proclamation  organizing  the  upper  and  lower  peninsulas  of 
Michigan,  and  a  strip  of  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  completely  inclosing 
Lake  Michigan,  into  the  county  of  Wayne.  General  Wayne  was  very 
grateful  for  this  compliment  and  he  expressed  his  best  wishes  for  the 
future  of  the  new  count3\  General  St.  Clair,  governor  of  the  North- 
west Territory,  was  absent  at  Pittsburg  when  the  proclamation  was 
made,  but  when  he  heard  of  it  he  was  very  much  provoked  at  his  sec- 
retary for  his  presumption.  The  people  of  Detroit  supported  Sargent, 
however,  and  the  name  stood. 

The  British  governors  who  ruled  over  Canada  and  Detroit  between 
1760  and  1796  were  eleven  in  number: 

Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst  ruled  from  1760  to  1765  as  comn^ander-in-chief. 

Sir  James  Murray  from  1765  to  1766. 

Paulus  Emilius  Irving  in  1766. 

Brigadier- General  Guy  Carleton  from  1766  to  1770. 

Hector  Theophilus  Cramahe,  1770  to  1774. 

Sir  Guy  Carleton  (second  term),  1774  to  1778. 

Sir  Frederick  Haldimand,  1778  to  1784. 

Henry  Hamilton,  lieutenant-governor  in  1784. 

254 


Henry  Hope,  lieutenant  governor  in  1785. 

Lord  Dorchester,  formerly  Sir  Guy  Carleton  (third  term),  178G. 

John  Graves  Simcoe,  lieutenant-governor,  1792-96. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Isaac  Weld's  Description  of  Detroit  in  1796— Two  thirds  of  the  Residents  are  French 
— Twelve  Trading  Vessels  Carry  its  Commerce — Jacob  Burnett,  Solomon  Sibley  and 
other  Notables  Arrive. 

Isaac  Weld  made  a  tour  of  the  States  and  Canada  in  1795-96  and  in 
1799  published  a  book.  He  visited  Detroit  in  October,  1796,  three 
months  after  the  evacuation  of  the  town  by  the  British,  and  his  descrip- 
tion is  very  interesting: 

"  Detroit  contains  about  300  houses,"  he  wrote,  "  and  is  the  largest  town  in  the 
western  country.  It  stands  contiguous  to  the  river,  on  the  top  of  the  banks,  which 
are  here  about  twenty  feet  high.  At  the  bottom  of  them  there  are  very  extensive 
wharfs  for  the  accommodation  of  the  shipping,  built  of  wood,  similar  to  those  in  the 
Atlantic  seaports.  The  town  consists  of  several  streets  that  run  parallel  to  the  river, 
which  are  intersected  by  others  at  right  angles.  They  are  all  very  narrow,  and  not 
being  paved,  dirty  in  the  extreme  whenever  it  happens  to  rain ;  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  passengers,  however,  there  are  footways  in  most  of  them,  formed  of  square 
logs,  laid  transversely  close  to  each  other.  The  town  is  surrounded  by  a  strong  stock- 
ade, through  which  there  are  four  gates,  two  of  them  open  to  the  wharfs,  and  the 
two  others  to  the  north  and  south  side  of  the  town  respectively.  The  gates  are  de- 
fended by  strong  block-houses,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  is  a  small  fort  in  the 
form  of  a  square,  with  bastions  at  the  angles.  At  each  of  the  corners  of  this  fort  is 
planted  a  small  field  piece,  and  these  constitute  the  whole  of  the  ordnance  at  present 
in  the  place.  The  British  kept  a  considerable  train  of  artillery  here,  but  the  place 
was  never  capable  of  holding  out  for  any  length  of  time  against  a  regular  force;  the 
fortifications,  indeed,  were  constructed  chiefly  as  a  defense  against  the  Indians. 

"  Detroit  is  at  present  the  headquarters  of  the  western  army  of  the  States;  the 
garrison  consists  of  300  men,  who  are  quartered  in  barracks.  Very  little  attention 
is  paid  by  the  officers  to  the  minutiae  of  discipline,  so  that  however  well  the  men  may 
have  acquitted  themselves  in  the  field,  they  make  but  a  poor  appearance  on  parade. 
The  belles  of  the  town  are  quite  au  desespoir  at  the  late  departure  of  the  British 
troops,  though  the  American  officers  tell  them  they  have  no  reason  to  be  so,  as  they 
will  find  them  much  more  sensible  and  agreeable  men  than  the  British  officers  when 
they  know  them,  a  style  of  conversation,  which  strange  as  it  may  appear  to  us,  is  yet 
not  at  all  uncommon  amongst  them.  Three  months,  however,  have  not  altered  the 
first  opinion  of  the  ladies.     I  cannot  better  give  you  an  idea  of  the  unpolished,  coarse, 

255 


discordant  manners  of  the  generality  of  the  officers  of  the  western  army  of  the  States 
than  by  telling  you  that  they  cannot  agree  sufficiently  amongst  themselves  to  form  a 
regimental  mess.  Repeated  attempts  have  been  made  since  their  arrival  at  Detroit 
to  establish  one,  but  their  frequent  quarrels  would  never  suffer  it  to  remain  perma- 
nent. A  duelist  and  an  officer  of  the  western  army  were  nearly  synonymous  terms 
at  one  time,  in  the  United  States,  owing  to  the  very  great  number  of  duels  that  took 
place  amongst  them  when  cantoned  at  Greenville. 

"  About  two-thirds  of  the  inhabitants  of  Detroit  are  of  French  extraction,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  settlements  on  the  river,  both  above  and  be- 
low the  town,  are  of  the  same  description.  The  former  are  mostly  engaged  in  trade 
and  they  all  appear  to  be  much  on  an  equality.  Detroit  is  a  place  of  very  consider- 
able trade;  there  are  no  less  than  twelve  trading  vessels,  belonging  t6  it,  brigs, 
sloops  and  schooners,  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  tons  burden  each.  The  inland 
navigation  in  this  quarter  is  indeed  very  extensive.  Lake  Erie,  three  hundred  miles 
in  length,  being  open  to  vessels  belonging  to  the  port,  on  the  one  side,  and  Lakes 
Michigan  and  Huron,  the  first  upwards  of  two  hundred  miles  in  length  and  fifty  in 
breadth,  and  the  second  no  less  than  one  thousand  miles  in  circumference  on  the 
opposite  side ;  not  to  speak  of  Lake  St.  Clair  and  Detroit  River,  which  connect  these 
former  lakes  together,  or  of  the  many  large  rivers  which  fall  into  them.  The  stores 
and  shops  of  the  town  are  well  furnished  and  you  may  buy  fine  cloth,  linen,  etc.,  and 
every  article  of  wearing  apparel,  as  good  in  their  kind,  and  nearly  on  as  reasonable 
terms,  as  you  can  purchase  them  at  New  York  or  Philadelphia. 

"The  inhabitants  are  well  supplied  with  provisions  of  every  description  ;  the  fish  in 
particular,  caught  in  the  river  and  neighboring  lakes,  are  of  a  verj-  superior  quality. 
The  fish  held  m  most  estimation  is  a  sort  of  large  trout,  called  the  Michilimackinac 
whitefish,  from  its  being  caught  mostly  m  the  straits  of  that  name.  The  inhabitants 
of  Detroit  and  the  neighboring  country,  however,  though  they  have  provisions  in 
plenty,  are  frequently  much  distressed  for  one  very  necessary  concomitant,  namely, 
salt.  Until  within  a  short  time  past  they  had  no  salt  but  what  was  brought  from 
Europe,  but  salt  spings  have  been  discovered  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  from 
which  they  are  now  beginning  to  manufacture  that  article  for  themselves.  The  best 
and  most  profitable  springs  are  retained  in  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  the 
profits  arising  from  the  sale  of  the  salt  are  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  prov- 
ince. Throughout  the  western  country  they  procure  their  salt  from  springs,  some 
of  which  throw  up  sufficient  water  to  yield  several  hundred  bushels  in  the  course  of 
one  week. 

"There  is  a  large  Roman  Catholic  church  in  the  town  of  Detroit,  and  another  on 
the  opposite  side  called  the  Huron  church,  from  its  having  been  devoted  to  the  use 
of  the  Huron  Indians.  The  streets  of  Detroit  are  generally  crowded  with  Indians 
of  one  tribe  or  another,  and  amongst  them  you  see  numberless  old  squaws  leading 
about  the  daughters,  ever  ready  to  dispose  of  them,  pro  tempore,  to  the  highest  bid- 
der. At  night  all  the  Indians,  except  such  as  get  admittance  into  private  houses, 
and  remain  there  quietly,  are  turned  out  of  town,  and  the  gates  shut  upon  them. 
The  American  officers  here  have  endeavored  to  their  utmost  to  impress  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Indians  an  idea  of  their  own  superiority  over  the  British;  but  as  they 
are  very  tardy  in  giving  these  people  any  presents,  they  do  not  pay  much  attention 
to  their  words.     General  Wayne,  from  continually  promising  them  presents,  but  at 

•25  G 


JEREMIAH   DWYER. 


the  same  time  always  postponing  the  delivery  when  they  come  to  ask  for  them,  has 
significantly  been  nicknamed  by  them  General  Wabang — that  is,  General  To-morrow. 
The  country  round  Detroit  is  uncommonly  flat,  and  in  none  of  the  rivers  is  there  a 
fall  sufficient  to  turn  even  a  grist  mill.  The  current  of  the  Detroit  River  itself  is 
stronger  than  that  of  any  of  them,  and  a  floating  mill  was  once  invented  by  a 
Frenchman,  which  was  chained  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  it  was  thought  the 
stream  would  be  sufficiently  swift  to  turn  the  waterwheel.  The  building  of  il  was 
attended  by  considerable  expense  to  the  inhabitaats,  but  after  it  was  finished  it  by 
no  means  answered  their  expectations.  They  grind  their  corn  at  present  by  wind- 
mills, which  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  in  any  other  part  of  North  America." 

Jacob  Burnett,  a  lawyer  and  pioneer  of  Cincinnati,  who  was  for  some 
time  a  partner  of  Solomon  Sibley  in  that  city,  also  came  here  in  1796 
in  company  with  Arthur  St.  Clair,  the  first  and  only  governor  of  the 
Northwest  Territory.  He  witnessed  the  taking  possession  of  the  posts, 
Detroit,  Mackinac  and  Fort  Miami,  and  in  his  "Notes  on  the  North- 
western Territory,"  published  in  1847,  gave  a  graphic  description  of 
the  physical  and  social  features  of  the  region.  Concerning  Detroit  he 
said  "that  it  had  been  for  many  years  the  principal  depot  of  the  fur 
trade  of  the  Northwest,  and  the  residence  of  a  large  number  of  English 
and  Scotch  merchants,  who  were  engaged  in  it;  and  it  was  of  course  a 
place  of  great  business.  The  greater  part  of  the  merchants  engaged 
in  the  fur  trade,  both  Scotch  and  English,  had  their  domiciles  in  De- 
troit, and  the  nature  of  the  trade  was  such  as  to  require  large  amounts 
of  capital  to  be  profitable;  because  of  the  great  distance  and  the  im- 
mense amount  of  country  over  which  their  furs  and  peltry  were  col- 
lected, rendered  it  impossible  to  turn  the  capital  employed  more  than 
once  a  year  and  sometimes  once  in  two  years.  The  business  was  ex- 
tremely laborious  and  precarious.  In  some  seasons  their  profits  were 
enormously  large;  in  others  they  were  small,  and  occasionally  they 
were  subjected  to  heavy  losses.  During  a  large  portion  of  the  year 
they  had  to  endure  the  fatigue  and  privation  of  the  wilderness,  and  as 
often  as  they  returned  from  those  laborious  excursions  to  their  families 
and  comfortable  homes,  they  indulged  most  freely  in  the  delicacies  and 
luxuries  of  high  living.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  without  a  dinner  given 
by  some  of  them,  at  which  the  best  of  wine  and  other  liquors,  and  the 
richest  viands  furnished  by  the  country  and  by  commerce,  were  served 
up  in  great  profusion  and  in  fine  taste.  Genteel  strangers  who  visited 
the  place  were  generally  invited  to  their  houses  and  their  sumptuous 
tables;  and  although  at  this  day,  such  would  be  considered  a  breach  of 
moral  duty,  as  well  as  of  good  breeding,  they  competed  with  each  other 

257 


for  the  honor  of  drinking  the  most,  as  well  as  the  best  wine,  without 
being  intoxicated  themselves,  and  of  having  at  their  parties  the  greatest 
number  of  intoxicated  guests.  This  revel  was  kept  up  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree  during  the  season  they  remained  at  home,  as  an  offset  to 
to  the  privations  and  sufferings  of  their  excursions  into  the  wilderness. 
At  one  of  these  sumptuous  dinners  given  by  Angus  Mcintosh,  the  bot- 
tom of  every  wine  glass  on  the  table  had  been  broken  off  to  prevent 
what  were  called  heel-taps;  and  during  the  evening  many  toasts  were 
given,  which  the  company  were  required  to  drink  in  bumpers.  The 
writer  of  this  narrative  was  one  of  the  guests  on  that  occasion,  but, 
being  in  very  delicate  and  precarious  health,  was  not  required  to  com- 
ply with  the  rules  prescribed  for  others." 

On  the  third  Monday  of  December,  1798,  Solomon  Sibley,  Jacobus 
Visgerand  Silas  Wishwell,  a  "  Yankee  lawyer,"  were  elected  at  Detroit 
as  delegates  from  Wayne  county  to  the  first  session  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Northwest  Territory,  which  was  held  in  Cincinnati  on 
February  4,  1799.  When  the  result  was  declared  Visger  said  that  if 
Wishwell  was  to  be  a  delegate  he  (Visger)  would  refuse  to  serve.  Vis- 
ger must  have  been  quite  influential  among  the  French  electors,  for 
another  election  was  held  at  which  Chabert  de  Joncaire  was  elected  in 
place  of  Wishwell.  The  courts  of  the  Northwest  Territory  were  held 
in  Cincinnati  in  March,  at  Marietta  in  October,  and  at  Detroit  by  spe- 
cial appointment  whenever  circumstances  required.  Solomon  Sibley, 
Jacob  Burnett  and  the  other  attorneys  of  those  early  days,  had  a  wide, 
if  not  a  large  and  profitable,  practice.  They  went  from  one  jurisdiction 
to  another  on  horseback,  carrying  their  legal  papers  and  firearms. 
There  were  few  bridges  and  few  bridlepaths  in  the  wilderness,  but  they 
struck  out  boldly  with  a  pocket  compass  for  a  guide ;  crossed  vast  swamps, 
swam  their  horses  across  the  rivers,  and  when  they  were  unable  to  find 
a  lone  settler's  cabin  at  nightfall,  they  made  a  bed  of  hemlock  boughs 
beneath  the  protecting  arms  of  some  grand  old  forest  tree.  The  howl 
of  the  wolf,  the  scream  of  the  wildcat  and  panther,  the  weird  call  of  the 
whip  poor  will,  and  the  hooting  of  the  great  horned  owls  were  their 
lullaby.  A  fire  of  dead  wood  cooked  the  traveler's  supper,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  broiled  partridge  or  some  other  small  game,  and  this,  with 
some  home  cakes  which  had  been  stored  away  in  the  saddlebags  at  the 
last  stopping  place,  gave  him  excellent  cheer.  The  horse,  which  in 
that  day  lived  in  close  companionship  with  his  master,  was  tethered 
close  at  hand  where  the  grass  was  abundant.     When  the  great  fire  had 

258 


sunk  to  a  heap  of  glowing  embers,  master  and  steed  slept  peacefully 
under  the  light  of  the  stars,  but  with  ears  quickened  by  necessity,  and 
each  would  bound  to  his  feet  at  the  approach  of  danger. 

In  1800  the  General  Court  of  the  territories  was  in  session  at  Detroit 
on  June  4,  which  was  the  birthday  of  King  George  III.  The  officers 
of  the  garrison,  the  bench  and  bar,  and  many  of  the  principal  citizens 
of  Detroit,  went  to  Amherstburg  by  invitation,  and  partook  of  the  fes- 
tivities of  the  occasion.  Many  of  the  officers  of  the  two  regiments  at 
Detroit  accepted  the  invitation,  but  Colonel  Strong,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, did  not  attend.  The  judges,  lawyers  and  principal  citizens, 
about  one  hundred  in  all,  attended  and  had  a  good  time.  The  enter- 
tainment was  splendid,  the  tables  being  richly  and  abundantly  supplied 
with  the  best  The  judges  and  lawyers  present  were  invited  to  come 
again,  and  when  the  court  was  over  they  went  down  to  Amherstburg 
again  on  the  John  Adams,  a  United  States  brig- of- war,  and  had  a  fine 
supper,  good  wine  and  general  jollity,  and  stayed  there  over  night. 
Next  day  they  proceeded  on  the  brig  to  Maumee  Bay,  and  were  landed 
at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  thereby  avoiding  the  misery  of  traveling 
through  the  muddy  bridle  paths  of  the  Black  vSwamp,  between  Detroit 
and  Toledo,  which  was  not  made  passable  until  the  '30's. 

In  1800  the  Northwest  Territory  was  divided.  Most  of  the  present 
State  of  Ohio  and  the  eastern  half  of  the  lower  peninsula  of  Michigan 
were  set  off  and  given  the  name  of  Ohio.  This  necessitated  a  change 
in  the  boundaries  of  Wayne  county,  for  it  could  not  be  extended  over 
two  territories,  so  the  eastern  portion  of  the  lower  peninsula,  which 
had  been  set  off  as  a  part  of  the  Territory  of  Ohio,  was  added  to  nearly 
one-quarter  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  the  eastern  limit  being  the  Cuyahoga 
River,  and  the  southern  boundary  being  placed  about  one  hundred 
miles  south  of  Lake  Erie.  While  this  suited  the  people  of  Detroit  and 
Wayne  county,  it  did  not  please  the  people  of  Ohio,  so  in  the  fall  of 
1800  a  section  of  the  lower  strip  was  chopped  off  from  Wayne  county 
and  added  to  Ohio  proper,  so  that  the  eastern  boundary  was  near  San- 
dusky. Next  year  nearly  all  the  territory  which  is  now  included  in  the 
State  of  Ohio  was  cut  off  from  Wayne  county,  and  only  a  narrow  strip, 
including  the  present  site  of  Toledo,  was  left.  The  residents  of  the 
Ohio  region  organized  a  general  assembly  and  began  to  move  for  a 
constitutional  convention,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  their  section 
into  a  State  and  leaving  Wayne  county  out.  The  Wayne  county 
people  and  some  of  the  others  objected.      In  the  fall  of  1802  a  conven- 

259 


tion  was  held  at  Chillicothe  by  the  people  of  Ohio,  and  a  constitution 
was  adopted.  In  order  to  make  up  the  requisite  number  of  residents 
for  statehood,  the  people  of  Wayne  county  were  counted  in,  and  in 
March,  1803,  the  State  of  Ohio  was  admitted  to  the  Union. 

Wayne  county  was  then  cut  off  from  Ohio  and  attached  to  the  pres- 
ent boundaries  of  Indiana,  and  the  two  were  organized  into  the  Terri- 
tory of  Indiana.  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  was  appointed  gover- 
nor and  Col.  John  Gibson  secretary,  and  Vincennes  was  made  the 
capital  of  the  new  territory. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

Early  Ordinances  of  the  New  American  Town — First  Charter  Issued  in  1802 — Ex- 
traordinarjr  Precautions  against  Fire— The  First  Fire  Department  and  its  Divisions 
of  Work — A  Public  Market  Established  on  the  River  Front — A  One  Man  Police  Force. 

In  1800  Detroit  was  a  town  of  about  300  houses.  The  entire  own 
was  inclosed  in  a  low  stockade,  which  had  two  gates  opening  upon  the 
river  front  and  one  at  the  east  and  one  at  the  west  ends.  A  blockhouse 
defended  each  gate  and  the  fort  on  the  hill,  north  of  the  stockade,  was 
defended  by  four  six  pound  cannon  mounted  in  the  corner  bastions. 
One  of  the  striking  features  of  the  landscape  was  the  number  of  wind- 
mills with  their  lazily  revolving  sails.  These  were  all  much  alike  in 
appearance.  The  foundation  was  pyramida  and  built  of  stone,  while 
the  upper  part  was  a  wooden  tower  with  a  conical  roof.  They  were  of 
small  capacity,  and  so  a  number  of  them  were  scattered  along  the 
water  front  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  from  Windmill  Point  on  Lake 
St.  Clair  to  a  point  near  Twenty-fourth  street.  The  houses  of 
the  town  were  solid  structures  of  squared  logs;  the  better  class  being  a 
story  and  a  half  in  height.  The  gables  were  high,  and  dormer  win- 
dows projecting  from  the  room  lighted  the  upper  stories.  The  doors 
were  made  in  upper  and  lower  halves,  after  the  fashion  of  colonial  days, 
so  that  the  upper  portion  might  be  opened  for  air  and  light,  while  the 
lower  half  prevente  1  the  children  from  wandering  out  in  the  mud  and 
also  prevented  wandering  pigs  from  entering  unbidden.  A  huge  chim- 
ney stood  in  the  center  of  every  house,  with  flues  opening  to  the  kitchen 
and  also   to  the  living  rooms,  where  broad  fireplaces  gave  out  their 

260 


ruddy  glow  in  the  cold  months  of  the  j^ear.  Even  in  so  small  a  town 
there  were  plenty  of  idlers,  and  bowling  was  a  popular  amusement  in 
the  narrow  streets.  For  lack  of  lighter  balls  the  bowlers  used  six  and 
twelve-pound  cannon  balls,  and  pedestrians  had  to  look  lively  when 
they  came  to  intersections  of  the  streets  to  save  their  limbs  from  breaks 
and  bruises.  An  ordinance  finally  put  a  stop  to  the  practice.  French 
pacing  ponies  were  still  the  cnly  horses  in  the  settlement  and  they 
were  driven  singly  to  rather  primitive  carts.  Whenever  two  drivers  of 
these  animals  came  together  on  the  streets  there  was  a  race  to  decide 
which  had  the  better  pony,  and  when  two  such  rigs  driven  by  greatly 
excited  Frenchmen  came  tearing  down  the  streets  side  by  side,  pedes- 
trians had  to  fly  to  the  doorways  and  cross  streets  for  their  lives.  This 
did  not  disturb  the  drivers,  who  were  completely  absorbed  in  their  con- 
tests, and  filled  the  air  with  loud  shouts  of  encouragement  to  their 
struggling  beasts.  Tradition  says  that  the  French  Canadian  ponies 
had  their  origin  from  the  war  steed  of  General  Braddock,  a  beautiful, 
thoroughbred,  snow  white  mare,  which  was  brought  to  Detroit  after 
her  owner  had  been  killed  in  1755  in  his  unsuccessful  attempt  against 
the  French  in  western  Pennsylvania.  The  male  progenitor  of  this 
hardy  equine  race  is  said  to  have  been  an  Indian  pony,  which  descended 
from  the  horses  brought  into  Mexico  by  Cortez.  Wells  were  few  and 
far  between  and  the  water  was  not  as  good  as  that  of  the  river,  so  most, 
of  the  people  carried  their  water  from  the  river,  two  buckets  at  a  time, 
suspended  from  a  yoke  across  the  shoulders.  The  river  and  lake  front 
was  occupied  by  French  farm  houses  for  a  distance  of  nearly  twenty 
miles  in  each  direction.  These  houses  stood  a  little  back  from  the 
river  road,  and  were  surrounded  by  pickets  and  shaded  by  large  pear 
trees.  In  front  of  each  a  tiny  wharf  projected  into  the  river  from  which 
they  dipped  their  water,  and  moored  to  the  wharf  was  the  canoe  be- 
longing to  the  house.  A  majority  of  the  French  residents  sympathized 
with  the  American  cause,  but  some  leading  men  adhered  to  the  British. 
The  latter  were  mostly  engaged  in  the  fur  trade  and  general  business, 
which  they  continued  after  the  evacuation.  They  were  generally  men 
of  standing  and  influence,  and  took  a  more  r  less  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  town  where  thei  ■  interests  were  located.  During  the 
four  years  that  elapsed  before  1800,  there  grew  up  a  feeling  of  political 
aversion  against  this  element,  and  this  finally  culminated  n  a  popular 
demand  that  they  should  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States 
or  leave  the  country.    A  number  of  them  did  take  the  oath,  but  others  did 

261 


not.  Some  thirty  French  residents  signed  a  paper  declaring  themselves 
as  British  subjects  and  stating  that  they  intended  to  leave  the  country. 
In  January,  1802,  on  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Detroit,  Solo 
mon  Sibley  introduced  a  bill  for  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of 
Detroit  at  the  session  of  the  Assembly  of  the  Northwest  Territory 
held  at  Chillicothe  in  that  month.  The  bill  was  passed  on  Jan- 
uary 18,  and  this,  the  first  charter  of  Detroit,  was  signed  by  Ed 
ward  Tiffin,  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  ter- 
ritory, and  Robert  Oliver,  president  of  the  territorial  court,  and 
approved  by  Governor  St.  Clair  February  18,  1802.  In  this  act  the 
following  five  trustees  were  appointed:  John  Askin,  John  Dode- 
mead,  James  Henry,  Charles  Francis  Girardin  and  Joseph  Cam- 
pau,  who  were  to  hold  office  until  their  successors  were  chosen  at 
elections  to  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  of  May  following.  The  act 
defined  the  boundaries  of  the  town  as  follows:  The  river  front  on  the 
south;  the  east  line  was  the  line  between  the  property  of  John  Askin 
(the  Brush  farm)  and  the  farm  of  Antoine  Beaubien;  the  west  line  was 
the  line  between  the  William  Macomb  (Cass)  farm  and  that  of  Pierre 
Chesne  (the  Jones).  This  rectangle  extended  back  from  the  river  a 
distance  of  two  miles.  Freeholders  and  householders  paying  $40  a 
year  rent,  and  others  having  the  freedom  of  the  town,  were  entitled  to 
yote  at  the  annual  election  or  town  meeting  to  be  held  on  the  first 
Monday  in  May.  The  trustees  were  authorized  to  formulate  such  or- 
dinances as  seemed  advisable,  but  an  ordinance  could  be  repealed  by  a 
majority  of  the  voters.  John  Askin  and  the  other  trustees,  except  Gir- 
ardin, took  the  oath  of  office  and  were  seated  on  February  9,  1802, 
thus  anticipating  the  governor's  signature  of  the  act  by  nine  days. 
They  appointed  the  following  officers:  Secretary,  Peter  Audrain; 
assessor,  Robert  Abbott;  collector,  Jacob  Clemens;  marshal,  Elias 
Wallen ;  messenger,  Louis  Pelletier.  Girardin  qualified  as  trustee  at  the 
next  meeting.  The  first  official  session  was  held  at  the  house  of  Trus- 
tee James  Henry,  where  an  ordinance  for  better  fire  protection  was 
passed.  By  its  terms  all  defective  chimneys  were  ordered  repaired  at 
once,  and  were  required  to  be  swept  once  in  two  weeks,  between  the 
months  of  October  and  May,  and  once  a  month  during  the  summer  sea- 
son. Each  householder  was  obliged  to  keep  a  barrel  filled  with  water 
in  some  convenient  place  about  his  premises ;  the  barrel  was  to  be  pro- 
vided with  ears  or  hooks  so  that  two  men  would  be  able  to  carry  it  sus- 
pended on  poles.      Each  householder  was  compelled  to  have  a  short 

262 


ladder  to  reach  the  roof,  and  another  for  reaching  the  top  of  the  chim- 
ney. Shopkeepers  were  compelled  to  keep  in  readiness  a  large  bag 
holding  at  least  three  bushels,  and  every  person  was  to  keep  at  least 
two  buckets  each  of  three  gallons  capacity,  in  readiness.  At  the  first 
signal  of  fire  every  able  bodied  man  was  under  obligation  to  turn  out 
with  buckets,  and  the  shopkeepers  to  bring  both  their  buckets  for 
water  and  their  bags,  to  be  used  for  wetting  and  covering  the  roofs  of 
buildings  which  were  in  danger  of  ignition.  Neglect  of  any  of  these 
duties  subjected  the  delinquent  to  a  fine  of  five  dollars,  and  when  a  citi- 
zen's chimney  burned  out  he  was  assessed  ten  dollars  for  endangering 
the  property  of  his  neighbors.  Detroit's  first  fire  department  was  in- 
stituted February  23,  1802.  Jacques  Girardin  and  Augustin  La  Foy 
were  the  chiefs  in  command  of  the  engine,  an  old  fashioned  brake 
pump  purchased  by  the  British  several  years  before  the  surrender,  and 
they  were  associated  with  twelve  soldiers  who  were  appointed  by  Col. 
J.  F.  Hamtramck  as  a  fire  brigade.  In  addition  to  these  a  corps  of 
axemen  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Francois  Frero,  Presque  Cote, 
Sieur  Theophile  Mette,  Baptiste  Pelletier,  Charles  Poupard  dit  la  Fleur 
and  Presque  Cote,  jr.  Householders  were  limited  to  the  amount  of  gun- 
powder they  might  keep  on  their  premises,  but  the  allowance  was  most 
liberal,  the  legal  quantity  being  one  keg  or  half  a  barrel,  sufficient  to 
scatter  any  house  all  over  the  corporation.  In  the  earliest  times  fires 
were  extinguished  by  the  bucket  brigade,  who  passed  water,  hand  to 
hand,  from  the  river  to  the  fire,  and  the  water  was  dashed  against  the 
burning  buildings.  When  the  roofs  caught  fire  they  were  extinguished 
by  means  of  swabs  or  bundles  of  rags  secured  to  the  end  of  long 
poles.  These  were  dipped  into  buckets  of  water  and  applied  to  the 
burning  patches  in  the  roofs  with  good  effect.  When  the  fire  became 
serious,  additional  protection  was  secured  by  covering  the  roofs  with 
the  skins  of  fur  bearing  animals.  At  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  furs  had  become  too  valuable  to  be  thus  exposed  to  damage, 
so  the  large  bags  were  provided,  and  the  bagmen  spread  them  where 
the  danger  was  most  imminent,  and  kept  them  saturated  with  water. 
When  the  building  became  a  mass  of  roaring  flames  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  engine  men  and  the  bucket  passers,  the  battering  squad 
took  a  hand  at  the  fire.  Taking  up  a  green  log  as  heavy  as  they  could 
carry,  they  charged  at  the  burning  building  at  a  brisk  trot  and  dashing 
it  against  the  wall  with  all  their  might  sent  the  burning  timbers  down 
into  the  interior.      Following  along  each  wall  and  repeating  the  heavy 

263 


blows,  they  could  soon  reduce  an  ordinary  building  to  the  height  of  a 
bonfire,  although  their  work  would  send  the  sparks  in  a  shower  which 
made  the  bagmen  hustle  on  the  adjoining  roofs. 

The  fire  department  grew  with  the  town,  and  the  citizens  were  allot- 
ted to  various  duties  according  to  their  talents.  There  was  a  crew  of 
axe  and  ladder  men,  twelve  in  number,  and  Benjamin  Woodworth  was 
their  captain.  Fourteen  men  of  long  limbs  and  broad  backs  manned 
the  hand  fire  engine  under  the  direction  of  David  C.  McKinstry.  The 
bagmen  were  selected  from  the  professional  class,  because  their  mus- 
cles were  not  trained  to  heavy  work.  Among  the  fourteen  men  of  this 
department  were  Henry  J.  Hunt,  captain;  Conrad  Ten  Eyck,  Solomon 
Sibley,  James  Abbott,  Abraham  Wendell,  Peter  J.  Desnoyers,  Philip 
L'Ecuyer,  Antoine  Dequindre;  each  of  these  men  left  his  mark  upon 
the  community.  A  hook  and  ladder  and  battering  ram  company  of 
twenty-one  men,  under  management  of  Robert  Irwin,  completed  the 
roster  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Company  in  1815. 

Robert  Gouise  and  Charles  Curry  were  appointed  house-to  house  in- 
spectors in  1802  to  enforce  the  fire  ordinance,  and  their  first  report  of 
delinquents  contained  the  name  of  nearly  every  village  official.  At 
every  council  meeting  during  several  succeeding  years  there  were  more 
or  less  complaints,  and  the  town  officials  were  as  often  subject  to  fines 
as  the  other  citizens.  Those  who  were  able  paid  the  full  amount  and 
those  who  were  poor  paid  commutation  fines,  according  to  their  means. 

On  March  20,  1802,  the  trustees  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a 
public  market.  The  site  was  "  on  the  river  front  between  the  old  bake 
house  and  the  east  line  of  pickets. "  Tuesdays  and  Fridays  were  set 
apart  as  market  days,  and  the  hours  were  from  daylight  until  noon. 
Fines  were  imposed  for  offering  meats  or  produce  for  sale  at  any  other 
place  about  the  town,  and  also  for  offering  unwholesome  meats.  James 
May,  a  very  prominent  citizen,  was  found  guilty  of  offering  diseased 
beef  for  sale,  and  after  five  witnesses  had  testified  against  him  he  was 
fined  $15.  On  the  same  day  his  colored  boy  was  caught  throwing  rub- 
bish on  the  public  common,  contrary  to  the  ordinance,  and  the  master 
had  to  pay  an  additional  fine  of  twenty-five  cents. 

On  March  24,  1802,  seventeen  delinquents  were  fined  for  violations 
of  the  fire  ordinance.  Among  them  were  four  trustees,  John  Askin, 
James  Henry,  Robert  Abbott  and  John  Dodemead;  Wayne  county  was 
also  fined,  the  law  having  been  violated  at  the  jail.  Dr.  Herman 
Eberts,  who  was  high  sheriff  of  Wayne  county  under  American  rule, 

2G4 


AARON    A.    PARKER. 


and  had  been  since  1706,  was  another  of  the  delinquents.  He  wa^  an 
Austrian  count  and  a  surgeon  by  profession  and  came  to  America  dur- 
ing the  Revolution  with  a  Hessian  regiment.  He  resigned  shortly  after 
arriving  and  settled  in  Quebec,  but  afterward  came  to  Detroit,  where 
he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  and  also  practiced  his  profession. 

At  the  first  election  on  May  3,  1802,  John  Askin  was  dropped,  and 
George  Meldrum  was  elected  in  his  place  on  the  board  of  trustees. 
The  ofificers  elected  were  Charles  F.  Girardin,  James  Henry,  John 
Dodemead,  George  Meldrum  and  Joseph  Campau.  Peter  Audrain  con- 
tinued as  secretary,  Robert  Abbott  as  assessor,  William  Smith  was 
madecoUector  and  Elias  Wallen,  marshal.  Smith  soon  resigned  and 
Conrad  Seek  was  appointed  collector  in  his  place.  At  this  meeting  the 
polls  were  open  from  11:  30  to  1 :  30,  and  after  canvassing  the  vote  the 
retiring  board  voted  the  freedom  of  the  town  to  Solomon  Sibley,  who 
came  to  Detroit  in  1797,  in  acknowledgment  of  his  services  in  framing 
the  act  of  incorporation  and  other  services  at  the  Legislature  of  ChilH- 
cothe  in  the  interest  of  Detroit. 

An  ordinance  to  prevent  racing  and  fast  driving  on  the  streets  was 
passed  April  1,  1802.  The  treasurer  of  the  town  had  for  his  compensa- 
tion three  percent,  of  the  moneys  turned  over  to  him,  and  the  collector 
had  the  same  proportion  of  his  collections.  The  secretary  was  allowed 
one  dollar  per  meeting,  and  one  cent  for  each  dozen  words  of  translation 
when  he  had  to  prepare  public  notices  in  both  French  and  English. 
These  notices  were  posted  in  a  public  place  in  the  daytime  and  taken 
'n  at  night.  The  marshal  and  the  official  messenger  were  allowed  one 
dollar  per  day  during  the  time  they  were  engaged.  On  April  17  a  tax 
levy  of  1^150  was  assessed  upon  the  town  for  public  improvements.  A 
poll  tax  of  twenty-five  cents  was  assessed  against  every  male  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  or  over,  and  the  balance  was  assessed  against  the 
owners  of  property. 

The  price  of  bread  and  the  size  of  loaves  were  also  regulated  by  the 
trustees.  Loaves  were  first  established  at  three  pounds  weight  and  at 
sixpence  a  loaf,  but  changes  in  the  price  of  flour  caused  the  scale  to  be 
raised  to  eight  cents  in  July.  Bread  had  to  be  baked  in  large  ovens, 
so  that  no  baking  was  done  by  the  ordinary  householders  and  the  pub- 
lic bake  houses  were  much  patronized.  Later  the  price  rose  until  a 
loaf  of  bread  cost  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  and  when  this  became  too 
close  a  margin  for  the  baker  the  weight  of  the  loaves  was  reduced. 

At  the  election  of  May,  1803,  James  May  became  chairman  of  the 

265 

34 


town  board  of  trustees.  His  associates  were  Robert  Abbott,  Charles 
Curry,  Dr.  William  Scott  and  Elijah  Brush.  The  freedom  of  the  cor- 
poration was  extended  to  Jonathan  Scheiffelin,  a  member  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial Legislature.  Detroit  was  a  turbulent  town  in  those  days. 
Taverns  were  numerous  and  most  of  them  were  low  groggeries. 
Some  licenses  were  revoked  because  the  proprietors  kept  disorderly 
houses,  and  an  ordinance  was  passed  forbidding  the  sale  of  strong 
drink  on  the  Sabbath,  except  to  travelers;  also  forbidding  the  sale  to 
minors,  servants,  or  to  colored  slaves,  unless  with  the  consent  of  par- 
ents or  masters.  The  records  of  the  board  are  loaded  with  complaints 
against  persons  for  "  riotous  and  disorderly  conduct"  while  drunk,  and 
the  culprits  were  of  all  colors  and  both  sexes.  Liquor  cases  and  fire 
ordinance  violations  were  about  the  only  misdemeanors  mentioned. 

Solomon  Sibley  was  elected  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  in 
1804.  His  associates  were  James  Abbott,  Henry  Berthelet,  Joseph 
Wilkinson  and  Frederick  Bates.  Peter  Audrain  was  secretary,  John 
Watson  assessor,  Peter  Desnoyers  collector,  and  Thomas  McCrae  mes- 
senger. McCrae  was  appointed  the  first  member  of  the  Detroit  police 
force  and  also  clerk  of  the  market.  It  was  his  duty  to  examine  all 
yards  and  alleys  and  public  streets  every  two  weeks  and  report  their 
condition.  He  was  the  first  house-to-house  sanitary  inspector,  health 
officer  and  fire  warden;  and  although  his  functions  were  important, 
his  pay  was  fixed  at  only  seventy- five  cents  a  day.  The  services  he 
then  rendered  now  cost  Detroit  over  $600,000  a  year. 

Solomon  Sibley,  who  was  an  able  attorney,  was  one  of  the  first  Ameri- 
can settlers  to  arrive  at  Detroit  for  permanent  residence.  He  was  born 
in  New  England  and  came  west  with  a  colony  which  settled  at  Mari- 
etta, the  first  capital  of  the  Ohio  territory.  Impressed  with  the  im- 
portance of  Detroit's  geographical  location,  he  came  to  Detroit  and 
settled  there  early  in  1797.  He  soon  became  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  town  and  each  year  saw  a  wider  recognition  of  his  ability,  hon- 
esty and  his  sagacity  in  public  affairs,  as  before  mentioned.  He  be- 
came a  trustee  of  Detroit  and  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  board,  and 
was  a  representative  at  the  Territorial  Council  and  at  the  General 
Assembly  at  Chillicothe.  In  1802  he  went  to  Marietta,  where  he  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Col.  Ebenezer  Sproat.  The  happy  pair  in  return- 
ing stopped  at  the  house  of  Major  Jonathan  Cass,  at  Zanesville. 
When  their  horses  had  been  sent  to  shelter  for  the  night,  Mr.  Sibley 
noticed  a  square  built  young  man  of  twenty  years  of  age,  of  grave 

266 


countenance  and  dignified  manners,  engaged  in  pounding  Indian  corn 
into  "samp,"  as  the  coarsely  broken  grain  was  called  by  the  Indians. 
A  large  oak  stump  which  stood  beside  the  house  had  been  hollowed 
out  by  the  woodman's  axe  and  a  small  fire  of  charcoal,  until  it  would 
hold  perhaps  half  a  bushel  of  corn.  Over  the  stump  projected  the 
limb  of  another  tree  to  which  a  heavy  wooden  pestle,  perhaps  six  feet 
long,  had  been  secured  by  a  strong  withe.  The  young  man,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  limb  of  the  tree,  was  swinging  the  heavy  pestle 
rapidly  up  and  down,  and  at  every  descent  the  corn  was  shattered,  the 
coarser  and  heavier  portions  seeking  the  bottom  of  the  hollow,  while 
the  light  hulls  gathered  at  the  top  to  be  blown  away  by  the  industrious 
workman.  This  young  man,  who  certainly  "  knew  enough  to  pound 
samp,"  was  Lewis  Cass,  who  had  just  returned  home  from  his  law 
studies  at  Marietta.  The  future  governor  of  Michigan,  secretary  of 
war  and  minister  to  France,  stood  face  to  face  with  the  future  repre- 
sentative and  future  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

In  July,  1804,  the  first  dock  ordinance  was  prepared  by  Solomon 
Sibley  and  Frederick  Bates.  The  merchants'  wharf  was  falling  into 
ruin,  and  in  order  to  provide  for  its  future  maintenance  a  fee  of  $1.50 
was  charged  every  vessel  of  ten  tons  or  more  mooring  to  it.  Bateaux 
were  charged  twenty-five  cents,  and  pirogues  and  canoes  twelve  and  a 
half  cents.  The  wharf  was  free  on  market  days  to  those  who  brought 
produce  to  the  town.  Many  of  the  citizens  dipped  their  water  used  for 
domestic  purposes  from  this  wharf,  and  a  charge  of  one  dollar  a  year 
was  assessed  for  this  privilege,  but  there  was  an  outcry  against  it  and 
that  portion  of  the  ordinance  was  repealed. 

By  August  3,  1804,  the  Indians  had  become  so  hostile  under  British 
influence  at  Maiden,  that  a  night  patrol  was  established  in  Detroit.  It 
was  maintained  by  voluntary  service  for  the  protection  of  the  town 
against  fire  and  massacre.  Curfew  regulations  were  established,  and 
persons  who  were  found  abroad  after  eleven  o'clock  had  to  give  a 
good  account  of  themselves  or  go  to  the  watch  house.  Lights  were 
ordered  out  at  eleven  o'clock,  unless  sickness  compelled  them  to  be 
kept  burning.  On  Monday,  October  1,  the  first  memorial  to  Congress 
was  prepared  asking  for  better  military  protection.  An  ordinance  pro- 
hibiting bowling  with  cannon  balls  in  the  streets  was  passed  March  15, 
1805. 

Col.  John  Francis  Hamtramck  became  commandant  of  Detroit  for 
the  second   time  in   1802,   succeeding  Col.   Thomas   Hunt.     His   first 

267 


service  was  the  temporary  command  from  the  time  of  the  British'sur- 
render,  July  11,  1796,  until  the  arrival  of  General  Wayne,  commander- 
in-chief,  two  months  later.  When  he  came  to  the  command  the  second 
time  his  busy  life  was  drawing  to  its  close,  although  he  was  still  a  com- 
paratively young  man,  and  he  died  within  a  year.  Colonel  Ham- 
tramck  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  of  fame,  the  first  American  com- 
mandant of  Detroit  and  its  dependencies,  and  a  volunteer  alien 
defender  of  our  liberty  and  independence,  who  is  entitled  to  rank 
with  Kosciusko,  La  Fayette,  Pulaski,  De  Kalb  and  Steuben,  for 
Hamtramck  was  one  of  the  Canadian  refugees  who  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  feeble  colonists  in  1776  He  was  born  in  Quebec  on  August  16, 
1756,  and  his  father  was  Charles  David  Hamtramck  dit  L'Allemand,  a 
barber,  and  a  son  of  David  Hamtramck  and  Adele  Garnik  of  Luxem- 
bourg, diocese  of  Treves,  Germany.  Charles  David  Hamtramck  mar 
ried  Mane  Ann  Bertin  at  Quebec  in  November,  1753,  and  three  years 
afterward  their  illustrious  son  was  born.  John  Francis  Hamtramck 
was  in  New  York  when  he  joined  the  army,  a  boy  of  less  than  twenty 
years.  He  fought  gallantly  until  the  close  of  the  Revolution  and  was 
afterward  under  St.  Clair  and  Wayne  in  the  Indian  wars.  He  was 
made  major  in  1789;  lieutenant-colonel  in  1793;  commanded  the  left 
wing  of  "Mad"  Anthony's  army  at  the  battle  of  Maumee  in  1794; 
subsequently  promoted  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment  of  the  United 
States  Infantry;  and  entered  Detroit  the  next  day  after  the  British 
evacuation  on  July  11,  1796.  He  purchased  a  farm  from  Jacques 
Campau,  fronting  on  the  river,  and  next  east  of  the  Cook  farm,  and  in 
1802  built  a  hewn  log  house,  which  is  still  standing,  but  in  a  ruinous 
condition.  It  is  on  the  river  bank  in  rear  of  the  Hagar  brothers'  resi- 
dence on  Jefferson  avenue.  But  the  hardships  of  war  had  undermined 
his  constitution  and  he  died  on  April  11,  1803,  aged  forty-five  years 
seven  months  and  twenty-eight  days.  His  estate,  which  went  to  his 
widow,  Rebecca  Hamtramck,  footed  up  only  $2,138.47.  The  house- 
hold effects  were  stored  in  the  citadel  and  were  consumed  in  the  great 
fire  of  1805.  His  two  daughters  subsequently  inherited  and  sold  the 
farm.  His  remains,  which  were  first  interred  in  the  burial  ground  of 
St.  Anne's  church  on  Larned  street,  were  subsequently  removed  to 
Mt.  Elliott  cemetery  and  reinterred  in  the  Elliott  lot,  where  they  now 
rest  under  the  massive  stone  erected  by  his  fellow  officers  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 


268 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

Rule  of  the  Governor  and  Judges— Schemes  of  the  Rapacious  Land-Grabbers — 
John  Askin  and  Others  Attempt  to  Get  Possession  of  20,000,000  Acres  by  Bribing 
Congressmen — Their  Schemes  Exposed — Governor  Hull  and  Judge  Woodward. 

A  local  assembly  was  called  in  Detroit  in  December,  1804,  at  which 
James  May  and  Robert  Abbott  prepared  two  petitions  to  Congress,  ask- 
ing that  the  territory  lying  north  of  an  east  and  west  line,  running  east 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan,  which  had  been  designated  as  Wayne 
county  since  1796,  be  organized  into  a  separate  territory  to  be  known  as 
Michigan.  The  vast  territory  obtained  under  the  Louisiana  purchase 
was  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Indiana  territory  in  1804. 
When  Congress  convened  in  1805  the  prayer  of  the  Detroit  and  Wayne 
county  residents  was  heard,  and  an  act  was  passed  granting  their  re- 
quest. 

Amid  all  this  juggling  of  boundaries  and  other  changes  the  land- 
grabbers  were  not  id-le.  Previous  to  1796,  while  territories,  states  and 
nations  were  laying  claim  to  territory  in  the  West,  private  individuals 
undertook  to  advance  their  fortunes  by  various  land-grabbing  schemes. 
When  it  became  evident  that  the  United  States  would  ultimately  win 
the  cause  for  which  they  were  struggling,  several  British  subjects  under- 
took to  get  hold  of  vast  areas  by  securing  private  grants  from  the 
Indians.  The  most  notable  attempt  of  this  kind  was  in  1795,  when 
John  Askin  enlisted  his  friends  and  relatives  in  a  scheme  which  was  to 
give  them  a  principality  of  20,000,000  acres,  lying  between  Lakes  Erie 
and  Michigan  in  the  richest  section  of  Michigan,  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
Askin  was  associated  with  John  Askin,  jr.,  his  son;  Richard  Pattinson, 
his  son-in-law;  Robert  Innes,  William  Robertson  and  Jonathan  Scheif- 
felin.  Their  scheme  consisted  in  forming  a  stock  company  and  issuing 
forty-one  equal  and  undivided  shares  of  stock.  Five  of  these  shares 
were  to  be  bestowed  upon  certain  Detroiters  who  were  in  terms  of  in- 
timacy with  the  Indians,  for  which  they  were  to  use  their  influence  in 
inducing  the  Indians  to  sign  the  deed.  Other  attempts  of  private  in- 
dividuals to  secure  private  grants  from  the  Indians  had  failed,  because 
Congress  had  refused  to  recognize  or  confirm  such  grants.     To  sur- 

269 


mount  this  obstacle,  twenty-four  shares  of  the  stock  were  set  aside  to 
be  used  in  purchasing  the  votes  of  enough  members  of  Congress  in 
order  to  insure  a  confirmation  of  the  Indian  deed.  It  was  expected 
that  many  votes  would  be  secured  upon  the  mere  representation  that 
the  company  intended  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  acquired  terri- 
tory, and  make  it  a  public  as  well  as  a  private  benefit.  The  promoters 
were  to  be  satisfied  with  twelve  shares,  each  share  representing  about 
50,000  acres  of  land.  Their  scheme  made  a  promising  beginning,  as 
the  Indians  were  cajoled  into  signing  their  totems  to  the  grant  asked 
for,  and  it  remained  for  the  promoters  to  secure  a  confirmation  of  the 
deed.  Two  of  the  ablest  lobbyists  in  the  country  were  employed  to 
work  the  scheme  through  Congress,  and  they  were  prepared  to  bribe 
the  members  who  could  not  be  won  by  persuasion.  The  lobbyists. 
Dr.  Robert  Randall  of  Philadelphia,  and  Charles  Whitney  of  Vermont, 
began  their  labors  in  the  legislative  hall  at  Philadelphia  on  December 
16,  1795.  Lobbying  had  not  yet  arisen  to  its  present  standard  among 
the  fine  arts,  or  the  congressmen  of  that  session  were  more  honest  than 
those  of  the  Credit-Mobilier  days,  for  on  December  28,  1795,  Congress- 
man William  Smith,  of  South  Carolina,  arose  before  the  House  and  ex- 
posed the  whole  scheme.  Randall  and  Whitney  were  brought  before 
the  bar  of  the  House  for  examination.  Dr.  Randall  was  discharged 
for  lack  of  evidence,  but  his  colleague,  who  had  probably  worked  with 
less  finesse,  was  reprimanded  by  the  speaker  and  was  fined  the  amount 
of  the  costs. 

Askin's  purpose  was  defeated,  but  he  was  not  yet  discouraged.  Next 
year  he  went  to  work  to  obtain  an  individual  grant.  Since  it  was  evi- 
dent that  he  could  not  get  a  deed  of  absolute  title  through  Congress,  he 
tried  his  luck  at  obtaining  a  lease  for  999  years.  After  visiting  the 
councils  of  twenty- nine  chiefs  who  claimed  titles  on  the  lands  south  of 
Lake  Erie,  he  obtained  a  lease  of  a  tract  of  land  extending  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River  westward  as  far  as  Sandusky  Bay,  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty-nine  miles,  extending  southward  an  equal  distance,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  2,227,840  acres.  The  deed  or  lease  was  executed  by  the 
Indians  on  January  18,  1796,  and  the  consideration  named  was  a  gra- 
tuity of  five  shillings  a  year  to  each  of  the  grantors  and  other  considera- 
tions, probably  the  furnishing  of  arms,  blankets,  ammunition,  scalping 
knives,  etc.  To  strengthen  his  claim  the  younger  Askin  moved  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River  in  1797,  expecting  to  secure  the  rights 
of  a  squatter  in  addition  to  the  lease,  but  Congress  refused  to  confirm  it. 

270 


In  commenting-  on  the  first  described  "frustrated  land-grab,"  Judge 
Campbell,  in  his  "Political  History  of  Michigan,"  says:  "Was  this 
really  an  attempt  of  the  British  government  to  retain  ownership  of 
Michigan  lands,  knowing  that  it  could  not  retain  sovereignty?" 

The  Territory  of  Michigan,  which  was  carved  out  of  Indiana  Terri- 
tory, came  into  being  by  act  of  Congress  on  June  30,  1805,  and  five 
officers  were  commissioned  to  rule  it,  as  follows:  Governor,  William 
Hull;  secretary,  Stanley  Griswold;  treasurer,  Frederick  Bates ;  justices 
of  Supreme  Court,  A.  B  Woodward,  Frederick  Bates  and  John  Griffin. 
Detroit  was  made  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  ordinances  of  1787 
and  1789  were  made  the  fundamental  law  of  the  new  Territory.  Michi- 
gan Territory  in  1805  comprised  the  territory  represented  by  the  pres- 
ent low^er  peninsula,  a  narrow  strip  across  Indiana  and  Ohio  which  lay 
north  of  the  line  drawn  due  east  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  the  eastern  half  of  the  upper  peninsula.  The  western 
border  was  on  a  line  drawn  through  the  center  of  Lake  Michigan,  and 
the  east  line,  according  to  the  Jay  treaty,  was  in  the  center  of  the  main 
channel  of  navigation  in  the  Detroit  and  St.  Clair  Rivers  and  Lake  St. 
St.  Clair,  and  through  the  center  of  Lake  Huron  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
The  three  judges  necessarily  formed  the  highest  judiciary,  but  they 
had  other  important  powers.  With  the  governor  they  formed  the  legis- 
lature, so  that  the  judicial,  legislative  and  executive  powers  in  the  new 
Territory  were  all  centered  in  four  persons.  In  this  first  step  of  Michi- 
gan toward  distinct  political  entity  the  personality  and  character  of  her 
first  rulers  will  be  found  of  interest. 

William  Hull  was  a  native  of  Derby,  Conn.,  and  was  born  on  June 
24,  1753,  of  English  ancestry.  His  father  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
necticut Legislature  for  many  years.  Young  Hull  worked  on  a  farm 
and  attended  school,  entered  Yale  College  and  graduated  after  a  four 
years'  course,  when  he  was  nineteen.  He  taught  school  and  afterward 
studied  law  at  Litchfield,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1775.  Re- 
turning home  amid  the  excitement  of  the  war  then  declared  against 
Great  Britain,  he  was  elected  captain  of  a  Derby  company,  and  while 
making  preparations  to  go  to  the  front  his  father  died.  He  delayed 
not,  however,  but  marched  with  his  company  and  joined  a  regiment 
which  proceeded  to  Cambridge,  then  Washington's  headquarters.  Here 
an  incident  occurred  which  showed  his  predilection  for  etiquette  and 
display,  which  was  more  fully  developed  at  Detroit  in  his  efforts  to 
force  expensive  uniforms  on  the  poverty-stricken  militia  of  the  Territory. 

271 


There  was  little  regard  for  military  style  in  the  camp,  and  when  his 
regiment  turned  out  to  meet  an  expected  attack,  he  was  the  only  officer 
in  uniform.  The  other  officers  said  he  was  making  himself  too  conspic- 
uous; that  he  would  draw  the  enemy's  fire.  So  he  went  to  his  tent, 
took  off  the  uniform  and  donned  a  dress  like  the  other  officers — a  frock 
coat  and  handkerchief  tied  around  his  head.  He  was  placed  in  charge 
of  a  redoubt,  and  when  Washington  was  inspecting  the  regiment  he 
asked  the  name  of  the  officer  commanding  the  company.  "  With  feel- 
ings of  inexpressible  mortification,"  says  Hull,  "  I  came  forward  in  my 
savage  costume  and  reported  that  Captain  Hull  had  the  honor  of  com- 
manding the  redoubt."  Washington  passed  on  and  the  mortified  young 
officer  forthwith  sent  for  his  uniform  and  donned  it  once  more.  In 
1777  he  was  made  major  of  the  Eighth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  and 
in  1779  he  was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel.  It  is  said  that  he  was 
a  brave  soldier,  but  the  only  separate  command  with  which  he  was  in- 
trusted was  a  force  of  400  men  in  an  expedition  against  Mdrrisania,  on 
the  East  River,  near  Hell  Gate,  New  York,  But  in  this  affair  he  did 
not  distinguish  himself.  In  1784  he  was  sent  by  the  government  to 
Quebec  in  order  to  ascertain  from  Governor  Haldimand  why  Detroiljf 
Niagara  and  Mackinac  had  not  been  surrendered  by  the  British,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  treaty  of  Ghent  of  the  previous  year.  He  obtained 
no  satisfaction,  as  Great  Britain  was  not  yet  willing  to  release  her  hold 
on  this  region  of  the  Northwest.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  he  settled  at  Newton,  Mass.,  and  practiced  law.  In  1786 
occurred  the  so-called  Shay's  rebellion.  The  treaty  with  Great  Britain 
had  guarantied  that  citizens  of  the  United  States  who  were  indebted  to 
British  merchants  before  the  war,  should  pay  their  just  debts.  This 
made  great  trouble,  as  the  country  was  almost  bankrupt  and  everybody 
was  poor.  The  courts  were  about  to  issue  attachments  and  executions, 
and  the  rebellion  consisted  in  bodies  of  citizens  forcibly  preventing  the 
judges  from  holding  court.  Hull  aided  in  the  suppressing  of  this  in- 
surrection, in  which  several  persons  were  killed  and  wounded  and  over 
a  hundred  taken  prisoners.  In  1793  he  was  appointed  a  commissioner 
to  make  arrangements  with  the  British  government  for  a  treaty  with 
the  western  Indians,  then  at  war  with  the  United  States,  but  nothing 
came  of  it.  In  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  and  was  also  elected  senator  in  the  Massachusetts  Leg- 
islature. He  was  a  popular  man  and  was  re-elected  senator  every  year 
until  he  was  appointed   governor  of  Michigan   Territory  by  President 

272 


CHARLES  BUNCHER. 


Jefferson  on  March  22,  1805.  In  the  latter  position  he  was  appointed 
for  three  years  and  was  reappointed  for  two  successive  terms.  When  he 
arrived  in  Detroit  on  July  1,  1805,  he  was  a  little  over  fifty  two  years 
of  age. 

Augustus  B.  Woodward,  the  chief  justice  or  presiding  judge,  by  vir- 
tue of  his  commission  being  the  earliest,  was  a  native  of  Alexandria, 
Va.  He  held  the  position  from  1805,  when  the  Territory  was  created, 
until  1823,  when  he  was  virtually  legislated  out  of  office,  a  period  of 
eighteen  years.  He  came  of  an  old  Virginia  family  whose  holdings 
were  near  Alexandria,  and  he  was  doubtless  educated  in  Virginia  or 
Maryland.  Little  of  his  early  life  or  family  is  known.  He  commenced 
to  practice  law  in  Washington  about  1795,  after  he  had  attained  legal 
manhood.  The  capital  was  then  a  mere  expanse  of  forest  and  swamp, 
with  a  scattered  group  of  houses  and  a  small  population,  and  its  site 
and  its  isolation  from  the  busy  cities  of  commerce  gave  rise  to  much 
ridicule  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  He  was  present,  in  1792,  at  the 
ceremony  of  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  District  of  Columbia  at 
Jones  Point,  near  Alexandria,  and  his  card  as  an  attorney  at  law  ap- 
peared in  the  National  Intelligencer  of  Washington  in  1803.  At  that 
time  one  wing  of  the  present  Capitol  had  been  built  and  this,  with  the 
White  House,  were  then  the  only  large  buildings  in  that  city.  Wash- 
ington was  laid  out  by  a  French  engineer  named  L'Enfant,  who  fol 
lowed  the  plan  of  Versailles,  which  was  that  of  the  spider  web,  with 
its  diagonal  main  avenues  and  concentric  streets  converging  at  the  pal- 
ace of  Louis  XIV.  Woodward  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  French 
engineer,  who,  like  himself,  was  educated  and  eccentric,  and  he  took 
great  interest  in  the  plans  of  the  future  great  capital.  He  was  also  a 
friend  of  his  fellow  Virginian,  President  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  ad- 
mired his  literary  and  legal  ability,  and  the  latter  commissioned  him  as 
presiding  judge  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan  early  in  1805.  When  he 
came  here  shortly  after  the  great  fire  on  July  11,  1805,  he  saw  the  pos- 
sibilities of  improvement,  and  when  he  returned  to  Washington  in 
August,  procured  a  copy  of  the  plans  of  that  city  from  L'Enfant.  He 
either  assumed  or  was  given  the  principal  direction  of  the  plans  for 
laying  out  the  new  town,  and  the  result  is  the  present  plan  of  Detroit 
which  is  named  the  Governor  and  Judges'  plan.  His  plan  was  partly 
superseded  by  the  plan  of  Abijah  Hull,  a  surveyor  and  relative  of  the 
governor,  but  the  distinctive  spider  web  idea  was  retained  and  carried 
into  effect.      Personally  and  judicially  the  judge  was  a  unique  and  in- 

273 


teresting  character,  and  his  name  and  fame  are  indissolubl)'^  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  city.  In  Farmer's  History  of  Detroit  his  per- 
sonal appearance  is  described  as  follows:  "  The  judge  was  very  tall, 
with  a  sallow  complexion,  and  usually  appeared  in  court  with  a  long, 
loose  overcoat,  or  a  swallow-tailed  coat  with  brass  buttons,  a  red 
cravat,  and  a  buff  vest,  which  was  always  open  and  from  which  pro- 
truded an  immense  mass  of  ruffles.  These  last,  together  with,  the 
broad  ruffles  at  his  wrists,  were  invariably  soiled.  His  pantaloons  hung 
in  folds  to  his  feet,  meeting  a  pair  of  boots  which  were  always  well 
greased.  His  hair  received  his  special  attention  and  on  court  days 
gave  evidence  of  the  best  efforts  of  the  one  tonsorial  artist  of  the  town. 
He  was  never  known  to  be  fully  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  but 
always  kept  a  glass  of  brandy  on  the  bench  before  him.  In  the  even- 
ing he  would  go  to  Mack  &  Conant's  store  (which  was  on  the  north 
side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  between  Woodward  avenue  and  Griswold 
street)  and  sit  and  talk  and  smoke  his  pipe  and  sip  half  a  pint  of 
whisky  until  it  was  all  gone." 

Mack  &  Conant's  partnership  extended  from  1817  to  18"-^0  and  during 
this  time  their  clerk  and  bookkeeper  was  the  late  David  Cooper,  father 
of  Rev.  David  M.  Cooper.  David  was  a  careful  and  conscientious  clerk 
and  kept  note  of  everything  affecting  his  employers'  interest.  In  due 
time  he  submitted  a  bill  for  the  liquor.  The  judge  protested,  saying 
that  it  was  ridiculous  to  charge  for  a  little  whisky.  "  But  it  is  not  a 
little,"  said  Cooper,  "it  is  a  good  deal;  I  kept  count  and  I  find  you 
have  drank  three  gallons  and  a  half."  Woodward  paid  the  bill,  but 
with  a  bad  grace.  Perhaps  the  best  thing  that  Woodward  did  for  De- 
troit was  his  work  in  having  the  city  laid  out  with  broad  avenues,  on 
the  plan  above  described.  The  angles  caused  by  this  plan  entailed 
small  triangular  parks  at  the  intersections  and  these  he  suggested 
should  be  planted  with  trees.  There  is  no  doubt  that  his  influence  and 
work  in  this  respect  has  made  modern  Detroit  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful cities  in  the  world.  Woodward  had  a  legal  mind  of  no  common 
order,  great  literary  ability  and  fine  executive  and  administrative  pow- 
ers, but  his  merits  as  a  jurist  and  legislator  were  obscured  by  his  colossal 
vanity.  He  was  an  able  and  learned  man,  but  was  afflicted  with  a 
pedantry  which  was  often  absurd  and  ridiculous ;  and  his  arrogance, 
which  was  ever  usurping  the  rights  or  privileges  of  the  people.  No 
ruler  of  Detroit  was  ever  so  detested  by  the  more  intelligent  citizens, 
but  he  nevertheless  had  many  friends.      He  was  brainy  and  masterful 

274 


and  bristled  with  ideas  on  every  subject,  and  his  initiative  in  law,  poli- 
tics and  municipal  affairs  was  generally  adopted.  Complaint  after 
complaint  with  reference  to  his  official  conduct  went  to  Congress, 
signed  by  the  most  influential  citizens,  but  his  influence  in  Washington 
was  strong  enough  to  enable  him  to  maintain  his  position  until  1823, 
when  an  act  was  passed  in  Congress  providing  that  the  people  of  the 
Territory  should  elect  their  own  legislature  in  1824  and  thereafter.  His 
experience  in  trying  to  be  elected  delegate  to  Congress,  in  which  he 
was  defeated  twice,  showed  him  that  his  career  in  Michigan  was  over. 
He  resigned  shortly  after  the  act  was  passed,  went  to  Washington, 
where  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Territory  of  Florida,  and  died  at 
Tallahassee  on  July  12,  1827.  He  was  never  married.  Woodward 
owned,  laid  out  and  named  Ypsilanti. 

Frederick  Bates  was  born  at  Belmont,  Goochland  county,  Ohio,  on 
June  23,  1777,  of  Quaker  parents.  He  received  a  good  education  but 
did  not  attend  a  college,  and  in  early  life  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  clerk  of  a  Circuit  Court  in  his  native  State.  In  1797  he  came  to  De- 
troit when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  and  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness, improving  his  mind  during  leisure  hours  by  studying  law  and 
history.  He  was  postmaster  of  Detroit  from  1803  to  1806.  Official 
honors  then  came  thick  upon  him.  In  1804  he  was  appointed  receiver 
of  the  Detroit  land  office;  trustee  in  1804-05;  United  States  territorial 
judge  in  1805-06 ;  and  territorial  treasurer  during  the  same  year.  In 
1806  he  removed  to  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  where  he  held  several 
exalted  offices  and  in  1821  was  elected  governor  of  that  State.  He  died 
on  August  4,  1825,  on  his  farm  at  Bonhomme,  Mo  ,  on  the  bank  of  the 
Missouri  River. 

John  Griffin,  who  was  territorial  judge  from  1805  to  1823,  was  ex- 
actly cotemporarary  with  Woodward  in  that  office  and  resigned  at  the 
same  time.  He  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  about  1799,  and  proba- 
bly studied  law  in  that  State.  He  made  the  great  tour  in  Europe  and 
when  he  returned  landed  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  appointed  by  Jeffer- 
son as  above.  Judge  B.  F.  Witherell  alludes  to  Griffin  as  a  man  who 
"was  constitutionally  inert,  wanted  firmness  and  decision  of  character, 
and  disliked  responsibility,  but  was  considered  an  upright  judge  and 
honest  man."  It  was  probably  Judge  Witherell's  kindly  disposition 
that  dictated  the  last  paragraph,  as  it  is  difficult  to  understand  honesty 
and  uprightness  when  coupled  with  the  other  characteristics.  He  was 
subservient  to  Woodward  and  invariably  voted  with  him  on  the  bench. 

275 


Every  week  after  the  Gazette  was  started,  in  1817,  it  contained  one  or 
mo  e  squibs  and  editorials  directed  against  Woodward  and  Griffin, 
many  of  them  written  nearly  as  well  as  the  Junius  letters.  One  of 
these  articles  was  as  follows:  "  A  singular  question  has  arisen  under 
the  law  of  this  Territory  exempting  property  taken  on  execution. 
This  law  exempts  the  tools  necessary  for  the  trade  or  profession  of  the 
party.  Suppose  now  an  execution  was  issued  against  the  goods  and 
chattels  of  his  honor,  Judge  Woodward,  would  or  would  not,  his  other 
honor,  Judge  Griffin,  be  exempt  from  execution  ?  "  The  Gazette  added 
that  a  "learned  counselor  had  given  it  as  his  professional  opinion  that 
Judge  Griffin  must  be  taken,  because  the  law  will  not  exempt  tools 
used  for  the  purpose  of  fraud."  In  1823,  when  Judge  Woodward  re- 
signed. Griffin  followed  his  example  and  it  is  said  went  to  Philadelphia 
and  died  there  between  1842  and  1845.  Judge  Witherell  said  that 
when  he  died  he  was  the  next  in  descent  to  a  Scottish  peerage. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

Great  Fire  of  1805— The  Entire  Town  Destroyed  on  June  11— Three  Hundred 
Families  Left  Homeless — Relief  Measures  and  Grant  of  the  10,000  Acres— Judge 
Woodward  Lays  out  a  New  City  on  the  Scale  of  Paris — The  Territorial  Militia. 

A  great  disaster  befell  the  city  on  Tune  11,  1805.  Detroit  was  a 
crowded  collection  of  wooden  buildings  built  in  narrow  streets.  Many 
of  the  buildings  had  thatched  roofs,  and  the  aged  timbers  in  many  of 
them  were  as  dry  as  tinder  after  the  seasoning  of  more  than  a  century. 
The  people  had  been  fully  alive  to  their  danger  from  fire;  had  pur- 
chased a  hand  fire  engine  during  the  last  days  of  the  British  regime, 
and  had  enacted  stringent  fire  regulations,  but  the  old  town  was 
doomed.  On  the  morning  of  June  11,  John  Harvey,  a  baker,  was  in 
his  barn  hitching  up  a  pony  when  he  carelessly  knocked  out  the  ashes 
from  his  pipe.  The  embers  set  some  hay  on  fire,  and  before  Harvey 
could  realize  the  situation  the  whole  interior  was  in  flames.  He  shouted 
an  alarm,  and  the  whole  population  soon  came  scurrying  to  the  scene, 
attracted  by  the  outcry  and  the  rolling  volumes  of  smoke.  The  old  fire 
engine  was  put  in  service,  but  it  soon  became  disabled  through  failure 

276 


of  the  valves,  and  the  people  formed  a  line  to  the  river  and  passed 
buckets  as  of  old.  Owing  to  the  close  proximity  of  the  building-s  and 
the  narrow  streets  the  fire  could  not  be  controlled.  All  the  population 
worked  hard  saving  what  they  could  of  the  household  goods,  and  the 
contents  of  the  doomed  houses  were  scattered  along  the  river  bank  and 
cast  about  in  the  adjoining  common.  All  the  others  were  mere  heaps  of 
glowing  embers  and  the  stone  chimneys  stood  above  the  ruins  like 
monuments  to  a  lost  civilization.  In  the  back  of  an  old  account  book 
which  belonged  to  George  Meldrum,  a  trader  who  lived  in  Detroit  at 
the  time  of  the  fire,  it  is  recorded  that  the  fire  began  at  8:30  in  the 
morning  and  that  it  lasted  about  four  hours.  At  12:  30  all  the  build- 
ings except  one  house  had  been  completely  consumed.  The  stockade 
and  houses  had  disappeared  and  were  now  blackened  ruins,  from  which 
came  here  and  there  slender  columns  of  smoke.  The  narrow  streets, 
the  old  quaint  houses  of  logs  with  their  steep  roofs  which  contained 
the  second  story;  the  foot- wide  timber  walks;  the  rude  furniture  with 
its  wealth  of  home  associations,  had  all  perished  in  those  few  hours; 
while  on  the  river  bank  were  tents  and  hastily  erected  shelters  of  bark 
or  poles  in  which  the  grief-stricken  residents  took  refuge.  Around 
them  were  the  scanty  remnants  of  their  household  effects  which  had 
been  snatched  from  the  flames.  Suffering  was  everywhere.  The  farm 
houses  along  the  river  were  crowded  with  destitute  people,  to  whom 
the  kindly  hospitality  of  the  French  owners  was  a  godsend.  Those 
who  could  not  find  shelter  camped  on  the  common  under  tents  and  ex- 
temporized cabins.  The  more  wealthy  sufferers  moved  across  the  river 
to  Sandwich  and  Amherstberg,  while  some  returned  to  the  homes  of 
their  ancestors  in  Lower  Canada  or  to  the  English  settlements  in  New 
York.  In  the  course  of  time  contributions  from  outside  came  to  the 
suft'erers,  mostly  from  Montreal  and  Mackinac,  the  total  amount  being 
about  $2,000.     The  loss  exceeded  $200,000. 

Within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  stockade  for  104  years  people  had 
been  born,  had  married  and  had  died.  Thousands  had  died  untimely 
deaths  by  war,  murder  or  massacre;  fortunes  had  been  lost  and  won; 
the  lilies  of  France,  the  cross  of  St.  George,  and  the  stars  and  stripes 
had  waved  over  its  fortresses;  but  now  all  was  gone  and  "  like  the 
baseless  fabric  of  a  vision,  left  not  a  wreck  behind."  It  was  a  holocaust 
of  vanished  memories.  Detroit  seemed  an  extinct  city,  which  lived 
only  in  the  history  of  the  past;  never  again  to  be  the  home  of  a  busy 
population  or  a  mart  of  trade. 

277 


There  was  great  distress  in  Detroit  after  the  great  fire  and  those  who 
could  not  get  away  endured  considerable  hardships;  but  the  summer 
weather  greatly  mitigated  the  trouble  of  the  inhabitants.  The  money 
received  from  Montreal,  Mackinac  and  other  places  for  the  use  of  the 
sufferers  was  not  all  spent  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  sent,  and 
there  was  great  dissatisfaction.  Twelve  years  afterward  Solomon 
Sibley  turned  over  $625  of  it  to  the  university  fund.  The  population, 
which  had  been  greatly  reduced  in  1796  by  the  exodus  of  several  hun- 
dred to  Amherstburg  and  other  places  across  the  river,  was  not  more 
than  600  at  the  time  of  the  fire.  Perhaps  one-third  of  these  left  the 
city  and  sought  shelter  elsewhere.  Some  of  those  remaining  started 
to  build  new  log  houses,  but  they  were  restrained  by  Governor  Hull 
and  the  judges  and  other  officers,  who  told  them  that  a  new  plan  of  the 
city  would  be  prepared,  in  which  the  old  lot  lines,  both  inside  and  out- 
side of  the  stockade,  would  not  be  regarded.  These  orders  were  obeyed 
and  there  were  no  permanent  houses  built  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year.  The  lands  which  had  been  within  the  enclosure  and  also  a  con 
siderable  part  of  the  common  were  surveyed  and  laid  into  city  lots  and 
outlets.  Every  person  who  owned  a  lot  before  the  fire  was  allowed  to 
have  one  free  lot.  An  auction  was  held  to  ascertain  values,  and  the 
average  price  realized  from  the  sale  of  fourteen  lots  was  made  a  basis 
in  selling  other  lots.  This  was  from  $250  to  $300,  according  to  loca- 
tion. The  opportunity  for  a  big  land  deal  was  extremely  favorable  at 
this  time  and  persons  able  to  carry  it  out  were  not  wanting.  Late  in 
1805  Governor  Hull  and  Judge  Woodward  went  to  Washington,  and  by 
liberal  expenditures  for  wine  and  other  refreshments,  carried  through 
a  bill  authorizing  the  rulers  of  the  Territory  to  lay  out  in  lots  the  new 
town  and  10,000  acres  of  land  on  the  north.  Also,  to  give  a  lot  con- 
taining not  less  than  5,000  square  feet  to  every  inhabitant  over  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  The  land  remaining  was  to  be  sold,  and  the  money 
used  for  building  a  court  house  and  jail.  This  bill  was  passed  on  April 
21,  1806.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  red  tape  connected  with  the  par- 
celing out  of  the  lots,  and  the  delay  caused  great  vexation.  The  in- 
habitants who  remained  were  actually  obliged  to  live  the  whole  of  1806 
in  bark  shanties,  tents,  or  other  shelter,  and  next  year  there  were  only 
nineteen  deeds  issued  and  less  than  half  as  many  houses  built. 

In  the  fall  of  1806  the  land  board,  consisting  of  the  governor  and 
judges,  decided  that  three  classes  of  persons  were  entitled  to  lots, 
namely,  those  who  lived  in  Detroit  prior  to  the  fire  and  who  owned 

278 


neither  houses  or  land;  those  who  owned  lots  at  the  time;  and  those 
who  owned  or  occupied  houses.  If  the  new  lots  were  larger  than  those 
formerly  owned  the  person  was  required  to  pay  two  or  three  cents  per 
square  foot  for  the  overplus.  The  question  was  raised  as  to  whether 
persons  who  had  come  to  Detroit  under  American  rule,  and  had  not 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  should  receive  lots.  The  governor  and 
judges  sitting  as  a  land  board  decided  that  such  persons  had  no  rights. 
This  class  comprised  a  large  majority  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  decis- 
ion raised  popular  excitement  to  white  heat,  but  the  board  bent  before 
the  storm  and  rescinded  their  decision.  Finally  everybody  got  a  lot, 
and  then  ensued  a  great  deal  of  trading  so  that  very  few  ever  kept  the 
original  parcel  given  them.  In  July,  1805,  Governor  Hull  divided  the 
territory  into  districts  and  designated  justices  of  the  peace  therefor  as 
follows:  Mackinac — Samuel  Abbott,  David  Duncan,  Josiah  Dunham, 
Francois  Le  Baron,  H.  Erie,  John  Anderson,  Francois  Navarre,  Isaac 
Ruland,  Francois  Lasselle,  Herbert  La  Croix  and  Jean  Baptiste  Beau- 
grand.  Detroit — Robert  Abbott,  James  Abbott,  James  Henry,  Elisha 
Avery,  James  May,  William  McDowell  Scott,  Matthew  Ernest,  John 
Dodemead,  Stanley  Griswold  and  Antoine  Dequindre.  Huron — Jean 
Marie  Beaubien,  George  Cotterell,  Christian  Clemens,  Louis  Campeau. 

In  September,  1805,  Governor  Hull,  as  commander-in  chief,  directed 
that  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  a  legionary  corps  be  organized,  the 
latter  body  comprising  all  sums  of  the  service,  and  appointed  the 
following  officers:  Aides  de-camp — Francois  Chabert  de  Joncaire, 
George  McDougall,  Solomon  Sibley.  Quartermaster-genera]  and  colo- 
nel— Matthew  Ernest.     Adjutant  general  and  colonel — James  May. 

First  Regiment — Colonel,  Augustus  B.  Woodward;  lieutenant- 
colonel,  Antoine  Beaubien;  major,  Gabriel  Godfroy;  adjutant,  Chris- 
topher Tuttle;  quartermaster,  Charles  Stewart;  captains,  Jacob  Vis- 
ger,  David  Duncan,  George  Cotterell,  Louis  Campeau,  James  Henry, 
Louis  St.  Bernard,  Joseph  Cerre  dit  St.  Jean,  Joseph  Campeau, 
Jean  Cisne;  lieutenants,  Samuel  Abbott,  John  Meldrum,  Whitmore 
Knaggs,  Jean  Marie  Beaubien,  Christian  Clemens,  James  Campeau, 
Thomas  Tremble,  Francois  Chovin,  Joseph  Wilkinson;  ensigns,  Allen 
C.  Wilmot,  George  Cotterell,  jr.,  Jean  Baptiste  Cicott,  James  Con- 
nor, John  Dix,  Francois  Rivard,  Francois  Tremble,  John  Ruland, 
John  Burnett;  chaplain.  Rev.  Gabriel  Richard;  surgeon,  William  Mc- 
Croskey. 

Second  Regiment — Colonel,  John  Anderson;  lieutenant  colonel,  Fran- 

379 


cois  Navarre;  major,  Lewis  Bond;  adjutant,  Giles  Barnes;  quarter- 
master, Alex.  Ewings;  surgeon,  Ethan  Baldwin;  surgeon's  mate, 
Bernard  Parker;  captains,  Joseph  Jobin,  Jean  Baptiste  Beaugrand, 
Francois  Lasselle,  Hubert  La  Croix,  Jean  Baptiste  Jeraume,  Joseph 
Menard,  William  Griffith,  Prosper  Thebeau;  lieutenants,  Hyacinth  La 
Joy,  Francois  De  Forgue,  Jean  Baptiste  La  Salle,  Jacques  Martin, 
Jean  Baptiste  Couteur,  Jacques  W.  Navarre,  Thomas  Knaggs,  Andrew 
Jourdon.  Cornet  of  cavalry,  Samuel  Moore;  ensigns,  Joseph  Cavalier, 
James  Knaggs,  Alexis  Loranger,  Joseph  Bourdeaux,  Isidore  Navarre, 
Joseph  Huntingdon,  Dominique  Drouillard. 

Legionary  Corps — Lieutenant-colonel,  Elijah  Brush;  major,  James 
Abbott;  adjutant,  Abraham  Fuller  Hull;  quartermaster,  Charles  Curry; 
surgeon,  John  Brown,  Captain  of  cavalry,  James  Lasalle;  captain  of 
artillery,  John  Williams;  captain  of  light  infantry,  George  Hoffman; 
captain  of  riflemen,  William  McDowell  Scott;  lieutenant  of  cavalry, 
Richard  Smythe;  first  lieutenant  of  artillery,  James  Dodemead;  second 
lieutenant  of  artillery,  Henry  J.  Hunt;  lieutenant  of  light  infantry, 
Benjamin  Crittenden;  lieutenant  of  riflemen,  Barnabas  Campeau;  cor- 
net of  cavalry,  Gabriel  Godefroy  or  Godfroy,  jr. ;  ensign  of  light  in- 
fantry, George  Meldrum;  ensign  of  riflemen,  Pierre  Navarre. 

Governor  Hull  prescribed  most  elaborate  uniforms  for  his  territorial 
troops.  According  to  his  orders  the  privates  were  ordered  to  clothe 
themselves  in  long  coats  of  dark  blue  cloth,  the  skirts  reaching  to  the 
knee  and  they  were  to  be  ornamented  with  large  white  buttons. 
Their  pantaloons  were  to  be  of  the  same  material  for  winter  wear  and 
of  white  duck  for  summer.  The  vests  were  to  be  of  white  cloth  all  the 
year.  Half  boots,  or  high  gaiters  were  to  be  their  foot  gear,  and 
round  black  hats,  ornamented  with  a  black  feather,  tipped  with  red 
were  required  for  head  covering.  Officers  of  the  First  Regiment  were 
to  wear  similar  clothing,  to  which  w^as  added  a  red  cape  for  the  coat, 
silver  straps  and  epaulettes  to  designate  their  rank,  and  a  cocked  hat 
with  a  white  plume.  The  coats  were  to  be  faced  with  buff.  Artillery- 
men were  to  have  coats  turned  up  with  red  and  a  red  cord  running 
down  the  leg  of  their  trousers,  and  red  plumes.  Riflemen  were, to 
have  green  uniforms  with  short  coats,  and  the  plumes  on  their  hats 
were  to  be  green.  Taken  altogether  the  uniforms  required  were  better 
adapted  for  the  clothing  of  a  royal  body  guard  than  for  the  dressing  of 
a  backwoods  militia  corps.  They  were  entirely  beyond  the  means  of 
the  men  who  were  ordered  to  purchase  them.     The  order  was  issued  in 

280 


ELLIOTT    G.  STEVENSON. 


the  fall  of  1805,  and  the  men  were  directed  to  appear  on  duty  in  full 
uniform  after  June  1,  180G.  There  was  method  in  the  governor's  mad- 
ness. 

Before  issuing  the  order  Governor  Hull  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
stock  his  store  with  cassimeres,  ducks,  hats,  plumes,  silver  braid,  but- 
tons and  epaulettes,  and  his  uniforms  were  planned  so  as  to  create  a 
sale  for  this  stock  and  give  him  a  big  profit.  The  officers,  puffed  up 
with  personal  vanity,  and  for  the  purpose  of  setting  an  example  to  their 
men,  procured  their  uniforms  in  spite  of  the  hardship  it  imposed  upon 
them,  but  the  privates  rebelled  and  said  they  would  not  be  forced  into 
patronage  of  the  governor's  store.  They  realized  that  they  were  but  a 
small  body  of  country  militia,  and  said  that  all  this  starch,  lace  and 
buckram  which  the  martinet  of  a  governor  sought  to  impose  upon  them 
was  ridiculous,  considering  their  scanty  means.  When  June  1  passed 
and  the  privates  still  remained  ununiformed,  their  colonels  sought  to 
enforce  the  order  by  placing  some  of  the  leaders  in  the  opposition  un- 
der arrest.  The  soldiers  cheerfully  submitted  and  the  officers  asked 
their  governor  for  advice.  Governor  Hull  told  them  to  be  patient  but 
firm,  and  the  men  would  comply  in  due  time.  Complaints  were  so 
emphatic  that  the  grand  jury  protested  against  the  enforcement  of  the 
order  and  the  soldiers  refused  to  appear  for  drill.  A  corporal's  guard 
had  to  be  sent  around  to  drag  them  to  duty,  and  some  of  them  were 
punished  with  lashes.  They  had  one  strong  sympathizer  in  Stanley 
Griswold,  secretary  of  the  territory,  and  Governor  Hull  ordered  his 
arrest  on  the  charge  of  counseling  the  militia  to  disobey.  He  was  tried 
before  Justices  James  May,  George  McDougall  and  Richard  Smythe. 
The  two  former  were  both  officers  of  the  militia  and  they  held  Griswold 
to  his  personal  recognizance  in  the  sum  of  $1,000,  while  Justice  Smythe 
dissented.  The  strained  relations  between  governor  and  militia  had 
dragged  along  for  two  years,  then  Griswold's  term  expired  April 
1,  1808,  and  he  left  the  town.  Reuben  Attwater,  who  had  an  extraor- 
dinary respect  for  the  governor,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  The 
time  was  fast  approaching  when  proficiency  in  arms  would  become  of 
more  importance  to  the  militia  than  their  appearance  on  dress  parade. 
The  Indians  were  menacing  Detroit  and  all  of  the  white  settlements  in 
Michigan,  and  British  outrages  on  land  and  sea  were  leading  the  Amer- 
icans on  to  a  declaration  of  war.  In  October,  1805,  the  militia  of  the 
River  Sinclair  (St.  Clair)  were  detached  from  the  First  Regiment  and 
formed  a  battalion   of   four  companies.     Captain   George  Cotterell  was 

281 


made  lieutenant-colonel  and  Captain   Louis  Campeau,    major  of  this 
battalion. 

A  humorous  sketch  of  a  drill  of  a  company  of  Michigan  militia,  com- 
posed of  French  habitans,  appears  in  Mrs.  Hamlin's  "Legends  of  De- 
troit." The  commander,  Captain  Jean  Cecire,  who  was  very  conceited 
and  pretentious,  forms  his  company  in  line,  orders  his  sergeant  to  call 
the  roll,  with  the  following  results: 

Sergeant — "Attention,  Companie  Francais  Canadians!  Answer  your 
name  when  I  call  it,  if  you  please.  Tock,  Tock,  Livernois? "  No  ans- 
wer: at  last  a  voice  says :  "Not  here,  gone  catch  his  lambreuer  [fast 
pacer]  in  the  bush." 

Captain — "Sergeant,  put  peen  hole  in  dat  man.      Go  'head." 

Sergeant — "  Laurant  Bondy?" 

"  Here,   sah." 

"  Claude  Campau?" 

"Here,  monsieur. " 

"Antoine  Salliotte?"  Some  one  answers — "Little  baby  came  last 
night  at  his  house;  must  stay  at  home." 

Captain — "  Sergeant,  put  one  preek  on  dat  man's  name." 

Sergeant — "  L'Enfant  Riopelle?" 

"  Here,  sah." 

Sergeant — "  Piton  Laforest?" 

"  Here,  sah." 

vSergeant — "Simon  Meloche?" 

"Not  here,  gone  to  spear  muskrat  for  argent  blanc  [silver  money]." 

Captain — "Sergeant,  take'your  peen  and  scratch  dat  man." 

After  the  roll  was  called  and  the  absentees  pricked,  the  captain  pro- 
ceeded to  drill  his  company. 

Captain — "  March ee,  mes  camarades,  deux  par  deux  [two  and  two] 
like  oxen,  and  when  you  come  to  dat  stump,  stop. " 

They  all  made  for  the  place  and  got  there  in  a  heap,  looking,  with 
their  colored  dresses,  like  a  rainbow  on  a  spree.  Disgusted  at  their 
awkwardness  the  captain  gave  them  a  few  minutes'  relaxation.  Instead 
of  resting  "  au  militaire,"  they  rushed  off,  one  to  smoke  his  beloved 
pipe,  another  to  polish  his  carbine,  whilst  others  amused  themselves 
sitting  on  the  grass  telling  about  the  races.  The  captain  called  them 
to  try  again.     This  time  he  said : 

"  Marchee  as  far  as  dat  Soulier  de  boeuf  [old  shoe]  in  de  road,  den 
turn!  right,  gauche,  left  about!  Shoulder  mus-keete!  Avance  done 
back.      D'"f^el  feneesh !  " 

282 


Governor  Hull  and  Judge  Woodward  did  not  scruple  to  usurp  all  the 
powers  of  the  people.  They  passed  an  act  in  1806,  which  annulled  the 
act  of  1802,  incorporating  Detroit  under  the  law  of  the  Northwest  Ter- 
ritory. They  gave  themselves  the  sole  authority  to  lay  out  streets, 
survey  lots  and  to  dispose  of  the  town  lands  by  sale.  This  made  them 
autocrats  of  the  town,  as  well  as  legislature  and  supreme  court  of  the 
Territory.  The  people  did  not  realize  the  full  purport  of  the  act  of  1806 
at  first.  Governor  Hull  appointed  Solomon  Sibley  mayor  of  the  town, 
and  Mr.  Sibley  called  a  mass  meeting  for  the  election  of  a  first  and 
second  council,  each  to  consist  of  three  members.  At  the  mass  meet- 
ing the  people  elected  Stanley  Griswold,  John  Harvey,  the  baker  who 
had  caused  the  fire  of  the  previous  year,  and  Peter  Desnoyers,  for  the 
first  council  or  town  senate;  and  Isaac  Jones,  John  Gentle  and  James 
Dodemead  as  the  second  council  or  co-ordinate  body.  The  city  gov- 
ernment being  entirely  under  the  control  of  the  governor  and  judges, 
proved  to  be  a  mere  farce,  and  Sibley  resigned.  Elijah  Brush  was 
then  appointed  mayor,  but  he  also  resigned  shortly  afterward. 

Judge  Woodward  began  laying  out  the  town  according  to  his  mag- 
nificent ideas,  as  if  another  Paris  was  to  spring  up  suddenly  in  the 
wilderness  of  Michigan.  Governor  Hull  built  a  pretentious  brick  res- 
idence, fifty  feet  square,  on  what  is  now  Jeflierson  avenue,  but  it  looked 
down  a  narrow  and  rather  unattractive  street.  Judge  Woodward  rem- 
edied this  effect  by  ordering  the  front  of  the  lots  vacated  and  the  houses 
moved  back,  to  widen  the  street.  One  street  he  closed  at  one  end, 
and  another  street,  upon  which  a  number  of  houses  faced,  he  cut  up 
into  lots,  leaving  the  unfortunate  householder  without  a  frontage  on 
any  thoroughfare.  Of  course  there  was  a  big  row  over  this  class  of 
proceedings,  but  when  the  two  councils  convened  and  held  a  noisy  in- 
dignation meeting,  they  found  that  they  were  powerless!  The  law 
framed  by  Woodv^^ard  and  Hull  had  been  issued  with  authority,  and  it 
gave  the  framers  supreme  power  over  the  people  of  Detroit.  If  the 
councils  passed  any  kind  of  an  ordinance  it  was  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  mayor,  who  was  the  appointee  of  the  governor,  and  there  was 
no  way  of  passing  over  his  vote.  The  people  were  so  disgusted  with 
this  usurpation  of  their  rights,  and  the  knowledge  that  they  were 
powerless  to  remove  the  will  of  their  rulers,  that  they  refused  to  vote 
for  councilmen  after  the  first  election  in  1806. 

A  great  source  of  dissatisfaction  was  the  taking  of  the  commons  from 
the  people.      From  Cadillac's  time  it  had  alwa5^s   been   used  as  public 

283 


property  and  a  pasture  ground.  But  the  governor  and  judges  saw  that 
in  the  plan  for  the  new  city  the  adjacent  land  was  indispensable  and 
that  the  commons  must  come  under  the  contemplated  improvement. 
The  same  indignation  was  exhibited  against  laying  out  the  ten-thou- 
sand acre  tract  on  both  sides  of  Woodward  avenue,  and  also  the  park 
lots  on  either  side  of  that  thoroughfare.  A  good  deal  of  this  opposition 
was  characterized  by  ignorance  and  prejudice,  but  in  all  matters  of  this 
kind,  whether  right  or  wrong,  the  royal  four  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all 
remonstrances  and  worked  their  own  sweet  will  without  regard  to  pop- 
ular disfavor.  The  authority  of  the  governor  and  judges,  except  during 
the  war  of  1812,  was  absolute,  and  it  was  not  until  1815  that  a  measure 
of  local  government  was  adopted  under  the  governorship  of  Lewis  Cass. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Bank  of  Detroit — A  Well-Planned  Swindle  which  Gave  the  Promoters  Riches 
and  the  People  of  Michigan  a  Bad  Reputation — A  Large  Amount  of  Worthless  Bills 
Circulated  but  Never  Redeemed— Early  Grand  Juries— 1806-1808. 

In  1806  much  of  the  fur  business  transacted  at  Detroit  was  carried 
on  by  Boston  capitalists,  and  the  scarcity  of  actual  money  and  the  en- 
tire absence  of  banking  facilities  at  the  Detroit  end  of  the  business, 
caused  no  end  of  inconvenience.  In  the  spring  of  1806  Russel  Sturges, 
a  wealthy  fur  dealer,  and  several  other  Boston  capitalists,  sent  a  petition 
to  Governor  Hull  asking  the  governor  and  judges  to  charter  a  bank, 
which  the  proponents  promised  the  capitalize  to  the  amount  of  $400,000. 
Without  waiting  for  a  charter  the  banking  firm  sent  on  Parker  and 
Broadstreet,  their  agents,  who  prepared  to  erect  a  bank  building. 
They  also  elected  officers  before  the  authority  was  granted.  The  char- 
ter was  issued  to  the  Bank  of  Detroit  in  September,  1808.  Judge 
Woodward  was  already  president  and  William  Flanagan,  of  Boston, 
cashier.  The  bank  building,  which  was  erected  that  fall  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  street,  was  a  small 
structure  of  one  story,  but  was  strong  and  massive.  The  charter  lim- 
ited the  capital  of  the  bank  to  $1,000,000  and  its  term  was  to  be  101 
years.     This  was  most  liberal,  as  the  actual  investment  did  not  exceed 

284 


$20,000.  Governor  Hull  was  authorized  to  subscribe  for  the  stock 
without  limitation,  and  took  ten  shares  in  the  name  of  the  Territory  of 
Michigan.  This  was  probably  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  upon  the 
minds  of  the  public  that  the  institution  had  the  backing  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Michigan.  Shares  were  offered  at  $25  in  the  open  subscrip- 
tion, but  when  a  sufficient  quantity  had  been  subscribed  to  please  the 
promoters,  the  balance  of  10,000  shares  were  taken  privately  by  the 
Boston  parties  at  $2  a  share.  Leaving  Judge  Woodward  and  Cashier 
Flanagan  in  charge,  the  Boston  representatives,  Parker  and  Broad- 
street,  went  east,  carrying  with  them  Detroit  Bank  bills  to  the  amount 
of  $100,000  to  $150,000.  Congress  disapproved  of  the  act  of  the  Mich- 
igan governor  and  judges  in  granting  this  charter,  and  the  bank  was 
compelled  to  discontinue  business  next  year  for  lack  of  authority. 

In  reviewing  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  founding  of  this, 
the  first  monetary  institution  of  Detroit,  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the 
conclusion  that  both  President  Woodward  and  Governor  Hull  were  not 
men  of  integrity.  Both  were  active  promoters  of  the  fraudulent  con- 
cern. The  latter  confessed  in  an  official  letter  to  President  Madison, 
in  1807,  that  $80,000  to  $100,000  of  the  bank's  bills  were  sent  to  agents 
at  Boston.  There  they  went  into  circulation,  scattering  all  over  New 
England,  but  they  were  never  redeemed  at  Detroit  with  the  exception 
of  $500,  which  were  redeemed  under  threat  of  publicity.  Who  re- 
ceived the  value  of  these  bills?  Hull  and  Woodward  denied  receiving 
any  part  of  the  proceeds,  but  it  is  contrary  to  probability  that  they  told 
the  truth.  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  a  private  bank  would  go  to  the 
expense  and  trouble  of  issuing  $100,000  worth  of  paper  currency,  the 
president  and  cashier  affixing  their  signatures  to  every  bill,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  sending  them  for  free  distribution  in  a  distant  mart  of  trade. 
When  Woodward  came  to  Detroit  he  was  a  poor  man,  and  although  he 
maintained  a  bachelor's  household  and  entertained  a  little,  his  small  sal- 
ary of  $1,200  per  annum  would  not  account  for  his  subsequent  wealth. 
He  certainly  acquired  money  while  in  Detroit  and  became  a  very  ex- 
tensive land  owner.  He  was  a  rich  man  when  he  left  the  city,  yet  he 
never  engaged  in  trade  nor  in  any  visible  business  save  the  purchase 
and  sale  of  land,  and  his  sales  did  not  aggregate  a  tithe  of  his  wealth. 
If  there  was  any  money  or  property  acquired  in  exchange  for  the  bills 
issued  by  the  Bank  of  Detroit,  which  is  the  most  probable  conclusion. 
Woodward  and  Hull  must  have  received  a  large  share  of  it.  In  1825 
Judge  Woodward,  after  he  had  resigned  his  position  as  judge,  or  rather, 

285 


after  he  had  been  legislated  out  of  office,  and  just  before  he  left  for 
Washington  to  obtain  a  new  appointment  as  federal  judge  in  Florida, 
offered  all  his  property  in  Michigan  Territory  for  sale.  It  consisted  of 
220  feet  on  Jefferson  avenue,  with  a  storehouse  of  sixteen  rooms; 
about  750  acres,  comprising  the  site  of  Ypsilanti  and  its  mill  privilege ; 
320  acres  on  Woodward  avenue,  about  six  miles  north  of  Detroit,  on 
which  he  had  projected  a  village  to  be  called  Woodwardville ;  and 
eighteen  farms  of  fifty-three  and  a  third  acres  each,  adjacent  to  the 
out  lots  of  the  city  of  Detroit;  these  are  all  now  within  the  city  limits. 
For  this  property,  divided  and  valued  in  detail,  he  set  an  aggregate  price 
of  about  $100,000.  Of  course  they  were  purchased  for  a  much  smaller 
sum,  but  the  wonder  arises  how  he  could  have  paid  the  money  for  even 
$25,000  worth  of  land. 

The  conduct  of  the  governor  and  judges,  both  as  jurists  and  legislators, 
was  so  wanton  in  its  disregard  for  justice,  that  the  people  were  in  a  con- 
tinual state  of  exasperation.  In  some  cases  the  judges  seemed  inclined 
to  make  a  bid  for  popularity  in  their  decisions,  but  occasionally  over- 
shot the  mark  and  retraced  their  steps.  One  instance  occurred  in  1806, 
when  the  court  fined  some  of  the  officers  of  the  garrison  for  surrender- 
ing some  deserters  from  Fort  Maiden  to  British  officers.  It  appeared 
that  British  officers  at  Fort  Maiden  and  the  American  officers  at  De- 
troit, being  on  good  terms,  had  agreed  to  surrender  to  each  other  any 
deserter  who  might  come  in  their  lines.  A  British  soldier  deserted 
from  Fort  Maiden  and  came  to  Detroit.  Two  British  officers  followed, 
and  at  night  with  the  aid  of  three  American  officers,  arrested  the  de- 
serter, but  the  populace  learned  of  it  and  the  deserter  was  set  at  liberty. 
The  three  American  officers  were  tried  by  the  judges,  found  guilty  and 
fined,  and  also  sentenced  to  imprisonment.  This  was  punishment  with 
a  vengeance,  and  the  inhabitants  .were  shocked  and  indignant  at  the 
severity  of  the  sentences.  But  in  a  day  or  two,  when  the  judges  real- 
ized the  popular  feeling,  the  fines  were  reduced  to  a  few  cents  in  each 
case  and  the  imprisonments  canceled. 

In  1800  a  code  of  laws  was  prepared  by  the  two  judges.  It  was  known 
as  the  Woodward  code,  and  subsequently  proved  to  be  a  very  faulty 
compilation.  The  territory  was  divided  into  three  districts,  the  Erie, 
the  Huron  and  the  Mackinaw,  and  courts  were  provided  for  each,  at 
which  one  of  the  supreme  justices  was  to  sit. .  The  court  had  exclusive 
jurisdiction  in  criminal  cases  and  also  in  civil  cases  involving  more  than 
$20.      Minor  cases  were  tried  by  justices  of  the  peace.      Records  of  the 

286 


old  court  proceedings  show  that  they  were  often  irregular  and  that  the 
laws  were  ludicrously  crude.  Although  the  inhabitants  were  dissatis- 
fied with  the  rule  of  governor  and  judges,  it  is  not  probable  that  they 
would  have  preferred  the  old  way,  by  which  the  military  commandant 
was  the  sole  arbiter  of  justice  in  the  colony.  Nevertheless  they  found 
abundant  cause  for  grumbling  in  the  new  order  of  things,  and  their 
complaints  were  vented  as  effectively  as  possible  by  the  action  of  grand 
juries.  The  address  of  the  grand  jury  to  the  judges  in  1807  criticised 
the  manner  in  which  the  public  moneys  were  expended  and  asked  that 
a  list  be  made  of  citizens  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory  who  were  eligible  to 
be  drawn  for  jury  duty. 

James  Witherell,  who  succeeded  Frederick  Bates,  took  his  seat  with 
Governer  Hull  and  his  fellow  judges,  Woodward  and  Grifiin,  on  April 
3,  1808.  He  was  born  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  on  June  16,  1759,  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier  at  seventeen,  and  was  present  at  the  battles  of 
White  Plains,  Long  Island,  Stillwater,  Bemis  Heights,  Monmouth  and 
at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  He  was  also  with  Washington  at  Valley 
Forge,  and  saw  the  execution  of  Major  Andre  at  Tappan.  When  the 
war  was  over  he  went  to  Connecticut,  where  he  studied  medicine  and 
became  a  physician.  In  Rutland  county  he  was  elected  chief  justice 
of  the  County  Court  and  was  congressman  in  1807.  While  a  member 
of  the  House  Jefferson  appointed  him  to  be  one  of  the  judges  in  Michi- 
gan Territory.  When  he  came  to  Detroit  he  was  forty-nine  years  of 
age  and  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  with  a  stalwart,  upright  frame, 
blue  eyes,  brown  hair,  ruddy  complexion,  large  nose  and  resolute 
mouth.  He  was  a  public  spirited  citizen,  an  honest  man  and  good 
jurist,  with  a  firm,  decided  mind.  He  was  not  a  profound  lawyer,  but 
he  had  clear  common  sense  and  an  inflexible  will.  On  the  bench  he 
nearly  always  opposed  Woodward  in  his  vagaries  and  perversity  of  law 
and  justice.  In  the  records  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  and  Land 
Board  from  1807  to  1815,  in  which  latter  year  Cass  became  governor, 
the  vote  was  nearly  always  Witherell  and  Hull  against  Woodward  and 
Griffin.  But  Witherell  was  a  stronger  man  than  Hull,  and  it  was  gen- 
erally his  purposes,  rather  than  those  of  the  governor,  which  were  the 
rule  of  action.  Upon  the  bench  Witherell  was  in  the  minority,  for 
Woodward  and  Griffin  always  voted  together,  but  his  stern  outspoken 
protest:  "  I  do  not  see  the  force  of  that  decision;  there  appears  to  be 
no  sense  in  it,"  was  frequently  heard  on  the  bench.  When  Hull  sur- 
rendered Detroit  he  broke  his  sword,  and  refused  to  surrender  his  corps, 

287 


and  they  went  to  their  homes.  He  was  sent  with  his  son  and  son-in- 
law  to  Kingston,  Upper  Canada,  where  they  were  paroled.  He  went 
back  to  Vermont  but  returned  when  the  British  surrendered  Detroit  in 
1813.  Resuming  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  served  as  judge  until  1828, 
when  he  resigned  and  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  Territory,  and 
after  acted  as  governor  during  Cass's  frequent  absences.  He  died  at 
his  home  on  the  site  of  the  present  Detroit  opera  house,  on  January 
!),  1838,  aged  seventy-nine  years.  He  was  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
ex-Senator  Thomas  W.  Palmer. 

The  United  States  grand  jury  presentment  in  1809,  of  which  George 
Hoffman  was  foreman,  was  thoroughly  characteristic  of  jurors'  action 
at  that  period.  Hoffman  was  a  prominent  citizen;  was  first  register 
of  the  United  States  Land  Office  in  1804-05,  and  postmaster  in  180G. 
In  this  presentment  Governor  Hull  was  indicted  for  an  alleged  abuse  of 
executive  clemency  in  the  case  of  John  Whipple.  The  latter  was  a 
former  captain  in  the  United  States  army  and  was  a  friend  of  Hull, 
who  had  appointed  him  Indian  interpreter.  Whipple  had  been  inter- 
ested in  a  case  in  the  Supreme  Court  which  was  decided  contrary  to  his 
interests,  and  he  took  the  first  opportunity  to  charge  Judge  Woodward 
with  favoritism  and  denounced  him  to  his  face  as  a  d — d  rascal.  Whipple 
was  arrested,  and  at  first  Woodward  proposed  to  try  him  before  himself 
and  the  other  supreme  judges,  but  was  persuaded  to  have  two  justices 
of  the  peace,  one  of  whom  was  Robert  Abbott,  to  sit  with  him  on  the 
case.  Whipple  was  tried,  convicted  and  fined  ;|50  Governor  Hull 
promptly  remitted  the  fine.  The  relations  of  the  governor  and  Wood- 
ward had  been  strained  for  some  time,  but  this  almost  severed  them  in 
a  personal  sense.  Everybody,  including  the  grand  jurors,  believed 
that  the  fine  was  remitted  by  the  governor  for  the  purpose  of  spiting 
the  judge,  and  their  indignation  at  the  latter  was  expressed  in  the 
presentment  as  follows: 

"  History,  the  record  of  facts,  shows  that  under  every  form  of  gov- 
ernment, man,  when  invested  with  authority,  from  the  weakness  and 
imbecility  of  his  nature,  has  a  strong  propensity  to  assume  powers  with 
which  he  is  not  legally  clothed.  Fully  persuaded  of  this  truth  from 
reflection  and  observation,  we,  the  grand  jury  for  the  body  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Michigan,  after  having  heard  witnesses  and  a  free  and  dispas- 
sionate discussion  and  consideration  of  their  testimony,  on  our  oath 
present,  that  William  Hull,  governor  of  this  territory,  did  on  the  27th 
day  of  February,  1809,  illegally   and   without  any  color  of  authority, 

288 


GEORGE  H.  BARBOUR. 


sign  an  instrument  in  writing  as  said  governor  of  the  Territory, 
remitting  the  fine  of  $50  imposed  on  Whipple  by  the  Supreme  Court, 
.  .  .  and  we  the  said  grand  jurors  have  a  confident  hope  that  the 
Supreme  Court  will  carry  into  effect  their  own  judgment." 

It  was  at  this  period,  and  probably  the  result  of  the  quarrels  between 
the  governor  and  the  judges,  that  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  obtain 
for  Michigan  the  second  form  of  government,  wherein  the  legislative 
department  was  severed  from  the  judiciary  and  became  elective. 

In  1809  the  first  printing  press  was  brought  to  the  Territory,  as  will 
be  detailed  hereafter,  and  almost  the  first  use  to  which  it  was  devoted 
was  printing  the  proceedings  of  the  grand  jury  in  their  presentment  of 
Governor  Hull  in  remitting  Whipple's  fine.  This  presentment  is  dated 
September  26,  1809.  A  meeting  of  citizens  was  at  once  called  to  con- 
sider the  matter  of  a  change  in  the  form  of  government,  and,  after 
forming  themselves  into  a  permanent  organization,  they  appointed  a 
committee,  consisting  of  Augustus  B.  Woodward,  George  Hoffman, 
James  Henry,  Solomon  Sibley  and  James  May,  to  inquire  into  the  dif- 
ferent forms  of  territorial  government  of  the  United  States,  and  then 
adjourned  till  the  16tli  of  October  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Richard 
Smythe.  At  this  adjourned  meeting  Augustus  B.  Woodward  presided 
and  George  Hoffman  acted  as  secretary.  The  proceedings  were  printed 
in  French  and  English  and  posted  up  in  conspicuous  places  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  copies  were  sent  to  the  more  prominent  citizens  in  other 
settlements  of  the  Territory.  The  resolutions  adopted  took  the  follow- 
ing form : 

"  That  it  is  expedient  to  alter  the  present  form  of  government  of  this  Territory, 
and  to  adopt  a  form  of  government  by  which  two  bodies,  elected  annually  by  the 
people,  should  make  the  laws,  instead  of  the  executive  and  the  three  judicial  magis- 
trates, appointed  by  the  general  government,  adoptittg  them ;  the  first  to  consist  of 
five  representatives,  and  the  second  of  three  councilors,  the  executive  to  have  a 
qualified  veto,  under  such  modifications  as  Congress  in  their  wisdom  may  think 
proper  to  provide. 

"  That  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  be  respectfully  solicited  to  appropriate 
the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars  annually  towards  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  ter- 
ritorial legislature,  constituted  on  the  foregoing  principles. 

"  That  it  is  expedient  that  the  people  of  this  Territory  should  be  represented  in 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  by  a  delegate  to  be  elected  by  the  people." 

These  resolutions,  which  were  submitted  to  Congress,  anticipated  by 
some  years  the  actual  change  of  government  that  the  citizens  then  de- 
sired, for  the  first  delegate  was  sent  to  Congress  in  1819,  and  the  first 
elective  legislative  body  was  chosen  in  1824. 

289 


The  meetings  that  had  been  called,  and  the  discussions  that  had  at- 
tended them,  had  partly  persuaded  the  people  that  the  laws  which  had 
been  adopted,  conformable  to  the  ordinance  of  1787,  were  illegal  and 
not  properly  applicable  to  our  Territory.  It  was  partly  for  the  purpose 
of  remedying  this  evil  that  the  change  in  government  was  sought  to  be 
obtained.  Governor  Hull  was  so  greatly  excited  by  the  popular  clamor 
that,  three  days  later  (October  19,  1809),  he  issued  a  proclamation, 
under  the  territorial  seal,  calling  upon  all  good  citizens  to  enforce  the 
laws  as  they  found  them,  and  advising  them  that  Congress  alone  had 
the  power  to  declare  them  null  and  void. 

Peter  B.  Porter  presented  the  petition  of  the  citizens  in  Congress  on 
the  21st  day  of  February,  1810.  More  important  matters  occupied  the 
attention  of  Congress  at  this  time,  for  it  was  then  discussing  the  ques- 
tions that  resulted  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  the  excitement  the  Mich- 
igan petition  was  lost  sight  of,  and  nothing  further  was  done  in  the 
direction  of  self-government  for  the  Territory  until  long  after  the  war 
was  closed. 

The  grand  jurors  of  those  days,  like  death,  loved  a  shining  mark, 
and  like  the  Irishman  at  Donnybrook  fair,  hit  any  head  that  showed 
itself.  After  upholding  the  judiciary  against  the  executive,  the  same 
grand  jury  turned  around  and  denounced  the  same  man  in  their  legis- 
lative capacity.  The  legislature,  namely,  the  governor  and  judges,  had 
passed  an  act  laying  out  and  opening  a  road  from  the  foot  of  the  rapids 
of  the  Miami  River  to  Detroit,  and  in  the  early  part  of  1809  had  passed 
an  appropriation  act  which  provided  for  the  payment  of  James  With- 
erell,  one  of  the  judges,  William  McD.  Scott  and  John  Whipple,  as 
commissioners,  for  seventeen  days'  service  at  |4  per  day.  for  exploring 
and  surveying  the  road.  For  this  Judge  Witherell  was  censured  by  the 
jury  "  for  conduct  unbecoming  the  character  of  a  faithful  and  impartial 
judge,  for  introducing  and  voting  in  a  legislative  assembly  for  the 
above  appropriation,  especially  when  he  knew  the  expense  was  to  be 
defrayed  by  the  proceeds  of  a  lottery  authorized  by  the  terms  of  the 
act." 

The  four  rulers  were  again  presented  in  1810  for  alleged  illegal  and 
arbitrary  actions,  the  foreman,  George  McDougall,  voicing  their  senti- 
ments in  the  following  prelude:  "It  is  peculiarly  painful  and  unpleas- 
ant to  be  under  the  necessity  of  presenting  any  of  the  members  of  the 
local  government,  especially  those  who  are  placed  in  the  highest  seats 
of  justice."     George  McDougall  was  a  lawyer,  a  bon  vivant,  and  a  very 

290 


irascible  man.  He  was  born  in  Detroit  under  British  rule,  and  was  the 
son  of  Colonel  George  McDougall,  who  was  the  first  owner  of  Belle 
Isle.  Young  George  was  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1800,  chief  justice  of 
the  Territorial  District  Court  in  1807,  and  probate  judge  in  1809-18. 
In  the  war  of  1812  he  was  adjutant-general  of  the  Territory,  and  was  a 
brave  and  active  soldier.  He  became  poor  in  old  age,  was  a  lighthouse 
keeper  at  Fort  Gratiot  and  died  in  St.  Clair  about  1840,  in  extreme 
poverty.  The  proceedings  of  the  grand  jury  of  1811  were  the  most 
unique  and  interesting  of  any  in  the  annals  of  that  body.  First  came 
the  address  of  Judge  Woodward,  in  which  he  made  some  general 
observations  on  the  important  duties  before  them,  and  eulogized  the 
"  sacred  principles  of  liberty  and  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  law  in  the 
preservation  of  order."  His  concluding  remarks  were  as  follows: 
"  Permit  me,  gentlemen,  before  closing  my  remarks,  to  be  the  medium 
of  acquainting  you  that  the  governor  and  judges  of  this  Territory  have 
imanimously  recommended  to  all  public  officers  to  be  clothed  in  Amer- 
ican manufactures  when  engaged  in  the  exercise  of  their  official  func- 
tions, after  the  4th  day  of  July,  1813.  In  obedience  to,  or  rather  in 
anticipation  of,  their  recommendation,  I  have  the  honor  to  appear  now 
before  you  clothed  completely  in  the  manufacture  of  our  countr}^ 
trusting  that  even  an  humble  example  may  not  be  without  some  weight 
or  utility.  Perhaps  among  the  many  splendid  plans  which  intelligent 
and  patriotic  characters  may  have  contemplated  for  the  encouragement 
of  domestic  manufacture,  none  may  prove  more  efficacious  than  the 
simple  rule  of  every  citizen  in  his  own  person,  restricting  his  consump- 
tion to  them." 

After  alluding  in  a  hopeful  vein  to  the  proposed  system  of  canals 
projected  in  New  York,  he  closed  by  making  the  following  prophecy, 
already  abundantly  realized : 

"  The  face  of  this  fine  region  of  our  continent  will  soon  be  fairly  ex- 
panded by  the  rays  of  American  enterprise,  and  the  day  is  not  distant 
when  we  shall  behold  the  energy  of  its  operation.  Perhaps  our  own 
era  may  witness  the  extension  of  our  settlements  to  the  Pacific,  and 
the  standard  of  our  republic  reflected  from  the  shores  of  another  ocean." 

If  Woodward  supposed  that  he  would  gain  ground  with  the  jurors 
by  disquisitions  on  the  encouragement  of  home  industry,  or  by  proph- 
ecies of  material  progress,  he  was  woefully  mistaken.  The  present- 
ment made  a  few  days  later  was  a  scorcher,  and  showed  that  the  jurors 
were  thoroughly  independent  men,  and  no  respecters  of  persons.      It 

291 


started  off  by  denouncing  the  authorities,  the  governor  and  judges,  for 
their  delay  in  building  a  jail,  and  called  attention  to  the  act  of  Con- 
gress directing  its  erection  and  providing  for  its  cost  by  the  sale  of  ten 
thousand  acres  of  land.  Another  count  was  a  virtual  indictment  of 
Judge  Woodward.  It  recited  that  he  had  refused  to  sit  on  the  trial  of 
a  person  accused  of  the  murder  of  an  Indian,  under  the  plea  that  he 
was  not  possessed  of  a  freehold  estate  of  500  acres,  as  required  by  the 
territorial  ordinance,  and  that  he  had  previously  sat  on  the  trial  of  an 
Indian  for  a  similar  offense.  The  jury  characterized  this  inconsistent 
action  as  "either  an  unwarrantable  assumption  of  power,  or  an  egre- 
gious dereliction  of  duty."  Another  count  hauled  him  over  the  coals 
for  having  Whitmore  Knaggs — scout,  interpreter  and  spy,  under  Gen- 
erals St.  Clair  and  Wayne,  and  Indian  interpreter  imder  Hull — arrest- 
ed and  brought  before  him  on  a  charge  of  assault  and  battery  on 
himself,  when  there  were  two  other  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  who 
might  have  been  called  to  try  the  case ;  also  that  he  had  called  up  the 
case  in  court  without  giving  notice  to  Knaggs,  and  adjudged  that  he 
should  give  $1, 500  bonds  to  keep  the  peace.  For  these  and  other  reasons 
the  jury  conceived  that  the  conduct  of  Judge  Woodward  was  "  unprec- 
edented, unwarrantable,  arbitrary  and  tyrannical,  and  tending  to  pros- 
trate the  sacred  barriers  which  the  wisdom  of  our  laws  have  erected 
against  encroachment  on  the  liberties  of  the  citizen."  Copies  of  the 
presentment  were  ordered  sent  to  Judge  Woodward  and  the  other 
Supreme  Court  judges,  the  president  of  the  United  States,  president  of 
the  Senate  and  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Judge  Woodward's  reply  to  this  attack  was  respectful  and  quite  in- 
genious. He  commenced  by  stating  that  "the  laws  of  a  free  country, 
gentlemen,  touch  the  motives  of  mankind  with  a  gentle  hand,  and 
cautious  ought  those  to  be  to  whom  it  is  entrusted,  that  neither  public 
passions  or  private  malignity  interpose  or  influence."  He  admitted 
that  the  statement  of  his  action  in  the  case  of  Whitmore  Knaggs,  an 
appointee  of  the  governor,  was  correct,  and  added  with  sarcasm,  that 
in  a  previous  case,  "  where  another  of  the  particular  friends  of  the 
governor  [meaning  John  Whipple]  made  an  assault  on  one  of  the 
judges  [himself]  for  matters  connected  with  his  public  functions,  an 
adjudication  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  rendered  [he  might  have  added 
that  the  dictum  of  the  court  was  negatived  by  the  governor's  action, 
but  every  juror  knew  what  he  meant]."  In  that  case  the  court  enter- 
tained a  full  conviction  that  it  had  the  power,  and  that  it  was  his  duty 

292 


to  himself  to  institute  proceedings  against  the  offender.  A  judge,  he 
argued,  is  a  conservator  of  the  public  peace,  and  is  always  in  the  ex- 
ecution of  his  office,  and  the  law  arms  him  with  power  for  the  pro- 
tection of  others  and  also  himself.  Even  words  of  threatening  and 
abuse  toward  him  in  relation  to  his  public  duties  are  regarded  in  a 
similar  light.  He  contended  that  the  subsequent  proceedings  were 
public,  but  that  the  parties  did  not  wish  to  be  present,  and  it  was  not 
deemed  proper  to  coerce  them.  "An  act  of  benevolence,"  he  added, 
"  is  not  to  be  converted  into  an  act  of  oppression." 

The  judge  concluded  by  saying  that  he  would  transmit  the  present- 
ment with  other  documents  to  the  speaker  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, "  but  it  would  not  be  considered  respectful  or  proper  to  trouble 
the  other  public  functionaries  with  the  subject."  The  names  of  the 
jurors  who  returned  the  above  presentment  were  James  Henry,  fore- 
man, George  Cottava,  James  Connor,  George  McDougall,  J.  Farwell, 
Jacob  Visger,  John  Anderson,  J.  B.  Beaugrand,  David  Beard,  T.  East- 
man, Henry  Berthelet,  Chabert  de  Joncaire,  John  Dodemead,  Samuel 
T,  Dyson,  M.  Leinger  and  Josiah  Brady. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  Plan  to  Drive  the  Americans  out  of  the  West — They 
Rouse  the  Indians  to  HostiUty,  Intending  to  Unite  with  the  British— General  Har- 
rison Defeats  Them  at  the  Battle  of  Tippecanoe,  November  7,  1811. 

When  Hull  was  made  governor  of  the  Territory  he  was  also  made  In- 
dian agent,  an  office  which  was  then  connected  with  that  of  the  execu- 
tive. The  last  named  office  was  very  important,  as  there  were  then 
only  4,860  white  persons  in  the  Territory,  of  whom  about  four-fifths 
were  French,  and  the  remainder  Americans,  with  a  few  British.  The 
Indian  settlements  comprised  those  of  the  Potawatomies,  Miamis, 
Wyandottes,  Chippewas,  Winnebagoes,  Ottawas  and  others.  These 
were  the  tribes  which  afterward  united  with  Tecumseh  and  the 
Prophet,  and  were  allies  of  England  against  the  United  States  in 
the  war  of  1812,  as  they  had  formerly  been  united  under  Pontiac 
against  the  English  as  allies  of  France.  The  Indians  felt  that  the 
people  of  the  United  States  were  their  natural  enemies,  because  they 

293 


were  perpetually  being  encroached  upon  by  them.  In  1806,  in  an 
official  communication  to  Secretary  of  War  Dearborn,  Hull  stated  that 
his  main  objects  were  to  extinguish  gradually  the  Indian  title,  and  to 
instruct  the  red  men  in  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts. 

In  1806  the  Indians  became  restless  under  the  teachings  of  Tecum- 
seh,  chief  of  the  Shawnees,  and  his  brother,  the  Prophet.  The  tide  of 
American  immigration  was  beginning  to  flow  westward,  and  the  In- 
dians resented  the  settling  of  the  white  men  on  what  they  considered 
their  hunting  grounds.  The  Americans  were  farmers  and  proposed  to 
permanently  occupy  the  land,  but  the  British  who  came  west  were 
either  traders  or  hunters  like  themselves.  These  causes  had  already 
begun  to  produce  the  Indian  confederation  of  which  Tecumseh  and  his 
brother  were  the  principal  heads.  The  two  went  everywhere  and  held 
innumerable  councils,  and  belts  of  wampum  rapidly  circulated  between 
all  the  tribes.  In  this  movement  the  hand  of  Great  Britain  was  some- 
times discernible.  At  this  time  the  Indian  title  had  only  been  extin- 
guished in  Michigan  at  the  post  of  Detroit  and  the  district  adjacent, 
bounded  north  by  Lake  St.  Clair  and  south  by  the  River  Raisin;  also 
at  Mackinac  Island,  at  the  adjacent  island  of  Bois  Blanc  and  six  miles 
of  the  adjacent  mainland.  Except  these  small  strips  of  land,  all  of 
Michigan  was,  legally,  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Indians.  In  pur- 
suance with  this  plan,  Hull  executed  treaties  at  Detroit  in  1807  with 
the  Ottawa,  Potawatomie  and  Wyandotte  tribes,  by  which  they  ceded 
to  the  United  States  the  territory  in  southeast  Michigan  bounded  south 
by  the  river  and  bay  of  Miami;  west  by  a  line  running  north  and  south 
through  the  middle  of  the  territory  as  far  north  as  Saginaw  Bay,  and 
north  by  a  line  running  from  this  point  to  White  Rock  on  Lake  Huron. 
In  recompense  for  this  land  annuities  were  paid.  Much  confusion 
arose  in  regard  to  land  titles,  owing  to  the  numerous  grants  made  by 
the  Indians  during  the  French  and  English  regimes,  and  to  the  con- 
flicting terms  of  the  treaties  of  Fort  Mcintosh,  Fort  Harmar  and 
Greenville.  The  Indians  were  cajoled  by  the  British  officials  and 
Indian  agents  at  Maiden  (Amherstburg)  into  the  belief  that  they  had 
been  frightened  into  signing  a  disastrous  treaty  while  they  were 
in  a  panic  resulting  from  a  defeat.  They  were  persuaded  that  they 
should  resist  the  encroachments  of  settlers  and  keep  the  Americans  out 
of  the  West.  This  caused  the  Indians  to  complain  to  Governor  Hull. 
They  had  cause  for  complaint,  as  the  greedy  settlers  seized  upon  lands 
right  and  left,  regardless  of  the  claims  of  the  Indians,  desecrating  the 

294 


graves  of  their  dead,    and,   in   more  than  one  instance,  ordering  the 
original  owners  to  vacate. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Detroit  in  1796  the  British  had  attempted  to 
fortify  Bois  Blanc  Island,  which  commands  the  navigable  mouth  of  the 
river,  but  upon  the  vehement  protests  of  the  Americans  they  abandoned 
the  island  for  a  time.  They,  however,  built  Fort  Maiden,  on  the 
mainland,  which  was  their  right  according  to  the  Jay  treaty.  The 
Indians  then  began  coming  to  Fort  Maiden,  as  they  had  come  to  De- 
troit during  the  dark  days  of  the  past.  They  were  supplied  with  pres- 
ents, rum,  guns  and  ammunition,  and  urged  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  settlers  by  force  of  arms.  If  they  did  not  do  so  they  were 
told  that  they  would  all  soon  be  driven  west  of  the  Mississippi.  This 
was  perfectly  true,  as  the  settleitl  would  eventually  drive  them  back ; 
but  stirring  them  up  to  resistance  could  only  hasten  the  day  of  their 
removal.  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  lived  on  Mad  River,  not  far  from 
the  present  site  of  Springfield,  Ohio.  Tecumseh  was  a  brave  warrior 
and  a  man  of  uncommon  intelligence  and  ability.  There  are  various 
traditions  in  regard  to  his  birth,  one  being  that  he  was  a  son  of  Gov- 
ernor Bienville  of  Louisiana  and  a  Cherokee  squaw,  another  that  he, 
the  Prophet,  and  Kamshaka,  another  brother,  were  triplets,  sons  of  a 
Creek  squaw  named  Methoataske.  Tecumseh  saw  that  the  whites  had 
no  regard  for  the  claims  of  the  Indians,  but  he  did  not  realize  the  odds 
of  superior  intelligence  and  numbers  which  were  against  his  people. 
His  plan  was  similar  in  all  respects  to  that  which  Pontiac  had  formu- 
lated half  a  century  before.  He  planned  to  attack  Detroit ;  Fort  Dear- 
born (Chicago),  which  had  been  established  by  an  expedition  from 
Detroit  in  1804 ;  Fort  Wayne,  which  General  Wayne  had  built  on  the  field 
of  General  St.  Clair's  defeat  in  1794,  and  which  he  first  named  Fort 
Recovery;  Vincennes  and  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  latter  having  become  an 
American  post  by  the  Louisiana  purchase.  In  order  to  accomplish 
this  undertaking  he  schemed  to  unite  all  the  Indians  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi against  the  Americans,  and  no  doubt  he  expected  some  help 
from  the  British.  His  influence  was  not  so  potent  as  that  of  Pontiac, 
for  the  Indians  were  now  much  demoralized  by  rum  and  by  the  crush- 
ing defeat  administered  by  Wayne,  just  as  they  had  thought  themselves 
invincible.  Tecumseh's  name  among  his  tribe  was  Tecumtha,  which 
in  the  Shawnese  tongue  signifies,  "springing  panther."  He  was  a 
well  built  man,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  with  a  face  indica- 
tive of  courage,   dignity  and    energy.      Elkswatawa  (the  loud  voice), 

295 


the  Prophet,  was  an  ill-favored  man,  who  had  lost  his  right  e}'e,  and 
was  therefore  somewhat  handicapped  for  the  chase  and  for  war,  but  he 
was  as  cvmning  as  a  fox,  although  much  addicted  to  drunkenness. 
One  day,  after  a  long  debauch,  he  fell  in  a  fit  and  was  supposed  to  be 
dead,  but  just  as  he  was  to  be  prepared  for  the  grave  he  awoke  from 
his  cataleptic  state  and  told  his  tribesmen  that  he  had  been  in  the  Land 
of  the  Blessed,  and  had  come  back  at  the  command  of  the  Great  Spirit 
to  warn  his  people  against  drunkenness,  stealing,  lying  and  witchcraft. 
He  went  about  preaching  in  his  stentorian  voice  against  these  vices, 
and  also  against  association  with  the  white  settlers,  until  he  had  a  large 
following.  In  180G  Tecumseh's  Indian  runners  were  traversing  the 
country  with  wampum  belts,  calling  in  the  chiefs  of  distant  tribes  for  a 
grand  council.  When  a  number  of  Ijhem  had  gathered  at  Mad  River 
or  at  Maiden,  the  Prophet  would  address  them,  saying  that  the  Great 
Spirit  had  appointed  him  his  agent  on  earth  to  save  the  Indians  from 
destruction  at  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  He  claimed  to  have  a 
message  from  the  first  man  created,  who  had  spoken  to  him  in  a  vision 
as  follows:  "I  am  the  father  of  the  English,  the  Indians,  and  the 
French,  and  the  Spanish,  but  the  Americans  are  not  my  people;  they 
are  the  children  of  the  evil  one.  They  grew  from  the  scum  of  the 
great  waters.  You  must  crush  and  destroy  them,  for  they  are  not  my 
kin  or  your  kin.  All  the  Indians  of  the  north,  south  and  east  must 
unite  against  them.  The  villages  which  do  not  listen  to  my  voice  will 
be  cut  off;  they  will  perish  from  the  earth."  Thus  he  would  proceed 
in  a  long  harangue,  artfully  appealing  to  the  prejudice  and  superstition 
of  the  savages,  and  the  chiefs  would  go  back  to  their  respective  villages 
to  talk  the  matter  over  with  their  warriors.  Residents  of  Detroit  be- 
gan to  feel  uneasy,  for  they  knew  that  the  Indians  were  hatching  some 
sort  of  conspiracy,  and  that  they  were  being  incited  thereto  by  the 
British. 

In  addition  to  the  greed  for  territorial  possessions  there  was  a  com- 
mercial interest  which  made  the  British  hostile  to  the  Americans.  John 
Jacob  Astor,  a  Dutch  merchant  of  New  York,  had  built  up  a  vast  fur 
trade,  which  at  the  beginning  of  the  century  had  become  a  formidable 
rival  of  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  Companies,  Astor  had  a  line 
of  ships  on  the  sea,  which  carried  furs  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and 
brought  back  the  produce  of  foreign  countries.  In  1808  he  had  vessels 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  two  years  later  he  founded  the  city  of  Astoria, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River.     His  agents  and  partners  gath- 

296 


WILLIAM  C.  MCMILLAN. 


ered  the  furs  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  and 
from  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  he  established  trading  posts 
at  Mackinaw  Island  and  other  places  through  the  Northwest.  In  1808 
he  obtained  a  charter  from  Congress  for  the  establishment  of  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  and  with  the  privilege 
of  increasing  it  to  double  that  amount.  He  bought  out  the  Mackinaw 
Company  of  Canada,  and  merged  it  into  another  concern  known  as  the 
Southwest  Fur  Company.  Astor  then  tried  to  effect  a  combination 
with  the  Hudson  Bay  or  Northwest  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  es- 
tablishing a  line  of  communication  and  transportation  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific,  a  scheme  which  was  urged  by  Sir  Alexander  Mc- 
Kenzie,  who  made  a  journey  across  the  continent  in  1792-93.  The 
British  company,  already  very  jealous  of  the  success  of  Astor,  declined 
to  associate  with  him  for  any  purpose  whatever,  and  so  the  establish- 
ing of  transcontinental  posts  was  deferred  for  several  years.  In  1810, 
when  it  became  evident  that  Astor  was  capable  of  establishing  such  an 
enterprise  alone,  some  members  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  joined 
in  partnership  with  him  at  Astoria,  on  the  Columbia,  and  formed  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company.  Each  year  expeditions  were  sent  from  New 
York  to  Astoria,  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  and  a  land  expedition  was  sent 
across  the  continent,  taking  in  Montreal,  Mackinaw  and  St.  Louis  on 
the  way.  Astor  bore  most  of  the  expense,  and  Ramsay  Crooks,  a  young 
Scotchman,  who  afterward  became  Astor 's  partner,  usually  conducted 
the  land  expeditions.  The  Canadian  partners  at  Astoria  behaved 
treacherously,  and  were  doubtless  connected  with  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  for  the  purpose  of  ruining  Astor's  growing  business  on  the 
Pacific  and  the  Northwest.  They  were  apparently  waiting  for  an  op- 
portunity, for  when  the  war  of  1812  began  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  the  principal  Canadian  partner  sold  out  the  entire 
business  at  Astoria  for  a  mere  trifle  to  the  British  Company  of  the 
Northwest.  His  pretext  was  that  he  was  compelled  to  sell  it  to  prevent 
a  seizure  by  the  British  cruisers.  On  October  16,  1813,  Astoria  was 
put  under  the  British  flag.  This  rivalry  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany was  one  of  the  causes  which  caused  the  British  at  Maiden  to  set 
the  Indians  against  the  Americans,  while  other  causes  along  the  border 
and  particularly  on  the  seaboard  were  slowly  working  to  bring  on  a 
war.  Residents  of  Detroit  appealed  again  to  Congress  for  better  mil- 
itary protection,  and  they  built  a  stockade  about  the  new  town.  A 
grand  council  of  the  Hurons  and  Wyandottes  was  held  at  Brownstown, 

297 


near  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River,  in  September,  1809,  at  which  they 
decided  to  protest  against  the  encroachments  of  American  settlers. 
Their  head  chief,  Walkin-the- Water,  went  to  General  Hull  and  asked 
him  to  compel  the  settlers  to  vacate  certain  lands  upon  which  they  had 
squatted  and  to  compel  them  to  keep  out  of  the  Indian  country. 
Among  other  tracts  claimed  by  the  Hurons  and  Wyandottes  was  the 
territory  at  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River  on  the  American  side.  This 
was  claimed  by  the  United  States  under  the  cession  of  the  treaty  of 
Greenville,  and  a  string  of  villages  had  sprung  into  existence  along 
the  river.  Within  the  limits  of  Michigan  in  1809  were  nine  settle- 
ments. There  was  a  settlement  near  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee  River, 
another  on  the  Raisin  River  and  still  another  on  the  Huron  River  which 
emptied  into  Lake  Erie.  North  of  these  were  the  settlements  at  Ecorces, 
the  Rouge  River,  on  the  Huron  or  Clinton  River  of  Lake  St.  Clair, 
and  on  the  St.  Clair  River;  also  Detroit  and  Mackinaw.  The  Lake 
Erie  settlements  mentioned  had  a  combined  population  of  1,300  people; 
Detroit,  Rouge  River,  Ecorces,  the  Huron  and  St.  Clair  settlements 
numbered  2,200  and  Mackinaw  had  about  1,000.  Detroit  had  a  gar- 
rison of  ninety-four  soldiers  and  there  were  seventy-nine  at  Mackinaw. 
Of  the  4,800  people  living  in  Michigan  at  the  time  four-fifths  were 
French  Canadians  and  the  remainder  were  American,  English  and 
Scotch  settlers. 

Every  month  the  Indians  became  bolder  as  their  confederation  be- 
came more  powerful.  They  began  to  force  their  way  into  the  houses 
of  the  Indiana  and  Ohio  settlers  and  helped  themselves  to  whatever 
took  their  fanc)^,  and  several  settlers  who  offered  resistance  were  killed. 
A  petition  was  sent  from  Detroit,  December  27,  1811,  showing  how 
imminent  was  the  danger  of  an  Indian  war  in  the  new  territory  and 
asking  Congress  for  help,  but  political  rivalries  occupied  so  much  atten- 
tion at  Washington  that  the  needs  of  the  frontier  were  ignored.  That 
spring  a  delegation  of  800  warriors  came  down  from  the  Lake  Superior 
region  to  hold  a  council  at  Tecumseh's  town.  The  Ottawas,  Chippe- 
was,  Mississauguas,  Potawatomies,  Winnebagoes,  Wyandottes  and 
Shawneeswere  all  in  the  alliance  now,  and  the  braves  began  going 
about  in  war  paint  as  if  the  war  had  already  begun.  Governor  Harrison, 
of  Indiana,  had  done  what  he  could  to  stave  off  the  impending  conflict 
between  the  settlers  and  the  Indians  by  securing  clear  titles  to  various 
disputed  tracts.  As  early  as  1805  he  had  thus  extinguished  the  Indian 
titles  to  46,000  acres  of  land,  and  later  he  acquired  much  larger  tracts, 

298 


but  the  settlers  were  foolishly  aggressive  and  invited  a  war.  They 
considered  that  the  Indians,  being  a  migratory  people,  had  no  more 
right  of  possession  than  the  buffaloes  and  other  beasts  that  roamed  the 
wilds,  and  the  land  speculators  were  quite  regardless  of  the  storm  they 
were  raising.  An  aged  chief  spoke  scornfully  to  Governor  Harrison 
when  the  latter  complained  of  the  attitude  of  the  Indians. 

"  You  call  us  your  children,"  said  he,  "  but  why  do  you  not  make  us 
happy  as  our  fathers  the  French  did?  They  never  took  away  our  lands; 
the  land  was  common  between  us.  They  planted  corn  and  cut  wood 
where  they  pleased  and  so  did  we.  But  now  if  a  poor  Indian  attempts 
to  take  a  little  bark  from  a  tree  to  cover  him  from  rain,  some  white 
man  threatens  to  shoot  him,  claiming  the  tree  as  his  own." 

General  Harrison  promised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  repress  the  land- 
grabbers.  He  scoffed  at  the  superstitious  fears  of  the  Indians  and  de- 
nounced the  Prophet  as  an  imposter. 

"This  excitement  must  stop,''  said  he.  "  I  will  not  permit  it  in  my 
territory.  You  have  called  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  listen 
to  the  mouthings  of  a  drunken  fool.  He  tells  you  he  is  directed  by  the 
Great  Spirit,  but  I  tell  you  he  is  directed  by  the  Evil  Spirit  and  by  the 
British  agents  at  Maiden.  The  white  settlers  are  much  disturbed  by 
your  actions,  and  they  desire  that  you  send  these  gathering  tribes  away 
from  here.  If  they  wish  to  have  the  imposter,  let  them  take  him  away. 
Let  him  go  to  the  lakes  where  he  can  hear  the  British  more  distinctly.' 

This  made  the  leaders  of  the  conspiracy  fearful  of  the  American  mili- 
tia, and  Tecumseh  removed  from  western  Ohio  to  the  banks  of  the 
Wabash  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tippecanoe  River.  The  Prophet  admitted 
to  Harrison  that  he  had  been  urged  by  the  British  agents  to  stir  np  the 
Indians  to  war,  but  claimed  that  he  had  refused.  In  September,  1809, 
Governor  Harrison  made  a  treaty  with  the  Miamis,  Delawares,  Kicka- 
poos  and  Potawatomies,  and  obtained  about  3,000,000  acres  more  of 
Indian  land  for  the  white  settlers,  paying  in  cash  and  in  annuities. 
Tecumseh's  people,  the  Shawnees,  had  no  claim  to  the  lands  in  this 
purchase,  but  they  declared  the  treaty  void  and  threatened  to  kill  every 
chief  who  signed  it.  "American  dogs  "  was  the  name  Tecumseh  and 
the  Prophet  applied  to  the  settlers  and  their  officials.  Tecumseh  was 
summoned  to  Vincennes  for  a  council  with  Governor  Harrison  August 
12,  1810,  but  instead  of  bringing  thirty  warriors  as  instructed,  he 
brought  400  fully  armed,  and  the  residents  were  greatly  alarmed. 
When  Governor  Harrison  asked  Tecumseh  to   "  take  a  seat  beside  his 

299 


father,"  the  chief  drew  himself  proiidl}'  up,  saying:  "The  sun  is  my. 
father;  the  earth  is  my  mother;  on  her  bosom  will  I  repose;  "  and  he 
sat  down  on  the  ground.  He  demanded  that  the  government  should 
surrender  all  the  lands  in  the  West  which  the  United  States  had  ac- 
quired by  treaty  or  by  purchase,  and  when  he  was  told  that  it  would 
not  be  done,  his  attitude  made  it  appear  that  war  was  inevitable. 
Governor  Harrison  began  to  gather  militia  and  to  drill  them  in  prepa- 
ration for  an  Indian  war.  He  sent  word  to  Tecumseh  that  Indian  dep- 
redations must  stop  at  once,  or  he  should  attack  the  Shawnees  and  their 
allies.  The  Fourth  Regiment  of  regular  infantry  was  sent  from  Pitts- 
burg to  Vincennes,  and  a  number  of  Kentucky  riflemen  came  to  have 
a  hand  in  the  prospective  fight.  September  26,  1811,  General  Harrison 
marched  up  the  Wabash  River  with  900  men  and  built  a  fort  on  a  bluff 
where  Terre  Haute  now  stands.  It  was  called  Fort  Harrison.  That 
month  there  was  to  be  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  was  much  talked 
about  among  the  whites.  The  Prophet  got  hold  of  the  news  and  told 
his  followers  the  day  and  hour  when  the  Great  Spirit  would  show  his 
displeasure  at  the  Americans  by  darkening  the  sun.  His  reputation  as 
a  seer  was  established  when  the  eclipse  took  place  on  time.  From  Fort 
Harrison  the  army  of  Indians  proceeded  up  the  valley  until  it  came 
within  a  mile  of  the  Prophet's  town,  on  the  banks  of  the  Tippecanoe. 
Tecumseh  was  absent  in  the  South  trying  to  get  the  Cherokees  and 
Creeks  to  join  his  federation,  and  the  Prophet  sent  messengers  asking 
the  whites  to  camp  for  the  night  and  observe  a  truce  until  morning 
when  they  would  be  ready  to  hold  a  council.  Just  before  daylight  the 
Indians  crept  up  to  attack  the  camp,  expecting  to  surprise  the  soldiers, 
but  they  found  them  very  wide  awake.  The  soldiers  held  their  ground 
until  daylight,  when  they  charged  and  soon  had  the  Indians  flying  in 
all  directions.  The  Prophet's  town  was  burned  and  the  Indians  took 
to  the  marshes  to  avoid  pursuit.  The  Prophet  was  denounced  by  his 
own  people  as  an  imposter,  because  he  had  told  them  that  the  bullets 
of  the  white  men  could  not  harm  them.  This  conflict  is  known  in  his 
tory  as  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and  was  fought  November  7,  1811. 


300 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

Causes  Leading  Up  to  the  War  of  1812 — Great  Britain  Persists  in  Impressing 
American  vSailors — Attempts  to  Cripple  the  American  Navy — Every  Nation  Against 
the  United  States— Affair  of  the  Chesapeake  and  the  Leopard — The  Embargo  Act. 

While  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  were  ostensibly  at  peace 
there  was  little  friendship  between  the  two  nations.  Congress  began 
to  build  a  navy  and  this  act  was  offensive  to  Great  Britain.  In  1797 
three  frigates  were  launched,  the  United  States,  the  Constitution  and 
the  Constellation,  and  they  were  put  in  commission.  The  first  two 
carried  forty-four  guns  each  and  the  latter  thirty-eight  guns.  At  the 
close  of  1798  the  new  nation  had  a  navy  of  twenty-three  vessels,  with 
an  aggregate  of  446  guns.  A  scheme  was  formed  across  the  ocean  to 
cripple  the  American  navy,  and  the  first  intimation  of  it  came  to  the 
United  States  on  November  16,  when  Captain  Phillips,  of  the  Ameri- 
can cruiser  Baltimore,  sailed  out  of  Havana  to  escort  a  number  of 
merchant  vessels  to  Charleston  and  protect  them  from  French  priva- 
teers. Just  outside  the  harbor  he  met  a  British  sc|uadron  and  bore  up 
to  the  Carnatick,  the  flagship  of  the  squadron,  to  speak  with  the  com- 
mander as  an  act  of  courtesy.  Without  warning  the  British  war 
vessels  bore  down  upon  the  merchant  vessels  and  seized  three  of  them. 
Phillips  went  on  board  the  Carnatick  to  protest,  when  he  was  informed 
that  every  man  on  the  Baltimore,  who  could  not  prove  that  he  was 
American  born,  would  be  transferred  to  the  British  ships.  Phillips 
said  that  he  would  prefer  to  make  a  formal  surrender,  but  this  was 
refused  and  on  going  back  to  his  own  vessel  he  found  a  British  officer 
mustering  his  men.  Fifty-five  of  the  picked  men  were  transferred  to 
the  Carnatick,  but  later,  when  Phillips  struck  his  flag,  all  but  five  of 
them  were  returned.  Five  men  and  three  merchant  vessels  with  val- 
uable cargoes  were  taken  away.  As  Great  Britain  was  mistress  of  the 
seas  at  that  time,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  protest  against  this 
outrage,  but  the  protest  received  no  attention,  and  the  British  navy 
continued  to  prey  upon  American  shipping,  impressing  the  best  of  the 
men  during  the  next  fourteen  years.      Great  Britain  claimed  the  right 

301 


to  search  the  vessels  of  any  neutral  nation  for  British  subjects,  in  order 
to  recruit  her  navy  for  the  war  with  France,  and  thousands  of  Ameri- 
cans were  impressed  into  the  service  upon  that  pretext.  All  overtures 
and  offers  of  the  United  States  for  securing  a  better  understanding- 
were  curtly  rejected.  It  was  excused  on  the  ground  that  a  Briton 
could  not  expatriate  himself.  A  born  Briton  was  held  to  be  liable  for 
service  for  the  king  at  any  time,  and  if  a  sailor  spoke  the  language  it 
was  generally  construed  as  sufificient  proof  of  his  nationality.  Napo- 
leon, who  sought  to  force  the  United.  States  to  become  his  ally  against 
Great  Britain,  issued  a  decree  from  Milan,  December  17,  1807,  which 
declared  all  vessels  which  submitted  to  the  right  of  search  and  im- 
pressment by  Great  Britain,  to  be  denationalized  and  forfeit,  if  cap- 
tured in  going  to  or  coming  from  a  British  port,  or  on  the  high  seas. 
Holland  and  Spain  issued  similar  decrees,  because  they  were  anxious 
to  please  Napoleon,  It  can  be  seen  that  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States  was  in  desperate  straits,  and  to  make  matters  worse  the  British 
maintained  a  naval  force  along  the  coast  of  the  United  States  to  prey 
upon  all  shipping.  This  country  had  a  merchant  tonnage  of  1,200,000 
tons  afloat  on  the  seas,  but  with  utterly  inadequate  protection,  and 
consequently  American  ships  were  an  easy  prey  for  any  European 
power. 

Early  in  1807  the  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake,  while  preparing 
for  her  first  cruise,  shipped  three  men  who  had  deserted  the  British 
ship  Leopard  of  fifty  guns.  At  '6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  Leopard 
hailed  the  Chesapeake,  informing  Commodore  Barron  that  she  had  a 
dispatch  for  him.  The  Chesapeake  hove  to  and  so  did  the  Leopard, 
but  the  latter  had  her  ports  triced  up  as  if  prepared  for  battle.  A  boat 
was  sent  to  the  Chesapeake,  and  a  British  lieutenant  was  cordially  re- 
ceived by  Commodore  Barron,  but  the  latter  stated  that  he  was  looking 
for  deserters  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  any  who  might  be  found 
on  board.  His  demand  was  accompanied  by  a  note  from  Captain 
Humphrey  of  the  Leopard.  Barron  was  naturally  irritated  by  the  de- 
ception and  the  general  lack  of  courtesy,  and  he  replied  that  he  had 
instructed  his  recruiting  officers  to  hire  no  British  deserters  and  that  he 
knew  of  none  on  board.  In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  his 
government  he  refused  to  allow  a  foreign  officer  to  muster  his  men. 
The  Chesapeake  had  left  port  without  preparation  for  war,  but  while 
the  lieutenant  was  waiting  for  his  answer  the  officers  did  what  they 
could  in  a  quiet  way  to  clear  for  action.     After  the  lieutenant  had  left 

302 


the  work  went  on  more  vigorously,  but  as  the  frigate  was  not  prepared 
for  service,  it  was  impossible  to  make  ready  with  a  new  crew  and  a 
newly  equipped  vessel  in  so  short  a  time.  A  hail  from  the  Leopard 
that  the  men  must  be  given  up  and  then  a  shot  whistled  across  the 
bow  of  the  Chesapeake.  Another  shot  was  sent  over  her  and  then  a 
whole  broadside  of  twenty-five  cannon  was  poured  into  the  helpless 
frigate.  The  Americans  finally  got  one  broadside  loaded,  and  then 
could  find  no  priming  powder,  matches  or  locks,  so  that  the  guns  could 
not  be  fired  in  return.  While  the  search  for  fighting  material  was 
going  on  in  the  Chesapeake,  the  Leopard  poured  in  several  broadsides, 
killing  and  wounding  twenty  men.  Commodore  Barron,  although  un- 
able to  fight  the  Leopard,  wanted  to  fire  one  gun  before  the  Chesa- 
peake struck  her  flag  to  avoid  complete  destruction.  Lieutenant  Allen 
finally  fired  it  by  securing  a  live  coal  from  the  galley,  and  applying  it 
to  the  vent  of  one  of  the  guns.  As  soon  as  the  colors  were  hauled  down 
the  Chesapeake  was  boarded  by  officers  from  the  Leopard,  and  Com- 
modore Barron  tendered  his  vessel  as  a  prize,  but  Captain  Humphrey 
refused  to  accept  her,  knowing  that  such  an  action  would  give  the 
Americans  a  valid  claim  against  his  government.  The  crew  was  then 
mustered.  Three  Americans  who  had  once  been  impressed  in  the 
British  service  were  put  in  irons,  and  John  Wilson,  a  British  seaman, 
who  had  deserted,  was  taken  with  them  on  board  the  Leopard.  At 
Halifax  the  four  were  sentenced  to  be  hung,  but  the  three  Americans 
were  reprieved  on  condition  that  they  would  re-enter  the  British 
service.  Wilson  was  executed.  Commodore  Barron  was  found  guilty 
of  neglect  of  duty  and  was  suspended  from  service  for  five  years.  This 
outrage  naturally  aroused  the  Americans  to  great  indignation  and  ex- 
citement against  England.  Canning,  British  minister  of  foreign  affairs, 
disclaimed  the  act  on  the  part  of  the  government,  and  recalled  Hum- 
phrey from  service  at  sea.  Two  of  the  American  sailors  taken  from 
the  Chesapeake  were  held  in  slavery  on  British  ships  for  five  years, 
but  the  other  died  in  the  service.  The  bitter  feeling  against  England 
united  the  two  great  political  parties  of  the  United  States  by  arousing 
their  patriotism.  So  fierce  had  been  the  strife  between  the  Federalists 
and  the  Democrats  that  the  nation  at  times  appeared  to  be  on  the 
verge  of  civil  war.  While  the  internal  strife  was  at  its  hottest  Great 
Britain  attempted  to  fan  the  fires  of  discontent  by  establishing  a  prop- 
aganda of  anti-democracy.  An  Irishman  named  John  Henry,  who  was 
a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States,   lived  in   Vermont   in  the 

303 


early  part  of  the  century.  He  wrote  some  clever  letters  for  the  press, 
denouncing  the  government  officials  for  their  incompetency  and  declar- 
ing that  the  country  v^^as  incapable  of  self-government.  His  articles 
attracted  the  attention  of  Sir  James  Craig,  governor  of  Canada,  who  in 
1806  invited  Henry  to  come  to  Montreal.  There  an  arrangement  was 
entered  into  by  which  Henry  was  to  give  his  whole  time  to  the  prop- 
agation of  popular  discontent,  and  if  he  succeeded  in  raising  a  civil 
war  in  the  United  States,  he  was  to  receive  ^^30,000.  He  was  au- 
thorized to  offer  the  Federalists  the  support  of  British  influence  if 
such  a  promise  was  needed  to  give  them  courage.  Henry  failed  to 
accomplish  his  purpose  after  five  years  of  steady  work,  and  when  he 
was  refused  compensation  for  his  effort  he  turned  against  his  employ- 
ers and  revealed  the  plot  to  President  Madison.  The  British  ministers 
denied  all  knowledge  of  the  plot,  but  when  it  was  proposed  to  submit 
all  the  correspondence  in  Henry's  possession  to  a  court  of  inquiry,  the 
House  of  Lords  voted  the  proposition  down  by  seventy-three  to 
twenty-seven  ballots.  All  these  stirring  events  occurred  far  from 
Detroit,  but  they  were  the  most  notable  of  many  abuses  which  pre- 
cipitated the  war  of  1812-15,  in  which  Detroit  had  a  very  prominent 
part,  and  which  caused  this  region  to  fall  again  under  British  rule 
for  over  a  year. 

Had  the  United  States  desired  a  pretext  for  war  it  had  been  afforded 
a  hundred  times  since  the  treaty  of  1783,  but  war  was  to  be  avoided  at 
any  cost  except  the  loss  of  national  honor.  The  country  was  bankrupt 
financially,  and  struggling  to  recover  from  the  drain  of  the  Revolution. 
Its  government  and  its  finances  were  in  very  crude  shape,  and  its  pub- 
lic works  were  almost  entirely  wanting.  The  Americans  had  been  in 
almost  constant  war,  first  with  the  Indians,  then  with  the  French  and 
Indians  on  behalf  of  the  British,  and  then  against  the  British  and  the 
Indians.  Able  bodied  men  had  been  kept  in  the  wars,  and  so  the 
country  was  but  little  improved.  England  was  the  most  powerful 
nation  on  the  sea  and  the  United  States  had  hardly  made  a  start  toward 
building  a  navy.  In  1807  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  after  con- 
sidering the  situation,  passed  an  embargo  bill,  which  prohibited  all 
ships  then  in  United  States  ports  from  sailing  for  any  foreign  port. 
Foreign  vessels  were  permitted  to  leave  with  ballast,  but  they  could 
not  take  away  cargoes.  Coasting  vessels  were  compelled  to  give  heavy 
bonds  to  insure  that  they  would  deliver  their  cargoes  at  the  port  in- 
dicated.    It  was  a  declaration  to  the  world  that  the  United  States  would 

304 


HENRY  T.  THURBER. 


voluntarily  sever  all  connection  with  the  outside  world  until  the  ob- 
noxious practices  of  England,  France,  Spain  and  Holland  should  be 
stopped,  and  until  American  ships  could  sail  the  seas  unmolested,  as 
the  vessels  of  a  neutral  power  were  entitled  to  do.  This  act  completely 
crushed  the  rapidly  waning  commerce  of  this  country,  and  the  business 
men  of  the  Atlantic  ports  were  very  bitter  against  it,  charging  President 
Jefferson  with  being  in  league  with  Bonaparte  for  the  purpose  of  forc- 
ing the  country  into  a  European  war  as  an  ally  of  France.  England 
passed  an  act  permitting  American  vessels  to  carry  cargoes  to  foreign 
countries  if  they  would  first  land  at  a  British  port,  pay  port  dues,  and 
take  out  a  trading  license,  but  this  was  of  course  rejected  with  the 
scorn  which  it  deserved.  Then  the  British  ministry  issued  orders  to 
all  naval  commanders  to  encourage  violations  of  the  embargo,  and  to 
assist  vessels  to  run  the  blockade  from  American  ports  to  the  West 
Indies.  In  March,  1809,  the  embargo  act  was  repealed  under  pressure 
from  the  commercial  men  of  the  country,  and  a  non  intercourse  act 
was  passed,  which  merely  forbade  trade  with  Great  Britain  and  France. 
This  was  as  obnoxious  as  the  embargo,  and  it,  too.  was  repealed  four- 
teen months  later.  Outrage  and  insult  had  passed  the  limit  of  endur- 
ance. American  patriots  saw  that  they  must  resist  the  arrogant  claims 
of  Great  Britain  or  acknowledge  to  the  world  that  they  were  mere  vas- 
sals of  the  greater  power  without  the  courage  or  manhood  to  maintain 
their  honor.  James  Madison  succeeded  Thomas  Jefferson  as  president, 
and  in  April,  1812,  he  recommended  another  embargo  for  sixty  days. 
This  was  understood  as  preparatory  for  a  declaration  of  war.  The 
embargo  was  a  damage  of  more  than  $6,000  a  month  to  American 
commerce,  but  it  was  passed  to  keep  as  many  of  the  merchant  vessels 
as  possible  in  port,  save  them  from  capture  by  British  privateers  and 
have  them  available  in  case  of  war. 


305 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

War  Declared  July  19,  1812— Condition  of  the  Northern  Border— The  British 
EnUst  the  Indians— Michigan  Militia  Called  Out— Detroit  Volunteers  Invade  Can- 
ada to  Capture  Maiden,  but  are  Recalled  by  General  Hull — Detroit  Surrendered 
with  a  Superior  Force  of  Men  and  a  Large  Quantity  of  Stores. 

War  was  declared  June  19,  1812.  At  that  time  the  British  had  254 
ships  of  the  line  each  carrying  74  guns  or  more ;  247  frigates  and  506 
smaller  war  vessels.  On  Lake  Ontario  they  had  the  Royal  George,  22 
guns;  Earl  of  Moira,  16  guns;  Prince  Regent,  14,  and  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  8  guns;  their  fleet  on  the  upper  lakes  was  almost  as  formid- 
able. In  Upper  Canada  they  had  a  regular  force  of  1,500  men  and 
6,000  in  the  St.  Lawrence  valley.  There  was  a  British  population  of 
400,000  in  Canada  and  a  militia  of  40,000  to  draw  from.  Opposed  to 
Fort  Holmes  at  Mackinaw  they  had  a  small  fort  and  garrison  on  the 
island  of  St.  Joseph,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Mary's  River.  They  had 
a  fort  and  garrison  at  Maiden  near  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River; 
Fort  Erie  opposite  Buffalo;  Fort  Chippewa  near  the  falls  of  Niagara; 
and  Fort  George  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  River.  There  were  also 
forts  at  Kingston  and  York  (Toronto)  harbors.  These  were  the  British 
fortifications  along  the  inland  frontier,  while  at  sea  the  British  were  in 
overwhelming  strength.  The  Americans  had  only  the  forts  at  Detroit, 
Mackinaw,  Fort  Niagara  and  Oswego  on  the  lakes  to  defend  a  border 
of  1,700  miles.  As  soon  as  decisive  action  was  taken  by  Congress, 
France  revoked  the  hostile  decrees  against  American  ships,  but  the 
Americans  were  still  handicapped  at  every  point.  Three  thousand  five 
hundred  American  sailors  were  at  that  time  in  a  condition  of  slavery 
on  board  British  war  ships,  where  they  must  fight  against  their  own 
country. 

Gov.  William  Hull,  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  went  to  Washington 
to  urge  the  establishment  of  a  navy  on  Lake  Erie,  saying  that  the  gov- 
ernment that  controlled  Lake  Erie  would  control  all  the  West.  He 
showed  how  the  Indians  were  being  united  to  the  British  cause  to  the 
imminent  danger  of  Detroit  and  the  other  frontier  towns,  and  as  a  re- 

306 


suit  he  was  commissioned  brigadier-general  to  command  in  the  West, 
and  Commander  Stew-art  was  authorized  to  build  several  small  vessels 
on  Lake  Erie.  A  requisition  for  1,200  troops  was  made  upon  Gov. 
Return  J.  Meigs  of  Ohio.  These  troops  rendezvoused  on  the  Miami 
River,  two  miles  above  where  Dayton  now  stands,  and  General  Hull 
took  command  May  25,  1812.  Lewis  Cass,  of  Marietta,  was  made  colo- 
nel of  the  Third  Regiment,  with  Robert  Morrison  and  J.  R.  Munson 
as  majors;  Duncan  McArthur  was  made  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment; 
James  Findlay  was  colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment,  and  James  Miller 
was  the  colonel  in  command  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  United  vStates 
troops,  then  stationed  at  Vincennes.  Gen.  Elijah  Wadsworth,  of  Ohio, 
raised  three  more  companies  of  men,  and  the  volunteers  joined  the 
above  force  on  the  march. 

In  order  to  fully  understand  the  military  operations  about  Detroit  in 
1812  and  1813  it  may  be  well  to  survey  the  ground,  locating  the  places 
of  long  ago  by  their  relative  location  or  vicinity  to  the  places  of  to-day. 
Detroit  River  is  about  twenty-three  miles  in  length  from  its  upper  ex- 
tremity at  Windmill  Point  to  its  junction  with  Lake  Erie  below  Am- 
herstburg.      Its  course  is  a  long  curve  from  the  east  to  the  south. 

On  the  Canada  side,  beginning  at  Lake  Erie,  the  British  post  of 
Maiden  was  opposite  Bois  Blanc  Island.  The  fort  was  built  there  for 
the  purpose  of  commanding  the  ship  channel  of  the  river.  A  mile  east 
of  the  town  a  marshy  creek  ran  parallel  with  the  river,  which  reached 
from  the  swamp  of  the  River  Canards,  four  miles  north  of  the  fort,  to 
Lake  Erie.  Much  of  the  land  below  Maiden  was  marshy,  so  that  it 
afforded  some  protection  against  an  attacking  party  by  making  it  diffi- 
cult to  transport  artillery.  The  River  Canards  is  a  deep  but  sluggish 
stream,  having  its  origin  in  a  cranberry  swamp,  and  empties  into  De- 
troit River  opposite  the  middle  of  Grosse  He.  Seven  miles  above  the 
Canards  was  Turkey  Creek  or  Ruisseau  aux  Dindes,  which  derived  a 
portion  of  its  waters  from  the  same  swamp.  It  flowed  into  Detroit 
River  near  the  head  of  Fighting  Island,  which  was  called  Turkey  Island 
in  those  days.  Between  the  Canards  and  Turkey  Creek  was  a  rise  of 
ground  called  Petit  Cote.  Three  miles  still  farther  north  was  a  small 
inlet  from  the  river  called  the  River  Ajarvais,  and  a  little  farther  up 
was  the  village  of  Sandwich.  This  was  a  cluster  of  houses  strung 
along  the  rivei  front  on  each  side  of  the  old  Huron  Mission  and  As- 
sumption church,  and  the  settlement  continued  to  a  point  opposite  De- 
troit, or  as  far  as  the  ferry  landing  at  Windsor.      North  and  east  of  this 

307 


point  were  French  and  British  farms,  extending  along  Lake  St.  Clair, 
the  Thames  and  other  tributaries.  Lord  Selkirk  had  a  large  estate 
called  Beldoon  on  the  Canadian  coast  east  of  Walpole  Island. 

On  the  American  side  the  French  farms  reached  from  Lake  Huron  to 
Detroit,  fronting  on  the  lakes  and  rivers  which  were  the  main  highways 
of  travel  and  commerce.  Half  a  mile  below  Belle  Isle,  or  Hog  Island, 
as  it  was  called  in  those  days,  the  creek  called  Bloody  Run  emptied 
into  the  river.  The  lands  in  the  rear  of  the  town  of  Detroit  were 
swampy  and  much  of  it  was  heavily  timbered,  although  a  stretch  of 
prairie  opened  toward  the  northwest.  Near  the  site  of  the  present 
Fort  Wayne,  about  three  miles  from  Fort  Detroit,  stood  three  small 
sandhills  and  a  cluster  of  Indian  tumuli,  where  several  deep  springs  of 
excellent  water  existed.  This  place  was  called  Springwells.  The 
River  Rouge,  with  its  marshy  mouth,  emptied  into  the  river  a  short 
distance  below,  and  a  small  ship  yard  had  been  set  up  on  its  banks. 
Near  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Trenton  was  the  Indian  village 
of  Monguagon,  named  in  honor  of  a  famous  Wyandotte  chief  of  ante- 
Revolutionary  days.  Four  miles  further  south  is  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River,  and  a  little  further  down  the  Huron  River  pours  its 
waters  into  Lake  Erie.  A  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Huron 
stood  a  small  settlement  known  as  Brownstown,  named  in  honor  of  an 
English  trader  who  had  established  a  post  there  nearly  half  a  century 
before  the  war  of  1812.  This  was  nearly  opposite  Bois  Blanc  Island 
and  Fort  Maiden.  Fifteen  miles  below  the  Huron  was  the  River 
Raisin,  at  the  mouth  of  which  was  Frenchtown  (now  Monroe),  where 
Gabriel  Godfroy  and  Jean  Baptiste  Jerome  and  other  French  traders 
maintained  a  post.  A  few  miles  below  the  Raisin  the  Great  Black 
Swamp  began,  which  extended  far  into  the  interior  of  Ohio  and  was 
almost  impassable  in  the  rainy  season.  Fort  Detroit  was  the  sole  de- 
fensive work  on  the  Detroit  River. 

Fort  Nonsense  was  a  military  earthwork,  situated  near  what  is  now 
the  intersection  of  Park  and  Duffield  streets.  It  was  a  circular  fort, 
seventy-five  feet  in  diameter.  The  parapet  was  seven  or  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  the  ditch  or  dry  moat  around  it  was  about  six  feet  deep 
and  some  ten  feet  in  width.  It  was  a  great  resort  of  the  boys  of  the 
town  in  summer  time,  who  would  sometimes  divide  into  two  parties, 
one  defending  and  the  other  attacking  the  fort.  The  authorities  differ 
as  to  the  time  of  construction.  Robert  E.  Roberts,  in  his  "  Sketches 
of  Detroit,"  says  that   it   was  hastily  thrown  up  in   179G   by  Captain 

308 


Moses  Porter's  detachment,  on  the  night  before  the  day  that  the  British 
evacuated  Detroit.  Captain  Porter's  troops  were  the  advance  guard 
of  Colonel  Hamtramck's  command,  and  arrived  one  day  before,  Rob- 
erts also  says  that  when  the  Indians  became  troublesome  in  the  war  of 
1812,  by  driving  away  cattle  from  the  settlement,  the  citizens  placed  a 
cannon  and  squad  of  soldiers  in  it.  Farmer's  "  History  of  Detroit,"  a 
much  better  authority,  says  it  was  erected  in  1807  to  prevent  hostile 
raids  of  cattle-stealing  Indians.  Rev.  George  Duffield,  who  came  to 
Detroit  in  1838,  and  was  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  until 
his  death  in  1858,  purchased  from  Solomon  Sibley  a  ten-acre  lot,  com- 
prising all  of  the  old  fort.  When  Park  and  Duffield  streets  were  opened 
through  the  property  in  the  '50's,  the  old  fort  disappeared.  It  was 
called  Fort  Nonsense  because  it  was  useless  and  afforded  no  protection 
to  the  inhabitants. 

All  the  American  troops  were  eager  to  attack  the  Indians  who  had 
long  harassed  them.  General  Hull  and  his  associates,  with  their  four 
regiments,  started  the  little  army  toward  Deti-oit  on  June  1,  1812,  plung- 
ing into  an  unbroken  wilderness  of  more  than  200  miles.  They  flounder- 
ed through  the  Black  Swamp  and  suffered  great  hardships  on  the  way. 
On  the  19th  they  were  met  by  Gen.  Robert  Lucas  and  William  Penny, 
who  had  been  sent  ahead  to  Detroit  with  dispatches  to  Secretary  Att- 
water,  who  was  acting  governor.  They  reported  that  while  many  of 
the  Indians  were  disposed  to  keep  the  peace.  Walk  in  the- Water,  the 
head  of  the  Wyandotte  tribe,  was  decidedly  hostile,  and  was  taking  all 
the  Wyandottes  to  the  British  garrison  at  Maiden.  Tecumseh  was  also 
marshaling  the  Indians  against  the  Americans,  and  the  outlook  was 
very  serious.  News  of  the  declaration  of  war  reached  Detroit  inci- 
dentally. The  forwarned  commandant  at  Maiden,  Colonel  St.  George, 
began  active  preparation  for  service  on  the  border,  and  several  Detroit 
and  Frenchtown  settlers  who  had  crossed  the  river  were  arrested,  and 
informed  that  they  were  prisoners  of  war.  Citizens  of  Detroit  went 
to  Secretary  Reuben  Attwater,  who  was  acting  governor  in  the  absence 
of  General  Hull,  and  asked  him  to  call  out  all  the  Michigan  militia, 
put  every  available  man  under  arms,  and  to  prepare  the  fort  for  active 
service.  Attwater,  a  timid  man,  was  afraid  to  usurp  the  authority, 
and  the  fort  might  easily  have  been  surprised  had  the  British  realized 
its  condition.  If  Attwater  was  timid  there  were  others  who  were  not. 
A  committee  of  tlie  solid  citizens  of  the  town  went  to  the  officers  of  the 
Michigan  Legion,   a  body  of  the  territorial  militia,  and  told  them  to 

309 


call  all  their  men  to  arms  at  Detroit.  Among-  these  citizens  were  Solo- 
mon Sibley,  George  McDougall,  John  R.  Williams  and  Elijah  Brush. 
This  call  gathered  about  600  fighting  men  and  their  officers  at  Detroit. 
Judge  Witherell,  who  was  the  only  Revolutionary  officer  in  the 
territory,  was  placed  in  command  and  he  commenced  to  drill  them.  Sen- 
tinels were  posted  along  the  river  bank  for  several  miles,  with  orders 
that  if  any  of  them  should  discover  the  enemy  approaching  to  give  the 
customary  alarm  signal  by  firing  his  gun  three  times  in  quick  succes- 
sion. In  like  manner  the  militia  of  the  town  and  the  residents  were  to 
be  warned  by  cannon  shots  from  the  fort.  On  June  24  dispatches 
arrived  from  Washington,  telling  General  Hull  to  hurry  to  Detroit 
with  all  possible  speed,  as  the  situation  there  demanded  his  immediate 
presence.  At  that  time  war  was  already  declared,  but  General  Hull 
received  no  notification,  while  the  British  at  Maiden  were  aware  of  the 
situation,  having  learned  it  from  the  fur  traders.  In  ignorance  of  this 
fact.  General  Hull  dispatched  the  schooner  Cuyahoga  from  the  Rapids 
of  the  Maumee  with  much  of  the  baggage  of  the  army,  the  hospital 
stores,  tools  and  his  private  chest  containing  his  commission,  the  mus- 
ter rolls  of  the  army,  and  his  instructions  from  the  War  Department. 
Lieutenants  Dent  and  Goodwin,  the  wives  of  three  officers,  and  thirty 
soldiers  went  with  the  schooner  as  a  guard.  A  smaller  schooner  was 
sent  on  with  the  sick  and  disabled. 

As  the  army  arrived  at  Frenchtown  (now  Monroe,  Mich.),  a  message 
arrived  from  the  thoughtful  postmaster  at  Cleveland.  It  warned  Gen- 
eral Hull  that  war  had  been  declared,  and  that  he  must  take  unusual 
precautions  in  approaching  Detroit.  General  Hull  hurried  an  officer 
and  a  company  of  men  to  the  mouth  of  the  River  Raisin,  to  stop  the 
schooner  Cuyahoga  and  her  consort,  to  prevent  their  capture  by  the 
British,  but  they  arrived  too  late.  The  Cuyahoga  had  already  been 
stopped  at  Maiden  by  a  gun  from  the  fort,  and  the  British  brig  Hunter 
had  taken  all  the  passengers  and  crew  ashore  as  prisoners  of  war. 
The  little  craft  containing  the  invalids  was  of  lighter  draft,  and  had 
escaped  by  passing  up  the  west  channel  of  the  river  at  some  distance 
from  Maiden.  Hull  stopped  at  Frenchtown,  while  Colonel  Cass  went 
to  Maiden  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  demand  a  return  of  the  prisoners  and 
baggage  taken  from  the  Cuyahoga.  The  demand  was  refused.  Hull's 
army  spent  July  4,  1812,  in  building  a  bridge  across  the  Huron  River 
at  Brownstown  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Lake  Erie.  They  passed 
a  large  village   of  Wyandottes,  who  were  under  command  of  Chiefs 

310 


Walk-in-the-Water,  Lame  Hand  and  Splitlog-,  but  were  not  attacked. 
From  the  shore  of  the  lake  below  Grosse  lie,  they  could  see  a  large 
body  of  troops  in  motion  around  Fort  Maiden,  who  appeared  to  be  em- 
barking on  the  brig  Hunter,  which  was  moored  at  the  wharf.  Expect- 
ing the  British  to  descend  upon  them  at  any  time,  they  passed  an 
uneasy  night.  General  Hull  prevented  an  attack  from  the  British  by 
resorting  to  a  ruse.  He  sent  a  spy,  who,  professedly  in  the  British  in- 
terest, informed  Colonel  St.  George  that  Hull  was  expecting  reinforce, 
ments  from  Detroit,  who  would  bring  down  some  cannon  from  the  fort, 
and  as  soon  as  they  arrived  he  proposed  to  attack  Fort  Maiden.  This 
message  caused  the  British  commander  to  concentrate  and  hold  his 
troops  in  readiness  for  an  attack,  but  early  next  morning  Hull  was 
hurrying  on  to  Detroit.  His  troops  crossed  the  Rivers  aux  Ecorces 
and  Rouge,  where  they  were  met  by  the  Michigan  militia  under  Col. 
Elijah  Brush.  They  camped  that  night  at  Springwells,  in  the  shelter 
of  three  small  sand  hills,  which  were  Indian  tumuli,  immediately  oppo- 
site Point  Royal,  which  juts  out  from  Sandwich  into  the  river.  A  com- 
pany of  the  enemy  was  encamped  at  Sandwich.  They  fired  a  few  shots 
from  their  small  field  pieces  at  Hull's  encampment,  but  these  merely 
frightened  some  of  the  residents  of  Detroit,  who  had  come  down  to 
meet  the  army.  The  American  volunteers  rested  from  their  hard 
march  and  washed  their  clothing,  which  had  been  plastered  with  the 
mud  of  the  swamp.  Next  day  they  encamped  at  Detroit  immediately 
north  of  the  fort.  The  Ohio  men  were  eager  for  the  fray  and  wanted 
to  cross  the  river  and  give  the  enemy  battle.  Hull  discouraged  their 
zeal,  but  called  a  council  of  war,  to  which  he  stated  that  he  had  no 
authority  for  invading  Canada. 

"But  the  enemy  is  throwing  up  fortifications  at  Sandwich  and  op- 
posite Detroit,"  the  Ohio  officers  expostulated.  "Are  we  going  to 
remain  idle  in  plain  sight  of  them  and  with  a  superior  force,  while 
they  prepare  to  bombard  Detroit?  " 

"  While  I  have  command  I  shall  obey  the  orders  of  my  government," 
said  Hull  angrily.  "  I  shall  not  cross  the  river  until  I  have  authority 
from  Washington." 

This  filled  the  officers  and  men  with  indignation,  but  they  did  not 
care  to  create  a  mutiny,  and  the  army  waited  while  the  British  threw 
up  earthworks  on  the  high  banks  opposite  Detroit  and  prepared  to 
place  their  cannon  for  attack.  A  letter  finally  arrived  from  the  sec- 
retary of  war  directing  Hull  to  commence  operations  at  once,  and  if  the 

311 


relative  strength  of  the  two  armies  would  warrant  it,  he  was  directed 
to  proceed  to  the  capture  of  Fort  Maiden  and  extend  his  conquests  as 
circumstances  might  justify.  The  volunteers  were  elated  at  the  news. 
They  were  confident  that  they  could  capture  Maiden  and  then  sweep 
across  Ontario  carrying  everything  before  them,  They  had  been  com- 
pelled to  witness  the  progress  of  the  enemy's  works  without  opposition, 
although  they  had  a  force  of  2,200  men  and  43  cannon,  most  of  which 
were  24:-pounders.  With  that  force  they  could  have  driven  the  British 
away  from  the  river  front,  and  prevented  them  from  constructing 
earthworks  within  the  range  of  their  smaller  field  pieces.  Detroit  at 
that  time  contained  160  houses,  all  new  since  1805,  and  about  800 
people.  The  stockade  extended  from  the  high  bank  of  the  river  on  the 
west  line  of  the  Brush  farm  to  Congress  street,  and  thence  westward 
to  the  line  of  the  Cass  farm,  thence  to  the  river  front  and  eastward  to 
the  line  of  Randolph  street.  The  stockade  was  fourteen  feet  high  and 
was  pierced  with  loopholes  for  the  use  of  small  arms.  Fort  Detroit 
(formerly  Fort  Lernoult)  was  a  strong  fortification  when  General  Hull 
took  command  The  embankments  and  bastions  stretched  out  about 
400  feet  on  a  side,  quadrangular  in  form,  with  projections  at  the  cor- 
ners to  afford  a  flanking  fire  against  assailants  who  would  attempt  to 
scale  its  outer  slope.  The  embankments  were  about  twenty  feet  thick 
and  were  surrounded  by  a  dry  ditch  eight  feet  deep  and  of  like  breadth. 
In  the  middle  of  the  ditch  was  a  strong  stockade  of  pickets,  which  had 
to  be  scaled  by  assailants,  and  on  the  inner  slope  was  another  row  of 
sharp  stakes  projecting  outward  at  an  angle  of  forty- five  degrees,  mak- 
ing a  series  of  very  troublesome  obstacles.  While  an  enemy  would  be 
breaking  through  these,  the  batteries  in  the  bastions  loaded  with  grape 
shot  could  mow  them  down  like  grass.  In  addition  to  the  force  brought 
from  Ohio,  General  Hull  had  the  Detroit  garrison  of  ninety- four  men, 
and  the  Michigan  militia  under  Col.  Elijah  Brush,  which  met  him  at 
the  River  Ecorces  as  he  approached.  This  made  about  2,200  men  for 
the  defense  of  Detroit.  General  Hull  could  no  longer  delay  attacking 
the  enemy  and  he  prepared  to  cross  the  river. 

In  the  afternoon  of  July  11  he  collected  all  the  boats  he  could  gather 
along  the  shore  and  sent  them  down  to  Springwells.  He  ordered  Colo- 
nel McArthur  to  march  his  regiment  by  land  to  the  same  point,  as  if 
he  intended  crossing  the  river  there.  Under  cover  of  darkness  the 
boats  were  brought  back  and  Hull  assembled  his  men  on  the  river 
bank,  at  the  mouth  of  Bloody   Run,  and  they  were  taken  across  the 

312 


stream,  four  hundred  at  a  time.  The  Americans  crossed  in  all  sorts  of 
craft,  numbering  about  fifty  boats.  Most  of  them  were  canoes  and 
pirogues,  but  there  were  several  bateaux  and  a  small  schooner  of  about 
ten  tons,  which  was  loaded  with  troops  and  cannon  and  towed  across 
by  men  in  skiffs  and  canoes.  Four  trips  were  made  before  all  were 
landed  in  Canada.  As  the  first  boat  touched  the  shore  just  above  the 
site  of  Walkerville,  the  men  scrambled  ashore  and  formed  for  defense 
on  the  highest  part  of  the  bank.  As  they  did  so  they  saw  two  horse- 
men standing  on  the  river  bank,  a  short  distance  below  them,  who 
turned  and  rode  away  at  a  swift  gallop.  They  were  Colonel  St.  George, 
the  gray-haired  commandant  of  Fort  Maiden,  and  one  of  his  captains, 
who,  seeing  that  the  Americans  were  not  crossing  from  Springwells, 
suspected  another  ruse  was  being  worked  upon  him  like  that  at  Browns- 
town.  The  ruse  was  discovered  too  late  to  prevent  its  success.  Gen- 
eral Hull  and  his  army  camped  on  the  farm  of  Francois  Baby,  in  what 
is  now  Windsor,  on  Sunday  morning,  July  12,  1812.  The  American 
flag  was  hoisted  amid  rousing  cheers,  which  were  answered  by  the 
watching  crowd  across  the  river.  They  were  welcomed  by  the  French 
Canadians,  who  had  usually  been  sympathizers  with  the  American 
cause.  Col.  Lewis  Cass  then  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  residents, 
telling  them  the  causes  which  had  led  to  the  declaration  of  war.  He 
stated  that  the  Americans  had  invaded  the  country,  not  to  make  war 
upon  the  peaceable  residents,  but  to  free  them  from  tyranny  and  assure 
their  personal  liberty.  All  were  requested  to  remain  peaceably  at  their 
homes,  as  the  American  force  was  sufficient  for  any  contingency  and  it 
was  but  the  vanguard  of  a  much  greater  army.  "You  are  not  to  en- 
gage as  allies  of  the  merciless  Indians  on  any  account,"  said  Colonel 
Cass;  "the  first  stroke  of  the  tomahawk,  the  first  attempt  with  the 
scalping  knife,  will  be  the  signal  for  an  indiscriminate  scene  of  desola- 
tion. No  white  man  found  fighting  beside  an  Indian  will  be  taken 
prisoner;  instant  destruction  will  be  his  lot." 

Once  more  the  soldiers  begged  for  permission  to  march  against  Mai- 
den. "  Let  us  go  to  that  nest  of  vultures  and  carrion  crows  where 
Girty,  McKee,  Elliott  and  the  other  Indian  leaders  are,  and  clean  it  out 
completely,"  they  pleaded.  Hull,  whose  bump  of  caution  must  have 
been  abnormally  developed,  hesitated  and  then  sent  a  reconnoitering 
party  down  the  river  by  land.  They  returned  toward  night,  saying 
that  they  had  found  a  large  band  of  Indians,  perhaps  200  in  number, 
on   Turkey   Creek,    opposite   Fighting   Island.     Tecumseh    was    there 

313 


with  about  200  warriors,  and  the  woods  beyond  appeared  to  be  full  of 
Indians.  General  Hull  immediately  threw  up  earthworks,  as  he  feared 
a  general  attack  would  soon  be  made  upon  him,  and  that  a  fleet  of  war 
vessels  would  co-operate  with  the  land  forces.  Another  band  of 
skirmishers  was  sent  out  to  discover  what  the  Indians  were  doing,  and 
found  that  they  had  gone  around  Sandwich  and  were  making  good 
time  up  the  shore  of  Lake  St.  Clair.  Colonel  McArthur  was  sent  in 
pursuit  of  them  with  100  men.  The  Indians  scattered  into  the  woods 
as  he  came  upon  their  rear,  and  he  followed  in  pursuit  to  the  banks  of 
the  Thames,  where  some  small  Moravian  villages  were  located  at  that 
time.  Some  British  soldiers  were  captured  in  the  house  of  Isaac  Hull, 
a  nephew  of  the  general,  who  lived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  and 
these  were  disarmed  and  paroled.  Boats  were  seized  and  loaded  with 
what  provender  the  Americans  could  find,  and  the  expedition  returned 
with  200  barrels  of  flour,  400  blankets  and  a  quantity  of  military  stores. 
At  Beldoon,  on  the  Canadian  shore,  opposite  Walpole  Island,  which 
was  a  Highland  Scotch  settlement  founded  by  the  Earl  of  Selkirk, 
some  800  sheep  were  taken  and  also  brought  to  Detroit.  The  flour, 
blankets  and  military  stores  were  British  government  property,  but 
Hull  gave  receipts  for  these  as  well  as  everything  else  that  was  taken. 
General  Hull's  conduct  in  this  campaign  is  inexplicable.  He  must 
have  known  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  force  superior  to  that  of  the 
enemy.  A  commander  like  George  Rogers  Clark  would  have  de- 
scended upon  Maiden  like  a  thunderbolt  before  the  enemy  could  pre- 
pare for  the  shock  of  battle,  but  Hull  dared  not  leave  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  fort  at  Detroit.  He  adopted  the  best  possible  tactics  for 
giving  the  enemy  confidence  by  sending  out  small  detachments  toward 
the  British  fort  without  any  definite  purpose.  He  sent  Colonel  Cass 
and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller  down  the  east  shore  of  the  river  with 
280  men,  and  they  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Tarontee  or  Duck  River 
(River  aux  Canards),  which  empties  into  the  Detroit  River  about  four 
miles  above  the  present  town  of  Amherstburg.  A  British  picket  was 
found  there,  just  above  the  bridge;  it  consisting  of  a  part  of  the  41st 
Canadian  Regiment,  and  Tecumseh  and  his  Indians.  Leaving  a 
part  of  his  men  in  concealment  before  the  enemy's  position.  Colonel 
Cass  made  a  long  detour  with  the  remainder  of  his  men,  waded  the 
Canards  and  another  deep  inlet  several  miles  above  and  came  down 
with  a  rush  upon  the  British  and  their  allies.  The  impetuosity  of  the 
attack  sent  them  flying  in  disorder  and  the  Americans  pursued  them 

314 


for  half  a  mile.  It  was  useless  to  attack  Fort  Maiden  with  so  small  a 
force,  so  Cass  and  Miller  went  back  to  the  bridge  of  the  Canards  and 
sent  for  reinforcements,  holding  the  bridge  in  the  mean  time.  Hull 
refused  reinforcements,  and  ordered  the  protectors  of  the  bridge  to  fall 
back.  He  said  he  could  not  attack  Maiden  until  he  had  obtained  his 
heavy  cannon  from  Detroit.  Cass  took  two  prisoners.  Some  desert- 
ers joined  his  force,  bringing  the  information  that  several  of  the  enemy 
were  badly  wounded,  two  of  them  mortally.  The  Americans  did  not 
lose  a  man. 

It  needed  but  a  successful  dash  to  take  all  the  fighting  out  of  the  In- 
dians, and  without  their  support  the  garrison  at  Maiden  was  then  puny 
in  strength  compared  with  Hull's  command.  There  were  there  only  200 
men  of  the  41st  Canadian  Regiment,  about  120  of  the  Royal  Fencibles 
of  Newfoundland,  and  an  independent  artillery  company.  On  July  17, 
1812,  another  small  detachment  under  Colonel  McArthur  was  sent 
down  the  shore  to  the  River  Canards.  They  found  that  the  bridge  had 
been  torn  up,  and  the  planks  used  to  form  a  breastwork  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  stream.  The  brig  Queen  Charlotte,  armed  with  eighteen 
cannon,  and  a  small  gunboat  lay  at  the  mouth  of  the  inlet  to  support 
the  defenders.  The  River  Canards'  mouth  was  defended  by  a  battery 
supported  by  250  British  and  about  fifty  Indians.  After  two  hot  skir- 
mishes with  some  Indians  who  had  crossed  the  river,  ammunition  began 
to  run  low,  and  a  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Sandwich  for  more, 
while  the  Americans  took  a  position  at  Petit  Cote.  Colonel  Cass  then 
came  to  the  rescue  with  150  men  and  a  six-pound  cannon,  joining 
McArthur's  force  at  Turkey  Creek.  They  returned  to  Petit  Cote,  but 
it  was  useless  to  attempt  hostilities  against  such  overwhelming  odds. 
The  opportunity  for  a  decisive  action  had  been  lost  through  General 
Hull's  reluctance  to  support  Cass  and  Miller.  The  bridge  was  now 
held  by  the  enemy's  troops  and  two  armed  vessels,  so  it  was  no  longer 
available,  and  it  was  now  impossible  to  carry  artillery  beyond  the  Ca- 
nards because  the  country  for  several  miles  above  the  bridge  was  a 
swamp  of  black  mud.  This  being  the  case.  General  Hull  abandoned 
his  command  July  21  and  crossed  over  to  Detroit,  leaving  the  troops 
in  the  hands  of  Colonel  McArthur.  Indians  began  to  menace  the 
American  front,  and  Major  Denny  was  sent  out  on  the  24:th  to  drive 
them  back  across  the  Canards  River,  but  after  several  skirmishes  his 
flank  was  turned  and  he  was  compelled  to  retreat  with  a  loss  of  six  men 
killed  and  two  wounded.      By  this  time  the  soldiers  suspected  that  Gen- 

315 


eral  Hull  was  a  traitor  who  was  deliberately  playing  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  and  the  army  was  on  the  verge  of  mutiny. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  at  Detroit  the  fortune  of  war 
had  gone  against  the  Americans  at  Mackinaw.  Fort  Holmes,  as  it  was 
called,  was  defended  by  Lieutenant  Porter  Hancks  and  fifty  seven  men. 
The  armament  consisted  of  two  long  nine  pounders,  two  howitzers  and 
a  brass  three  pounder.  The  Indians  on  the  island  had  been  acting 
suspiciously,  and  they  all  left  suddenly  without  giving  any  reason  for 
their  departure.  Lieutenant  Hancks  feared  they  were  on  some  hostile 
mission,  and  in  total  ignorance  that  war  had  been  declared,  sent  Cap- 
tain Daurman,  of  the  militia,  to  the  new  British  fort  on  St.  Joseph  Isl- 
and, at  the  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  River,  to  ask  the  commandant  why 
the  Indians  had  migrated.  Daurman  met  an  expedition,  consisting  of 
British  troops  and  Indians,  on  their  way  to  attack  Fort  Mackinac,  and 
was  made  a  prisoner  of  war.  Lieutenant  Hancks  was  surprised,  and 
his  force  being  inadequate,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender.  The  fort  and 
its  stores,  and  700  packages  of  valuable  furs,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy  through  the  neglect  of  the  War  Department  to  notify  the  out- 
posts that  war  had  been  declared. 

Major-General  Brock,  who  commanded  the  troops  in  Canada,  was  in 
every  way  the  opposite  of  Hull.  His  action  was  swift;  his  energy  tire- 
less. He  raised  a  large  force  of  volunteers  in  a  few  days  and  had  them 
ready  for  service,  while  Joseph  Brant,  the  educated  Mohawk  chief, 
rounded  up  the  Canadian  Indians.  Brock  was  preparing  to  attack  Fort 
Niagara,  on  the  American  side,  when  he  heard  that  Canada  had  been 
invaded  from  Detroit  and  that  Fort  Maiden  was  in  peril.  He  promptly 
dispatched  Col.  Henry  Proctor,  of  the  41st  Militia,  with  all  the  men  he 
could  spare,  to  reinforce  Maiden. 

In  spite  of  Hull's  inaction  the  Canadians  near  the  Detroit  River 
flocked  to  the  American  standard  until  he  had  500  militia  added  to  his 
force.  While  the  British  reinforcements  were  on  their  way  west,  Capt. 
Henry  Brush,  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  River 
Raisin  with  230  more  volunteers  for  the  defense  of  Detroit,  together 
with  100  head  of  fat  cattle  and  other  provisions.  There  he  found  his 
progress  barred  by  Tecumseh  and  a  band  of  Indians  and  British,  who 
were  encamped  at  Brownstown.  Brush  sent  to  General  Hull  for  rein- 
forcements. Hull  at  first  refused  to  send  an  escort  for  the  volunteers 
and  supplies,  regardless  of  the  urging  of  the  Ohio  soldiery,  but  he  was 
finally  bluffed  into  compliance.      Maj.  Thomas  B.  Van  Home,  of  Colo- 

316 


nel  Findlay's  regiment,  was  then  dispatched  to  the  scene  of  trouble 
with  200  men.  The  escort  crossed  the  Detroit  River  on  August  4,  and 
camped  that  night  at  Ecorces.  Capt.  William  McCullough  was  sent 
ahead  of  the  company  with  four  scouts  to  beat  the  bush  for  the  enemy. 
When  near  Monguagon,  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  village  of  Trenton, 
they  were  ambushed  in  a  cornfield.  McCullough  was  shot  and  scalped 
before  assistance  could  arrive.  A  Frenchman,  at  whose  house  the 
Americans  stopped  for  water,  told  them  that  a  large  party  of  British 
and  Indians  were  lying  in  wait  for  them  near  Brownstown,  but  the  men 
were  so  disgusted  with  the  timid  policy  of  Hull  that  they  paid  little 
heed  to  the  warning.  They  were  ambushed  in  the  brush  at  the  out- 
skirts of  Brownstown,  and  a  deadly  fire  was  poured  into  their  ranks, 
throwing  the  troops  into  confusion.  They  were  compelled  to  fall  back 
as  far  as  Ecorces,  with  a  loss  of  seventeen  killed  and  several  wounded; 
some  of  the  latter  became  prisoners  and  were  probably  scalped.  Dis- 
patches which  were  carried  for  transmission  to  Washington,  and  letters 
to  friends  of  the  soldiers  in  Ohio,  were  captured  by  the  enemy,  reveal- 
ing the  disaffection  in  the  army.  These  letters  showed  up  the  charac- 
ter of  Hull,  and  if  the  British  needed  more  encouragement  than  had 
already  been  given,  it  was  thus  afforded.  Major  Van  Home  sent  to 
Detroit  for  500  men  to  assist  them  in  bringing  Brush  and  his  men  to 
the  fort.  General  Hull  said  he  could  only  spare  100,  but  such  a  force 
would  have  been  worse  than  useless  and  Van  Home  returned.  In 
order  to  quell  the  rising  mutiny  in  his  ranks  General  Hull,  on  August 
7,  promised  to  advance  against  Maiden  immediately  with  all  his  forces. 
All  soldiers  were  instructed  to  join  their  commands,  prepared  for  active 
service,  at  once,  and  the  men  were  once  more  filled  with  enthusiasm. 
That  night,  instead  of  advancing  toward  Maiden,  Hull  ordered  the 
army  to  return  across  the  river  to  Detroit,  thus  abandoning  the  rein- 
forcements from  the  Canadian  militia  to  the  tender  mercy  of  the  British 
and  Indians. 

In  answer  to  vehement  protests  against  complete  evacuation  General 
Hull  modified  the  order  so  that  Major  Denny  was  left  on  Canadian  soil 
with  150  invalids  and  convalescents,  and  a  small  corps  of  artillerists, 
who  were  all  practically  without  support.  They  took  up  their  quarters 
in  the  Gowris  homestead  at  Sandwich.  News  of  Proctor's  approach 
had  reached  Detroit.  General  Hull  sent  Lieut.  Dixon  Stansbury  and 
Ensign  Robert  McCabe  with  a  force  of  Ohio  volunteers;  Capt.  Antoine 
Dequindre  with  sixty   Frenchmen  of   his  command;    Lieut.   John   L. 

317 


Eastman  with  a  six-pound  cannon  and  a  gun  crew;  Lieut.  James  Daliba 
with  a  howitzer  and  crew;  and  detachments  of  Smith's  and  Sloan's 
cavalry  to  escort  Captain  Brush  to  Detroit.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Miller 
was  given  command  of  this  company  of  600  men,  and  Captains  Brevoort 
and  Abram  F.  Hull,  son  of  the  general,  were  his  aides.  The  men  were 
eager  to  wipe  out  the  disgrace  of  Van  Home's  defeat.  Maj.  Thompson 
Maxwell  went  ahead  with  the  scouts,  while  Capt.  Josiah  Snelling,  of 
the  regular  army,  followed  with  a  support  of  forty  men.  Behind  came 
the  troops  in  three  columns,  the  cavalry  occupying  the  center,  while 
the  horses  dragged  the  cannon  over  the  marshy  ground.  They  saw 
the  first  Indians  near  Monguagon.  At  this  place  a  farmer,  who  had 
joined  the  expedition  on  horseback,  strayed  too  far  away  from  the  main 
body,  and  was  shot  and  scalped  by  some  savages  who  were  hidden  near 
Walk-in  the- Water's  house.  A  few  minutes  later  an  ambush  of  100 
British  regulars,  100  Canadian  militia  and  about  300  Indians,  under 
Major  Muir,  opened  fire  upon  the  Americans.  The  vanguard  under 
Captain  Snelling  sustained  this  fire  and  answered  it  pluckily  while  the 
main  body  hurried  up.  Miller  ordered  a  charge ;  and  a  volley  of  grape 
shot  was  turned  against  the  enemy  as  soon  as  the  cannon  could  be 
trained  upon  the  hiding  places.  Captain  Dequindre  charged  along  the 
river  bank,  where  part  of  the  savages  were  posted,  and  drove  them 
back.  The  British,  thinking  the  Indians  to  be  allies  of  the  Americans, 
poured  a  volley  into  the  demoralized  savages  and  completed  their  rout. 
The  savages,  in  a  panic,  fought  friend  and  foe  alike  until  they  had 
broken  away  from  the  front.  The  resulting  confusion  scared  the  Brit- 
ish and  Canadians,  who  were  expecting  a  flank  attack,  and  they  fled 
after  the  savages.  Tecumseh  and  his  lieutenants.  Lame  Hand  and 
Splitlog,  were  left  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  shock.  They  held  their 
warriors  in  line  and  fought  with  splendid  valor,  while  the  British,  in 
spite  of  the  efforts  of  Major  Muir  and  the  other  officers  to  rally  them, 
broke  for  their  boats  and  rowed  away  toward  Maiden.  The  Indians 
finally  broke  cover  and  were  pursued  by  Snelling  and  the  cavalry  for  two 
miles  into  the  oak  forest.  The  Americans  lost  eighteen  men  killed  and 
fifty-seven  wounded,  the  worst  damage  having  been  inflicted  by  the 
first  volley.  The  British  had  twenty-four  regulars  wounded  and  one 
killed,  but  the  Indians  and  Canadian  militia  lost  over  sixty  killed,  and 
many  were  wounded.  In  this  skirmish  both  Major  Muir  and  Tecumseh 
were  slightly  wounded. 

Miller  sent  a   messenger  to  Detroit  to  tell  of  his  victory  and  ask  for 

318 


supplies.  Colonel  McArthur  was  dispatched  down  the  river  with  100 
men  and  600  rations,  which  they  carried  in  small  boats.  In  the  dark- 
ness they  escaped  detection  by  the  Queen  Charlotte  and  the  Hunter, 
which  were  guarding-  the  river,  and  delivered  their  rations  to  Miller 
opposite  Grosse  He.  Then  the  wounded  were  carried  to  the  boats  to 
be  taken  back  to  Detroit,  but  it  was  impossible  to  make  the  journey 
by  daylight,  on  account  of  the  two  armed  brigs  which  were  waiting  at 
the  bend  of  the  river  about  four  miles  above.  An  attempt  to  slip 
through  failed,  and  the  boats  were  pulled  to  the  shore,  where  the 
wounded  were  landed  and  taken  to  Detroit  in  wagons.  The  British 
sailors  seized  the  empty  boats  before  Colonel  Cass  could  come  to  the 
rescue.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Miller  had  been  thrown  from  his  horse 
and  severely  hurt  during  the  battle,  so  he  was  unable  to  proceed  to  the 
River  Raisin.  Colonel  Cass  arrived  at  Monguagon  and  sent  a  dispatch 
to  Detroit,  which  said:  "Miller  is  sick;  may  I  relieve  him?"  No 
answer  came  from  Hull  apd  Cass  started  back  to  get  permission  to 
continue  the  march,  when  a  messenger  met  him  with  order  to  bring 
the  entire  expedition  back  to  Detroit. 

All  this  time  Capt.  Henry  Brush  was  left  at  the  Raisin,  exposed 
to  attack  from  overwhelming  numbers.  The  soldiers  of  the  Detroit 
force  said  they  would  make  Miller  commander,  but  he  refused  to  coun- 
tenance a  mutiny.  Cass  wrote  to  Gov.  Return  J.  Meigs,  of  Ohio,  ask- 
ing him  to  come  to  the  relief  of  Detroit.  Cass,  Findlay,  Elijah  Brush, 
McArthur  and  Taylor  signed  the  letter,  and  every  officer  at  Detroit 
would  also  have  signed  it  had  he  been  asked.  Hull  was  half  the  time 
shut  up  in  his  private  room,  holding  converse  with  no  one  except  his 
dissipated  son,  Capt.  Abram  F.  Hull.  His  men  could  not  decide 
whether  he  had  become  an  imbecile  or  a  traitor. 

General  Brock  raised  money  by  contributions  and  soldiers  by  enlist- 
ment, and  arrived  at  Maiden  to  join  Proctor  August  13,  bringing  a 
boat  expedition  of  thirty  regulars  and  300  militia  from  Long  Point  on 
Lake  Erie.  A  force  of  Mohawk  warriors  made  the  journey  by  land. 
When  he  arrived  at  Maiden  the  news  was  carried  quickly  to  the  Indian 
camp  on  Bois  Blanc  Island,  and  the  savages  fired  a  noisy  feu  de  joie 
in  his  honor. 

"  What  troops  are  those?  "  asked  Brock. 

"  Those  are  Tecumseh's  warriors,"  he  was  informed. 

"Ah!  I  must  see  Tecumseh  very  soon."  Colonel  Elliott  put  off  in 
a  boat  and  brought  the  great  chief  over  to  the  mainland,  where  he  was 

319 


introduced  to  the  new  commander.  Next  morning  Brock  and  Tecum- 
seh  held  a  "big  talk"  in  the  presence  of  about  1,000  Indians.  The 
general  announced  his  intention  of  moving  immediately  upon  Detroit, 
and  prophesied  its  speedy  capture.  Tecumseh  was  fired  with  enthu- 
siasm and  made  a  speech  which  set  his  warriors  in  a  frenzy.  Then  he 
talked  with  General  Brock  aside.  When  the  meeting  was  over  Brock 
said  to  those  about  him:  "  A  more  sagacious  or  a  more  gallant  warrior 
does  not,  I  believe,  exist."  General  Brock  proceeded  immediately  to 
Sandwich,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  Major  Denny  and  his  invalids 
three  days  before.  A  battery  was  erected  opposite  Detroit.  The 
Americans  begged  for  the  privilege  of  firing  upon  the  enemy,  but  Hull 
would  not  permit  it,  and  so  the  works  which  might  have  been  prevented 
with  comparative  ease,  went  on  to  completion.  Hull  sent  another  ex- 
pedition of  350  men  to  escort  Captain  Brush  up  the  river,  but  when  the 
men  were  half  way  on  their  journey  they  were  called  back  to  Detroit. 
When  the  British  batteries  had  been  planted  and  a  row  of  eighteen 
pounders  was  trained  upon  the  American  fort,  General  Brock  sent 
Lieutenant-Colonel  McDonnell  and  Major  Glegg  from  the  Canadian 
side  of  the  river,  with  a  written  demand  for  the  surrender  of  Detroit. 
Brock  added  a  covert  threat  to  the  demand,  saying:  "You  must  be 
aware,  sir,  of  the  number  of  Indians  who  have  attached  themselves  to 
my  command,  and  knowing  their  characteristics  in  warfare  you  must 
appreciate  how  impossible  it  will  be  to  control  their  passions  should 
they  once  become  seriously  engaged."  After  two  hours  consultation 
with  the  messengers  Hull  replied :  "  I  am  compelled  to  inform  you  that 
I  am  ready  to  meet  any  force  which  may  be  at  your  disposal,  and  any 
consequences  which  may  result  from  its  execution  in  any  way  you  may 
think  proper  to  tise  it."  He  added  some  apologies  for  the  depredations 
of  the  American  troops  on  Canadian  soil. 

Major  Jesup  asked  Hull  for  a  small  battery  to  take  down  to  Spring- 
wells  to  drive  the  Queen  Charlotte  away,  but  was  refused.  He  then 
offered  to  take  100  men  and  steal  across  to  the  poorly  manned  British 
batteries  opposite  Detroit  and  spike  their  guns,  but  Hull  would  not 
listen  to  the  proposition.  The  commander  shut  himself  in  his  room  to 
avoid  the  importunities  of  his  officers.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day  the  British  battery  opened  on  the  fort,  and  the  Ohio  troops  who  had 
been  encamped  a  short  distance  north  on  the  common,  were  ordered 
inside.  Then  the  Indians  swarmed  over  the  river  from  Canada,  landing 
below  Springwells,  and  came  up  toward   Detroit.     The  fort  answered 

320 


-^^J 


^ 


the  fire   from   across  the   river  with  spirit,    and   disabled   two   of  the 
enemy's  guns. 

Next  morning,  August  16,  the  British  crossed  the  river  and  landed 
at  Springwells.  Hull  refused  to  allow  a  battery  to  be  sent  to  oppose 
the  landing.  Tecumseh,  with  Colonels  Elliott  and  McKee,  had  already 
crossed  with  600  Indians.  After  eating  their  breakfast  leisurely  the 
British  marched  toward  Detroit,  but  with  no  cannon.  Brock  rode 
about  300  yards  ahead  of  his  troops,  as  if  he  were  on  his  way  to  dress 
parade.  Two  twenty-four-pounders  had  been  placed  in  the  fort  where 
they  could  easily  sweep  away  the  approaching  column.  Beside  them 
stood  400  rounds  of  shot,  shell  and  grape,  while  100,000  rounds  of 
other  ammunition  were  ready  for  the  defense.  The  guns  had  been 
loaded  with  grape  shot,  and  Lieutenant  Anderson  had  been  placed  in 
charge  of  the  battery  with  orders  from  Hull  to  hold  his  fire  until 
ordered  to  open  on  the  enemy.  An  impetuous  soldier  who  saw  an 
opportunity  for  enfilading  the  enemy,  sprang  forward  with  a  match  to 
fire  a  cannon,  but  Anderson  rushed  at  him  with  drawn  sword  and 
threatened  to  cut  him  down  if  he  dared  to  fire  a  gun  without  orders. 
This  was  about  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  two  hours  before  the  surrender. 
Shots  from  the  battery  over  the  river  began  tearing  through  the 
wooden  palings  of  the  fort;  one  ball  killed  Lieutenant  Hancks,  late  of 
Mackinaw,  Lieutenant  Sibley  and  Dr.  Reynolds.  Dr.  Blood  was 
dangerously  wounded.  Blood  spattered  all  around  and  the  frightened 
women,  who  had  been  huddled  into  a  bomb  proof,  shrieked  with  terror. 
Another  shot  tore  through  the  south  gate,  killing  two  soldiers.  An 
officer  of  the  Michigan  militia  rushed  into  General  Hull's  quarters,  and 
asked  if  the  enemy  was  to  be  allowed  to  take  possession  without  an 
attempt  at  defense.  Hull  made  no  reply,  but  continued  penning  a 
note  which  he  delivered  to  his  son,  Capt.  Abram  Hull.  He  told  Cap- 
tain Hull  to  display  a  white  flag  from  the  southern  ramparts  of  the 
fort  where  it  might  be  seen  by  Captain  Dixon,  who  commanded  the 
battery  across  the  river.  Captain  Hull  went  out  of  the  fort  bearing  a 
flag  of  truce  and  a  letter  of  capitulation  to  General  Brock,  before  his 
intention  was  suspected  by  the  other  officers  and  soldiers.  Without  an 
attempt  at  defense,  without  consultation  with  his  subordinates,  Gen- 
eral Hull  surrendered  Detroit  to  an  inferior  force.  The  soldiers  broke 
into  loud  curses  against  their  commander,  calling  him  a  traitor  and  a 
coward.  Some  of  them  broke  their  guns  and  dashed  them  to  the  ground 
in  impotent  rage.     At  that  time  the  soldiers    believed    that    General 

321 


Hull  had  secretly  made  complete  arrangements  with  Colonel  McDon- 
nell, the  British  officer  who  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  to 
turn  the  place  with  all  its  stores  over  to  the  enemy,  and  that  the  sub- 
sequent cannonade  was  merely  a  ruse  to  cover  the  perfidy  of  their  com- 
mander. In  no  other  way  could  they  reconcile  the  undisturbed 
approach  of  the  enemy  and  the  perfect  confidence  of  their  commander 
in  exposing  himself  and  his  column  of  infantry  to  destruction.  An- 
other suspicious  circumstance  was  that  Colonels  Cass  and  McArthur 
were  surrendered  while  they  were  absent  down  the  river,  and  also 
Captain  Brush  and  all  his  supplies  at  the  River  Raisin.  When  a  mes- 
senger from  General  Hull  informed  Colonels  Cass  and  McArthur  that 
they  and  their  troops  were  prisoners  of  war,  they  flew  into  a  passion  of 
rage.  They  sent  word  to  Brush  notifying  him  of  the  surrender.  Cap- 
tain Elliott,  son  of  the  British  Indian  agent,  went  to  the  Raisin  with  a 
squad  of  men,  presented  a  copy  of  the  capitulation,  and  demanded  the 
surrender  of  Brush's  men  and  supplies.  With  Brush  was  a  company 
of  Ohio  volunteers  from  New  Lisbon,  O.,  under  Capt.  Thomas  Row- 
land, also  on  their  way  to  Detroit.  When  the  latter  was  informed  of 
the  situation  he  shouted  "  Treason  !  "  and  forthwith  made  Elliott  a  pris- 
oner. The  whole  party  started  back  to  Ohio  carrying  Elliott  along, 
but  the  latter  was  released  the  next  day.  He  rode  rapidly  back  to  De- 
troit, and  with  a  party  of  Indians  tried  to  overtake  the  retreating  vol- 
unteers, but  the  latter  reached  their  homes  in  safety.  Rowland  was 
afterward  present  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames  and  after  the  war  was  a 
resident  of  Detroit  until  he  died. 

Detroit  was  formally  delivered  over  to  the  British  commander  at 
noon,  August  16,  1812,  with  its  stores  and  arms,  which  were  much 
needed  by  the  enemy  at  the  time.  Gen.  Sir  Isaac  Brock  and  his  staff 
appeared  in  full  uniform  on  the  esplanade  when  the  American  flag  was 
hauled  down,  and  the  blood  red  banner  of  Great  Britain  was  raised 
above  Detroit  for  the  second  time.  A  salute  was  fired  from  a  brass 
cannon  in  the  fort  which  bore  the  following  inscription:  "Taken  at 
Saratoga  on  the  17th  of  October,  1777."  The  victorious  British  soldiers 
were  overjoyed  at  the  recovery  of  this  interesting  relic  thirty-five  years 
after  they  had  lost  it  in  fair  field.  They  declared  that  it  should  be  further 
inscribed:  "Retaken  at  Detroit,  August  16,  1812,"  but  they  were  des- 
tined to  lose  it  again.  There  was  a  thundering  of  cannon  far  greater 
and  louder  than  that  which  had  preceded  the  surrender,  for  the  bat- 
tery across  the  river  replied  to  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  the  brig  Queen 

322 


Charlotte  sailed  np  the  river  discharging  her  guns  as  fast  as  her  crew 
could  load  and  fire.  In  the  presence  of  all  the  assemblage  General 
Brock  took  off  his  crimson  sash  of  silk  and  threw  it  about  Tecumseh, 
to  signify  his  acknowledgment  of  the  warrior's  services.  Tecumseh 
received  it  with  becoming  dignity,  but  did  not  wear  it  afterward,  as  he 
was  too  modest  to  delight  in  vain  show. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

Settlers  and  Garrison  of  Fort  Dearborn  (Chicago)  Massacred  by  Indians — General 
Harrison  Rescues  the  Garrison  of  Fort  Wayne— General  Hull  Convicted  of  Cowardice 
and  Incompetence  and  Sentenced  to  be  Shot — Sentence  Suspended. 

General  Hull  and  his  regulars  were  held  as  prisoners  of  war  and  taken 
to  Montreal,  where  they  were  afterward  exchanged.  The  Ohio  volun- 
teers were  taken  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River  and  released  to 
go  to  their  homes,  while  the  local  militia  were  permitted  to  disperse  and 
resume  their  civil  occupations.  A  brig  called  the  Adams  had  been 
launched  and  was  nearly  rigged  for  service  in  the  Detroit  ship  yard. 
This  was  taken  by  the  British,  renamed  the  Detroit,  and  taken  to  Fort 
Erie,  on  the  Niagara  River,  a  few  weeks  later.  A  company  of  Amer- 
icans crossed  from  Buffalo  to  Fort  Erie  on  the  Niagara,  and  cut  the 
ship's  moorings,  with  the  intent  to  tow  her  across  the  river.  They 
were  attacked,  however,  and  their  attempt  was  frustrated.  The  brig 
was  then  set  on  fire,  and,  running  aground,  became  a  total  loss. 

As  soon  as  Detroit  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  Simon 
Girty,  who  still  hated  the  Americans  with  all  the  virulence  of  his  nature, 
came  once  more  to  the  fort  to  boast  of  his  deeds  in  the  past  and  to 
taunt  the  captives  with  their  defeat. 

"You  Yankees  are  a  miserable  lot,"  said  Girty.  "It  only  takes  a 
good  handful  of  British  regulars  to  whip  you;  you've  gone  the  length 
of  your  tether  now  and  Great  Britain  is  going  to  get  the  whole  country 
back  again." 

"Say,  Girty,"  retorted  a  Michigan  volunteer,  "you  seemed  to  be  in 
a  hurry  when  you  went  away  from  Detroit  last  time.  Did  you  begin 
to  feel  your  hair  loosening  when  you  jumped  your  black  mare  off  the 
high  bank  and  made  her  swim  the  river  with  you?  " 

323 


''Guess  you'd  a  jumped  if  you'd  seen  old  Wayne  and  his  devilish 
cut-throats  coming  after  you,  and  no  other  way  of  getting  out  of  their 
reach." 

"What  ever  became  of  the  black  mare  that  saved  your  neck?  " 

"Oh  Lord,  she  died  years  ago;  good  mare  that.  I  didn't  let  the 
crows  pick  her  bones,  but  buried  her  with  military  honors." 

Simon  Girty  was  born  in  1741.  His  father,  who  bore  the  same  name, 
was  a  dissipated  Irishman  who  settled  in  an  early  day  on  the  banks  of 
the  Susquehanna  River,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  four  sons.  Dur- 
ing one  of  his  numerous  debauches  he  was  killed  by  an  Indian  named 
"The  Fish."  John  Turner,  a  neighbor  of  the  Girtys,  avenged  his 
death  by  killing  "  The  Fish  "  and  then  he  took  compensation  by  marry- 
ing the  widow.  During  the  Indian  troubles  of  1756  in  Pennsylvania, 
one  year  after  Braddock's  defeat.  Turner  and  his  family  were  captured 
by  some  French  Indians  who  took  him  with  his  wife,  his  little  son  and 
and  the  four  Girty  boys,  his  stepsons,  to  Kittanning,  Pa.  There  they 
stripped  Turner,  tied  him  to  the  stake,  and  tortured  him  to  death  by 
thrusting  red  hot  gun  barrels  through  his  body.  Mrs.  Turner  and  her 
boys  were  compelled  to  sit  close  by  and  witness  the  awful  proceedings. 
The  mother  and  the  boys  were  then  divided  among  the  Indian  tribes, 
Simon  going  to  the  Senecas,  with  whom  he  lived  for  several  years. 
James  was  brought  up  by  the  Shawnees,  and  George  by  the  Delavvares. 
After  making  his  escape  from  the  Indians  Simon  became  a  soldier  at 
Fort  Pitt,  and  served  as  an  Indian  agent  for  the  Americans.  His  de- 
sertion, and  his  services  rendered  the  British  afterward,  have  already 
been  related.  This  is  why  he  was  called  the  renegade,  and  not  because 
he  associated  with  the  Indians.  When  the  war  of  1812  broke  out  he 
was  a  white  haired  old  man,  broken  down  by  intemperance ;  he  was 
also  crippled  by  rheumatism  and  almost  blind.  His  home  was  on  a 
farm  near  Amherstburg,  given  by  the  British  government.  Owing  to 
his  intemperance  and  his  dangerous  temper  when  drunk,  his  wife  was 
compelled  to  leave  him  and  he  went  east  for  three  years,  making  his 
home  among  the  Mohawks  at  Burlington  Heights,  Canada,  near  Lake 
Ontario.  He  returned  to  Maiden  or  Amherstburg  in  1816,  blind  and 
almost  helpless,  making  his  home  at  the  hotel  of  his  son-in-law,  Peter 
Govereau.  Whenever  he  could  obtain  liquor  he  still  drank,  but  he  was 
no  longer  dangerous,  and  his  wife  came  back  to  comfort  his  last  days. 
On  February  15,  1818,  he  was  attacked  with  a  severe  illness  and  he 
died  three  days  later,  aged  seventy-seven  years.      He  was  buried  on  his 

324 


own  land  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Mickle  farm,  two  miles  below 
Amherstburg,  on  the  bank  of  Lake  Erie,  and  a  squad  of  British  soldiers 
fired  a  salute  over  his  grave.  In  his  prime  he  was  of  stout  build,  five 
feet  nine  inches  in  height  and  of  very  swarthy  complexion.  He  had 
piercing  black  eyes  set  quite  close  together,  and  his  face  was  disfigured 
by  a  long  scar  across  the  forehead,  which  it  was  said  was  the  result  of 
the  assault  made  upon  him  by  George  Lewis. 

Through  the  incompetence  of  General  Hull  the  Americans  suffered 
more  than  the  loss  of  Detroit.  Fort  Dearborn  had  been  erected  on  the 
Chicago  River,  and  it  was  garrisoned  by  Capl.  Nathan  Heald,  Lieut. 
L.  T.  Helm,  Ensign  George  Ronan  and  a  garrison  of  fifty-four  men. 
Several  families  of  settlers  lived  within  a  mile  of  the  fort,  most  of  them 
being  gathered  closely  about  it.  Tecumseh's  confederacy  had  drawn 
in  the  Potawatomies  and  Winnebagoes,  the  neighboring  tribes  of 
Indians,  and  early  in  the  summer  of  1812  they  began  to  act  in  a  sus- 
picious manner.  As  the  fort  was  provisioned  for  a  siege  of  six  months 
and  had  plenty  of  powder  and  ammunition,  the  garrison  paid  little  at- 
tention to  the  hostility,  and  merely  kept  close  watch  to  guard  against 
the  admission  of  Indians  to  the  fort.  In  April  a  family,  named  Lee, 
was  massacred  not  far  from  the  fort  by  the  Indians,  and  this  made  the 
soldiers  and  settlers  more  wary.  Winnemeg  (the  Catfish),  a  friendly 
Potawatomie  chief,  brought  a  message  from  General  Hull  on  the  even- 
ing of  August  7,  which  advised  Captain  Heald  to  abandon  the  fort  if  it 
was  possible  and  get  away,  and  to  take  refuge  at  Fort  Wayne,  in  Indi- 
ana. The  soldiers  and  settlers  counseled  against  it,  as  they  were  sure 
to  be  attacked  by  the  Indians  at  the  first  opportunity.  They  had  also 
received  a  number  of  warnings  from  friendly  chiefs.  Heald,  however, 
was  a  slave  to  duty,  and  he  resolved  to  obey  at  any  cost.  He  held  a 
council  with  the  Indians  and  told  them  of  his  intention.  To  insure 
their  friendship  he  promised  to  turn  over  all  the  stores  of  the  fort  to 
them.  That  night  he  emptied  all  the  powder  into  the  riv^er  and  turned 
all  the  liquors  in  the  fort  into  a  well.  The  Indians  learned  of  this  and 
were  furious.  A  band  of  500  Potawatomies  offered  to  act  as  escort, 
and  just  as  they  were  about  to  start.  Captain  Wells,  who  had  been 
brought  up  among  the  Miamis  as  the  adopted  son  of  Little  Turtle,  ap- 
peared with  a  small  band  of  Miamis.  He  came  to  assist  the  garrison 
in  defending  itself  against  the  hostile  tribes,  but  when  he  learned  that 
the  ammunition  had  been  destroyed,  and  the  other  stores  given  to  the 
Indians,  he  declared:   "We  are  all  as  good  as  murdered.      Not  a  man 

325 


of  us  will  escape  alive,  for  the  Potawatomies  have  planned  to  destroy 
every  white  person  in  the  region."  He  resigned  himself  to  his  fate, 
blackening  his  face  with  wet  gunpowder  in  the  Indian  fashion,  in  order 
to  show  that  he  was  doomed.  The  garrison  started  out,  but  before 
they  had  gone  two  miles  the  Potawatomies  turned  upon  them  and  be- 
gan killing  them  right  and  left.  A  young  brave  jumped  into  a  wagon 
containing  two  women  and  twelve  children,  and  tomahawked  ever)'-  one 
of  them.  The  soldiers  made  the  best  defense  they  could,  and  the 
women  fought  with  swords  and  muskets  as  well  as  the  men.  Twenty- 
six  soldiers,  Captain  Wells,  Surgeon  Van  Voorhis  and  Ensign  Ronan 
were  massacred.  Kenzie,  a  Detroit  trader,  was  the  only  male  settler 
who  was  spared.  The  fort  was  burned  and  Chicago  was  left  desolate 
for  four  years.  Fort  Wayne  and  Fort  Harrison,  both  in  Indiana,  were 
afterward  besieged,  and  nothing  but  the  timely  approach  of  General 
Harrison  saved  them  from  destruction.  Colonel  Proctor,  at  Maiden, 
offered  a  reward  for  every  American  scalp  the  Indians  would  bring  him, 
and  the  eagerness  of  the  savages  for  rum  made  them  diligent  mur- 
derers. 

William  Hull's  name  has  gone  down  in  history  with  disgrace  and  dis- 
honor. Col.  Lewis  Cass  went  to  Washington  during  the  winter  of 
1812,  and  laid  charges  against  him  before  the  War  Department,  alleg- 
ing incompetence,  cowardice  and  treason.  Hull,  who  had  returned  to 
his  farm  after  being  released  at  Montreal,  appeared  for  trial  in  1813, 
but  President  Madison  for  some  unknown  reason  dismissed  the  court. 
Another  court  martial  was  held  at  the  beginning  of  1814,  which  lasted 
eighty  days.  The  charge  of  treason  was  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
court  and  it  could  not  be  sustained  by  the  evidence,  but  Hull  was 
found  guilty  of  cowardice  and  incompetence,  and  was  sentenced  to  be 
shot.  His  name  was  struck  from  the  roll  of  the  army.  President 
Madison  pardoned  him  and  he  retired  to  his  farm  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  days  in  obscurity.  He  protested  to  the  last  that  he  had  done 
nothing  at  Detroit  which  was  not  fully  warranted  by  the  circumstances, 
and  said  that  he  preferred  to  be  considered  a  coward  and  a  traitor 
rather  than  subject  his  soldiers  and  the  families  of  the  Detroit  settlers 
to  an  Indian  massacre.  Hull  was  probably  cautious  to  the  verge  of 
cowardice,  a  characteristic  which  made  him  overestimate  the  perils  in 
his  pathway.  The  least  that  can  be  said  of  him  is  that  he  was  utterly 
unfit  for  a  military  command,  however  effective  he  may  have  been 
under  authority.  He  died  at  Newton,  Mass.,  in  November,  1825,  aged 
seventy-three  years. 

326 


Congress  began  to  prepare  for  the  recovery  of  Detroit.  Governor 
Harrison,  of  Indiana,  was  authorized  to  raise  volunteers  in  Kentucky 
for  the  Army  of  the  Northwest,  and  he  was  assisted  in  the  duty  by 
Richard  M.  Johnson,  who,  in  company  with  John  Logan  and  William 
S.  Hunter,  were  appointed  aides  to  the  general.  They  called  for  500 
mounted  men  from  Kentucky,  while  Gen.  Robert  Crooks  asked  for 
2,000  from  Pennsylvania,  and  Gen,  Joel  Leftwich  undertook  to  muster 
1,500  from  Western  Virginia.  A  portion  of  these  forces  joined  near 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  a  messenger  arrived  bearing  Governor  Harrison's 
commission  as  brigadier- general.  He  was  ordered  to  take  command 
of  all  the  forces  in  the  territories  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  to  co- 
operate with  Governor  Howard  of  Missouri.  This  order  was  confusing, 
for  Gen.  James  Winchester  had  already  been  appointed  to  the  position 
of  commander-in-chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Northwest.  It  was  not  a 
time  for  delay,  however,  and  Harrison  pushed  forward  with  all  possible 
speed  to  rescue  the  beleagured  garrison  at  Fort  Wayne.  He  arrived 
there  September  12,  but  the  Indians  had  been  aware  of  his  approach 
and  fled  toward  Detroit.  Then  he  resolved  to  strike  a  telling  blow  at 
the  Indians,  and  his  troops  were  sent  from  village  to  village  of  the 
Potawatomies  to  burn  their  winter  homes  and  to  destroy  their  crops, 
so  that  they  would  be  reduced  to  starvation  during  the  coming  winter. 

On  September  18,  1812,  General  Winchester  arrived  at  Fort  Defiance, 
Ohio,  to  take  general  command.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution, 
and  had  been  living  on  a  large  estate  in  Tennessee  for  nearly  thirty 
years  It  was  a  long  time  since  he  had  had  experience  in  military 
affairs,  and  the  soldiers  distrusted  him  as  much  as  they  trusted  "Old 
Tippecanoe"  (Harrison),  who  had  led  them  to  victory.  Winchester 
was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  his  pompous  bearing  irritated  the  raw  volun- 
teers gathered  from  the  farms  and  settlements  of  the  frontier.  General 
Harrison,  who  was  at  Fort  Defiance,  addressed  the  soldiers  and  told 
them  to  do  their  duty  no  matter  who  commanded.  He  went  back  into 
Ohio  to  recruit  more  men  and  to  meet  Richard  M.  Johnson,  who  was 
coming  up  with  more  mounted  Kentuckians.  General  Winchester  set 
out  down  the  Maumee  River  on  September  19.  Two  days  later  orders 
came  to  General  Harrison,  granting  him  chief  command,  with  full  dis- 
cretion as  to  his  movements  against  the  enemy.  Winchester  was  wait- 
ing at  Fort  Defiance  on  the  Maumee  for  Harrison  to  join  him,  when, 
on  September  27,  he  found  a  force  of  200  British  regulars  under  Major 
Muir,  and  a  band  of  1,000  Indians  under  Colonel  Elliott,  in  front  of  his 

327 


position.  The  enemy  had  four  pieces  of  artillery,  and  were. working 
their  way  up  the  Maumee  to  capture  Fort  Wayne.  Muir  captured  an 
American  sergeant  named  McCoy,  who  gave  him  an  exaggerated 
account  of  the  American  force,  and  told  him  that  a  still  larger  force 
was  approaching,  Muir  resolved  to  give  battle  before  reinforcements 
arrived  and  arranged  his  boats  for  escape  in  case  of  a  defeat.  To  his 
intense  disgust,  his  Indian  allies,  after  hearing  McCoy's  big  stories, 
scampered  for  the  woods,  and  the  expedition  was  compelled  to  retreat 
down  the  river  and  return  to  Maiden.  General  Winchester  remained 
at  Fort  Defiance  with  the  advance  guard  of  the  army,  while  General 
Harrison  was  busy  recruiting  more  men  from  Ohio  and  the  surrounding 
territories.  That  fall  an  army  of  3,000  men,  enough  to  recapture  De- 
troit, was  ready  for  the  field,  but  the  campaign  was  deferred  because 
the  troops  lacked  supplies  and  munitions  of  war  for  maintaining  the 
post  through  the  winter.  Should  they  capture  Detroit  and  then  be 
compelled  to  abandon  it,  the  peaceful  residents  would  be  massacred  by 
the  Indians.  The  fall  expeditions  were  limited  to  destroying  Indian 
villages,  and  throwing  the  Indian  allies  upon  the  British  garrison  for 
support.  In  the  mean  time  the  settlers  along  the  Detroit  River  and  all 
about  Detroit  were  plundered  by  the  savages,  and  many  of  them  were 
driven  from  their  homes  in  spite  of  the  promise  of  protection  given  by 
General  Brock,  who  had  returned  to  Niagara. 

Colonel  Elliott  had  established  his  headquarters  at  Frenchtown,  with 
400  Indians,  under  Chiefs  Walk-in-the  Water  and  Roundhead,  and  200 
Canadian  militia  under  Major  Reynolds.  They  also  had  a  howitzer, 
and  were  protected  by  a  stockade.  Thirty  families  of  settlers  who  lived 
at  Frenchtown,  on  the  Raisin,  had  been  plundered  of  nearly  all  they  had, 
and  the  Indians  began  to  threaten  their  lives.  The  Indians  who  had 
been  driven  out  of  the  Indiana  region  began  to  gather  there,  to  take 
vengeance  upon  the  settlers  in  retaliation  for  the  depredations  of  the 
soldiers.  Frightened  messengers  came  to  General  Winchester  at  Fort 
Defiance  asking  for  protection.  It  was  a  perilous  undertaking,  because 
every  advance  down  the  Maumee  had  been  opposed  by  Indians,  but 
Cclonel  Lewis  was  dispatched  with  550  men,  and  Colonel  Allen  with 
110,  to  attempt  the  protection  of  the  settlers.  The  troops  made  the 
journey  in  January,  crossing  the  Maumee  and  several  wide  morasses 
on  the  ice.  They  found  the  enemy  on  the  alert,  drawn  up  behind  their 
pickets  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Raisin,  but  they  charged  across  on  the 
ice  regardless  of  the  booming  howitzer,  scaled  the  pickets  and  drove 

328 


GEORGE  WILLIAM    MOORE. 


the  Canadians  and  Indians  to  the  woods.  The  Americans  lost  twelve 
killed  and  iifty-five  wounded.  The  enemy  left  fifteen  dead  on  the 
open  field,  but  their  wounded  were  helped  into  the  woods.  General 
Winchester  then  came  on  to  Frenchtown,  with  300  men  and  Col.  Sam- 
uel Wells.      No  more  could  be  spared  from  the  Maumee. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Massacre  of  Winchester's  Troops  at  the  River  Raisin — Victims  of  an  Incompetent 
Commander  and  a  Treacherous  Enemy — Humane  Residents  of  Maiden  Ransom 
Prisoners  from  the  Indians. 

General  Winchester  established  his  headquarters  at  the  house  of  Col. 
Francis  Navarre,  which  was  over  a  mile  away  from  the  town  and  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Peter  Navarre  and  his  four  brothers 
were  sent  to  reconnoiter  at  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River,  where  they 
learned,  on  January  21,  that  a  large  force  was  coming  from  Maiden  to 
recapture  Frenchtown,  and  was  expected  to  cross  on  the  ice  that  night. 
The  pompous  old  general  laughed  scornfully  at  the  intelligence  and 
took  no  precautions,  thinking  his  way  was  now  clear  to  Detroit. 
Jacques  Lasalle,  a  French  resident,  whose  daughter  by  an  Indian 
squaw  had  married  an  English  officer  named  Colwell,  and  who  sympa- 
thized with  the  British,  insisted  that  it  could  not  be  true.  Winchester 
believed  him.  General  Lewis  heard  next  day  that  the  enemy  had 
crossed  the  Detroit  River,  and  arrived  at  Stony  Creek,  with  several 
pieces  of  artillery.  He  doubled  his  pickets,  while  Colonel  Wells  hur- 
ried back  to  the  Maumee  for  reinforcements.  Owing  to  the  severity 
of  the  weather  no  outposts  were  maintained  on  the  roads  and  the  camp 
passed  the  night  in  fancied  security.  At  5  o'clock  next  morning  the 
British  and  Indians  under  Colonel  Proctor,  who  had  unperceived 
planted  batteries  within  300  yards  of  the  Ataerican  troops,  opened  fire 
upon  the  camp,  discharging  shells  and  grape  shot.  When  the  sleepy 
soldiers  were  hurrying  about  in  the  wildest  confusion,  a  body  of  British 
regulars  charged  among  them,  and  the  Indians  and  Canadian  militia 
attacked  on  both  flanks.  General  Winchester  came  up  and  tried  to  re- 
store order,  but  the  soldiers  scattered  across  the  Raisin  and  the  fleet- 

329 


footed  Indians  cut  them  down  as  they  fled,  tearing  the  scalps  from 
their  heads  for  the  promised  ransom.  The  British  numbered  500,  and 
had  four  pieces  of  artillery,  and  there  were  600  Indians.  General 
Winchester  and  Colonel  Lewis  were  captured  and  stripped  of  their 
coats  and  vests.  Majors  Graves  and  Madison,  who  were  stationed  on 
the  left  wing,  had  been  fortunate  in  holding  their  men  steady,  and  they 
had  repelled  every  assault  against  them  from  behind  a  picketed  garden. 
Their  riflemen  picked  off  the  British  artilleymen  so  fast  that  they  were 
compelled  to  retire  beyond  lange.  A  flag  of  truce  came  forward  in 
charge  of  Major  Overton,  an  American  soldier  of  Winchester's  staff. 
The  two  unbeaten  majors  were  informed  that  they  must  lay  down  their 
arms,  as  General  Winchester  had  surrendered  the  whole  command. 
Proctor  had  forced  General  Winchester  to  issue  this  order  to  the  brave 
men  who  had  held  the  left  wing,  telling  him  that  unless  it  was  done 
the  whole  force  would  be  given  over  to  massacre  by  the  Indians.  The 
old  general,  sickened  by  the  butchery  of  the  wounded  he  had  been 
compelled  to  witness,  issued  the  order. 

"It  is  customary  for  the  Indians  to  massacre  all  prisoners  taken  in 
your  wars  "  said  Major  Madison.  "  I  prefer  to  sell  my  life  as  dearly 
as  possible,  and  shall  refuse  to  surrender  unless  the  protection  of  all 
the  prisoners  shall  be  stipulated." 

Colonel  Proctor  flew  into  a  passion.  "Sir!  do  you  pretend  to  dic- 
tate to  me  ?  "  said  he. 

"I  mean  to  dictate  for  myself,"  said  Madison.  "Rather  than  sub- 
mit to  a  massacre  in  cold  blood  I  prefer  to  fight  to  the  last." 

Proctor  then  promised  that  the  prisoners  should  be  fully  protected, 
and  Madison  and  Graves  surrendered.  It  was  promised  that  sleds 
should  be  brought  from  Maiden  next  day  to  remove  the  wounded. 
Captain  Hart,  a  brother-in-law  of  Henry  Clay,  was  among  the  captive 
Kentuckians,  and  asked  permission  to  accompany  the  troops  when  they 
left  for  Maiden,  but  Colonel  Elliott  told  him  to  stay  at  Frenchtown 
where  he  would  be  perfectly  safe.  He  was  murdered  next  day.  The 
villagers  opened  their  houses  to  the  wounded,  but  the  sufferings  of 
the  American  volunteers  were  not  ended.  Arrived  at  Stony  Creek  on 
his  way  back  to  Maiden,  Proctor,  according  to  promise,  rewarded  the 
Indians  with  all  the  rum  they  wanted,  and  they  then  returned  to 
Frenchtown  for  a  carnival  of  slaughter.  Two  hundred  savages,  crazed 
with  rum  and  painted  like  demons,  came  whooping  into  the  village 
next  morning,  January  23,  and  began  to  slaughter  the  wounded.     The 

330 


trading-  houses  of  Jean  B.  Jerome  and  Gabriel  Godfroy  were  filled  with 
wounded  volunteers.  The  savages  closed  the  doors  of  the  two  build- 
ings and  set  both  on  fire.  As  the  flames  crackled  and  enveloped  the 
buildings  they  danced  with  glee.  Some  of  the  wounded  crawled  out 
through  the  flames,  only  to  be  scalped  and  thrown  back,  and  some  who 
were  sheltered  in  other  houses  were  brought  out,  scalped  alive,  and 
then  thrown  into  the  burning  bufldings  More  than  sixty  wounded 
prisoners  were  roasted  to  death  in  the  burning  houses,  and  the  village 
street  was  strewn  with  mangled  bodies.  A  defense,  or  rather  an  ex- 
cuse, for  this  terrible  massacre,  is  sometimes  told  by  the  Caldwells  of 
Amherstburg.  William  Caldwell,  the  progenitor  of  the  family  in  that 
town,  has  already  been  alluded  to.  He  was  a  brave  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  m  the  South,  and  shortly  after  the  war  ended  came 
to  Amherstburg.  His  four  sons,  William,  Thomas,  Francis  and  Billy, 
were  all  British  officers  in  the  war  of  1812.  Billy  was  his  natural 
son  by  an  Indian  woman,  but  was  reared  and  educated  with  his  other 
sons.  Billy,  however,  joined  his  mother's  people,  and  was  made  chief 
of  the  Potawatomies,  and  by  the  family  influence  he  and  his  warriors 
joined  the  British  army.  It  is  asserted  that  Billy  unintentionally  caused 
the  massacre  of  the  Raisin.  When  the  Kentucky  soldiers  were  sur- 
rounded. Captain  Billy  sprang  forward  and  advised  them  to  surrender. 
Unfortunately  in  his  excitement  he  spoke  in  the  Potawatomie  tongue, 
and  his  motive  being  misinterpreted,  a  Kentucky  soldier  drove  his  hunt- 
ing knife  through  his  neck.  In  revenge  the  Indians  slaughtered  over 
one  hundred  Kentuckians.  But  this  account,  even  if  a  fact,  does  not 
palliate  the  barbarity  and  murder.  The  massacre  did  not  take  place 
during  the  fight,  but  the  next  day,  when  the  Kentucky  soldiers  were 
wounded  prisoners  and  unarmed. 

In  the  engagement  at  Frenchtown,  397  Americans  lost  their  lives, 
the  number  killed  in  battle  and  those  subsequently  massacred  in  cold 
blood,  being  nearly  equal.  During  the  fight  the  marksmanship  of  the 
Kentuckians  told  against  the  enemy,  as  182  of  the  whites  were  either 
killed  or  wounded.  On  the  dreary  march  to  Maiden  the  prisoners  suf- 
fered severely.  They  were  surrounded  by  yelling  Indians  who  off'ered 
them  every  possible  indignity,  and  when  one  of  the  captives  became 
too  weak  to  keep  in  line  with  the  others  a  tomahawk  crashed  into  his 
brain  and  his  scalp  was  torn  off  as  a  trophy.  Other  mutilations  too 
shocking  to  mention  were  inflicted,  and  the  bodies  were  left  along  the 
road  to   be   eaten   by   the  hogs  of  the   settlers.      Captains   Hart,    Mc- 

331 


Cracken  and  Woolfolk  and  Ensign  Wells  were  thus  butchered  on  the 
road,  and  some  French  residents  who  discovered  the  bodies,  gave  them 
decent  burial,  regardless  of  the  orders  of  the  Indians  to  leave  them  to 
rot  above  ground. 

A  number  of  prisoners  who  escaped  from  the  hands  of  the  Indians 
owed  their  lives  to  Cols.  Francis  Baby  and  Elliott,  Captains  Aikens, 
Curtish  and  Barrow;  Rev.  Richard  Pollard,  the  Episcopal  clergyman 
of  Maiden,  and  Major  Muir,  who  was  a  brave  man  and  a  true  soldier. 
Judge  Augustus  B.  Woodward,  Col.  Elijah  Brush,  Henry  J.  Hunt, 
Richard  Jones,  James  May,  Maj.  Stephen  Mack,  Col.  Gabriel  Godfroy, 
Robert  Smart,  Dr.  William  Brown,  Oliver  W.  Miller,  Antoine  Dequin- 
dre,  Peter  J.  Desnoyers,  John  McDonnell,  Peter  Audrain,  Duncan 
Reid,  Alexander  Macomb,  and  a  number  of  ladies,  all  of  Detroit, 
were  active  in  ransoming  prisoners.  In  order  to  stimulate  the  bidding 
of  those  who  were  ransoming  prisoners,  the  Indians  wantonly  slaugh- 
tered four  prisoners  in  the  presence  of  the  spectators  immediately 
after  bringing  a  band  of  thirty  into  Maiden.  Major  Graves,  one  of  the 
men  who  made  the  heroic  stand  beside  Madison,  and  who  had  sur- 
rendered under  promise  of  protection,  was  butchered  while  running  the 
gauntlet  in  the  Indian  camp.  For  such  feats  of  arms  Colonel  Proctor 
was  made  a  brigadier-general,  but  his  name  will  be  forever  infamous. 

A  thaw  followed,  and  owing  to  the  terrible  condition  of  the  roads 
between  Fort  Defiance  and  the  River  Raisin,  it  was  impossible  for 
General  Harrison  to  come  to  the  rescue.  Of  course,  had  General  Win- 
chester been  vigilant  he  would  not  have  been  surprised.  He  might 
have  made  a  successful  stand  in  spite  of  the  advantage  of  artillery  pos- 
sessed by  the  enemy,  for  the  main  body  of  nearly  1,000  men  might 
have  accomplished  as  much  as  the  heroic  left  wing  under  Madison  and 
Graves.  As  in  the  case  of  Generals  Harmar,  St.  Clair  and  Hull,  his 
official  neglect  of  duty  and  incompetence  caused  a  heavy  loss  to  the  na- 
tion. General  Harrison  started  to  go  to  the  rescue  of  Winchester  as 
soon  as  he  learned  he  was  in  danger  of  attack,  but  before  he  was  w^ell 
on  his  way  the  news  came  that  the  whole  force  had  been  destroyed. 

Very  few  of  the  younger  generation  of  Michigan  realize  how  much 
their  ancestors  owe  to  the  gallant  sons  of  Kentucky.  These  men  were 
the  best  riflemen  and  the  ablest  scouts  in  the  country,  and  they  were 
among  the  best  pioneer  soldiers.  Never  a  call  on  Kentucky  for  de- 
fenders of  the  country  that  the  response  did  not  exceed  the  demand. 
The  Kentuckians  followed  George  Rogers  Clark  into  the  Illinois  country 

332 


and  captured  it.  They  crossed  the  Ohio  many  times  to  rescue  Ihe  bor- 
der settlers  from  Indian  and  British  raiders.  They  left  their  bones  on 
the  soil  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  when  Generals  Harmar  and  St.  Clair  led 
them  to  defeat,  and  they  were  valiant  fighters  under  General  Wayne 
when  he  won  Detroit  and  the  West.  General  Harrison  had  their  ser- 
vices at  Tippecanoe  and  at  the  River  Raisin,  but  next  year  they  rallied 
3,500  strong  to  win  the  battle  of  the  Thames. 

The  bones  of  the  Kentuckians  who  were  slaughtered  at  the  Raisin 
lay  in  the  soil  where  they  fell  for  six  years.  In  1818  Governor  Cass 
had  the  remains  brought  to  Detroit,  where  they  were  buried  with  mili- 
tary honors.  It  w^as  an  easy  matter  to  identify  them,  for  each  one  had 
the  tell-tale  cleft  of  the  Indian  tomahawk  in  the  skull.  The  remains 
of  these  brave  men  reposed  in  two  Detroit  cemeteries  until  1849,  when, 
by  the  instrumentality  of  Edward  Brooks,  a  prominent  Detroiter  and 
collector  of  customs  from  1841  to  1845,  they  were  removed  to  the  soil 
from  whence  they  sprang.  Peace  to  their  ashes;  immortality  to  their 
fame! 


CHAPTER   XLV. 

The  Campaign  in  Northern  Ohio— Gallant  Defenses  Made  by  Gen.  William  H. 
Harrison  and  Maj.  George  Croghan— Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Pians  to  Control  Lake 
Erie — Builds  a  Fleet  of  Ships  at  Erie. 

Harrison  prepared  to  pass  the  winter  at  Fort  Meigs,  which  had  been 
constructed  at  the  Rapids  of  the  Maumee,  and  Proctor  at  Maiden  was 
preparing  to  make  a  descent  upon  that  place  as  soon  as  the  ice  in  the 
river  would  permit.  A  small  expedition  was  sent  out  from  Fort  Meigs, 
with  the  intention  of  crossing  to  Maiden  on  the  ice,  to  burn  the  British 
brigs  and  gunboats  which  were  frozen  up  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River,  but  the  weather  became  mild  and  the  ice  broke  up  in  the  lake, 
making  it  impossible. 

Proctor  promised  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  another  brilliant  vic- 
tory and  all  the  spoils  of  Fort  Meigs,  as  soon  as  spring  would  open  the 
way  for  an  attack,  and  the  chiefs  collected  more  than  2,000  warriors  at 
Maiden  in  readiness.  The  British  forces  were  collected  early  in  April, 
1813,  and  embarking  in  brigs   and  gunboats,  sailed  up  Maumee  Bay, 

333 


landing  near  old  Fort  Miami.  They  were  provided  with  artillery  and 
a  force  much  superior  to  Harrison's,  so  the  latter  sent  Peter  Navarre  to 
Gen.  Green  Clay,  at  Fort  Defiance,  for  reinforcements.  The  British 
attacked  Fort  Meigs  on  May  1.  Harrison  protected  his  men  by  strong 
embankments  inside  the  stockade,  and  having  very  little  ammunition, 
returned  but  few  shots  in  answer  to  the  continuous  cannonade  from  the 
batteries  of  the  enemy  across  the  river.  After  a  terrible  suspense, 
during  four  days  of  incessant  cannonade,  the  messenger  returned  with 
the  news  that  the  reinforcements  were  approaching  and  would  probably 
arrrive  on  the  following  morning.  Proctor  grew  discouraged  and  was 
ready  to  abandon  the  siege,  when  Tecumseh  offered  a  suggestion :  "My 
white  brother,  I  think  it  can  be  easily  done;  let  me  take  ray  young  men 
and  cross  below  the  fort,  and  then  go  around  in  the  rear  of  the  Ameri- 
cans where  we  will  make  a  great  sham  fight."  "  What  would  that 
accomplish?"  asked  Proctor.  "Why,"  answered  Tecumseh,  "the 
Americans  would  think  that  the  Long  Knives,  who  are  expected  to  re- 
inforce them,  were  being  attacked,  and  they  would  run  out  of  the  fort 
to  help  them.  We  would  get  in  between  them  and  the  fort  and  cut  off 
their  retreat  to  shelter."  Proctor  was  pleased  with  the  plan  and  the 
Indians  made  their  long  detour  to  get  in  the  rear  of  Fort  Meigs.  Leav- 
ing a  part  of  their  force  concealed  in  a  ravine  ready  to  cut  off  the 
Americans  if  the  latter  left  the  fort,  another  party  went  farther  away 
and  began  a  tremendous  uproar,  shooting  as  rapidly  as  they  could  load 
and  fire,  and  yelling  like  fiends.  The  soldiers  in  the  fort  wanted  to  go 
out  to  the  rescue  of  their  supposed  comrades,  and  would  have  fallen 
easily  into  the  trap,  but  the  wary  Harrison  realized  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble for  the  reinforcements  to  have  arrived  so  early  and  he  forbade  the 
sortie.  A  few  rounds  of  solid  shot  were  fired  into  the  woods  and  the 
Indians  stopped  the  sham  battle.  Tecumseh  and  Proctor  were  greatly 
chagrined  at  the  failure  of  the  plan.  The  Kentuckians  arrived,  and  with 
the  troops  in  the  garrison  made  some  fierce  sorties.  In  one  of  these, 
which  was  headed  by  Colonel  Dudley,  they  met  with  disaster.  Dudley 
made  a  brilliant  flank  attack  on  a  British  battery,  spiked  the  guns  and 
pursued  the  supporting  troops.  But  he  was  reckless  and  went  too  far, 
and  was  surrounded  by  the  Indians  under  Tecumseh.  Dudley  was  killed 
and  scalped  and  out  of  his  800  men  only  170  returned  to  Fort  Meigs. 
But  Harrison  made  other  sorties  and  his  defense  became  so  formidable 
that  the  Indians  became  disheartened  and  a  number  of  them  deserted. 
The  siege  was  raised  and  Proctor  retreated  with  his  prisoners  in  great 

334 


haste,  for  he  had  learned  of  the  American  successes  of  Commodore 
Chauncey,  who  had  captured  Fort  George  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara 
River  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  which  had  caused  the  British  to  abandon 
Fort  Erie  opposite  Buffalo. 

The  prisoners  taken  in  the  American  sortie  were  driven  toward 
Fort  Maiden,  but  many  were  murdered  and  scalped  on  the  route. 
When  the  remainder  arrived  at  Fort  Maiden  they  were  turned  over  by 
Proctor  to  the  savages,  but  after  twenty-four  had  been  killed,  Tecumseh 
stopped  the  butchery.  The  prisoners  were  confined  in  a  stockade  and 
the  noble  chief,  pipe-tomahawk  in  hand,  walked  around  the  inclosure 
all  night  to  prevent  his  bloodthirsty  warriors  from  climbing  over  and 
butchering  the  unfortunates. 

Drake,  in  his  life  of  Tecumseh,  describes  the  scene  when  the  prison- 
ers had  been  landed  and  stripped  of  most  their  clothing.  The  Indians 
formed  a  double  rank  and  made  the  prisoners  run  the  gauntlet,  while 
they  lunged  at  them  with  scalping  knives  and  cut  them  down  with 
tomahawks.  Tecumseh  saw  from  a  distance  what  was  going  on  and 
rushed  forward  with  a  shout  and  stopped  the  savage  sport.  "Where 
is  Proctor?  "  he  roared  in  a  passion.  Proctor  stepped  forward.  "  Why 
don't  you  stop  this  butchery?  "  he  demanded.  "  Your  warriors  cannot 
be  controlled,"  replied  Proctor.  "  Bah!"  shouted  Tecumseh,  "you're 
not  fit  to  command  men;  go  and  put  on  petticoats," 

Proctor  was  denounced  for  this  cruelty  by  Gen.  Sir  George  Prevost 
and  by  all  fair-minded  and  humane  communities.  The  British  govern- 
ment, however,  rewarded  success  without  inquiring  too  particularly  as 
to  methods,  and  Proctor  was  honored  with  promotion.  No  greater  con- 
trast could  be  drawn  than  that  between  Proctor  and  Gen.  Sir  Isaac 
Brock.  The  latter,  after  fighting  with  the  courage  of  a  lion  at  Queens- 
ton  Heights,  where,  rallying  his  panic  stricken  regiments  to  turn  from 
their  flight  and  win  a  victory,  he  fell  mortally  wounded  on  October 
13,  1812,  but  a  few  weeks  after  he  left  Detroit.  When  his  remains  were 
borne  to  the  grave  the  American  army  across  the  river,  harboring  no 
personal  resentment  against  the  conqueror  of  Detroit  and  the  victor  at 
Oueenston,  fired  minute  guns  from  their  batteries  along  the  Niagara 
shore  to  do  him  honor. 

In  the  spring  of  1813  Proctor  and  his  agents  raised  a  troop  of  5,000 
men,  composed  of  2,500  Indians,  400  regulars  and  the  remainder  Cana- 
dian militia.  They  crossed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Maumee  to  attack  Fort 
Meigs   again,  but  turned  aside  to  reduce  Fort  Stevenson  on  the  San- 

335 


dusky  River.  Maj.  George  Croghan  was  in  command  of  160  men  at 
the  fort.  He  was  cut  off  from  retreat  and  refused  to  risk  his  men  to  an 
Indian  massacre  by  surrendering.  So  well  did  he  defend  the  place 
against  fearful  odds,  that  the  British  were  compelled  to  retreat,  leaving 
120  men  dead  on  the  field.  The  Indians  would  not  fight  in  the  open, 
so  the  British  regulars  were  compelled  to  make  the  assaults  unaided, 
and  they  were  the  ones  who  suffered. 

At  last  the  tide  of  war  began  to  turn  in  the  West  as  the  Americans 
gathered  strength  and  experience.  An  heroic  figure  was  looming  up 
in  the  East  whose  gallantry  was  destined  to  shed  eternal  lustre  upon 
the  arms  of  his  nation.  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  was  then  a  young  naval 
officer,  and  was  stationed  at  Newport,  R.  I.  The  American  navy  on 
the  ocean  was  scanty  in  ships,  but  there  was  an  abundance  of  able  com- 
manders. Perry  saw  that  there  was  little  chance  for  a  twenty-seven- 
years  old  captain  to  win  distinction  on  the  sea,  so  he  applied  for  a 
command  on  the  great  lakes,  where  the  Americans  were  just  obtaining 
a  footing.  Lake  Ontario  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans 
through  the  efforts  of  Commodore  Chauncey.  It  was  this  distinguished 
officer  who  appointed  Perry  to  the  command  of  Lake  Erie.  With  150 
picked  men  from  Newport,  Perry  went  to  Presqu'  He,  the  present  site 
of  Erie,  Pa.  The  French  name  of  the  place  is  significant,  meaning 
"  almost  an  island."  A  low  peninsula  of  land  juts  out  into  the  lake  a 
distance  of  five  miles  at  this  point.  Between  this  peninsula  and  the 
mainland  is  the  harbor,  the  entrance  to  which  at  that  time  was  very 
narrow  and  tortuous,  offering  unusual  advantages  for  defense.  Perry 
arrived  there  March  27,  1813,  and  found  the  shore  of  the  harbor  strewn 
with  felled  trees  and  hewn  timbers,  which  a  company  of  ship  carpen- 
ters were  fashioning  into  rude  vessels^.  Two  twenty-gun  brigs,  a  clip- 
per schooner,  and  three  small  gunboats  were  in  process  of  construc- 
tion. While  a  sharp  lookout  was  kept  for  British  cruisers,  the  work 
went  on  as  fast  as  axe  and  chisel  could  fashion  the  timbers.  This  fleet 
was  intended  to  accomplish  the  control  of  the  upper  lakes,  to  recover 
Detroit  and  protect  the  Ohio  region  from  British  invasions.  Perry 
went  to  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  assisted 
Commodore  Chauncey  in  the  capture  of  Fort  George.  Fort  Erie  was 
then  abandoned  and  burned,  and  the  British  retired  from  the  Niagara 
district.  Perry  returned  from  this  expedition  with  five  small  vessels 
which  had  been  tied  up  in  Niagara  River,  behind  Grand  Island,  to  pre- 
vent their  falling  into   the  hands  of  the  enemy.      It  took  the  united 

336 


JOHN    T.    SHAW. 


labor  of  his  crews  and  of  200  soldiers  to  warp  the  vessels  up  to  the 
lake  against  the  strong  current  of  Niagara.  His  fleet  was  ready  for 
action  July  11,  but  it  was  yet  to  be  manned.  The  200  soldiers  had 
been  ordered  back,  leaving  only  the  150  sailors  and  Capt.  Henry  B. 
Brevoort,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  navigation  of  the  lake. 
Perry  was  taken  ill  with  bilious  fever  and  the  outlook  became  desper- 
ate, for  several  British  vessels  were  cruising  about,  waiting  for  a  chance 
to  destroy  his  vessels.  His  government  little  realized  the  importance 
of  securing  control  of  the  lake,  and  the  secretary  of  war  was  calling  on 
him  to  go  and  co-operate  with  General  Harrison  in  the  Ohio  country. 
Harrison,  too,  sent  word  that  Perry  could  not  hope  for  success  in  a 
naval  battle  on  Lake  Erie,  as  the  overpowering  force  of  the  enemy 
already  on  the  lake  was  about  to  be  increased  by  the  addition  of  the 
Detroit,  a  ship  of  much  greater  strength  than  any  heretofore  launched. 
The  British  squadron  was  in  command  of  Capt.  Robert  H.  Barclay, 
a  one-armed  Scotch  hero  who  had  fought  with  Nelson  at  Trafalgar, 
and  was  a  man  of  superior  skill  and  unquestioned  bravery.  Perry 
wrote  to  Commodore  Chauncey :  "  Give  me  men,  sir,  and  I  will  acquire 
for  you  and  myself  honor  and  glory  on  this  lake  or  perish  in  the  at- 
tempt." One  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  sent,  but  they  were  an  in- 
ferior lot  and  were  described  by  Perry  as  "a  motley  lot  of  blacks, 
soldiers  and  boys."  Commodore  Chauncey  was  incensed  at  this  com- 
plaint, and  Harrison  and  the  secretary  of  war  ordered  Perry  to  lead  a 
land  expedition  toward  the  Cuyahoga  River  to  unite  with  Harrison. 
Commodore  Barclay  established  a  strong  force  at  Long  Point,  Canada, 
opposite  Erie,  and  the  little  American  fleet  was  in  danger  of  capture 
before  it  could  leave  the  harbor.  As  there  was  no  promise  of  improve- 
ment. Perry  resolved  to  risk  all  in  an  attempt  to  vindicate  his  purpose. 
He  lightered  his  ships  over  the  bar  and  sailed  from  port  in  the  Lawrence, 
his  flag  ship,  a  brig  of  twenty  guns,  on  August  1.  The  Niagara,  of 
twenty  guns,  was  put  in  charge  of  Capt.  Jesse  D.  Elliott,  who  had  just 
arrived  with  100  good  men  to  reinforce  the  300  sailors  and  nondescripts. 
In  addition  to  the  two  brigs  already  named.  Perry  had  seven  small  gun- 
boats carrying  from  one  to  three  guns  each.  As  the  British  fleet  had 
retired  to  Maiden  to  await  the  completion  of  the  Detroit,  Perry  resolved 
to  attack  them  in  their  stronghold,  but  a  return  of  fever  compelled  him 
to  retire  to  Put-in  Bay,  where  he  kept  up  communication  with  General 
Harrison,  who  had  moved  up  to  Sandusky. 


337 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

The  Battle  of  Lake  Erie— Fortune  Favored  the  Heaviest  Artillery— The  Surrender 
of  the  British  Fleet  Leaves  the  Lakes  in  Possession  of  the  Americans — Harrison 
Prepares  to  invade  Canada. 

On  the  morning  of  September  10,  1813,  Commodore  Barclay  sailed 
down  from  Maiden  to  Put-in  Bay  with  six  vessels,  with  an  armament 
of  sixty  three  carriage  guns,  a  pivot  bow-chaser,  two  swivels  and  four 
howitzers.  Perry's  nine  vessels  carried  fifty  four  carriage  guns  and 
two  swivels.  Barclay  had  about  500  men,  including  150  seamen  of  the 
royal  navy,  80  Canadian  sailors,  240  soldiers  and  a  few  Indians.  Perry 
had  116  sick  men  on  board  his  fleet.  These  had  been  working  for 
weeks  in  the  Presqu'  He  ship  yard,  where  an  epidemic  of  malarial 
fever  had  disabled  them.  Dr.  Parsons,  the  chief  surgeon,  the  chaplain 
and  the  commodore's  brother,  a  lad  but  thirteen  years  old,  were  among 
the  sick.  For  several  days  the  fleet  lay  at  Put-in  Bay  because  the  com- 
mander did  not  feel  able  to  fight.  At  10  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
September  10,  when  the  six  British  appeared  in  the  northwest,  bearing 
down  toward  the  islands,  Perry  ordered  all  hands  to  make  sail.  "  Run 
to  leeward  of  the  islands,"  said  he  to  Taylor,  his  sailing  master.  "But 
you  will  have  to  engage  the  enemy  to  leeward,"  remonstrated  Taylor. 
"  I  don't  care;  we  are  going  to  fight  it  out  to-day  and  settle  the  control 
of  this  lake  before  sundown,"  answered  Perry.  He  saw  that  in  the 
variable  wind  that  was  blowing  he  would  lose  valuable  time  if  he 
maneuvered  to  get  the  weather  gage  of  his  opponents,  and  he  resolved 
to  close  as  quickly  as  possible  and  have  it  out  with  them.  The  wind, 
which  came  in  catspaws,  suddenly  shifted  from  the  west  to  the  south- 
west. Com.  Robert  Heriot  Barclay  was  watching  the  American  fleet, 
and  seeing  that  he  would  not  have  to  go  and  bait  his  enemy,  he  hove 
to  off  West  Sister  Island  and  waited  for  Perry's  approach.  Nearest 
to  the  island  he  placed  the  little  sloop  Chippewa  which  was  armed  with 
a  long  18-pounder  and  two  small  swivels.  Next  to  the  right  was  his 
flagship,  the  Detroit,  of  nineteen  guns.  The  third  was  the  Hunter,  a 
brig  of  10  guns,  while  the  Queen  Charlotte  of  17  guns,  the  Lady  Pre- 

338 


vost  of  13  guns,  and  the  schooner  Little  Belt  of  3  guns,  made  up  his  line 
of  battle. 

Commodore  Perry  drew  up  his  fleet  as  the  wild  goose  marshals  his 
flock  for  long  flights.  He  led  the  van  with  his  flagship,  the  Lawrence, 
armed  with  twenty  12-pounders.  On  his  left  was  the  gunboat  Scorpion, 
carrying  a  long  32  and  a  long  12,  and  the  schooner  Ariel  carrying  four 
short  12-pounders.  On  his  right  came  the  brig  Caledonia  with  three 
long  24's,  the  Niagara  under  Captain  Elliott  with  20  guns,  the  Somers 
with  two  long  32's,  the  Porcupine  with  one  long  32,  the  Tigress  with 
one  long  24,  and  the  Trippe  with  a  long  32. 

Under  such  conditions  it  is  easy  to  estimate  the  relative  strength  of 
the  two  fleets.  Perry  had  490  men  aboard,  but  116  of  them  were  sick 
and  not  fit  for  duty.  Barclay  had  about  500  men,  some  of  them  incom- 
petent. Perry  had  two  strongly  armed  vessels,  overmatching  anything 
in  the  enemy's  fleet,  although  their  guns  were  somewhat  inferior  in 
range,  and  seven  small  boats  carrying  one,  two  and  three  guns  each. 
In  number  of  men  the  forces  were  about  equal.  Perry  had  an  advan- 
tage in  the  number  of  vessels;  Barclay  had  an  advantage  in  the  number 
of  guns;  but  the  advantage  clearly  lay  with  Perry, because  he  had  the 
greater  number  of  heavy  guns. 

Commodore  Perry  ran  his  battle  flag  up  to  the  main  peak.  It  was  a 
square  field  of  blue  bearing  in  white  letters  the  dying  words  of  Captain 
Lawrence,  after  whom  he  had  named  his  flagship:  '^  Don't  give  up  the 
ship."  The  stars  and  stripes  were  hoisted  on  the  mizzen.  As  his  men 
were  wetting  down  the  docks,  sprinkling  them  with  sand  to  give  them 
a  sure  footing  in  the  coming  fight,  and  getting  the  guns  ready  for 
action,  they  could  hear  the  bugle  call  from  the  Detroit  two  miles  away. 
Then  they  heard  the  stirring  music  of  fife  and  drum  playing  "  Rule 
Britannia;  Britannia  rules  the  Wave."  They  were  about  to  engage  an 
enemy  which  had  the  name  of  being  invincible  on  the  sea.  The  Law- 
rence was  a  better  sailor  in  the  light  winds  than  the  rest  of  the  squadron, 
and  she  was  some  distance  ahead  of  the  others  at  noon.  The  Detroit 
fired  her  long  pivot  gun,  and  the  shot  skipped  over  the  water  toward 
the  Lawrence,  but  fell  short.  A  few  minutes  later  she  fired  again. 
A  twenty-four  pound  shot  crashed  through  the  bulwarks  of  the  Law- 
rence throwing  the  splinters  in  all  directions  and  passed  humming  away 
to  plunge  into  the  lake.  The  greater  part  of  the  men  were  unused  to 
sea  fighting  and  some  of  them  began  to  look  nervous.  "  Steady,  boys; 
steady!"  called  Perry,  "  we're  too  far  away  to  waste  a  shot  yet.     We'll 

339 


answer  them  smartly  very  soon."  Lieutenant  Champlain  was  eager  to 
bring  the  Scorpion  ahead  of  the  Lawrence  so  as  to  get  an  opening  for 
his  long  thirty-two,  but  while  he  was  doing  so  two  more  shots  struck 
the  Lawrence.  Champlain,  who  was  but  twenty-four  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  the  battle,  opened  the  ball  for  the  Americans,  hulling  the 
Detroit  with  a  lucky  shot.  As  the  Queen  Charlotte  and  Lady  Prevost 
as  well  as  the  Detroit,  had  begun  to  play  upon  the  Lawrence,  Perry 
gave  his  gunners  the  word.  They  sent  a  broadside  at  the  enemy,  but 
the  shots  all  fell  short  and  the  Lawrence  continued  to  bear  down  so  as  to 
get  within  range.  The  Niagara  and  the  five  other  boats  appeared  to 
hesitate  about  closing  in,  although  Perry  signaled  them  to  hurry  up. 
Captain  Elliott  continued  to  hold  the  Niagara  at  a  distance,  where  only 
her  bow  gun  was  effective.  In  a  few  minutes  the  terrific  cannonade  of 
thirty  five  guns  trained  upon  the  Lawrence,  and  the  twenty-six  of 
Perry's  flagship  and  her  little  consorts,  made  such  a  dense  cloud  of 
smoke  that  it  almost  hid  the  two  fleets  from  sight.  For  two  hours  the 
fighting  went  on  until  the  Lawrence  floated  a  shattered  wreck,  distant 
not  more  than  a  musket  shot  from  her  enemy.  Every  broadside  tore 
her  timbers  into  huge  splinters  and  her  decks  were  running  blood. 
Out  of  103  able  men  who  had  gone  into  action  under  her  flag,  22  lay 
dead  on  her  deck  and  61  were  below  disabled  by  wounds.  Her  spars 
were  all  shot  away  except  the  stump  of  her  mizzen  mast,  her  decks 
were  covered  with  tangled  rigging,  and  most  of  her  guns  were  disabled. 

Commodore  Perry  signaled  again  for  the  Niagara  to  come  up. 
Placing  the  Lawrence  in  command  of  Lieut.  John  J.  Yarnall,  he  took 
his  battle  flag  in  hand  and  descended  into  a  yawl  to  be  rowed  away  to 
the  Niagara.  The  guns  of  the  enemy  were  turned  upon  the  little  boat, 
while  the  commodore  stood  erect  /in  the  stern,  holding  aloft  his  battle 
flag  to  signify  that  he  was  still  fighting.  Shots  fell  all  around  them 
but  did  no  harm  except  to  carry  away  one  oar. 

As  Perry  stepped  aboard  the  Niagara  all  begrimed  with  powder 
smoke  he  shouted  to  Captain  Elliott:  "  Why  are  those  gunboats  so  far 
away?"  "I'll  go  and  bring  them  myself,"  answered  Elliott.  "Do 
so,"  said  Perry  who  was  a  man  of  few  words.  Just  then  the  Lawrence 
struck  her  flag  to  avoid  useless  carnage,  and  the  British  crews  cheered 
lustily,  but  the  battle  was  not  finished.  The  Niagara  was  as  yet  com- 
paratively unharmed,  and  when  Perry  saw  that  the  Detroit  and  Lady 
Prevost  had  drifted  a  little  apart,  leaving  an  opening  for  attack,  he  bore 
down  upon  the  gap.     A  strong  puff  of  wind  filled  his  sails  at  the  oppor- 

340 


tune  moment.  Passing  between  them  his  crew  poured  a  broadside 
into  each.  Champlain  followed  through  the  gap  with  the  Scorpion. 
In  maneuvering  so  as  to  avoid  becoming  raked  the  Detroit  and  the 
Queen  Charlotte  became  fouled,  and  before  they  could  extricate  them- 
selves Perry  sent  two  raking  broadsides  into  them  tearing  up  their 
decks,  dismounting  several  guns  and  killing  and  wounding  many  of 
the  crew.  The  Scorpion  raked  them  again,  and  the  rest  of  the  Ameri- 
can vessels  were  preparing  to  rake  when  both  the  entangled  vessels 
struck  their  flags.  A  few  quick  exchanges  followed  with  the  other 
vessels,  and  then  the  remainder  of  the  British  fleet  surrendered. 

All  was  still  in  a  moment.  The  thundering  of  cannon,  which  had 
lasted  from  noon  until  3:  15,  was  hushed;  the  thick  cloud  of  sulphurous 
smoke  drifted  slowly  away  to  leeward,  and  as  the  sun  broke  through  it 
a  thrilling  scene  was  disclosed.  The  decks  of  the  Lawrence,  the  Niag- 
ara, the  Scorpion  and  the  Ariel,  on  the  American  side,  were  red  with 
blood,  and  from  the  scuppers  of  the  Detroit,  the  Lady  Prevost  and  the 
Queen  Charlotte,  thin  red  streams  ran  into  the  lake.  The  rigging  of 
the  fleet  was  torn  and  disordered,  and  the  i^awrence  was  a  mere  hulk. 
From  each  of  the  British  vessels  boats  put  off  bearing  the  several  com- 
manders, or  their  representatives,  and  they  were  received  on  board  the 
Niagara.  The  officers  tendered  their  swords,  but  Perry  with  true 
chivalry  waved  them  back. 

"  No,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  put  up  your  swords.  You  have  fought 
like  brave  men  and  it  would  ill  become  me  to  add  humiliation  to  the 
defeat  which  Providence  has  enabled  me  to  give  the  enemies  of  my 
country.  How  is  Commodore  Barclay  and  his  men?  Our  poor  fellows 
are  terribly  cut  up  as  you  may  see." 

Thus  it  is  when  heroes  meet.  The  surrender  having  been  made,  Perry 
wrote  the  historic  dispatch  on  an  old  letter  wrapper,  and  it  was  sent  to 
General  Harrison  at  Sandusky:  "We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they 
are  ours;  two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner  and  one  sloop.  Yours 
with  great  respect  and  esteem,  O.  H.  Perry."  His  message  to  the  sec- 
retary of  war  was  almost  as  laconic.  He  merely  prefaced  his  announce- 
ment by  saying:  "  Sir,  it  has  pleased  the  Almighty  to  give  to  the  arms 
of  the  United  States  a  signal  victory  over  their  enemies  on  this  lake." 

In  the  three  hours  of  carnage  sixty-eight  lives  were  lost,  and  190 
were  wounded,  some  of  them  mortally.  In  the  beginning  of  the  fight 
the  Americans  lost  the  service  of  123  men,  27  of  whom  were  killed,  but 
that  last  bold  dash  and  the  tearing  broadsides  which   raked  the  decks 

341 


of  the  enemy  had  laid  low  135  men,  forty-one  of  whom  were  killed. 
In  this  contest  the  enemy  were  not  at  a  great  advantage  as  many 
Americans  suppose.  While  Commodore  Barclay  had  more  guns  and 
a  few  of  longer  range  than  Perry's,  the  latter  had  nine  vessels  to 
Barclay's  six.  Barclay  had  perhaps  the  larger  crew,  but  most  of  his 
guns  were  light.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  in  his  work,  "The  Naval  War 
of  1812,"  shows  that  Perry  could  throw  936  pounds  of  shot  at  a  broad- 
side, while  Barclay  could  reply  with  459  pounds,  and  with  this  potent 
advantage  the  Americans  must  either  win  or  be  disgraced. 

Proctor  and  Tecumseh  were  waiting  at  Maiden  for  the  report  of  the 
fight.  If  the  victory  was  theirs  they  intended  to  devastate  the  Ohio 
settlements.  A  force  of  2,000  Indians  was  ready  for  the  work.  On 
the  Ohio  shore,  from  the  Cuyahoga  River  to  the  Maumee,  the  settlers 
were  awaiting  in  dreadful  suspense  the  news  of  the  battle.  If  Perry 
had  lost  they  must  flee  for  their  lives.  As  soon  as  the  British  and 
Indians,  who  were  waiting  on  the  shore  below  Maiden,  had  divined,  by 
some  mysterious  intuition,  that  Perry  had  won  the  battle  on  the  lake, 
Tecumseh  rallied  his  men  and  declared  that  the  Americans  should 
never  land  on  Canadian  soil.  When  he  conferred  with  Proctor  he 
found  that  worthy  in  what  the  British  call  a  "blue  funk." 

"We  must  retreat  at  once,"  said  Proctor;  "We  have  no  alternative; 
the  enemy  is  about  to  attack  us.  They  have  a  force  three  times  greater 
than  ours  and  it  is  impossible  to  stay  and  defend  this  place." 

Tecumseh  was  disgusted,  but  he  pleaded  with  him  to  remain  and  at 
least  make  a  stand  against  the  threatened  invasion.  A  council  of  war 
was  held,  at  which  Proctor  showed  irrefragible  reasons  why  Maiden 
should  be  evacuated.  Tecumseh  arose  and  addressed  the  council  in  his 
broken  English,  but  his  words  were  full  of  biting  sarcasm.  "We  In- 
dians have  fought  your  battles  in  the  West  for  more  than  twenty 
years,"  said  he.  "We  have  poured  out  our  blood  like  water  and  have 
not  complained.  You,"  said  he,  pointing  scornfully  at  Proctor,  "have 
seldom  bared  your  breast  to  the  flying  bullets.  It  suits  you  better  to 
.set  the  scalp-hunters  upon  helpless  prisoners.  You  have  got  the  guns 
and  the  powder  and  the  ball  that  our  father  sent  for  his  red  children. 
If  you  want  to  go  away,  give  them  to  us.  You  may  go  and  welcome. 
Our  lives  are  in  the  hand  of  the  Great  Spirit.  We  are  determined  to 
defend  our  lands,  and  if  it  is  his  will  we  will  leave  our  bones  upon 
them." 

The  late  Jean  Baptiste  Bertrand,  who  was  born  at  Petit  Cote,  just 

342 


above  Maiden,  in  1802,  and  who  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years, 
was  a  small  boy  at  the  time  of  Perry's  victory.  General  Proctor  and 
his  staff  and  Tecumseh  rode  on  horseback  to  the  lake  shore  to  hear 
what  they  could  of  the  battle,  and  a  large  number  of  people  followed, 
Bertrand  among  the  others.  "  As  I  remember,"  related  Mr.  Bertrand 
a  short  time  before  his  death,  "  Proctor  was  a  very  stout  built  man,  so 
stout  that  he  did  not  like  horseback  riding  and  went  in  a  wagon  when 
he  could.  He  had  a  full  face,  very  red  in  color,  and  wore  a  big  brown 
beard.  He  did  not  have  a  soldierly  appearance  like  some  of  the  other 
officers,  but  was  more  like  a  big  butcher.  During  the  cannonade  the 
people  looked  out  on  the  lake  with  spy-glasses,  but  could  see  nothing 
but  a  cloud  of  smoke.  When  they  decided  that  the  British  had  lost, 
Tecumseh  and  Proctor  rode  back  to  Maiden,  quarreling  all  the  way. 
As  we  came  to  the  town  a  crowd  of  frightened  citizens  came  down  the 
road  to  ask  how  the  battle  had  gone.  Tecumseh  got  off  his  horse  and 
beckoning  to  me,  for  I  had  often  earned  two  bits  by  holding  his  horse, 
said:  'Come  here  little  boy,  and  hold  my  horse.'  I  took  the  bridle 
rein  and  Tecumseh  mounted  a  big  boulder  beside  the  road,  which  lies 
there  yet.  He  held  his  tomahawk-pipe  in  his  right  hand,  and  his  left 
hand  rested  upon  the  stock  of  his  pistol.  Pointing  to  Proctor  with  a 
look  of  scorn  on  his  face  he  began :  '  You  cow !  [he  meant  to  say  cow- 
ard] you  say  you  'fraid  they  come  and  kill  your  sodgers.  It  not  your 
sodgers  you  'fraid  of;  it  yourself.'  He  evidently  meant  to  insult  Proc- 
tor before  all  the  town.  Proctor  turned  redder  than  usual  and  rode 
away  without  a  word." 

Mr.  Bertrand  says  that  Tecumseh  was  a  slight  built  man  about  five 
feet  eight  inches  tall,  and  very  light  colored  for  an  Indian.  He  did 
not  appear  to  be  a  full  blooded  savage.  He  sometimes  said  he  had 
been  born  in  Florida  and  that  his  father  was  a  French  general.  He 
was  a  great  favorite  w^herever  he  went,  and  talked  pleasantly  with  the 
people  of  Maiden  on  the  streets.  His  general  air  was  that  of  a  morose 
or  sorrowful  man,  but  on  speaking  his  face  grew  animated,  his  brilliant 
eyes  sparkled,  and  his  manner  was  both  gracious  and  polite.  He 
always  carried  a  tomahawk  pipe,  which  he  smoked  a  great  deal. 


343 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 

Proctor  Runs  Away  from  Maiden — Tecumseh  Taunts  Him  with  Cowardice — The 
British  Evacuate  Detroit,  Carrying  Away  the  Cannon  and  Military  Stores — Battle 
of  the  Thames— Death  of  Tecumseh— Flight  of  Proctor. 

Proctor,  who  was  a  coward  at  heart,  set  fire  to  Maiden  and  its  military 
and  naval  stores  which  could  not  be  removed,  and  fled  northward  toward 
the  River  Thames.  Opposite  Detroit  Proctor  halted  long-  enough  to 
bring  over  the  British  garrison  and  the  lighter  pieces  of  cannon,  with 
as  much  of  the  other  military  stores  as  could  be  conveniently  carried. 
This  second  evacuation  was  conducted  more  hurriedly  than  the  first, 
and  the  British  did  not  destroy  property  as  they  did  in  1796.  While 
they  were  moving  out  they  kept  watch  down  the  river  fearing  the  arrival 
of  Governor  Shelby's  and  Johnson's  blue-shirted  rangers,  known  to  the 
Indians  as  the  "Long  Knives,"  but  when  the  Kentuckians  reached 
Sandwich  the  British  were  far  up  the  east  shore  of  Lake  St.  Clair. 

Immediately  after  the  victory  General  Harrison  prepared  to  invade 
Canada.  Governor  Shelby  of  Kentucky  sent  3,500  men  and  marched 
them  to  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson  accompany- 
ing him.  The  army  rendezvoused  at  Put  in  Bay  and  mustered  nearly 
5,000  men.  The  general  order  issued  just  before  embarking  for  the 
invasion  contained  these  words:  "Kentuckians!  remember  the  River 
Raisin!  but  remember  it  only  while  the  victory  is  suspended.  The  re- 
venge of  a  soldier  cannot  be  gratified  upon  a  fallen  foe."  The  Ameri- 
can army  landed  on  Hartley's  Point,  a  few  miles  below  Amherstburg, 
on  the  afternoon  of  September  27.  The  Americans  were  accompanied 
by  a  few  friendly  Indians  of  the  Wyandotte,  Shawnee  and  Seneca  tribes, 
who  saw  that  the  British  were  beaten.  The  invaders  were  met  by  the 
women  of  the  settlement,  who  asked  their  protection  and  were  sent 
back  to  their  homes  with  the  assurance  that  they  would  not  be  molested. 
Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson  was  sent  up  the  river  with  3,500  men  to  Sand- 
wich, where  he  was  joined  by  Harrison.  From  there  the  army  marched 
toward  Chatham,  where  Proctor  was  supposed  to  be  encamped. 

At  the  same  time  six  vessels  of  Perry's  fleet  sailed  up  the  Detroit 

344 


ALBERT  M.  HENRY. 


River.  A  number  of  British  Indians  were  watching  its  progress  from 
in  front  of  the  house  of  Pierre  Descompte  Labadie,  at  what  is  now  the 
foot  of  Twenty-fourth  street,  in  this  city.  Noticing  something  on 
board  one  of  the  vessels,  Labadie  called  out  to  his  family  to  go  behind 
the  house,  and  lie  down  on  their  stomachs.  They  had  barel)^  done  so, 
when  a  cannon  was  discharged  and  several  grape  shot  were  buried  in 
the  timbers  of  the  house.  The  Indians  scattered,  but  rejoined  the 
enemy  on  the  other  side,  and  were  with  Tecumseh  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames. 

The  six  vessels  sailed  up  the  Detroit  River  and  crossed  Lake  St, 
Clair  in  pursuit  of  the  small  vessels  which  had  left  Maiden.  The  Brit- 
ish boats,  however,  had  already  landed  their  stores  and  escaped  up  the 
Thames.  McArthur's  brigade  was  left  to  hold  possession  of  Detroit, 
which  had  been  evacuated  by  the  British  garrison.  Colonels  Cass  and 
Ball  were  left  to  hold  possession  of  Sandwich.  Leaving  his  vessels  in 
charge  of  a  guard,  Commodore  Perry  went  ashore  and  joined  Harrison's 
forces  in  pursuit  of  Proctor,  who  had  encamped  at  Dolsen's  farm,  fifteen 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Thames.  Tecumseh  tried  to  persuade  his 
superior  to  risk  a  battle  there,  but  Proctor  retreated  to  Chatham,  where 
McGregor's  Creek  offered  additional  defense  to  his  troop.  At  Chatham 
the  American  army  overtook  Proctor.  Here  Tecumseh  labored  with 
Proctor  to  make  a  stand.  The  latter  made  a  show  of  courage  and  said 
to  his  Indian  ally:  "  Here  we  will  defeat  Harrison  or  lay  our  bones." 
But  again  his  courage  failed  him  and  he  retreated  in  such  haste  that  he 
left  his  luggage  to  be  captured  by  the  Americans.  Tecumseh  and  his 
warriors  held  the  position  under  a  heavy  cannonade  until  a  bridge 
was  built  and  then  suddenly  retreated.  When  Tecumseh  overtook 
Proctor  he  again  bitterly  reproached  him  with  cowardice.  Proctor 
answered  haughtily  and  the  Shawnee  became  almost  insanely  enraged. 
In  a  burst  of  passion  he  leveled  his  riile  and  would  have  killed  him, 
but  for  the  interference  of  Colonel  Caldwell,  who  struck  up  the  muzzle 
of  the  gun.  Military  discipline  would  have  dictated  the  summary 
execution  of  Tecumseh,  but  such  an  act  would  have  precipitated  a  re- 
volt of  the  Indian  allies,  and  between  their  vengeance  and  the  onslaught 
of  the  approaching  army,  the  entire  British  command  might  have  been 
exterminated.  At  Moraviantown  Proctor  finally  made  his  stand,  but 
on  the  way  there  old  Walk-inthe-Water,  chief  of  the  Wyandottes,  who 
lived  at  Monguagon,  below  Detroit,  withdrew  his  warriors  and  offered 
his  services  to  Harrison.     The  offer  was  declined  and  the  tribe  returned 

345 

44 


to  Sandwich  to  await  the  issue  of  the  coining  battle.  The  ground 
chosen  by  Proctor  was  a  place  where  the  Thames  lay  on  his  left;  a 
swamp  two  miles  broad  guarded  his  right ;  while  his  front  was  protected 
to  some  extent  by  a  small  strip  of  swamp  running  parallel  with  the 
river. 

On  the  night  of  October  4,  1813,  both  sides  were  in  camp  within  a 
short  distance  of  each  other,  and  Tecumseh  was  sitting  before  a  fire 
with  Capt.  William  Caldwell  and  Ensign  Francis  Caldwell,  his  son,  and 
Captain  McKee,  of  Sandwich.  Suddenly  the  chief  gave  a  smothered 
exclamation,  and  placing  his  hand  to  his  breast,  called  out  in  a  strange 
voice,  "I'm  shot!"  "No,  no,  impossible!"  said  Colonel  Caldwell, 
"nobody  has  fired  about  here."  Tecumseh  seemed  to  be  gasping  for 
berath,  but  soon  was  able  to  say:  "  Well,  I'm  going  to  be  shot."  Next 
day  he  fell,  fighting  like  a  true  son  of  the  forest. 

Next  morning  Harrison  formed  his  men  and  sent  forty  friendly  In- 
dians to  fire  on  Proctor's  rear,  in  order  to  make  him  believe  that  Walk- 
in-the-Water  had  turned  against  him.  Col.  R.  M.  Johnson  and  his 
brother  James  led  the  charge  of  the  Kentucky  mounted  men  toward 
the  left,  but  turning  suddenly  dashed  down  on  the  British  regulars  on 
the  right.  The  latter  broke  and  ran.  Then  the  horsemen  wheeled  and 
fired  on  the  flanks  of  Proctor's  two  lines,  which  had  been  confused  by 
the  flight  of  the  regulars.  This  movement  was  so  unexpected  and  so 
effectual  that  the  regulars  threw  down  their  arms  in  a  panic,  and  sur- 
rendered before  the  main  body  of  Harrison's  men  could  engage  in  the 
contest.  Proctor  scampered  from  the  field,  jumped  into  a  wagon  and 
fled  as  fast  as  the  horses  could  carry  him. 

Tecumseh  kept  his  head  in  this  moment  of  panic,  and  as  another  de- 
tachment of  Johnson's  corps  charged  down  the  neck  of  hard  ground  his 
warriors  held  their  fire  until  the  Americans  were  almost  upon  them. 
Then  a  volley  set  the  horses  plunging  wildly  and  several  riders  fell  from 
their  saddles  mortally  wounded.  Colonel  Johnson  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh  and  in  the  hip,  but  he  still  held  command,  and,  when  the  brush 
became  too  thick  for  the  horses  to  penetrate,  he  ordered  his  men  to  dis- 
mount. There  was  a  furious  hand  to  hand  struggle  for  several  min- 
utes, the  war  cry  of  the  Indians  and  the  slogan  of  the  Kentuckians, 
"  Remember  the  River  Raisin!  "  mingled  in  wild  uproar,  while  both 
sides  fought  like  demons.  Governor  Shelby  ordered  forward  the  re- 
serves, and  they  went  into  the  fray  with  a  loud  hurrah.  The  Indians 
recoiled,  scattered  and  fled,  but  kept  up  a  straggling  fire  as  they  dis- 

346 


appeared  in  the  heart  of  the  swamp.  The  brass  cannon  with  the  his- 
toric inscription,  which  had  been  taken  at  Detroit,  was  recovered,  with 
five  other  brass  pieces.  Colonel  Payne  and  his  rangers  pursued  Proc- 
tor so  closely  that  he  abandoned  his  carriage  and  took  to  the  woods  on 
foot.  Tecumseh,  the  brave  warrior,  was  killed.  Tradition  says  that 
he  had  shot  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson  through  the  hand  and  arm,  and 
was  springing  forward  to  dispatch  him,  when  Johnson  drew  his  horse 
pistol  from  the  holster  and  shot  the  great  chief  dead.  This,  however, 
was  denied.  The  British  loss  was  eighteen  killed,  twenty-six  wounded 
and  600  taken  prisoners.  Thirty-three  Indians  lay  dead  on  the  ground 
about  Tecumseh,  but  many  of  the  wounded  escaped  and  afterward 
died. 

Proctor  received  the  condemnation  of  his  superiors  in  the  army  and  of 
his  king.  He  was  also  publicly  reprimanded  for  cowardice  and  incom- 
petence and  suspended  from  rank  and  pay  for  six  months.  Too  late 
his  government  discovered  that  it  had  honored  a  man  who  was  lacking 
in  ordinary  courage  and  military  skill,  and  whose  only  talents  were  in 
the  art  of  massacre  and  savage  warfare  against  inferior  forces. 

The  battle  of  the  Thames,  fought  October  5,  1813,  settled  forever  all 
British  claims  upon  Detroit  and  the  western  territory. 

During  the  British  occupation  of  Detroit  it  became  necessary  that 
some  form  of  jurisprudence  should  be  established  and  maintained. 
The  three  judges,  Woodward,  Griffin  and  Witherell,  remained  after  the 
surrender,  but  Witherell  incurred  Proctor's  displeasure  for  criticising 
his  actions  and  was  sent  out  of  town.  Prominent  citizens  who  remained 
urged  that  Woodward  be  kept  in  his  position,  and  to  this  request  Proc- 
tor consented  and  appointed  him.  The  manner  in  which  the  prisoners 
of  war  were  treated  by  the  Indians  and  under  Proctor's  sanction  was  so 
barbarous  that  the  best  citizens  of  Detroit  did  not  attempt  to  repress 
their  indignation.  A  troop  of  half  drunken  Indians  would  come  to  the 
city,  driving  before  them  a  dozen  poor  wretches,  barefoot,  half  naked 
and  nearly  starved.  They  would  beat  them  with  switches  and  prod 
them  with  knives  to  increase  their  sufferings,  in  the  hope  that  the 
humane  Americans  and  French  and  British  non-combatants  would  bid 
high  for  their  ransom.  The  Abbotts,  Thomas  Palmer,  Friend  Palmer, 
James  May,  Dr.  William  M.  Scott,  Elijah  Brush,  Conrad  Ten  Eyck, 
Peter  Desnoyers,  Henry  J.  Brevoort,  James  Chittenden,  David  Hender- 
son, Shubael  Conant,  William  Macomb,  James  Burnet,  Conrad  Seek — 
in  fact  all  the  men  of  influence  in  the  town,  denounced  Proctor's  con- 

347 


duct  and  some  of  them  upbraided  him  to  his  face.  Proctor  then  re- 
solved to  make  an  example  of  these  bold  spirits  and  stifle  criticism. 
He  issued  individual  notices  to  about  thirty  of  the  leading  citizens, 
ordering  them  to  leave  Detroit  within  twenty-four  hours.  They  dared 
not  disobey  for  fear  of  their  lives,  and  scattered  wherever  they  could 
find  temporary  homes  until  the  war  was  over.  H.J.  Brevoort,  although 
he  had  been  released  on  parole,  joined  Commodore  Perry  at  Presqu' 
He,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie.  He  told  Perry  that  a 
man  would  fight  all  the  better  for  having  a  halter  about  his  neck. 

Woodward  did  very  well  in  his  new  role  as  a  British  subject.  Proctor 
wished  to  keep  the  leading  citizens  in  subjection  as  rebels,  but  Wood- 
ward, who  opposed  every  proposition  that  did  not  emanate  from  him- 
self, interposed  legal  technical  obstacles  in  such  a  manner  as  to  defeat 
the  malice  and  spleen  of  the  British  commander.  The  Indians  com- 
mitted many  outrages  on  the  inhabitants  and  plundered  stores  and 
dwellings  at  their  own  sweet  will.  Proctor  had  issued  orders  that 
private  property  should  be  respected,  but  he  seldom  or  never  punished 
the  depredators. 

Capt.  Antoine  Dequindre,  who  had  distinguished  himself  at  Mon- 
guagon,  resumed  the  management  of  his  store  after  the  surrender,  and 
although  he  was  a  target  of  savage  resentment,  no  overt  act  was  com- 
mitted against  him  until  one  day  two  Indians  entered  the  store.  They 
demanded  whisky,  which  he  refused  to  give  them.  They  then  asked 
for  some  articles  of  merchandise.  He  said  they  could  have  it  if  they 
paid  the  price.  One  of  them  seized  a  bolt  of  cloth  and  held  it  in  his 
hand  and  neither  left  the  store.  Dequindre's  Gallic  ire  rose  to  boiling 
point.  He  jumped  over  the  counter,  wrested  the  cloth  away  from  the 
Indian,  and  then  kicked  them  both  out  of  his  store.  On  the  street  they 
raised  the  warwhoop  and  the  neighborhood  soon  became  alive  with 
Indians.  Dequindre  realized  his  danger,  ran  up  stairs,  and  jumped 
out  of  a  back  window.  He  ran  to  the  fort,  where  he  made  complaint 
to  Proctor.  The  latter  sent  a  message  to  Col.  Alexander  McKee,  agent 
of  the  Indian  department,  and  Dequindre  proceeded  to  his  headquarters 
in  the  brick  house  on  Jefferson  avenue  that  Hull  had  built  in  1807  for 
his  residence,  where  the  Biddle  House  now  stands.  McKee,  who  was 
an  old  friend  of  Dequindre,  immediately  proceeded  to  the  store,  which 
was  then  being  plundered.  "  Listen!"  shouted  McKee  in  the  Indian 
tongue.  "  Every  brave  Indian  come  out  here,  and  you  cowards  stay 
where  you  are."     No   Indian  wants  to  be  classed  as  a  coward,  so  the 

348 


whole  crowd  came  out  in  the  street.  After  a  brief  parley  he  marched 
them  up  Woodward  avenue  to  a  small  mound  where  the  Russell  House 
now  stands,  and  sent  for  a  keg  of  whisky.  When  it  arrived  it  was  stood 
on  end,  the  head  pounded  in  and  the  contents  dealt  out.  The  supply 
was  supplemented  by  two  more  kegs,  and  the  Indians  soon  became  so 
deeply  intoxicated  as  to  be  harmless. 

Antoine  Dequindre  was  subsequently  tendered  a  commission  as  major 
in  the  regular  army.  This  he  declined,  but  was  subsequently  called 
"major"  until  he  died.  In  the  list  of  countersigns  of  the  United 
States  army  will  be  found  in  its  place,  to  be  used  in  its  turn,  the 
name,  "  Major  Antoine  Dequindre." 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  the  Thames  word  came  to  Detroit  that 
the  British  had  evacuated  Mackinaw,  and  an  expedition  then  being 
organized  to  capture  that  post  was  abandoned.  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  was 
placed  in  command  at  Detroit  as  military  and  civil  governor  on  October 
29,  1813,  and  he  was  furnished  a  force  of  1,000  men  to  keep  what  the 
army  of  the  pioneers  had  won  until  the  boundaries  could  be  settled  by 
treaty.  Information  came  to  Detroit  a  little  later  that  the  British  still 
held  Mackinaw,  and  that  they  were  building  two  vessels  on  Georgian 
Bay,  with  which  to  make  further  contest  for  the  upper  lakes. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

Detroit  Occupied  by  the  American  Army — They  Build  a  Cantonment  of  Log  Huts 
West  of  Fort  Lernoult — Indians  Murder  Several  Residents — General  Cass  Drives 
the  Indians  Away  from  Detroit. 

In  June,  1814,  an  expedition  set  out  from  Detroit  in  charge  of  Com- 
modore Sinclair  and  Lieutenant- Colonel  Croghan,  to  destroy  the  vessels 
in  Georgian  Bay,  and  to  capture  Mackinaw.  The  fleet  consisted  of  the 
Niagara,  Lawrence,  Detroit,  Scorpion,  Tigress  and  Caledonia,  and  these 
vessels  carried  a  force  of  750  men.  They  dared  not  penetrate  Georgian 
Bay,  because  the  navigation  was  known  to  be  hazardous,  and  they  had  no 
pilot  acquainted  with  those  waters.  They  proceeded  toward  Mackinaw, 
and  while  on  the  way  a  council  of  war  was  held  to  decide  whether 
Mackinaw  should  first  be  attacked,  or  St.  Joseph  Island.      Sinclair  in- 

349 


sisted  that  the  latter  place  should  be  attacked  first,  and  thus  made  a 
fatal  error  of  judgment.  St.  Joseph  Island  was  found  to  be  deserted, 
but  while  the  fleet  was  reconnoitering  there  and  while  an  expedition 
was  sent  on  above  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  capture  the  schooner  Perse- 
verance, belonging  to  the  Northwest  Fur  Company,  Colonel  McDougall 
prepared  Mackinaw  for  defense,  and  made  the  place  fairly  impregnable 
against  so  small  an  attacking  force.  After  cruising  about  several  days, 
trying  in  vain  to  effect  a  landing  on  the  island,  the  fleet  withdrew  for 
a  time.  Colonel  McDougall,  the  British  commandant,  was  a  thorough 
soldier,  and  made  the  most  of  his  scant  opportunities  and  the  bad 
judgment  of  his  adversary.  On  August  4  the  fleet  made  a  sudden 
descent  upon  the  island,  and  a  body  of  men  was  sent  ashore  in  small 
boats  at  a  point  some  distance  from  the  fort,  while  the  fleet  covered 
their  landing  with  a  brisk  cannonade.  The  soldiers  charged  the  enemy's 
breast  works  and  compelled  the  British  to  fall  back,  but  the  thick  woods 
gave  cover  to  the  Indians,  and  the  Americans  could  find  no  available 
spot  for  temporary  fortification.  Major  Holmes  exposed  himself,  and 
five  balls  passed  through  his  body  before  he  fell.  His  death,  and  that 
of  Captain  Van  Horn  and  Lieutenant  Jackson,  left  the  men  on  the 
right  without  a  leader,  and  they  fell  into  disastrous  confusion.  Colonel 
Croghan  led  them  back  to  the  fleet,  leaving  fifteen  dead  in  the  woods 
and  two  prisoners,  besides  twenty-five  badly  wounded  survivors.  The 
fleet  retired,  leaving  the  Tigress  and  the  Scorpion  to  maintain  a  block- 
ade and  starve  the  British  out.  These  vessels  captured  the  British  brig 
Nancy  with  six  months'  provisions  on  board,  and  the  boat  was  destroyed. 
Colonel  McDougall  then  organized  a  night  attack,  and  surrounding  the 
Tigress  with  hundreds  of  Indian  canoes  under  cover  of  darkness,  com- 
pelled her  surrender.  The  Scorpion  afterward  fell  into  his  hands 
through  the  use  of  the  signal  code  found  on  the  Tigress.  Thus  ended 
a  most  disastrous  expedition.  Mackinaw  did  not  pass  into  the  hands  of 
the  Americans  until  peace  was  declared  in  the  spring  of  1815. 

Looking  back  upon  the  war  of  1812  the  most  superficial  observer 
can  appreciate  that  it  was  in  no  particular  a  test  of  strength  between 
this  country  and  Great  Britain.  On  land  and  sea  the  British  were  in- 
comparably stronger.  The  United  States  conquered  because  her  giant 
adversary  was  so  beset  with  stronger  enemies,  that  but  a  small  force 
could  be  spared  for  campaigning  in  the  wilderness.  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, the  greatest  military  genius  of  modern  times,  was  threatening 
England  with  invasion,   and   Great   Britain's  fleets    were  engaged    in 

350 


clipping-  his  wings  and  keeping  them  trimmed.  Her  armies  were  en- 
gaged in  assisting  Spain  and  Portugal  to  shake  off  the  grip  of  this  mod- 
ern Caesar,  who  seemingly  aspired  to  rule  the  world.  It  was  the 
selfish  policy  of  the  British  government  which  alienated  the  loyalty  of 
the  American  colonies.  They  were  denied  rights  which  should  have 
been  theirswithout  the  asking,  but  the  people  at  home  regarded  them 
as  self-exiled  and  expatriated  persons  who  should  be  hampered  as 
much  as  possible  in  their  efforts  to  help  themselves,  and  taxed  to  the 
limit  of  endurance  for  the  support  of  a  government  in  which  they  had 
no  voice.  Napoleon  once  cynically  remarked,  "  Providence  favors  the 
army  with  the  better  artillery,"  but  Providence  sometimes  entangles 
the  oppressor  in  his  own  toils,  and  while  he  is  extricating  himself  the 
oppressed  obtain  their  libert}^ 

When  Detroit  began  to  rise  again  from  its  ashes,  the  Indians  of  the 
vicinity  sought  to  discourage  the  settlers  from  rebuilding  in  the  hope 
of  ultimately  driving  them  away.  They  stole  cattle  and  ponies  from 
the  common,  and  sometimes  killed  the  domestic  animals  belonging-  to 
the  settlers.  They  also  made  threats  of  hostility,  and  their  attitude 
became  so  truculent  that  the  small  garrison  had  to  be  strengthened  by 
calling  out  volunteers  to  assist  in  guarding  the  town.  At  night  the 
ramparts  inside  the  stockade  were  patrolled  by  sentinels,  and  guards 
were  maintained  during  the  day  at  the  massive  gates,  so  that  they 
might  be  closed  at  the  first  show  of  an  attack.  One  body  of  troops 
was  quartered  in  the  Indian  council  house  near  the  west  end  of  the 
town,  and  another  was  posted  on  the  east  in  a  new  blockhouse,  which 
stood  near  the  present  intersection  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Brush 
street.  All  the  residents  were  in  a  state  of  nervous  excitement,  and 
when  a  sentinel  happened  to  fire  at  a  suspicious  looking  object  in  the 
darkness,  the  alarm  drum  would  sound  and  the  volunteers  would  hurry 
to  the  spot  for  defense. 

As  soon  as  General  Cass  was  appointed  governor  of  Michigan,  on 
October  29,  1813,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army,  but  retained 
the  powers  of  commander-in-chief  in  his  territory.  The  Indians  were  still 
hostile  and  frequently  murdered  settlers  who  penetrated  too  far  into  the 
wilderness  of  the  interior.  In  order  to  inspire  them  with  a  proper  re- 
spect for  the  government  the  governor  was  compelled  to  call  upon  the 
militia  now  and  then  and  administer  punishment  to  marauders.  At 
length  the  hostile  Indians  retired  to  the  Saginaw  valley,  but  some  who 
were  friendly  remained  about  Detroit.      Governor  Cass  advised  concilia- 

351 


tory  methods  with  the  Indians,  and  sought  to  obtain  their  good -will  by 
fair  treatment  and  government  protection  against  land-grabbers.  He 
proposed  to  obtain  land  from  them  by  purchase  and  treaty,  and  to  allot 
them  reservations  which  should  be  respected  by  all  settlers  and  with- 
held from  other  occupants.  In  July,  1814,  in  company  with  General 
Harrison,  Governor  Cass  effected  a  treaty  with  all  the  neighboring 
tribes,  and  peace  was  then  practically  restored.  Later,  in  1814,  how- 
ever, General  Cass  sent  all  the  able  bodied  men  of  his  regular  garrison 
down  to  Niagara  to  assist  General  Brown  against  the  British.  Again 
the  Indians  became  bold  and  began  to  make  trouble. 

On  September  15,  1814,  Ananias  McMillan,  who  had  just  returned 
from  an  expedition  to  Rondeau  Bay,  Kent  county,  Ontario,  started  out 
on  the  common  with  his  musket.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  boy  Archi- 
bald, aged  eleven  years.  The  family  cow  had  not  come  home  on  its  usual 
time,  and  they  went  in  search  of  her.  Father  and  son  passed  out  at  the 
west  gate  of  the  town,  and  a  few  rods  away,  on  the  Macomb  farm,  as  it 
was  then  called,  they  came  upon  William  McVey  and  Daniel  and  William 
Burbank.  After  a  few  words  explaining  his  purpose  Mr.  McMillan 
proceeded  northward  over  the  common.  "  Better  not  go  too  far  from 
the  town  gates  alone  as  you  are,"  called  McVey ;  "  there  are  some  ugly 
looking  savages  about  in  the  woods."  These  three  men  were  seated 
on  a  log  near  the  present  corner  of  Lafayette  avenue  and  Wayne  street, 
when  this  warning  was  given.  On  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Capi- 
tol Square  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  building  was  a  thick  copse 
which  obscured  the  view  of  the  common  beyond.  As  McMillan  and 
his  boy  were  about  to  pass  this  clump  of  bushes  four  shots  were  fired 
by  unseen  Indians.  McMillan  returned  the  fire  and  fled  with  his  boy. 
Four  Chippewa  Indians  leaped  out  and  McMillan  was  shot  and  scalped. 
A  fifth  dashed  around  the  end  of  the  copse  riding  a  pony.  The  latter 
pursued  the  boy,  who  ran  screaming  toward  the  fort,  holding  an  ox 
o-ad  in  his  hand.  As  the  pony  came  close  behind  him  he  dodged  like  a 
frightened  hare  and  swung  his  gad  in  the  face  of  the  pony,  causing  it 
to  sheer  off.  Again  he  fled  toward  the  gate,  and  again  the  savage  pur- 
sued, cutting  him  off,  but  the  boy  used  his  gad  again,  thus  escaping  the 
clutch  of  the  Indian.  This  maneuver  was  repeated  several  times  until 
the  Indian  jumped  off  his  pony  and  caught  the  boy  on  foot.  He  carried 
him  off  to  the  woods,  the  boy  waking  the  echoes  with  his  despairing 
cries.  A  few  days  later  Michael  Murphy,  a  young  Irishman  who 
worked  for  Abraham  Cook,  went  into  a  field  on  Judge  Moran's  farm  to 

352 


HENRY   M.  CAMPBELL. 


get  a  load  of  potatoes.  He  had  a  pony  and  cart,  but  while  he  was  at 
work  he  was  shot  dead  from  an  ambush,  and  scalped  and  mutilated  in 
horrible  manner.  The  time  had  come  for  aggressive  action.  Governor 
Cass  called  for  volunteers  to  go  out  and  punish  the  Indians,  and  the 
young  men  of  the  town  responded  promptly.  They  armed  themselves 
in  Indian  fashion,  carrying  knives,  clubs  and  tomahawks  in  addition  to 
their  rifles,  as  they  expected  to  do  some  hand-to-hand  fighting  in  the 
woods. 

The  older  men  of  the  party  were  General  Cass,  Shubael  Conant, 
Capt.  Francis  Cicotte  and  Col.  H.  J.  Hunt.  They  were  accompanied 
by  George  and  Edward  Cicotte,  William,  John  and  James  Meldrum, 
Lambert  Beaubien,  John  B.  Beaubien,  Joseph  Andre,  Louis  Moran, 
Louis  Dequindre,  Lambert  La  Foy,  Joseph  Riopelle,  Joseph  Visger, 
Jack  Smith,  Ben  Liicas,  John  Ruland  and  Peter,  James  and  John  Riley. 
The  three  Rileys  were  the  half-breed  sons  of  Judge  Riley  of  Schenec- 
tady, N.  Y. ,  who  had  once  been  a  trader  in  the  Saginaw  Valley.  They 
were  the  most  expert  woodsmen  in  Detroit,  and  had  learned  to  trail  an 
enemy  through  the  forest.  They  knew  all  the  Indian  craft,  spoke 
several  of  the  Indian  languages,  and  had  been  in  the  white  schools  of 
the  settlement.  The  Rileys  led  the  party,  some  of  whom  were  mounted 
on  ponies,  to  the  Indian  camp,  which  was  then  on  the  Witherell  farm, 
but  the  Indians  had  just  vacated  it,  leaving  the  hat  of  the  boy  Archi- 
bald McMillan  on  the  ground.  The  Rileys  trailed  the  savages  west- 
ward until  the  party  overtook  them  just  back  of  the  Cass  farm.  Peter 
was  the  first  to  sight  the  enemy.  He  dropped  quickly  from  his  pony 
and  leveling  his  rifle  across  its  back  he  brought  a  tall  savage  to  the 
ground.  Springing  forward  with  a  yell  he  tore  off  the  scalp.  While 
this  was  taking  place  the  other  white  men  were  cracking  away  at  the 
flying  Indians  who  took  to  the  thick  brush  where  the  pursuers  could 
not  follow.  One  of  the  Meldrums  and  Louis  Moran  each  got  a  scalp. 
The  whites  were  satisfied  that  several  of  the  Indians  had  been  badly 
hurt.  Ben  Lucas  had  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  an  Indian,  close  be- 
side Governor  Cass,  and  came  off  victor.  The  party  then  marched 
westward  as  far  as  the  River  Rouge,  driving  the  Indians  before  them. 
On  their  way  home  they  gave  the  scalp  yell  in  Indian  fashion.  This 
so  frightened  the  women  of  the  town,  who  feared  they  had  been  massa- 
cred, that  several  of  them  took  their  children  into  boats  and  paddled 
across  the  river.  Next  day  a  squaw  came  to  the  town  with  a  white 
flag  to  say  that  if  the  Detroiters  would  not  pursue  the  Indians  any 

353 


more,  they  would  agree  not  only  to  keep  the  peace,  but  to  go  away  to 
Saginaw.  She  told  the  people  of  the  town  that  several  of  the  Indians 
who  had  escaped  had  died  of  their  wounds,  and  that  Chief  Kishkawkee 
had  to  be  carried  about  in  a  blanket. 

Late  that  fall  Capt.  James  Knaggs  seized  three  Indians  who  had  come 
to  Detroit,  and  held  them  as  hostages  until  their  tribe  should  surrender 
little  Archie  McMillan.  Meanwhile  Archie  was  carried  to  wSaginaw 
and  beyond  by  his  captors.  One  time  he  endeavored  to  escape  and 
climbed  into  a  tree,  but  the  Indians  soon  found  that  he  had  not  left  the 
neighborhood,  and  literally  "treed"  him.  He  refused  to  come  down 
when  an  arrow  was  shot  into  the  tree  and  the  boy  then  surrendere  .. 
John  Riley  went  to  the  Saginaw  valley  to  negotiate  the  exchange, 
and  Archie,  after  four  months'  captivity,  was  brought  on  January  12, 
1815,  to  Amherstburg,  then  in  the  possession  of  the  Americans,  and 
restored  to  his  frantic  mother.  Mrs.  McMillan  at  that  time  lived  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Larned  and  Bates  streets,  where  she  afterward 
kept  a  boarding  house  for  many  years.  She  has  numerous  descend- 
ants in  this  city  and  State.      Archie  died  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  1860. 

General  Cass  soon  found  that  most  of  the  laws  which  had  been  en- 
acted since  1774  were  still  in  force,  having  never  been  repealed.  He 
also  found  that  the  people  of  Detroit  had  been  deprived  of  their  right 
to  self-government  by  the  act  of  the  governor  and  judges  of  1806.  One 
of  his  earliest  official  acts  was  to  bring  about  a  repeal  of  all  the  laws  of 
the  old  regime,  which  had  become  inoperative  and  to  reinstate  the 
town  government  by  a  board  of  trustees.  On  October  24,  1815,  the 
new  governor  and  Judges  Witherell  and  Griffin  (Woodward  being 
probably  absent)  passed  an  act  repealing  all  the  laws  of  Great  Britain, 
the  law  of  1806  and  the  laws  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  so  far  as 
Michigan  was  concerned.  Beginning  with  that  date  Governor  Cass 
and  his  associates  prepared  a  new  code  for  the  territorial  government, 
and  in  place  of  the  old  village  ordinances  of  1802-6,  a  new  set  were 
formulated  and  adopted,  placing  the  town  government  in  the  hands  of 
the  trustees.  The  office  of  mayor,  which  was  somewhat  ridiculous 
when  the  population  of  the  town  is  considered,  was  not  reinstated. 
The  government  of  the  town  was  vested  in  the  board  of  trustees  and 
the  presiding  officer  of  the  board  was  the  chairman,  who  was  elected 
by  the  board.  The  new  regulations  went  into  effect  in  December,  and 
the  trustees  of  the  town  met  and  adopted  sixteen  standing  rules,  which 
bear  date  of  December  4,  1815,  and  the  signature  of  Solomon  Sibley, 

354 


chairman,  and  Thomas  Rowland,  secretary.  When  the  treaty  of  peace 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  was  ratified  in  the  winter 
of  1815,  Michigan's  population  did  not  exceed  6,000,  and  these  settlers 
all  lived  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Erie  and  the  river  frontage. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

Detroit  Begins  to  Develop  under  the  Peace  of  1815— Road  Building  Begun — The 
First  Steamboat  Arrives,  August  27,  1818— Sedate  Men  Lay  Aside  Their  Dignity 
and  Indulge  in  a  Frolic — Founding  of  Pontiac  in  1819. 

Constant  war  had  hindered  the  development  of  the  Territory  and 
cheap  whisky  had  been  a  demoralizing  influence  upon  the  people. 
The  finances  of  the  community  were  also  no  better  than  its  morals. 
Wildcat  money,  issued  by  Ohio  banking  firms,  was  the  chief  circu- 
lating medium,  and,  as  this  was  of  doubtful  and  fluctuating  value, 
business  was  hampered.  There  was  not  a  public  highway  in  the  terri- 
tory, the  nearest  approach  to  one  being  the  roads  cut  through  the 
swamps  and  woods  by  which  the  soldiers  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky  had 
made  their  way  to  Detroit.  To  open  the  way  for  public  roads  General 
Cass  effected  a  most  important  treaty  with  the  Indians  in  1818,  by 
which  they  surrendered  claim  to  all  lands  in  Ohio  and  Indiana  and 
about  the  River  Raisin  and  Monguagon,  and  accepted  reservations  in 
Michigan,  sufficiently  removed  from  Detroit  to  avoid  any  disputes  for 
a  long  time  to  come.  Then  a  road  was  built  through  the  great  Black 
Swamp  of  northwestern  Ohio,  connecting  Detroit  with  Vistula  (Toledo) 
and  Sandusky.  When  Congress  appropriated  a  tract  of  2,000,000  acres 
of  land,  in  1812,  to  be  set  apart  for  the  soldiers  of  the  war,  and  given 
to  them  in  parcels  of  160  acres,  the  report  of  the  surveyor-general  was 
so  discouraging  that  the  government  substituted  1,500,000  acres  in 
Illinois  and  500,000  in  Missouri.  In  1818  some  of  the  lands  in  the 
southern  part  of  Michigan  were  surveyed  and  sold  to  settlers  and  im- 
migration soon  began  in  earnest.  Territorial  boundary  changes  did 
not  cease.  In  1816  a  narrow  strip  of  southern  Michigan  was  cut  off 
and  added  to  Indiana,  to  the  great  dissatisfaction  of  the  Michiganders. 
This  left  the  southern  boundary  irregular,  as  the  territorj^  about  To- 

355 


ledo  was  still  attached  to  Michigan.  Two  years  later  Wisconsin  and 
the  greater  part  of  Minnesota,  including  the  Lake  Superior  region, 
were  attached  to  northern  Michigan.  It  was  proposed  that  the  terri- 
tory should  that  year  advance  to  the  second  grade  of  government  by 
establishing  a  general  assembly,  but  the  proposition  was  lost  at  the 
polls  for  some  unexplained  reason.  In  1818  the  town  burying  ground, 
which  lay  open  to  the  visitation  of  wandering  swine  and  cattle,  was  in 
so  deplorable  a  condition  that  a  notice  was  inserted  in  the  Gazette,  call- 
ing a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  taking  action  toward  inclosing  the 
grounds  with  a  fence,  and  repairing  the  ravages  of  the  four  footed 
visitors. 

On  August  27,  1818,  the  era  of  transportation  dawned  at  Detroit. 
The  Walk-in-the-Water,  a  small  steamboat  bearing  the  name  of  the 
old  Wyandotte  chief,  came  from  Buffalo.  As  she  forged  up  the  De- 
troit River  with  a  great  splashing  of  paddle  wheels,  the  whole  country- 
side turned  out  to  see  her,  gazing  in  wonder  at  her  pennon  of  sparks 
and  smoke.  She  made  the  round  trip  from  Buffalo  to  Mackinaw  and 
return  in  twelve  days,  carrying  a  number  of  passengers  and  $200,000 
worth  of  merchandise. 

In  1818  the  Bank  of  Michigan  was  incorporated.  It  was  the  second 
bank  organized  in  Detroit  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  potent  aid 
in  developing  the  resources  of  the  Territory  and  State.  A  more  ex- 
tended notice  of  the  bank  will  be  found  in  a  chapter  devoted  to  finan- 
cial legislation  and  the  banks  of  Michigan. 

The  government  land  surveys  were  about  finished  at  the  beginning 
of  1818,  and  sales  were  ordered  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  Col.  Stephen 
Mack,  then  in  partnership  in  mercantile  business  with  Shubael  Conant, 
organized  an  extensive  land  company.  It  was  known  as  the  "  Pontiac 
Company,"  and  consisted  of  Stephen  Mack,  William  Woodbridge,  Solo- 
mon Sibley,  John  L.  Whiting,  Austin  E.  Wing,  David  C.  McKinstry, 
Benjamin  Stead,  Henry  Jackson  Hunt,  Abraham  Edwards,  Shubael 
Conant,  Alexander  Macomb,  Archibald  Darrow,  and  Andrew  G.  Whit- 
ney, of  Detroit,  and  William  Thompson,  Daniel  Le  Roy  and  James 
Fulton,  of  Macomb  county.  Mr.  Mack  was  appointed  agent  of  the 
company  and  purchased  the  greater  part  of  the  present  site  of  the  city 
of  Pontiac,  which  was  subsequently  designated  by  Governor  Cass  as  the 
county  seat  of  Oakland  county.  Here  a  saw  mill,  flouring  mill  and 
mercantile  establishment  were  built,  and  subsequently  a  road  was 
opened  between  the  new  settlement  and  Detroit,  which  was  called  the 

356 


Pontiac  Road,  and  is  now  known  as  Woodward  avenue.  When  the 
new  enterprise  was  established  in  1819  the  occasion  was  celebrated  in 
an  elaborate  manner  and  in  a  style  which  exhibited  the  utter  uncon- 
ventionality  of  the  day.  All  of  the  above  named  persons  were  present 
together,  with  nearly  every  male  Detroiter  of  business  or  professional 
rank,  or  social  consideration,  including  Governor  Cass,  John  Roberts, 
Dr.  Chamberlain  and  George  A.  O'Keefe. 

A  fine  dinner  was  provided,  toasts  were  drank,  and  various  sports 
ensued.  At  that  time  the  question  of  electing  a  delegate  to  Congress 
was  to  come  before  the  people  in  the  fall,  for  which  no  nomination  had 
yet  been  made.  In  the  happy  frame  of  mind  which  follows  a  good 
dinner  and  an  abundance  of  liquid  refreshments,  the  company  present 
resolved  itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole  on  the  condition  of  the 
Territory  of  Michigan,  and  proceeded  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  that 
distinguished  and  honorable  position.  There  were  three  persons 
present  who  by  education  and  position  were  deemed  to  be  qualified  for 
delegate,  namely:  David  Le  Roy,  A.  B.  Woodward  and  Solomon 
Sibley.  Thereupon  Judge  Woodward,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion,  proposed  that  each  candidate  should  be  put  through  the  mill, 
secundum  arteiii,  each  one  getting  into  the  hopper  of  the  mill  alter- 
nately, and  the  one  whose  manipulation  and  skill  in  the  hopper  should 
produce  the  best  meal  should  be  declared  the  candidate.  The  prop- 
osition was  unanimously  approved,  and  Colonel  Mack  and  the  miller 
were  appointed  as  umpires.  Judge  Le  Roy  mounted  the  hopper  and 
it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  he  went  through  the  performance  ad- 
mirably. Next  Judge  Woodward  tried  his  chances  and  won  great  ap- 
plause. The  mill  was  beginning  to  work  well,  but  Judge  Sibley  carried 
off  the  palm.  The  miller  took  up  handful  after  handful  of  the  meal 
and  praised  it  enthusiastically.  Mr.  Sibley  was  then  pronounced  the 
favorite  candidate  of  Oakland  county.  Then  Governor  Cass  tried  his 
hand  and  was  pronounced  superfine.  Others  earned  the  titles  of  bran, 
shorts,  middlings,  etc.  Then  there  were  arrests  for  ludicrous  offenses, 
and  the  parties  were  tried  before  a  judge  and  jury,  who  invariably 
rendered  a  verdict  of  guilty  and  prescribed  fitting  punishments. 
O'Keefe,  who  prided  himself  on  being  a  "  four-bottle  man,"  found  the 
pace  too  fast  to  follow,  so  he  slipped  away  and  hid  himself  in  a  haymow. 
He  was  missed,  searched  for,  and  taken  into  custody.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  try  him,  and  Colonel  Mack,  dressed  as  an  Indian 
chief,  was  the  presiding  judge.      In  spite  of  the  culprit's  learned  and 

357 


eloquent  defense  he  was  found  guilty  and  Colonel  Mack  sentenced  him 
to  pick  with  his  teeth  an  ounce  of  the  pitch  which  exuded  from  the 
neighbor  ng  pine  trees.  After  the  penalty  had  been  paid,  other  guests 
were  tried  in  order,  and  all  sorts  of  laughable  penalties  were  imposed. 
On  the  way  back  to  Detroit  the  party  whooped  it  up  all  the  way,  mak- 
ing the  woods  echo  with  their  yells.  At  Royal  Oak  they  stopped  at  the 
shanty  of  a  Frenchman  who  had  also  been  indulging  in  drink.  They 
urged  him  to  drink  more,  but  he  stubbornly  refused.  Court  was  im- 
mediately organized,  and  the  Frenchman  for  his  contumacy  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  he  was  "  dead!  dead!  dead!  and 
may  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  your  s  ul,"  finished  the  judge  solemnly. 
A  rope  was  tied  about  his  neck  and  attached  to  the  shafts  of  a  cart.  A 
number  of  the  revelers  then  climbed  into  the  rear  of  the  cart  so  that 
the  Frenchman  was  swung  clear  from  the  ground.  He  was  actually 
suspended  for  several  seconds  and  when  he  was  let  down  he  sank  limp 
and  insensible  upon  the  ground.  Dr.  Chamberlain,  to  keep  up  the 
ghastly  joke,  pronounced  the  man  dead.  This  awful  announcement 
sobered  the  part)^  in  a  moment  and  all  hands  tu  ning  to  the  task,  they 
soon  resuscitated  the  Frenchman.  Dr.  Chamberlain  assured  them  that 
had  he  not  been  a  surgeon  of  surpassing  skill  the  man  would  have  died 
and  all  who  had  assisted  in  maltreating  him  would  have  been  hanged 
for  murder. 

Governor  Cass  secured  permission  from  Congress  to  make  an  explora- 
tion of  the  northern  peninsula  and  on  May  24,  1820,  set  out  from  De- 
troit with  Robert  A.  Forsyth,  his  private  secretary,  Henry  R.  School- 
craft, mineralogist;  Capt.  D.  B.  Douglass,  topographer;  Dr.  Alexander 
Wolcott,  James  Duane  Doty,  Charles  C.  Trowbridge,  Lieut.  Evans 
Mackay,  and  an  escort  of  ten  soldiers  of  the  United  States  army. 
They  took  with  them  ten  Canadian  boatmen  and  ten  Indians  to  act  as 
hunters,  paddlers  and  interpreters.  At  Mackinaw  they  were  joined  by 
other  explorers  and  the  company  numbered  sixty-four  men.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  to  effect  a  treaty  with  the  Chippewas  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie,  but  the  Indians  were  completely  under  British  influence,  and 
the  council  broke  up  without  having  effected  its  purpose,  which  was  to 
take  possession  of  lands  formerly  ceded  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville. 
These  lands  had  been  ceded  to  the  Americans,  but  the  latter  had  never 
taken  possession.  Some  of  the  chiefs  wore  British  medals,  and  one  of 
them,  Sassaba,  wore  the  uniform  of  a  British  brigadier.  He  made  a 
violent  speech  against  the  Americans,  drove  his  lance  into  the  ground, 

358 


and  led  his  followers  from  the  council.  Retiring  to  his  own  camp  he 
raised  the  British  flag.  In  that  critical  situation  General  Cass  showed 
what  manner  of  man  he  was.  The  Indians  were  strong  in  numbers, 
and  greatly  enraged  at  being  reminded  of  their  former  cession  of  lands. 
Governor  Cass  saw  that  they  must  not  be  permitted  to  insult  his  gov- 
ernment with  impunity,  and  ordering  his  followers  under  arms  he 
walked  alone  to  Sassaba's  lodge,  where  he  tore  down  the  British  flag 
and  trampled  it  in  the  dust.  Then  he  told  the  astonished  chief  that  he 
was  standing  on  United  States  soil,  and  that  the  hoisting  of  a  British 
flag  was  an  insult  which  would  not  be  tolerated.  The  Indians  were 
awed  by  the  bravery  of  the  governor,  who  walked  away  unmolested 
with  the  foreign  flag  folded  under  his  arm.  Instead  of  attacking  the 
little  band  of  explorers,  they  renewed  the  negotiations  and  before  night 
they  had  ceded  a  tract  four  miles  square,  for  military  purposes,  at 
Sault  vSte.  Marie  village,  reserving  the  perpetual  right  to  fish  in  the  St. 
Mary's  River.  Sassaba  was  the  only  chief  who  did  not  sign.  The 
party  proceeded  up  Lake  Superior  as  far  as  Keewenaw  Point,  which 
they  crossed,  and  later  explored  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and 
returned  home  by  Lake  Michigan.  A  system  of  surveys  was  adopted 
in  1820  by  which  two  straight  lines  were  drawn  through  the  center  of 
the  territory,  one  north  and  south,  the  other  east  and  west.  The 
former  was  called  the  principal  meridian,  and  the  latter  the  base  line. 
From  these  lines  the  State  was  laid  out  into  townships  six  miles  square, 
and  into  sections  of  a  mile  square,  the  sections  numbering  each  way 
from  the  meridian  and  base  lines. 

Governor  Cass  and  Judge  Solomon  Sibley  went  to  the  Indians  south 
of  Grand  River,  in  1821,  and  secured  a  cession  of  nearly  all  the  lands 
of  the  Ottawas  and  Potawatomies  in  southern  Michigan  to  the  United 
States.  In  1822  the  counties  of  Washtenaw,  Lenawee,  Lapeer,  Sanilac, 
Saginaw  and  Shiawassee  were  laid  out  for  the  better  accommodation 
of  the  growing  settlements,  and  a  line  of  stages  communicating  with 
Mt.  Clemens,  was  put  on  the  Fort  Gratiot  road. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  his  tour  of  the  northwest  Governor  Cass 
was  appealed  to  for  executive  clemency  in  behalf  of  two  condemned 
murderers.  A  Chippewa  warrior  named  Ketawka  had  murdered  Dr. 
Madison,  a  surgeon  of  the  United  States  army  at  Mackinaw;  an  1 
Kewabishkim,  another  warrior  of  the  same  tribe,  had  murdered  a 
trader  at  Green  Bay  at  about  the  same  time.  The  Indians  were 
brought  to  Detroit  in   1821,  and  after  a  fair  trial  were  condemned  to 

359 


death.  The  appeal  was  not  made  because  of  extenuating  circum- 
stances, but  because  the  Indians  hoped  to  profit  by  certain  political 
exigencies.  General  Cass  had  recently  effected  a  treaty  with  the  In- 
dians of  the  north  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  it  was  of  course  desirable 
to  maintain  friendly  relations  with  them.  The  British,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  using  their  utmost  efforts  to  alienate  the  Indians  from  the 
Americans.  It  would  therefore  have  been  an  act  of  political  policy  to 
pardon  the  murderers.  To  have  done  this,  however,  would  have  shown 
a  disregard  for  justice,  and  it  would  have  encouraged  other  murders. 
Pardon  was  refused  in  both  cases,  and  the  Indians  prepared  for  death 
after  the  manner  of  their  race.  They  were  confined  in  the  new  jail, 
which  had  been  built  in  1819,  on  the  site  of  the  presen  public  library 
building.  On  December  24,  1821,  while  workmen  were  building  the 
scaffold  on  which  they  were  to  die  on  Christmas  day,  the  Indians 
watched  the  progress  of  the  work  with  interest,  and  sketched  on  the 
walls  of  their  cell  a  rude  picture  of  an  Indian  hanging  from  a  gibbet. 
They  made  a  sort  of  tom  torn  by  stretching  a  piece  of  raw  hide  over 
their  water  bucket,  and  took  turns,  one  beating  the  drum  while  the 
other  danced  and  chanted  his  death  song.  That  finished,  they  painted 
their  faces  black,  and  when  they  were  led  out  for  execution  they  were 
apparently  the  most  indifferent  parties  within  sight  of  the  scaffold- 
They  met  their  doom  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  Public  Library 
lawn. 


CHAPTER    L. 


Michigan's  First  Delegate  to  Congress — Politics  were  Politics  Even  in  the  Olden 
Time — Father  Gabriel  Richard  Locked  up  in  Jail  to  Prevent  His  Candidacy— The 
French  Residents  Give  Him  a  Plurality  over  His  Unscrupulous  Competitors. 

By  the  original  ordinance  of  1787  the  election  of  a  delegate  to  Con- 
gress was  to  follow  the  legislative  organization  and  not  to  precede  it. 
But  inasmuch  as  the  population  was  large  enough  to  warrant  it,  being 
8,890,  Congress,  in  the  spring  of  1819,  enacted  a  law  by  which  the  citi- 
zens of  Michigan  might  elect  a  delegate  by  a  plurality  of  the  free  white 
male  citizens,  over  the  age  of  twenty-one,  who  had  resided  in  the  Terri- 
tory one  year  and  paid  a  county  or  territorial  tax.     The  first  delegate 

360 


FORDYCE  H.   ROGERS. 


chosen  was  William  Woodbridge,  then  secretary  of  the  territory  and 
United  States  customs  collector,  who  received  339  votes.  His  compet- 
itors received  the  following  votes:  John  R  Williams,  196;  Henry  Jack- 
son Hunt,  97;  James  McCloskey,  55;  Judge  A.  B.  Woodward,  28.  In 
1820  the  citizens  of  Detroit  exclaimed  against  Woodbridge's  pluralism 
in  holding  two  federal  offices,  and,  bending  before  the  storm,  he  re- 
signed and  Solomon  Sibley  was  elected  for  the  unexpired  term.  Sibley 
held  the  office  until  1823,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Gabriel 
Richard,  pastor  of  St.  Anne's  church.  In  1825  Austin  E.  Wing,  of 
Monroe,  was  elected,  and  was  re  elected  in  1827.  The  succession  of 
subsequent  delegates  was  John  Biddle,  1829-31 ;  Austin  E.  Wing, 
1831-33;  Lucius  Lyon,  1833-34;  George  W.  Jones,  1835-36  Mr. 
Jones  was  a  resident  of  what  is  now  Wisconsin,  which  was  then  in 
Michigan  Territory.  His  office  terminated  when  Wisconsin  was  erected 
into  a  separate  Territory  in  1836. 

The  story  of  Father  Richard's  election  to  Congress  in  1823  was  one 
of  the  most  interesting  events  of  that  eventful  year  in  Michigan.  C. 
M.  Burton  has  thus  related  it: 

"  There  was  no  civil  service  in  those  days,  and  no  caviling  about  officials  mingling 
in  politics.  Sheriff  Austin  E.  Wing  and  John  Biddle,  receiver  of  the  land  office, 
were  prominent  candidates  for  delegates  to  Congress.  Major  Biddle  placed  the 
management  of  his  campaign  in  the  hands  of  Attorney  William  A.  Fletcher,  and 
Wing  entrusted  his  cause  in  the  hands  of  John  Hunt,  afterward  supreme  justice. 
Just  as  the  canvass  was  well  under  way  the  candidates  were  informed  that  Father 
Richard  was  being  boomed  as  a  third  candidate  by  the  French  residents.  At  first 
the  idea  that  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  in  charge  of  a  parish,  a  man  whose  English 
was  but  limited,  and  who  was  not  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  should  become  a 
candidate  for  so  important  an  office,  seemed  preposterous,  but  the  popular  priest 
gained  ground  in  an  alarming  fashion.  On  June  9,  1823,  Father  Richard  applied 
for  citizenship  papers,  but  Mr.  Fletcher,  who  had  just  been  appointed  chief  justice 
of  Wayne  county  by  Governor  Cass,  raised  the  point  that  the  County  Court  was  not 
the  proper  tribunal  for  granting  such  papers.  His  colleagues.  Judges  Witherell  and 
Lecuyer,  however,  issued  the  papers  on  June  28,  and  the  presiding  judge  found  his 
political  candidate  face  to  face  with  a  dangerous  competitor.  The  first  candidates 
in  the  field  had  already  subsidized  the  press,  and  the  Gazette  utterly  ignored  the 
pretensions  of  Father  Richard.  The  campaign  caused  great  excitement  and  pro- 
duced some  remarkable  ruptures.  John  R.  WiUiams,  a  merchant  of  the  town,  son 
of  Thomas  Williams,  a  former  British  official,  and  Celia  Campau.  sister  of  the 
wealthy  Joseph  Campau,  had  been  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  was  a  warden  of 
Ste.  Anne's.  He  had  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  convention,  and  he  undertook  to 
head  off  Father  Richard's  campaign  and  compel  him  to  withdraw  from  the  race. 
He  issued  a  circular  in  the  French  language  setting  forth  the  trials  and  perils  of  > 

36X 


church  deserted  bj^  its  pastor,  and  calling  upon  the  straying  shepherd  to  return  to  his 
flock.  Father  Richard  said  he  had  a  perfect  right  to  become  a  candidate,  and  upon 
his  refusal  to  withdraw,  John  R.  Williams  and  his  uncle  Joseph  Campau,  left  the 
church,  never  to  return.  They  became  Free  Masons  and  died  full  of  years,  honored 
and  wealthy,  but  they  were  apostates  and  were  buried  in  unconsecrated  soil.  Then 
the  rival  candidates  looked  about  for  some  means  to  compel  the  withdrawal  of  the 
priest,  and  at  first  they  were  apparently  successful.  Three  years  before  this  time 
Francis  Labadie  had  been  accused  of  deserting  his  wife,  Apoline  Girardin,  in  the 
parish  of  St.  Berthier,  Canada.  He  came  to  Detroit,  became  a  member  of  Ste.  Anne, 
and  married  Marie  Anne  Griffard,  widow  of  Louis  Dehetre,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed on  February  17,  1817. 

Father  Richard,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  tried  to  make  Labadie  abandon  his 
new  wife,  and  return  to  his  lawful  mate,  but  Labadie  refused  to  obey.  Then  Father 
Richard  gave  three  public  warnings  to  Labadie  for  his  contumacy,  but  without 
effect,  whereupon  he  formally  excommunicated  him  on  July  16,  1817.  Labadie  took 
his  revenge  by  bringing  suit  for  defamation  of  character  and  employing  Lawyer 
George  A.  O'Keefe  to  prosecute  the  case.  Father  Richard  employed  William  Wood- 
bridge  to  defend  him.  In  the  winter  of  1821  the  Supreme  Court  rendered  a  verdict 
for  Labadie  in  the  sum  of  $1,116,  but  Father  Richard  refused  to  pay.  As  a  judg- 
ment was  still  hanging  over  him,  and  Wing,  one  of  the  candidates  for  congressional 
delegate  was  sheriff,  the  priest  was  taken  on  a  writ  of  execution  and  locked  in  jail. 
This  merely  served  to  increase  his  popularity,  for  his  parishioners  now  considered 
him  a  persecuted  man,  and  the  French  population  rallied  to  his  support.  As  a  final 
resort  the  Wing  and  Biddle  factions  tried  to  unite  against  Father  Richard.  Both 
managers  were  scheming  for  their  personal  advantage.  Hunt  thought  that  if  Biddle 
would  resign  the  land  office  to  Wing,  the  latter  would  be  content  to  retire  from  the 
field.  Fletcher,  it  is  said,  wanted  Biddle  to  promise  that  if  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress he  would  favor  the  appointment  of  himself  (Fletcher)  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
then  about  to  be  reorganized.  Fletcher  denied  that  he  had  tried  to  make  such  a 
bargain,  and  in  the  wrangling  that  ensued  between  the  managers,  Hunt  and 
Fletcher  came  near  meeting  '  on  the  field  of  honor.'  The  election  occurred  on  the 
first  Tuesday  of  September,  and  the  early  returns  showed  that  Father  Richard  was 
probably  elected.  The  returns  were  slow  in  coming  in.  John  P.  Sheldon,  editor  of 
the  Gazette,  delayed  issuing  his  paper  for  three  days  in  the  hope  that  full  returns 
would  show  a  different  result,  but  with  the  counties  of  Macomb  and  St.  Clair  unre- 
ported, the  paper  came  out  with  the  following  result:  Richard  372;  Wing,  286;  Bid- 
dle, 235;  Whitney,  143;  McCloskey,  134;  and  Williams  41.  Subsequent  returns  did 
not  alter  the  result,  and  the  notice  of  election  was  handed  to  Father  Richard  in  jail, 
and  he  was  thereupon  released.  The  defeated  factions  were  very  glum  over  the 
election,  but  the  French  were  jubilant.  A  member  of  Congress  cannot  be  held  in 
jail  on  a  civil  process  during  his  term  of  office,  so  Sheriff  Austin  E  Wing  unlocked 
the  doors  that  shut  Father  Richard  from  his  liberty,  and  the  triumphant  priest 
walked  forth  to  be  greeted  by  his  ardent  supporters.  Major  Biddle  contested  the 
seat,  but  the  committee  on  elections  allowed  his  petition  to  slumber  in  a  pigeon  hole 
and  never  investigated  or  reported  on  the  subject." 

Fathers  Richard's  personality  excited  much  interest  in  Washington, 

362 


as  no  Catholic  priest  had  ever  before  been  a  member  of  Congress.  His 
gaunt,  sepulchral  figure  and  face,  his  attire,  which  was  black  through- 
out, with  small  clothes,  silk  stockings,  silver  buckles  on  his  shoes, 
broken  English,  quaint  ways  and  copious  use  of  snuff,  attracted  much 
attention.  A  number  of  his  fellow  congressmen  talked  with  him  one 
day,  and  in  answer  to  questions  he  said  that  he  came  there  to  do  his 
people  some  good.  "  But,"  he  modestly  added,  "I  do  n  t  see  how  I 
can  doit;  I  don't  understand  legislation;  I  want  to  give  them  good 
roads  if  I  can."  His  hearers  then  and  there  said  they  would  aid  him, 
and  the  result  was  the  law  of  1825,  making  an  appropriation  for  a  road 
from  Detroit  to  Chicago.  The  ends  of  the  road  are  on  Michigan  avenue, 
in  both  Detroit  and  Chicago.  He  died  in  Detroit  of  exhaustion,  occa- 
sioned by  overwork  in  ministering  to  the  victims  of  the  Asiatic  plague, 
on  September  13,  1833,  aged  sixty-five  years. 

Michigan's  government  advanced  another  step  in  1823.  By  this  time 
the  rule  of  the  governor  and  judges  had  proved  inadequate  and  un- 
satisfactory, and  on  March  3,  1823,  Congress  abrogated  the  former 
regulations  for  Michigan's  government  and  instituted  a  legislative 
council  of  nine  members.  The  people  were  entitled  to  elect  eighteen 
candidates  for  this  body,  and  from  these  the  president  selected  the 
lawful  number.  The  governor  and  council  were  invested  with  all  the 
powers  that  were  once  delegated  to  the  legislature  of  the  Northwest 
Territory.  The  act  was  to  go  into  effect  in  1824.  Judges  Woodward 
and  Griffin  resigned  at  once,  and  were  succeeded  by  Solomon  Sibley 
and  John  Hunt.     Judge  Witherell  was  then  made  the  presiding  judge. 

John  Hunt,  the  new  supreme  justice,  was  born  in  either  Massachu- 
setts or  Berkshire,  Pa.,  the  last  locality  being  the  statement  of  John 
Winder.  He  came  here  in  1818  or  1819,  a  full  fledged  lawyer,  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  Gen.  Charles  Larned,  the  attorney  gen- 
eral, to  whose  sister,  Martha  B.  Larned,  he  was  united  in  marriage. 
He  was  an  honest  man,  an  excellent  lawyer  and  an  able  jurist.  His 
first  office  was  trustee  of  the  town  in  1820;  in  the  fall  of  1823  he  was 
the  campaign  manager  of  Austin  E.  Wing's  candidacy  for  territorial 
delegate  to  Congress,  In  1823,  when  Woodward  and  Griffin  resigned 
as  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  John  Hunt  and  Solomon  Sibley  were 
appointed  and  became  colleagues  of  James  Witherell,  who  did  not  re- 
sign. He  then  dissolved  partnership  with  General  Larned  and  entered 
on  the  duties  of  his  office.  In  1825  he  again  supported  Austin  E.  Wing 
for  Congress  against  the  same  two  opponents,  and  his  candidate  won. 

363 


During  the  campaign  John  P.  Sheldon,  editor  of  the  Gazette,  printed 
some  strong  charges  against  General  Larned  and  Mr.  Hunt.  They 
were  to  the  effect  that  they  had  combined  to  make  money  in  a  scan 
dalous  manner,  the  attorney-general  managing  it  so  that  Hunt  should 
be  attorney  for  the  defendant  in  government  cases,  and  thus  all  the 
fees  were  enjoyed  by  the  firm.  General  Larned  then  commenced  the 
first  libel  suit  in  Michigan,  but  the  case  was  never  tried,  and  Ebenezer 
Reed,  the  editorial  successor  of  Sheldon,  afterward  made  a  full  re- 
traction in  1828.  At  the  time  of  those  charges  Judge  Hunt  had  met 
with  reverses  in  fortune,  and  was  in  poor  health.  These  troubles 
caused  his  mind  to  give  way,  and  he  became  a  victim  of  mental  delusions. 
One  of  these  was  that  his  legs  were  made  of  straw  and  that  he  could 
not  walk.  Dr.  Delevan  tried  to  reason  him  out  of  this  delusion,  but 
could  not.  Finally  the  doctor  took  a  whip  and  struck  him  on  the  bare 
legs.  The  judge  howled  with  pain  and  was  rushing  out  of  the  room 
until  stopped.  He  died  insane  at  Hartford,  near  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  June, 
1827. 

Solomon  Sibley,  who  was  a  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  from  1823 
to  1837,  was  short  in  stature  and  very  stout,  with  a  large  head,  long 
gray  beard,  large  projecting  eyebrows  and  heavy  jaws;  was  an  excel- 
lent, painstaking  judge,  and  commanded  respect  from  all  classes  of  the 
community.  He  was  always  courteous  and  dignified,  deliberate  in  his 
motions,  and  had  the  disadvantage  of  being  very  deaf.  He  was  born 
at  Sutton,  Mass.,  on  October  7,  1769,  and  studied  law  in  Boston,  under 
William  Hastings,  a  distinguished  lawyer.  In  1796  he  removed  to 
Marietta,  O.,  and  next  year  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  became  a 
law  partner  of  Judge  Burnett.  He  visited  Detroit  in  1796,  and  after- 
ward settled  there.  He  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  then  held  in  Chillicothe,  O.  In  Detroit  he  held 
the  following  offices:  Justice  of  peace,  1802-06;  mayor  in  1806;  auditor 
of  territory,  1814-17;  United  States  attorney  in  1815-23;  delegate  to 
Congress  in  1821 ;  and  lastly  justice  of  the  Territorial  Supreme  Court. 
He  died  in  Detroit  on  April  4,  1846,  aged  seventy  seven  years. 

James  Duane  Doty,  was  also  appointed  one  of  the  territorial  judges 
in  1823,  but  his  jurisdiction  was  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Territory. 
He  was  a  well  known  and  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit  in  early  days, 
but  spent  most  of  his  after  life  in  Wisconsin.  He  was  born  at  Salem, 
Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1799.  He  came  to  Detroit  well  recom- 
mended in  1818,  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  improved  his 

364 


knowledge  of  law  by  studying.  Next  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  went  into  partnership  with  George  McDougall,  an  eccentric  citizen, 
who  was  the  son  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  McDougall,  the  ^^first  owner  of 
Belle  Isle.  He  was  a  room  mate  of  the  late  C.  C.  Trowbridge,  and 
was  a  favorite  in  the  leading  circles  of  society,  having  a  fine  command- 
ing figure,  pleasing  countenance,  and  most  winning  address.  In  1819 
he  was  appointed  to  take  the  place  of  Peter  Audrain,  then  superan- 
nuated as  secretary  of  the  Territorial  Supreme  Court.  In  1820,  with 
his  friend  Trowbridge,  H.  R.  Schoolcraft  and  others,  he  went  to  the 
upper  country  with  the  expedition  organized  by  Lewis  Cass.  In  1823 
he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Northern  District  of  Michigan  Territory, 
comprising  the  counties  of  Mackinac,  Brown  and  Crawford,  the  two 
last  named  counties  being  now  in  Wisconsin,  and  held  his  first  court  at 
Green  Bay.  In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislative  Council  and 
served  two  years.  When  the  great  rush  for  western  lands  commenced 
in  1835-36,  he  became  an  extensive  operator  at  the  public  land  office  at 
Green  Bay,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  were  placed  in  his 
hands  for  investment.  The  confidence  in  his  honesty  and  judgment 
was  not  misplaced,  although  he  suffered  serious  financial  reverses  in 
his  own  interests  by  land  speculation.  When  Wisconsin  was  set  off: 
from  Michigan  and  erected  into  a  separate  Territory  in  1836,  he  man- 
aged to  have  the  capital  located  at  Madison.  He  served  as  delegate  to 
Congress  in  1838  to  1841,  and  was  appointed  governor  of  Wisconsin 
Territory  in  1841.  In  1846  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  constitutional 
convention  and  served  as  congressman  of  the  new  State  from  1849  to 
1853.  Lincoln  appointed  him  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  in  1861, 
and  subsequently  governor  of  Utah.  He  died  while  holding  that  office 
on  June  13,  1865,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Camp  Douglass 
near  Salt  Lake  City. 


365 


CHAPTER  LI. 

Detroit  under  a  New  Regime — The  Territorial  Ordinance  of  1823  Puts  an  End  to 
the  Autocratic  Sway  of  the  Governor  and  Judges — The  Ferry  Established  by  Cape. 
John  Burtis — The  Erie  Canal  Opened  in  1825 — Stephen  G.  Simmons  Hanged  at  De- 
troit for  Murder. 

The  first  session  of  the  newly  created  Territorial  Council,  which  was 
to  assume  the  legislative  functions  heretofore  exercised  by  the  governor 
and  judges,  met  at  Detroit,  in  the  council  house,  on  June  7,  1824. 
This  instituted  a  form  of  territorial  government  which  continued  until 
the  election  of  State  officers  in  1836.  The  members  elected  Abraham 
Edwards  as  president  of  the  council,  and  John  P.  Sheldon,  editor  of 
the  Gazette,  as  clerk.  With  the  spirit  of  thrift  which  actuated  most  of 
the  early  officials  they  next  proceeded  to  pass  an  act  fixing  their  com- 
pensation for  public  service,  and  also  an  act  fixing  punishment  for 
offenses  against  their  dignity.  General  Cass  read  an  elaborate  mes- 
sage, setting  forth  the  progress  of  the  Territory  under  his  rule.  He 
counseled  the  encouragement  of  public  schools  throughout  the  Terri- 
tory, the  development  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  northern  penin- 
sula, and  to  this  end  advised  that  treaties  be  effected  with  the  Indians 
which  would  permit  exploring  and  mining  on  their  lands.  The  council 
did  not  pass  a  mining  act  until  the  next  session,  but  they  passed  a  num- 
ber of  acts  of  minor  importance.  They  modified  punishment  at  the 
whipping  post,  which  had  long  been  the  custom,  by  requiring  the  con- 
currence of  two  justices  upon  such  sentences.  The  punishment  was 
extended,  however,  to  a  greater  number  of  offenses.  Up  to  this  time 
there  had  been  a  River  Huron  of  Lake  Erie,  and  a  River  Huron  of 
Lake  St.  Clair.  To  avoid  confusion,  the  latter  river  was  renamed  the 
Clinton. 

In  1825  the  rapid  development  of  the  Territory  caused  Congress  to 
increase  the  number  of  councilors  from  nine  to  thirteen,  the  people 
electing  twenty-six  for  the  president  to  choose  from.  The  allotment 
of  these  candidates  for  appointment  was  as  follows:  First  district, 
Wayne  county,  eight  persons;  Monroe   county,   six   persons;  Oakland 

3GG 


county,  four  persons;  Macomb  county,  four  persons;  St.  Clair  county, 
two  persons;  sixth  district,  Mackinaw,  Brown  and  Crawford  coun- 
ties, two  persons.  The  election  was  held  on  the  last  Tuesday  in 
May.  John  Trumbull,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  a  man  of  considerable  note 
in  the  country,  came  to  Detroit  in  the  fall  of  1824  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  days  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  William  Woodbridge.  Mr.  Trumbull 
was  about  seventy-six  years  of  age  at  that  time,  and  during  the  next 
six  years  he  was  a  notable  figure  on  the  streets  whenever  he  stirred 
abroad.  He  clung  to  the  fashions  of  his  youthful  days  to  the  very  last, 
and  always  wore  knee  breeches  and  a  curly  wig.  A  counterpart  of  this 
last  figure  of  the  old  regime  is  described  in  the  little  poem  of  Dr.  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes,  "The  Last  Leaf,"  which  accurately  pictures  the  men 
of  his  type.  Mr.  Trumbull  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  was  one 
of  the  early  poets  of  the  United  States.  In  company  with  Timothy 
Dwight  he  employed  his  leisure  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution  in 
writing  articles  after  the  style  of  Addison  and  Sterne.  Both  were 
tutors  in  Yale  College  from  1771  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and 
Mr.  Trumbull  also  studied  law,  being  licensed  to  practice  in  1773. 
"McFingall,"  the  chief  literary  work  associated  with  his  name,  was  a 
satirical  poem  after  the  style  of  Butler's  Hudibras,  in  which  he  pictures 
the  customs  of  his  own  times.  It  was  finished  in  1793,  and  is  still  a 
very  readable  poem,  although  somewhat  pedantic.  Mr.  Trumbull  died 
in  May,  1831,  and  his  memory  is  honored  in  the  name  of  Trumbull 
avenue. 

On  February  25,  1825,  Congress  passed  an  act  to  further  popularize 
the  government  of  Michigan.  The  governor  and  council  were  author- 
ized to  divide  the  territory  into  townships;  to  incorporate  them  and  to 
provide  for  local  elections,  Theofifices  of  circuit  judge,  probate  judge, 
sheriff,  county  clerk  and  justiceof  the  peace  were  not  yet  made  elective, 
because  their  functions  belonged  to  the  administration  of  justice,  which 
was  of  public  rather  than  of  local  concern.  General  Cass,  however, 
made  the  offices  practically  elective  by  agreeing  to  appoint  such  persons 
as  the  people  would  elect. 

In  1825  Captain  John  Burtis  established  the  first  ferry  system  for 
plying  between  Detroit  and  the  Canadian  shore.  He  began  with  a 
small  craft  which  was  propelled  by  horse  power,  and  it  was  liberally 
patronized  by  the  public.  A  few  years  later  his  business  became  so 
profitable  that  he  constructed  a  remarkable  steam  craft,  which  was  a 
compromise  between  a  huge   war  canoe  and  a  house  boat.      Its  engine 

367 


power  was  small,  and  the  progress  of  the  boat  was  slow,  but  people  of 
those  days  were  not  in  such  a  desperate  hurry  to  get  through  the  world 
as  their  posterity,  and  the  Argo,  which  was  named  after  the  mythical 
craft  which  sailed  in  search  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  gave  perfect  satis- 
faction for  many  years.     It  had  several  successors  of  the  same  name. 

Congress  gave  to  the  city  a  portion  of  the  military  reserve  in  1824 
and  in  1826  gave  the  remainder.  The  land  thus  acquired  by  the  city 
now  includes  a  portion  of  the  present  business  district,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  south  by  the  alley  next  north  of  Jefferson  avenue,  on  the  west 
by  the  Cass  farm  line,  on  the  east  by  Griswold  street,  and  on  the 
north  by  Michigan  avenue,  thus  inclosing  all  of  the  grounds  of  Fort 
Shelby,  the  center  of  which  was  situated  about  the  intersection  of 
Fort  and  Shelby  streets.  Some  streets  were  opened  through  this  tract 
in  1826,  and  the  military  burying  ground,  on  apart  of  which  the  Moffat 
block  now  stands,  was  opened.  In  this  graveyard  were  the  remains 
of  many  soldiers  who  died  at  the  fort  in  1814,  and  in  consequence  there 
was  much  sickness  and  several  citizens  died,  including  Henry  Jackson 
Hunt,  then  mayor  of  the  city.  The  arsenal,  which  stood  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Wayne  streets,  had  been  built  in 
1816,  and  was  a  very  substantial  stone  structure.  It  was  reserved  by 
the  government,  and  being  available  for  other  purposes,  remained 
standing  for  forty  years  after  the  old  fort  had  disappeared. 

In  the  summer  of  1825  another  important  link  in  the  system  of  trans- 
portation between  the  East  and  the  West  was  completed  when  the  Erie 
Canal  provided  a  waterway  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson  River,  and 
also  connected  the  great  lakes  with  the  ocean  by  navigable  water.  I 
worked  a  surprising  change  upon  Detroit  and  the  West.  The  Falls  of 
Niagara  had  been  considered  a  fatal  impediment  to  through  transit  by 
water,  but  this  difficulty  removed,  the  tide  of  immigration  began  to 
flow  westward  in  great  volume.  The  exodus  for  a  short  time  threat- 
ened the  prosperity  of  the  seaboard  States.  Western  New  York  filled 
up  rapidly,  and  thousands  of  emigrants  pressed  on  and  took  up  lands  in 
Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  also  spread  north  and  south. 

The  second  permanent  paper  started  in  Michigan  was  the  Michigan 
Herald,  founded  by  Chipman  and  Seymour  in  1825.  In  1826  the  greater 
part  of  the  Chippewa  tribe  came  to  Detroit,  making  the  trip  from  Fond 
du  Lac  by  canoes  in  twenty  two  days,  an  average  of  more  than  fifty  miles 
a  day.  They  came  to  draw  certain  annuities  which  had  been  awarded 
them  by   a   treaty  which  Governor   Cass  and  Colonel  McKenney  had 

368 


CAMERON    CURRIE. 


effected  with  them  near  the  present  site  of  Duluth  in  1825.  The  terri- 
torial government  agreed  to  grant  the  tribe  these  annuities  for  their 
support  and  education,  on  condition  that  the  white  men  should  be  per- 
mitted to  engage  in  mining  on  the  upper  peninsula,  but  their  titles 
were  limited  to  the  underground  portion  of  the  territory,  and  they 
were  to  acquire  no  claims  to  possession  of  the  surface. 

Another  Indian  homicide  caused  a  little  temporary  excitement  in 
1826.  Kishkauken,  a  chief  of  the  Saginaw  Indians,  and  another  In- 
dian named  Big  Beaver,  murdered  Chief  Wawasson  at  Detroit.  Kish- 
kauken was  captured,  tried  and  condemned  to  be  hanged.  His  wives 
gathered  about  him  with  extravagant  demonstrations  of  grief,  and  it  is 
supposed  that  one  of  them  gave  him  a  dose  of  poison,  for  Kishkauken 
was  found  dead  in  his  cell  one  morning  and  the  gallows  was  cheated  of 
its  prey. 

In  this  year  the  development  of  the  Michigan  fisheries  began,  and 
considerable  quantities  of  white  fish  and  Mackinaw  trout  were  shipped 
to  the  East.  Seven  steamers  were  running  between  Detroit  and  Buf- 
falo, and  oysters  were  regularly  sold  for  the  first  time  in  the  city,  al- 
though an  old  account  shows  that  some  were  brought  here  by  John 
Askin  in  1796. 

Henry  Chipman  succeeded  John  Hunt  as  supreme  justice  in  1827. 
He  was  born  at  Tinmouth,  Rutland  county,  Vt.,  July  25,  1784.  His 
father,  Nathaniel  Chipman,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  a  United 
States  senator  for  Vermont,  and  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
that  State.  After  studying  law  young  Chipman  went  south  and  com- 
menced to  practice  at  Waterborough,  S.  C,  forty  miles  from  Charles- 
ton, and  was  adjutant  of  a  South  Carolina  regiment  stationed  at  Beau- 
fort during  the  war  of  1812.  In  1824  he  removed  to  Detroit  where  he 
won  distinction  as  a  lawyer  and  editor  of  the  Herald,  and  next  year 
was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  County  Court.  In  1827  he  succeeded 
John  Hunt  as  supreme  judge.  In  1832  President  Jackson  removed 
him  and  also  Woodbridge  and  Doty,  because  they  were  Whigs,  and  ap- 
pointed George  Morell,  David  Irvin  and  Ross  Wilkins  in  their  places, 
retaining  Solomon  Sibley.  Mr.  Chipman  was  afterward  secretary  of 
the  Land  Board,  city  recorder,  school  inspector  and  judge  of  the  Dis- 
trict Criminal  Court.  In  person  he  greatly  resembled  his  son,  the  late 
John  Logan  Chipman,  being  of  medium  height  and  solidly  built,  with 
a  high  broad  forehead,  clear  bright  blue  eyes,  large  nose  and  wide 
mouth,  his  face  giving  a  general  expression  of  sagacity,  benevolence 

300 


and  determination.  He  was  very  absent-minded  and  at  home  always 
pocketed  the  handkerchiefs  and  napkins  that  came  within  his  reach. 
One  time  while  on  a  visit  to  Niagara  Falls  and  after  taking  dinner  at 
a  hotel,  he  put  one  of  the  napkins  in  his  pocket.  The  landlord  saw 
the  act  and  charged  him  with  taking  it,  and  only  the  presence  and  ex- 
planation of  his  friend,  ex-United  States  Senator  Augustus  S.  Porter, 
who  had  left  Michigan  and  returned  to  his  birthplace  at  the  Falls,  re- 
lieved him  from  the  embarrassing  position.  He  died  in  Detroit  in 
1867,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

In  1827  the  Mansion  House,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Wayne  street,  after  serving  a  variety  of  purposes,  was 
opened  as  a  hotel.  This  building  was  a  historic  structure  in  more 
senses  than  one,  for  not  only  did  it  have  a  history  peculiarly  its  own, 
but  the  material  of  which  it  was  built  was  the  bones  of  old  Detroit.  It 
was  constructed  out  of  the  stones  of  the  chimneys  which  were  left  after 
the  great  fire  of  1805,  and  was  built  by  James  May. 

In  1827  public  schools  were  placed  under  township  control  instead  of 
under  direction  of  the  University  Board  as  theretofore.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  the  commerce  of  Detroit  had  increased  materially  and  flour 
and  tobacco  became  important  exports. 

The  capitol  building,  commenced  in  1823,  was  first  occupied  in  1828. 
Following  the  custom  of  the  day  it  was  constructed  with  a  Greek  por- 
tice,  with  six  lofty  Doric  columns  across  the  front.  The  building  was 
quite  plain,  its  chief  distinctive  feature  being  a  lofty  tower  of  four 
stages,  which  reared  its  pepperbox  top  140  feet  in  the  air.  This  tower 
commanded  the  best  available  view  of  the  city  at  that  time  and  was 
much  frequented  by  visitors.  When  the  capital  was  removed  to  Lan- 
sing in  1847  the  Detroit  building  was  remodeled,  and  it  subsequently 
became  the  Detroit  High  School  building.  In  the  winter  of  1893  it 
burned  to  the  ground  and  the  brick  walls  were  razed.  The  site  is  now 
permanently  converted  into  a  public  park  known  as  Capitol  Square. 

In  1830  a  public  execution  took  place  in  Detroit,  which  was  all  the 
more  notable  because  Stephen  G.  Simmons,  who  paid  the  penalty  for 
murder,  was  the  only  white  man  who  was  hanged  in  Wayne  county 
under  American  rule.  Simmons  was  a  man  of  herculean  strength  and 
build,  peaceable  when  sober,  but  a  dangerous  ruffian  when  drunk. 
While  on  a  spree  he  insisted  that  his  wife  should  drink  with  him,  and 
after  she  had  repeatedly  done  so  to  gratify  him,  she  refused  to  drink 
more.     Thereupon  he  struck  her  a  terrible  blow  in  the  abdomen  burst- 

370 


ing  a  blood  vessel  and  she  died  in  a  few  minutes.  Simmons's  two 
daughters  were  witnesses  of  the  crime.  He  was  tried  before  Judges 
Solomon  Sibley,  Henry  Chipman  and  William  Woodbridge,  B.  F.  H. 
Witherell  acting  as  prosecuting  attorney.  George  A.  O'Keefe  conducted 
the  defense.  The  evidence  was  conclusive  and  in  spite  of  O'Keefe's 
eloquent  plea  for  mercy  the  jury  found  Simmons  guilty.  On  the  morn- 
ing appointed  for  the  execution  Sheriff  Thomas  A.  Knapp,  being  un- 
able to  find  a  substitute  hangman,  tendered  his  resignation  to  Governor 
Cass.  Ben.  Woodworth,  who  kept  the  Steamboat  Hotel,  was  not  so 
squeamish  about  serving  as  Jack  Ketch,  however,  and  he  volunteered 
his  services.  Simmons  was  truly  repentant  and  his  address  from  the 
scaffold  was  a  warning  against  strong  drink.  He  concluded  his  oration 
by  singing  the  old  hymn  : 

"Show  pity,  Lord!  O  Lord,  forgive! 
Let  a  repenting  rebel  live ! 
Are  not  thy  mercies  large  and  free? 
May  not  a  sinner  trust  in  Thee?" 

The  execution  took  place  in  front  of  the  jail,  which  was  on  the  site 
of  the  Public  Library,  After  Woodworth  had  swung  his  victim  off  Gov- 
ernor Cass  appointed  him  sheriff  in  place  of  Knapp,  and  he  served  to 
the  end  of  the  term.  In  1831  De  Tocqueville,  the  celebrated  French 
author  and  publicist,  was  commissioned  by  King  Louis  Phillippe  of 
France,  to  visit  the  prisons  of  America  and  he  came  to  Detroit.  The 
only  prison  in  Detroit  was  on  the  site  of  the  present  Public  Library  and 
had  been  built  in  1819.  It  was  empty  most  of  the  time  and  could  not 
have  afforded  De  Tocqueville  any  food  for  comment,  as  he  did  not 
mention  it  in  his  published  report. 

In  1831  Governor  Cass  was  appointed  secretary  of  war  by  President 
Jackson  and  removed  to  Washington.  He  was  succeeded  by  George 
B.  Porter,  a  prominent  Pennsylvanian,  whose  home  was  at  Lancaster. 
Mr.  Porter  belonged  to  a  distinguished  family,  and  was  the  head  of  the 
"  Lancaster  regency,"  a  Democratic  quadrumvirate  of  which  the  other 
three  members  were  James  Buchanan,  Benjamin  Champneys  and  Rhea 
Frazer,  all  of  Lancaster.  This  junta  in  Democratic  administrations 
controlled  the  federal  patronage  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Porter  was  the 
political  Warwick  of  his  day,  and  made  presidents  and  governors  at  will. 
He  was  an  elegant  and  lavish  entertainer,  and  the  reason  why  he  ac- 
cepted the  governorship  of  a  Territory  like  Michigan  was  probably 
because  of  the  fact   that   his  hospitality  had  depleted  his  means,  and 

871 


that  he  came  to  a  new  section  of  the  country  to  recuperate  financially. 
The  only  notable  event  of  his  administration  was  the  brief  excitement  in 
1832  known  as  the  Black  Hawk  war.  This  Indian  uprising  did  not  affect 
the  territory  embraced  within  the  present  boundaries  of  Michigan,  but 
it  was  the  cause  of  much  uneasiness  in  Wisconsin,  which  was  then  a 
part  of  Michigan.  The  Indians  concerned  in  this  war  were  the  Winne- 
bagoes  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  had  always  been  subject  to  Brit- 
ish influence,  and  had  been  educated  to  hate  the  Americans  every  time 
they  came  to  Maiden  to  secure  their  annual  presents.  The  country 
was  then  at  peace,  and  the  West  had  so  filled  up  with  settlers  that  it 
was  abundantly  able  to  take  care  of  its  own  Indian  troubles.  Chief 
Black  Hawk  was  a  Sac,  sixty- five  years  of  age,  and  a  man  of  great  in- 
fluence. He  headed  a  revolt  of  the  tribes  mentioned,  to  avenge  some 
real  and  fancied  encroachments  and  injuries  on  the  part  of  the  settlers. 
Michigan  sent  a  body  of  militia  from  Detroit  to  co-operate  with  militia 
from  Indiana,  Missouri  and  Illinois,  but  before  they  reached  the  scene 
of  war  the  Indians  had  been  brought  into  subjection  and  Black  Hawk 
was  captured.  He  was  imprisoned  in  Fortress  Monroe  for  a  time,  and 
after  his  release  was  given  a  tour  embracing  the  larger  cities  in  the 
East,  in  order  to  impress  his  mind  with  the  futility  of  Indian  attempts 
to  cope  with  civilized  forces.  He  arrived  in  Detroit  during  the  next 
year  on  his  way  home,  and  was  quartered  at  the  Mansion  House. 
Meanwhile  the  government  sent  forward  regular  troops,  and  Gen. 
Winfield  Scott  passed  through  Detroit  on  his  way  to  the  troubled  dis- 
trict. The  result  of  the  "  war"  was  the  ceding  by  the  offending  tribes 
of  a  wide  area  of  territory  in  Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Iowa  to  the  United 
States.  While  it  was  in  progress  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1832,  Governor  Porter  was  detained  at  his  home  in  Pennsylvania  by 
sickness,  and  the  military  affairs  of  Michigan  were  directed  by  Stevens 
T.  Mason,  secretary  of  the  Territory  and  acting  governor,  and  John  R. 
Williams  as  military  commandant. 


372 


CHAPTER    LII. 

Michigan's  Early  Supreme  Judges — David  Irvin,  George  Morell  and  Ross  Wilkms 
— William  Woodbridge  and  His  Father-in- Law,  Jonathan  Trumbull — Dr.  Douglass 
Houghton  and  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  Explore  the  Upper  Peninsula  and  the  Sources 
of  the  Mississippi. 

In  1832  the  terms  of  Supreme  Judges  Woodbridge,  Chipman,  Doty 
and  Sibley  expired.  They  were  all  Whigs,  and  President  Jackson  in- 
tended to  fill  their  places  with  Democrats,  but  was  induced  to  allow 
Sibley  to  continue  in  office.  Woodbridge,  Doty  and  Chipman  retired, 
and  David  Irvin,  George  Morell  and  Ross  Wilkins  were  appointed. 
Sketches  of  these  gentlemen  latter  named  and  William  Woodbridge  are 
as  follows: 

David  Irvin  was  born  in  Virginia  and  first  saw  the  light  in  the  Shen- 
andoah valley  in  1799.  He  early  studied  law,  and  by  family  interest 
was  appointed  judge  of  the  Michigan  Territorial  Supreme  Court  in 
1832.  He  succeeded  James  Duane  Doty  in  the  Northern  District,  and 
held  court  at  Mackinac,  Green  Bay  and  Mineral  Point.  When  Wis- 
consin was  carved  out  of  Michigan  and  became  a  separate  Territory,  on 
July  4,  1836,  he  was  appointed  associate  judge  of  the  Wisconsin  Terri 
torial  Supreme  Court.  When  Wisconsin  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in 
1848  his  official  career  terminated  and  he  removed  to  Texas.  He  lived 
and  died  a  bachelor,  full  of  whims  and  oddities,  and  was  dignified 
and  courteous.  Personally  he  was  about  six  feet  in  height,  very 
erect  and  well  proportioned,  with  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes  and  rather 
thin  narrow  features.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  in  every- 
thing except  his  parsimonious  habits,  which  he  carried  to  the  extent  of 
darning  his  stockings,  mending  his  clothes,  and  sewing  on  his  buttons. 
He  fell  in  love  with  a  rich  lady  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  they  were  en- 
gaged, but  when  she  learned  of  his  economical  habits  the  match  was 
broken  off.  He  loved  his  horse  Pedro,  and  his  dog  York,  with  an 
aft'ection  surpassing  the  love  of  woman.  In  Texas  he  bought  a  large 
tract  of  land  near  Galveston,  which  he  peopled  mostly  with  his  own 
relatives.    When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  reached  that  State  the  mem- 

373 


bers  of  a  Wisconsin  regiment  made  a  prolonged  effort  to  capture  him, 
but  he  removed  beyond  their  reach.  He  died  about  June  1,  1872,  aged 
seventy-three  years. 

Judge  George  Morell  was  associate  justice  of  the  Michigan  Terri- 
torial Court  from  1832  to  1836,  and  after  Michigan  became  a  State  was 
appointed  associate  justice  of  the  State  Supreme  Court.  The  judge 
was  a  superior  man  of  commanding  presence.  He  was  over  six  feet  in 
height,  well  proportioned,  with  an  erect  and  dignified  carriage;  a  large 
Websterian  head,  prominent  nose,  blond  complexion,  grayish  blue  eyes, 
firm,  well  shaped  mouth,  and  thick,  curly  iron  gray  hair.  On  the 
bench  he  generally  wore  a  blue  coat  with  brass  buttons,  a  buff  vest,  a 
high  shirt  collar,  and  a  black  satin  stock  on  his  neck,  below  which  was 
the  ruffled  bosom  of  his  snow-white  shirt.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the 
old  school,  punctilious  but  not  formal,  and  was  kind  and  considerate  to 
everybody.  He  was  a  Massachusetts  man  and  a  graduate  of  Williams 
College,  and  was  afterward  a  successful  lawyer  in  the  New  York  courts, 
his  home  being  in  Cooperstown.  He  was  appointed  territorial  judge, 
as  above  stated,  in  1832,  and  was  appointed  one  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  in  1836.  In  1844  he  retired  from  the  bench  and  died  in 
Detroit  on  March  1,  1845,  aged  fifty  nine  years. 

Judge  Ross  Wilkins  was  one  of  the  most  striking  and  unique  figures 
of  the  Territorial  Supreme  Bench.  His  personality,  in  1833,  was  de- 
scribed as  follows  by  George  A.  Bates,  in  1878,  in  his  lecture  on  the 
"  By-gones  of  Detroit":  "'In  1833  he  was  in  his  thirty-fourth  year, 
and  in  the  very  strength  and  beauty  of  manhood.  His  whole  make  up 
attracted  attention  to  him  as  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  about  five 
feet  ten  inches  in  height;  well  proportioned,  lithe  and  graceful,  with 
fine  features,  long  hair,  expressive  eyes,  magnificent  teeth  and  a  facial 
resemblance  to  Lord  Byron.  He  was  one  of  the  handsomest  men  of  his 
day.  His  motions  and  his  intellect  were  both  quick,  and  his  reasoning 
was  clear  and  lucid.  While  reading  and  studying  the  papers  and  evi- 
dence before  him  he  was  always  moving  restlessly  in  his  chair,  and 
when  he  had  finished  he  would  rise  and  going  to  the  back  part  of  the 
court  room,  fill  and  light  his  long  pipe  and  smoke  as  he  walked  around, 
always  paying  the  strictest  attention  to  the  proceedings.  When  a  case 
was  finished  he  always  had  his  decision  ready.  Some  of  his  charges  to 
grand  juries  will  compare  favorably  with  the  best  efforts  by  eminent 
judges  of  both  American  and  British  courts."  He  was  born  at  Pitts- 
burg,   Pa.,   on    February   18,   1799,    and   came  of  good   Revolutionary 

374 


stock.  In  1816  he  graduated  from  Dickinson  College,  being  then  in 
his  seventeenth  year.  He  practiced  in  Pittsburg  and  was  elected  prose- 
cuting attorney  before  he  was  age.  He  was  an  active  Democrat  and 
was  appointed  territorial  judge  of  Michigan  in  1832  by  Andrew  Jackson, 
and  served  until  1837,  when  Michigan  was  admitted  to  the  Union.  He 
was  then  appointed  United  States  district  judge,  which  position  he  held 
until  1870,  when  he  retired.  He  died  in  Detroit,  May  17,  1872,  aged 
seventy- four  years. 

William  Woodbridge,  who  was  one  of  the  territorial  judges  from 
]828  to  1832,  when  he  was  displaced  by  Jackson,  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  citizens  of  Michigan,  and  his  name  and  personality  figures 
largely  in  its  history.  He  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  August  20, 
1780,  and  finished  his  education  in  that  State.  Removing  to  Marietta, 
O.,  where  his  father  lived,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and  his 
most  intimate  friend  was  Lewis  Cass.  The  two  were  afterward  the 
most  p  ominent  figures  in  Michigan,  and  in  Detroit,  Their  residences 
were  only  a  short  distance  apart,  on  the  bank  of  the  Detroit  River. 
Young  Woodbridge  was  married  to  Julianna  Trumbull,  daughter  of 
John  Trumbull,  the  author  of  "McFingall,"  and  other  poems.  He 
was  afterward  representative  in  the  Senate  of  the  Ohio  Legislature, 
supported  the  war  measures  of  President  Madison  in  1812,  and  the  lat- 
ter appointed  him  secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan  and  collector 
of  the  Detroit  Custom  House  District  in  1814.  The  land  titles  in  the 
Territory  were  the  subject  of  great  solicitude,  and  many  people  were 
liable  to  be  dispossessed  of  property  which  their  ancestors  had  occu- 
pied for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  Woodbridge  was  appointed  by 
the  citizens  to  attend  to  these  claims,  and  in  1819  he  was  elected  with- 
out opposition  as  the  first  delegate  to  Coigress  for  Michigan  Territory. 
He  was  afterward  appointed  to  many  positions  of  honor  and  emolu- 
ment, had  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  was  elected  State  senator  in 
1835,  and  governor  of  the  State  in  1839. 

In  1840  the  Whigs  carried  the  State  and  the  nation  for  Harrison,  and 
a  Whig  United  States  senator  was  to  be  elected.  Lieut. -Gov.  I. 
•  Wright  Gordon,  a  young  man  of  ability,  received  the  caucus  nomina- 
tion, and  treated  his  friends  to  a  grand  supper.  Next  morning  the 
voting  at  the  Capitol  commenced.  The  first  name  called  was  that  of  a 
noted  Democrat,  and  he  called  out  loudly  "William  Woodbridge." 
The  Whigs  were  astounded;  as  the  roll  was  called  it  was  soon  seen  that 
Woodbridge  was  elected,  and  he  was  elected  amid  great  excitement. 

875 


Woodbridge  sat  in  the  Senate  for  six  years,  retiring  from  public  life  in 
1847,  when  he  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age.  He  died  in  Detroit,  Octo- 
ber 20,  1861. 

In  1832  a  vote  was  taken  to  ascertain  the  opinion  of  the  people  on 
the  question  of  organizing  as  a  State  for  admissicn  to  the  Union.  A 
petition  was  forwarded  to  Congress,  but  the  proceedings  were  irregular, 
and  Congress  concluded  that  the  time  was  not  ripe  for  the  change. 

During  the  Porter  administration  the  price  of  public  lands  was  re- 
duced from  $2  per  acre  to  $1.25.  This  was  not  because  the  lands  were 
found  to  be  inferior,  but  as  a  measure  to  stop  obstructive  speculation. 
When  $2  was  charged  the  purchaser  could  get  possession  on  payment 
of  one-fourth  of  the  amount,  and  the  remainder  in  three  annual  install- 
ments. This  induced  many  speculators  to  buy  up  large  tracts  of  the 
most  desirable  lands  and  hold  them  for  a  rise  in  value,  thus  delaying 
settlement.  The  reduction  was  made  to  get  rid  of  the  speculators  and 
the  terms  were  made  spot  cash. 

In  1832  an  exploring  party  set  out  from  Detroit  under  instructions 
from  General  Cass,  then  secretary  of  war,  to  explore  the  northern 
peninsula,  and,  if  possible,  to  discover  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 
An  army  officer  and  ten  soldiers  were  detailed  to  accompany  the  ex- 
pedition, which  was  to  be  under  direction  of  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft. 
Dr.  Douglas  Houghton,  of  Detroit,  went  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon  and 
geological  surveyor,  and,  with  an  interpreter  and  a  missionary  to  the 
northwestern  Indians,  who  accompanied  the  party,  there  was  a  total  of 
thirty  men.  They  left  Sault  Ste.  Marie  June  7,  and  after  suffering 
many  privations  and  hardships,  they  arrived  at  Cass  Lake,  one  of  the 
group  of  lakes  about  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  on  July  10.  This 
lake  was  visited  and  named  by  General  Cass  while  on  the  exploration 
of  1821.  At  this  point  all  but  sixteen  of  the  party  turned  back,  but 
the  others  went  on  through  the  wilderness  under  guidance  of  Oza  Win- 
dib,  a  Chippewa  Indian,  who  was  familiar  with  the  desolate  region,  and 
at  length  arrived  at  Lake  Itasca.  This  they  concluded  was  the  source 
of  the  great  river,  and  it  was  so  recognized  by  geographers  for  a  per- 
iod of  about  forty  years.  Then  it  shifted  to  other  quarters  and  the 
last  exploration  of  the  region  was  made  by  Willard  O.  Glazier  about 
twenty  years  ago. 

The  explorers  returned  by  way  of  St.  Croix  and  Brule  Rivers  to  the 
head  of  Lake  Superior,  and  again  traversed  the  wilderness  of  the 
northern  peninsula.      They  discovered  abundant  evidences  of  the  pres- 

37G 


/XcXXct^-^^-*-  <^w^ 


ence  of  copper  and  iron,  which  proved  to  their  satisfaction  that  this  un- 
inviting region  was  really  a  mine  of  wealth.  During  the  trip  Dr. 
Houghton  vaccinated  2,070  Indians,  which  doubtless  materially  mit- 
igated the  ravages  of  small-pox  during  the  succeeding  year  among  the 
Chippewas. 

In  the  decision  of  a  case  before  the  Supreme  Court,  in  1829,  John  P. 
Sheldon  criticised  in  the  Gazette  a  ruling  of  the  judges  in  such  a  way 
that  he  was  arrested  for  contempt  of  court.  A  man  named  John  Reed 
had  been  tried  and  convicted  in  the  Circuit  Court  for  stealing  a  watch. 
During  the  trial  a  juror  had  been  asked  if  he  had  formed  or  expressed 
an  opinion  in  the  case.  The  juror  said  he  had  formed  and  expressed 
an  opinion,  but  that  it  was  formed  from  rumor  only,  and  that  he  could 
form  an  impartial  opinion  from  the  evidence  to  be  submitted.  The 
prisoner  then  challenged  the  juror,  but  Judge  Solomon  Sibley,  as  cir- 
cuit judge,  overruled  it.  The  prisoner,  who  was  entitled  to  two  per- 
emptory challenges,  then  challenged  the  juror,  and  the  latter  was  then 
set  aside.  No  other  juror  was  objected  to.  The  prisoner,  after  the 
panel  had  been  completed,  had  the  right  to  peremptorily  challenge  an- 
other juror  if  he  wished  to  do  so,  but  did  not.  After  the  conviction 
Reed  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  composed  of  William  Wood- 
bridge,  Henry  Chipman  and  Solomon  Sibley,  who  were  all  circuit 
judges,  but  when  sitting  together  formed  the  Supreme  Court.  The 
first  two  judges  decided  that  the  appeal,  based  on  the  claim  that  the 
prisoner  was  illegally  dispossessed  of  one  of  his  two  "fixed  rights  "  to 
challenge,  was  correct  and  ordered  a  new  trial.  Judge  Sibley,  of 
course,  defended  his  decision  as  a  circuit  judge.  The  trial  was  just,  he 
said,  the  verdict  was  satisfactory,  and  he  could  learn  of  no  injury  to  the 
prisoner  by  the  decision. 

Sheldon  printed  an  editorial  in  the  Gazette  in  which  he  denounced 
the  decision  of  the  majority  of  the  court,  and  among  other  things  said ; 
"We  think  .  .  that  many  a  poor  plodding  attorney  in  the  States, 
when  he  shall  read  the  above  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michi- 
gan, will  kick  his  Blackstone  out  of  his  office,  and  acknowledge  him- 
self a  nincom."  For  this  Sheldon  was  arrested,  tried,  convicted  and 
fined  $100,  on  March  5.  He  refused  to  pay  and  was  committed  to  jail. 
Sheldon  was  a  fierce  Democrat,  but  the  action  of  the  Supreme  Court 
was  regarded  as  outrageous,  and  nearly  all  the  prominent  citizens  de- 
nounced it.  A  public  meeting  was  held,  at  which  the  decision  was 
condemned,  and  a  subscription  started  to  pay  the  fine,  no  person  to 

377 


give  more  than  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  which  was  all  raised  in  nine 
days.  A  dinner  was  also  given  in  his  honor  in  the  jail,  where  all  the 
speeches  scored  the  two  judges  severely.  Songs  were  also  sung,  and 
the  health  of  the  prisoner  drank  in  bumpers.  During  his  nine  days' 
imprisonment  Sheldon  wrote  the  editorials  for  the  Gazette,  and  when 
he  was  released  he  was  again  banqueted  at  the  Mansion  House.  The 
two  judges  must  have  been  considerably  exercised  over  the  way 
their  fellow  citizens  acted,  for  they  issued  a  printed  pamphlet  of  forty 
pages,  in  which  they  gave  the  full  opinions  of  Judges  Woodbridge  and 
Chipman  in  justification  of  their  course. 

The  office  of  the  paper  in  1824  and  afterward,  was  on  the  east  side  of 
Griswold  street,  between  Jefferson  avenue  and  Woodbridge  street, 
where  the  alley  is  now  situated.  In  that  year  Sheldon  editorially  crit- 
icised the  political  actions  of  Thomas  Rowland,  a  Whig  and  county 
clerk.  Rowland  hied  him  to  the  office  in  great  wrath,  and  fiercely 
berated  Sheldon.  The  latter  was  a  small  man,  with  keen  black  eyes 
and  a  haggard  face,  and  had  the  appearance  of  a  consumptive;  but  he 
was  gritty' and  determined.  The  two  finally  came  to  blows,  and  Row- 
land, who  was  a  strong  man,  was  getting  the  better  of  Sheldon.  But 
Sheldon  McKnight,  a  young  boy,  nephew  of  the  editor,  saw  the  sit- 
uation, and  made  a  strategical  diversion  in  the  rear  by  tearing  out  the 
bottom  of  Rowland's  trousers.  This  stopped  the  fight  instantly,  and 
Rowland  left  in  disorder,  clutching  his  nether  garments  in  his  hand. 

The  office  was  totally  consumed  by  fire  in  1830.  The  fire  engine  was 
present,  but  the  fire  officers  complained  that  the  crowd  could  not  be 
persuaded  or  compelled  to  man  the  engine  and  put  out  the  fire.  It  is 
therefore  probable  that  the  persons  present  wished  the  office  to  be 
consumed.  Sheldon  was  afterward  the  first  editor  of  the  Detroit  Free 
Press,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Sheldon  McKnight. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Detroit,  or  Michigan,  which,  however, 
is  supposed  to  have  had  only  one  issue,  was  the  Michigan  Essay,  or 
Impartial  Observer.  It  was  issued  on  August  31,  1809,  under  the 
auspices  of  Father  Richard,  who  brought  the  press  and  type  to  Detroit. 
The  second  paper  was  the  Gazette,  which  existed  from  1817  to  1830. 
The  third  was  the  Michigan  Herald,  was  started  in  Detroit  in  1825 
by  Henry  Chipman,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Territorial  Supreme 
Court,  and  Joseph  Seymour.  It  was  announced  as  an  independent 
paper,  but  had  a  strong  Whig  bias.  It  existed  about  three  years, 
during  which   its  political  and   social   contests   with  the  Gazette  were 

378 


highly  interesting-  to  the  citizens  of  the  Territory.  Unfortunately  the 
last  known  file  of  the  paper  in  existence,  owned  by  the  late  John  Logan 
Chipman,  was  loaned  to  the  late  Frederic  Morley,  and  when  the  latter 
died  some  twelve  years  ago  it  could  not  be  found. 

A  number  of  newspaper  ventures  were  launched  in  the  '20's,  '30's  and 
'40's,  but  they  were  nearly  all  shortlived,  being  either  discontinued  or 
amalgamated  with  other  sheets  within  three  or  four  years.  The  most 
noted  were  the  Northwestern  Journal,  1829 ;  the  Detroit  Journal  and 
Michigan  Advertiser,  1830;  the  Detroit  Journal,  George  Corselius,  edi- 
tor, 1833;  Detroit  Journal,  1835;  Detroit  Courier,  1830-35;  Journal  and 
Courier,  1835-36;  Detroit  Daily  Advertiser,  1836;  Daily  Express,  1845; 
Free  Democrat,  1852;  Daily  Enquirer,  1854;  Democrat  and  Enquirer, 
1855;  Detroit  Daily  Tribune,  1849-62;  Advertiser  and  Tribune,  1862; 
Detroit  Free  Union,  1863;  Detroit  Daily  Post,  1866;  Post  and  Tribune, 
1877.  These  papers  were  mostly  predecessors  of  the  present  Detroit 
Tribune. 

The  Detroit  Free  Press  was  started  on  May  5,  1831,  mainly  by 
prominent  Democrats,  who  wished  an  organ  to  succeed 'the  Gazette. 
Its  list  of  editors  includes  John  P.  Sheldon,  Charles  Cleland,  L.  L. 
Morse,  John  S.  Bagg,  J.  H.  Harmon,  C.  B.  Flood,  T.  F.  Brodhead,  S. 
M.  Johnson,  Wilbur  F.  Story,  Henry  N.  Walker,  William  E.  Quinby 
and  others.  Many  of  its  editors  have  also  been  proprietors  in  whole  or 
in  part. 

At  the  present  date  (1898)  Detroit  has  seven  dailies,  including  the 
Detroit  Legal  News,  a  sheet  devoted  to  law,  real  estate,  finance,  build- 
ing and  general  business. 


379 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

Cholera  Epidemics  of  Early  Days— The  Steamer  Henry  Clay  Brought  the  In- 
fection in  1832 — In  1834  it  Returned  to  Claim  Over  700  Victims— Heroic  Labors  of 
Fathers  Gabriel  Richard  and  Martin  Kundig— 1832-1834. 

In  1832  there  was  a  cholera  epidemic  in  Detroit,  and  hundreds  of 
citizens  were  victims.  On  July  4  the  steamer  Henry  Clay  arrived 
with  370  United  States  soldiers  en  route  for  the  seat  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war  in  Illinois.  Next  day  a  soldier  on  board  died  of  cholera, 
and  the  vessel  was  then  ordered  to  Hog  Island,  now  Belle  Isle.  She 
then  proceeded  on  her  way  up  the  river,  but  the  disease  attacked  so 
many  soldiers  on  board  that  she  was  compelled  to  stop  at  Fort  Gratiot. 
Here  the  sick  were  taken  ashore  to  an  extemporized  hospital,  and  the 
others  were  directed  to  make  their  way  back  to  Detroit.  During  the 
the  next  three  or  four  days  about  150  soldiers  arrived  at  Detroit. 
Some  were  taken  sick  and  died  on  the  road,  and  others  were  devoured 
by  wild  beasts.  The  inhabitants  made  every  exertion  to  take  care  of 
them,  and  many  were  taken  in  by  Col.  Andrew  Mack,  who  was  land- 
lord of  the  Mansion  House,  and  also  United  States  collector  of  the 
port.  In  this  visitation  about  two  hundred  citizens  were  attacked  and 
nearly  one  hundred  died  of  the  Asiatic  scourge.  During  the  epidemic 
Father  Gabriel  Richard,  the  pastor  of  St.  Anne's  church,  devoted  him- 
self to  the  work  of  aiding  the  sick  and  burying  the  dead,  and  in  the 
midst  of  his  humane  and  self-sacrificing  labors,  he  was  stricken  down 
and  died  September  13,  1832. 

Father  Richard's  memory  will  be  revered  as  long  as  Detroit  is  a  city. 
He  was  a  priest  of  the  order  of  St.  Sulpice,  born  in  France  on  October 
17,  1767,  and  came  to  Detroit  from  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  1798.  He  im- 
mediately became  pastor  of  Ste.  Anne's  church.  During  the  few  months 
preceding  his  arrival  the  parish  had  been  without  a  regular  priest,  and 
the  marriages  had  been  performed  by  the  civil  magistrates.  These 
marriages  were  now  performed  with  the  rites  of  the  church.  The  early 
chronicles  describe  Father  Richard  as  a  very  godly  man,  but  a  person 
of  singular  appearance.      He  had  been  a  laborious  student  of  literature, 

380 


religion  and  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  his  constant  apphcation  and  the 
rigorous  practices  of  his  order  had  told  upon  his  constitution.  He  was 
very  tall  and  gaunt.  His  hands  were  big  and  bony,  and  his  face  was  of  a 
ghastly  pallor,  the  skin  resembling  pale  yellow  parchment  drawn  tightly 
over  a  skull.  He  was  also  a  very  awkard  man,  who  moved  about  with 
a  peculiar  gait,  and  while  he  was  a  master  of  French,  he  spoke  but 
broken  English.  In  spite  of  the  forbidding  appearance  of  his  person. 
Father  Richard  was  soon  the  best  beloved  man  in  all  the  settlement ; 
both  Protestants  and  Catholics  esteemed  him  alike.  He  was  a  man  of 
constant  activity  and  worked  without  ceasing  for  the  moral,  intellectual 
and  religious  advancement  of  the  people.  He  encouraged  the  estab- 
lishment of  schools  and  did  what  he  could  at  teaching.  He  urged  good 
reading  upon  the  residents,  and  in  1809  he  brought  the  first  printing 
press  to  Detroit  and  started  the  first  printing  office,  employing  James 
M.  Miller,  a  practical  printer,  to  do  the  work.  After  getting  out  sev- 
eral religious  pamphlets  he  started  a  newspaper  which  he  named  The 
Michigan  Essay,  or  the  Impartial  Observer,  which  was  soon  discon- 
tinued. The  press  being  a  small  hand  power  affair,  the  size  of  the 
paper  was  limited.  It  was  a  four-page  publication,  quarto  size,  each 
page  being  about  the  size  of  a  sheet  of  foolscap  paper  and  divided  into 
four  columns.  Father  Richard  became  an  officer  of  the  State  Univer- 
sity in  the  course  of  time  and  served  as  a  teacher.  When  he  opened  the 
Legislature  with  prayer  he  prayed  that  the  members  might  be  directed 
to  make  laws  for  the  people  and  not  for  themselves — a  timely  invoca- 
tion. His  services  as  a  member  of  Congress  have  been  already  al- 
luded to. 

In  1834  the  cholera  again  visited  Detroit,  this  time  with  more  deadly 
effect.  It  lasted  during  August  and  September,  in  all  about  eight 
weeks.  During  its  progress  the  streets  became  grass-grown  and  appar- 
ently deserted,  and  it  was  a  silent,  plague-stricken  city.  The  port  was 
quarantined  and  no  vessels  were  allowed  to  arrive  or  depart.  Barrels 
of  pitch  and  tar  were  blazing  night  and  day  on  the  docks,  at  and  near 
the  foot  of  Woodward  avenue,  and  at  the  corners  of  the  principal 
streets.  Guards  prevented  all  persons  from  entering  or  leaving  the 
city  without  a  permit.  The  tolling  of  the  church  bells  was  so  frequent 
that  it  was  suspended,  because,  as  Zachariah  Chandler,  remarked: 
"  The  living  must  have  some  sleep."  The  only  signs  of  activity  were 
the  funerals  and  the  passing  ambulance  as  it  brought  cholera  patients 
from  their  homes  to  the  cholera  hospital,  which  was  the  old  Presby- 

381 


terian  church.  The  edifice  had  been  purchased  by  Bishop  Rese  and 
removed  from  Woodward  avenue  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Cadillac 
square  and  Bates  street  for  the  parish  of  Holy  Trinity.  It  was  fitted 
up  for  the  care  of  the  sick. 

Foremost  in  the  work  of  humanity  was  Father  Martin  Kundig,  then 
the  new  priest  of  Holy  Trinity  church.  Six  feet  in  height,  with  a  well 
proportioned  frame,  indicative  of  strength  and  activity,  with  dark  eyes 
and  hair,  and  a  face  expressive  of  power,  benevolence  and  enthusiasm, 
he  would  anywhere  be  recognized  as  a  leader  of  men.  For  twenty 
hours  out  of  the  twenty  four  he  was  busy  in  this  work.  He  would 
carry  the  sick  out  of  their  homes  to  the  ambulance  and  then  drive  them 
to  the  hospital.  Frequently  the  ambulance  was  the  homely  funeral  car 
which  conveyed  the  dead  to  the  burying  ground,  as  the  hearses  were 
too  busy  to  carry  all  the  departed.  The  dying  left  their  property  and 
children  in  his  care,  and  these  charges  were  observed  as  a  sacred  trust. 
Thirty  orphans,  whose  parents  had  died  of  cholera,  were  taken  under 
his  care.  When  the  scourge  passed  away  he  was  a  bankrupt,  and  al- 
though the  Legislature  subsequently  voted  him  $3,000  for  his  services 
it  did  not  pay  his  expenses.  He  was  the  parish  priest  and  the  founder 
of  St.  Mary's  church,  but  in  1842  removed  to  Milwaukee,  where  he 
was  made  vicar  general,  and  died  in  1879. 

During  the  visitation  nearly  all  the  United  States  and  city  officials 
left  town  with  their  families,  but  Mayor  C.  C.  Trowbridge  fearlessly 
held  his  post,  and  personally  superintended  all  official  measures  of 
needed  relief.  A  devoted  band  of  young  men  volunteered  as  nurses 
and  gave  invaluable  aid  in  attending  the  sick.  A  census  taken  just  be- 
fore the  epidemic  showed  a  population  of  4,968;  three  months  later, 
after  the  scourge  was  over,  it  was  ascertained  that  nearly  one  seventh 
of  the  population,  or  700  persons  had  died  or  removed.  Among  its 
victims  was  Governor  Porter. 

In  September,  1834,  an  act  was  passed  calling  for  a  census  of  the 
Territory.  It  showed  that  there  were  87,273  people  within  the  borders 
of  Michigan,  A  population  of  60,000  entitled  the  Territory  to  admis- 
sion as  a  State,  but  there  were  causes  which  delayed  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  end,  and  the  year  of  1835  was  filled  with  excitement  which 
threatened  to  culminate  ir;  a  border  war  between  Michigan  and  Ohio. 

Cholera  again  visited  Detroit  in  the  summer  of  1849,  and  about  1,200 
inhabitants  died  between  July  and  September.  In  1854  the  Asiatic 
scorge  again  made  its  appearance,  and  the  number  of  deaths  from  that 

382 


cause  was  over  200.  The  latter  was  the  last  serious  visitation,  although 
there  were  several  isolated  cases  in  succeeding  years.  In  1892  cholera 
prevailed  in  several  parts  of  Europe,  and  Detroit  made  haste  to  take 
sanitary  precautions.  A  quarantine  was  enforced  against  emigrants 
coming  to  the  city  by  railroad  or  boat,  and  the  old  steamer,  Milton  D. 
Ward,  was  chartered  in  September  as  a  hospital  boat.  Happily  the 
cholera  did  not  come,  although  there  was  one  authenticated  case  of  an 
emigrant  who  came  from  Scotland,  contracted  the  disease  on  the  way, 
and  died  in  Detroit. 

The  Young  Men's  Society,  a  literary  association,  was  organized  in 
1833,  and  went  out  of  existence  in  1882.  During  its  distinguished  ca- 
reer of  forty-nine  years  it  had  a  membership  comprising  the  most  tal- 
ented and  intellectual  residents.  To  be  its  president  was  considered 
by  influential  citizens  as  one  of  the  greatest  honors  of  their  lives,  and 
for  this,  as  well  as  the  other  offices,  there  was  an  exciting  annual  com- 
petition. The  list  of  presidents  embraces  the  following  prominent 
persons:  Douglas  Houghton,  Jacob  M.  Howard,  George  C.  Bates, 
James  A.  Van  Dyke,  S.  T.  Douglass,  James  V.  Campbell,  E.  C.  Walk- 
er, D.  Bethune  Duffield,  H.  H.  Emmons,  G.  V.  N.  Lothrop,  C.  I. 
Walker,  Levi  Bishop,  H.  P.  Baldwin,  Luther  S.  Trowbridge,  S.  Dow 
Elwood,  R.  R.  Elliott,  C.  J.  Reilly  and  others. 

In  1835  a  syndicate  of  ten  leading  citizens  engaged  in  an  important 
land  deal,  which  resulted  in  altering  the  conformation  of  a  part  of  the 
river  front  of  the  city.  The  members  of  the  syndicate  were  De  Garmo 
Jones,  Shubael  Conant,  Charles  C.  Trowbridge,  Elon  Farnsworth, 
Henry  S.  Cole,  Oliver  Newberry,  Eurotas  P.  Hastings,  Henry  Whiting, 
Augustus  S.  Porter  and  Edmund  A.  Brush,  and  they  purchased  the  Cass 
farm  front  for  $100,000,  in  ten  equal  and  divided  shares  of  $10,000  each. 
The  contract  for  clearing  the  land  was  left  to  Abraham  Smolk,  a  con- 
tractor, who  was  paid  $1  per  cord  for  the  work.  Some  30,000  cords 
were  removed  from  the  higher  ground  at  the  line  of  Earned  street, 
which  was  the  northern  limit  of  the  purchase,  to  the  river,  resulting  in 
greatly  increasing  the  extent  of  the  city's  land.  What  is  now  the  depot 
grounds  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  as  far  west  as  Fourth  street, 
was  a  part  of  the  river  before  the  work  was  begun.  In  1836,  when  the 
panic  commenced,  the  members  of  the  syndicate  desired  to  have  the 
land  divided  into  ten  equal  shares,  and  E.  A.  Brush  went  to  Paris, 
where  General  Cass  was  United  States  minister,  and  the  change  was 
made.     About  $100,000  was  spent  in  the  grading,  but  the  whole  project 

383 


was  a  source  of  loss  to  the  investors,  who  could  not  sell  their  land. 
When  Cass  came  back  to  Detroit  in  1848,  the  several  parcels  were  all 
covered  by  mortgages,  and  then  came  the  settlement.  Nine  of  the 
shares  reverted  to  the  original  owner,  but  Oliver  Newberry,  though  he 
could  not  settle  for  several  years,  finally  paid  up  and  retained  his  por- 
tion. The  late  James  F.  Joy  remembered  the  last  interview  between 
Cass  and  ex-United  States  Senator  A.  S.  Porter,  in  which  the  latter 
gave  up  all  his  other  properly  in  settling  up.  Cass  said:  "Is  this  all 
your  property?"  "It  is,  sir,"  said  Porter,  "every  foot."  The  Cass 
farm  front  is  now  worth  $2,000,000  to  $3,000,000. 

An  interesting  figure  in  the  early  thirties  was  Stevens  Thompson 
Mason,  who  was  afterward  the  first  governor  of  the  State.  In  person 
he  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  with  a  slender,  flexible, 
elegant  figure,  weighing  about  145  pounds,  and  with  small,  aristocratic 
hands  and  feet.  His  face  was  full,  his  forehead  was  not  high  but 
rather  broad,  and  his  brown  waving  hair  fell  in  rich  clusters  around 
his  head.  His  blue  eyes  beamed  brightly  and  were  radiant  with  sym- 
pathy and  geniality,  but  when  roused  and  animated  showed  that  their 
owner  was  possessed  of  will,  courage  and  decision.  His  nose  was 
prominent  and  with  his  well  shaped  chin  and  jaw,  betokened  force  and 
determination.  The  features  and  their  expression  were  somewhat 
negatived,  however,  by  the  mouth  and  lips,  the  latter  being  quite  full 
and  red.  Like  all  of  his  family  he  was  very  ambitious  of  political  dis- 
tinction. His  ideas  were  of  commendable  breadth,  and  his  actions 
were  characterized  by  honor  and  inflexible  integrity.  He  was  an 
ardent  admirer  of  the  fair  sex,  and  his  morals  were  not  unimpeachable, 
and  he  was  not  adverse  to  participating  in  jolly  symposiums  where 
wine  and  song  and  good  fellowship  reigned  supreme.  The  latter  were 
the  faults  of  his  day  and  generation,  but  his  habits  and  propensities 
did  not  lead  to  physical  or  mental  deterioration.  His  family  were  dis- 
tinguished in  the  history  of  the  republic.  The  progenitor  of  the  family 
in  this  country  was  Col.  George  Mason,  an  Englishman,  a  member  of 
parliament,  and  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Charles  II.  After  the  dis- 
astrous defeat  at  Worcester,  in  1651,  he  escaped  to  Virginia.  Young 
Mason's  grandfather,  Stevens  Thompson  Mason,  was  a  colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  and  United  States  senator  for  Virginia.  His 
uncle.  United  States  Senator  Armstead  Thompson  Mason,  was  killed  by 
Colonel  McCarthy  in  a  duel  in  1819.  His  cousin,  Richard  B.  Mason, 
was  the  first  governor  of  California.      Another  cousin,  James  Murray 

384 


GEORGE  W.  RADFORD. 


Mason,  was  a  United  States  senator  for  fourteen  years,  but  was  ex- 
pelled before  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  for  his  secession  sentiments. 
With  his  colleague,  John  Slidell,  he  was  captured  on  board  the  Trent 
by  Captain  Wilkes,  U,  S.  N.,  but  was  released  and  acted  in  Paris  as 
minister  to  France  for  the  Confederate  States  until  the  close  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  Still  another  cousin,  John  Y.  Mason,  was  secretary 
of  the  navy  under  Tyler,  and  held  the  same  position  under  Polk. 

Stevens  Thompson  Mason  was  born  in  Loudon  county,  Va.,  in  1812, 
and  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Kentucky,  where  he  received  his  ed- 
ucation, which  included  a  little  knowledge  of  law.  His  father,  John  T. 
Mason,  was  appointed  secretary  of  Michigan  Territory  on  May  20,  1830, 
and  came  here  with  his  wife  (who  was  the  sister  of  Wm.  T.  Barry,  the 
postmaster-general),  his  son  Stevens  T.,  and  his  four  daughters,  Emily, 
Catherine,  Laura  and  Theodosia.  Their  home  for  several  years  was 
on  the  north  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  four  or  five  doors  east  of  Beau- 
bien  street.  The  elder  Mason  served  as  secretary  of  the  territory,  an 
office  equivalent  to  secretary  of  state,  and  second  in  importance  to  the 
governorship,  until  1831.  In  that  year  Cass  accepted  the  offer  of  Jack- 
son to  become  secretary  of  war,  and  the  elder  Mason  embraced  the 
opportunity  of  elevating  his  son.  He  resigned  also  and  preferred  a  re- 
quest for  the  appointment  of  his  son  as  his  successor. 

President  Jackson  appointed  George  B.  Porter  of  Pennsylvania  as 
governor  and  young  Stevens  T.  Mason  as  secretary.  When  the  news 
of  the  appointments  reached  Michigan,  the  selection  of  young  Mason 
created  much  indignation.  Prominent  men  as  well  as  the  people  ex- 
claimed against  it,  because  the  young  stripling  was  only  nineteen  years 
of  age,  and  in  his  position  he  would  be  acting  governor  during  the  ab- 
sence, illness,  death  or  resignation  of  Porter.  Meetings  were  held  all 
over  the  Territory,  and  delegates  appointed  to  a  central  body,  with  the 
intention  of  demanding  his  resignation  or  removal.  In  Detroit  an 
indignation  meeting  appointed  Oliver  Newberry,  Andrew  Mack  and 
John  E.  Schwartz  as  a  committee  to  report  whether  Stevens  T.  Mason 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  They  reported  July  25,  1831,  that  he  was 
not  of  age,  and  that  President  Jackson  knew  it.  Another  meeting  was 
held  on  July  29,  at  which  the  feeling  seemed  unabated. 

When  the  indignation  was  at  fever  heat  Governor  Cass  invited  his 
fellow  citizens  to  a  parting  feast  at  his  house  before  he  left  for  Wash- 
ington. All  the  officials  and  the  notabilities  of  the  Territory  were 
present,    and   after  appropriate    addresses    by    Cass  and   J^Iayor    John 

385 


Biddle,  toasts  became  the  order  of  the  evening.  Austin  E.  Wing  arose 
and  said:  "Gentlemen,  fill  your  glasses."  After  the  glasses  were 
charged  he  held  his  own  up  and  said:  "  The  health  of  the  ex-secretary 
of  state. "  It  was  ticklish  toast,  as  both  John  T.  Mason  and  his  son 
were  being  fulminated  against  by  everybody.  But  the  elder  Mason, 
quick  to  take  advantage  of  an  opportunity,  saw  that  here  was  a  chance 
to  recover  lost  ground.  He  thanked  the  assemblage  for  the  compliment, 
and  said  he  had  always  tried  to  do  his  duty.  Then  he  talked  about  his 
son  and  successor:  "My  boy  is  smart,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "He 
understands  the  duties  of  the  office.  I  hope  you  will  not  condemn  him 
unheard."  He  placed  his  right  hand  upon  his  heart  and  continued  in 
broken  tones:  "Try  the  boy,  gentlemen,  try  the  boy.  President  Jack- 
son is  not  to  blame.  If  any  blame  can  be  attached,  it  is  in  the  affection 
of  the  father  for  the  son."  It  was  an  effective  plea  and  was  entirely 
successful.  Tears  sprang  to  the  eyes  of  almost  all  his  auditors,  and 
the  indignation  at  the  appointment  of  a  lad  who  had  not  attained  legal 
manhood  passed  away  like  a  summer  cloud. 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Porter,  young  Mason  was 
active  and  efficient  as  an  official  and  citizen.  The  Black  Hawk  war  of 
1832,  and  the  cholera  epidemics  of  1832  and  1834  taxed  his  energies  to 
the  utmost,  and  his  competency  was  everywhere  recognized.  In  April, 
1834,  he  was  elected  alderman-at-large  and  made  a  good  city  officer. 
The  number  of  saloons  had  greatly  increased,  and  drunkenness  was 
disgracefully  common.  By  his  exertions  an  ordinance  was  passed  pro- 
hibiting the  sale  of  liquor  in  quantities  less  than  one  gallon,  and  the 
license  fee  was  fixed  at  $50.  He  was  also  an  active  member  of  the 
Detroit  Young  Men's  Temperance  Society.  When  Governor  Porter 
died  of  cholera  on  July  6,  1834,  Mason  became  acting  governor.  A 
movement  was  made  by  his  friends  to  have  him  appointed  governor, 
but  Jack.son  would  not  listen  to  it,  and,  on  November  6,  appointed 
Henry  D.  Gilpin  as  governor  of  the  Territory,  The  Mason  interest 
was  exerted  at  Washington,  and  enough  senators  were  secured  to  nega- 
tive the  confirmation  of  Gilpin,  who  was  unpopular  with  them  because 
he  sided  with  Jackson  in  his  assault  on  the  United  States  Bank. 


386 


CHAPTER   LIV. 

Story  of  the  Toledo  War— A  Serio-Comic  Dispute  Which  Promised  to  End  in  a 
War  between  Ohio  and  Michigan — Michigan  Prepares  for  Statehood — Lucius  Lyon 
and  John  Norvell  the  First  Senators  Elected  by  the  Legislature — 1835. 

Two  popular  movements  attained  full  headway  in  1835.  One  was 
the  desire  of  the  people  of  the  TeiTitory  to  become  a  State,  and  the 
other  was  a  popular  determination  to  resist  the  claim  of  Ohio  to  a  por- 
tion of  territory  on  the  southern  border  of  Michigan.  The  first  move- 
ment was  advanced  by  the  constitutional  convention  which  met  at  Detroit 
in  May,  1835,  and  framed  a  constitution  which,  with  the  offices  of  gov- 
ernor, lieutenant-governor,  members  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  a 
representative  to  Congress,  were  to  be  voted  for  at  the  next  election  on 
the  first  Monday  in  October,  1835,  A  peculiar  feature  of  the  constitu- 
tion was  that  it  gave  the  right  of  franchise  to  all  voters  who  were  resi- 
dents of  Michigan  at  the  time  the  constitution  was  adopted,  whether 
they  were  citizens  of  the  United  States  or  not.  This  liberality  raised 
some  doubts  in  Congress  as  to  the  validity  of  the  constitution.  Slavery 
and  involuntary  servitude  were  forbidden  except  on  conviction  of  crime. 
This  provision  was  intended  to  do  away  with  slave-holding,  which  had 
existed  in  the  Territory  from  the  earliest  times,  and,  what  was  still 
more  objectionable,  the  selling  of  poor  debtors  into  slavery,  which  had 
been  a  common  practice. 

The  second  movement  resulted  from  the  following  conditions:  When 
Michigan  was  organized  as  a  separate  Territory  in  1805,  the  southern 
boundary  specified  by  Congress  was  a  line  running  due  east  from  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan.  In  conflict  with  this  boundary 
was  a  very  cunning  proviso,  which  was  inserted  in  the  Ohio  constitu- 
tion of  1802,  which  stipulated  that  if  it  should  be  found,  after  accurate 
survey,  that  the  line  running  due  east  from  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan  should  intersect  Lake  Erie  at  a  point  east  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Maumee  River,  then  the  boundary  line  should  be  made  on  a  line 
running  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  point  of 
the  most  northerly  cape  on  Maumee  Bay.     The  purpose  of  this  proviso 

387 


was  to  keep  this  very  important  bay  and  lake  port  for  the  State  of 
Ohio,  which,  the  legislators  foresaw,  must  one  day  become  an  impor- 
tant commercial  center.  The  line  claimed  by  Michigan  was  known  as 
the  Fulton  line,  while  the  line  or  boundary  claimed  by  Ohio  was  known 
as  the  Harris  line,  according  to  the  names  of  the  surveyors  who  had 
run  them  from  Lake  ^Michigan.  The  strip  which  had  been  taken  from 
Michigan  and  added  to  Indiana  had  never  been  disputed,  but  the  gov- 
ernments of  Michigan  and  Ohio  were  each  determinied  to  fight  for  pos- 
session of  the  Toledo  strip,  if  it  could  not  be  obtained  peaceably. 
Trouble  was  precipitated  in  the  spring  of  1835,  when  the  Legislature 
of  Ohio,  at  the  suggestion  of  Governor  Lucas,  asserted  jurisdiction 
over  Maumee  Bay  and  the  territory  south  of  it.  Michigan's  Territorial 
Council  immediately  made  it  a  penal  offense  for  any  person  to  accept 
or  exercise  any  public  office  in  any  part  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan, 
except  by  permission  of  the  territorial  government  or  by  a  commission 
from  Congress.  Governor  Lucas  directed  the  county  officers  to  exer- 
cise their  functions  in  the  disputed  territory,  the  adjacent  counties 
having  been  extended  so  as  to  include  the  disputed  lands  within  their 
borders.  He  also  directed  a  commission,  which  he  had  appointed  for 
surveying  the  boundary  according  to  the  Ohio  idea,  to  meet  him  at 
Perrysburg  and  begin  the  survey  on  April  1.  Michigan  appealed  to 
President  Jackson,  Congress  having  adjourned.  Governor  Mason 
ordered  Gen.  Joseph  Brown,  of  the  Michigan  militia,  to  hold  his  troops 
in  readiness  to  resist  any  encroachment,  and  the  council  appropriated 
money  for  the  defense. 

Benjamin  F.  Butler,  attorney  general  of  the  United  States,  declared 
that  Michigan  was  in  the  right,  and  the  president  agreed  with  him.  As 
fast  as  Ohio  surveyors  would  trespass,  the  Michigan  authorities  would 
arrest  them.  Two  commissioners.  Rush  and  Howard,  were  sent  from 
Washington  to  effect  a  settlement,  but  without  success,  and  the  people 
of  Ohio  appropriated  $300,000  for  enforcing  their  claiin. 

The  two  movements  proceeded  simultaneously  and  both  apparently 
ended  in  failure  at  the  end  of  the  year.  In  the  spring  the  Ohio  Legis- 
lature passed  a  law  creating  the  county  of  Lucas,  in  which  Toledo  is 
situated,  and  providing  that  a  session  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  be 
held  at  the  latter  place  on  September  7,  1835.  As  this  was  situated  on 
the  strip  of  land  that  had  always  been  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Terri- 
tory of  Michigan,  the  wrath  of  the  Wolverines  rose  to  the  boiling  point. 
The  Ohio  commissioners  proceeded  to  survey  the  new  State  line,  but 

388 


when  they  reached  the  new  county  of  Lucas,  about  twelve  miles  south 
of  Adrian,  they  were  fired  at  and  some  of  the  party  taken  prisoners. 
Governor  Lucas,  of  Ohio,  then  summoned  about  300  militia,  who  made 
their  rendezvous  at  Fort  Miami,  on  the  Maumee  River,  a  few  miles 
above  Toledo.  Finding  that  Mason  did  not  advance  his  troops,  he  dis- 
banded his  force. 

Then  came  the  striking  and  dramatic  feature  of  the  "Ohio  war.'' 
On  September  6,  1835,  Governor  Mason,  at  the  head  of  about  one 
thousand  Michigan  troops,  appeared  in  Toledo  to  prevent  the  holding 
of  the  court  on  the  7th.  Meanwhile  Governor  Lucas  had  learned  of 
the  movement,  and  had  ordered  Colonel  Van  Vliet  and  his  regiment  of 
Ohio  militia  to  proceed  to  Toledo  and  protect  the  court.  Van  Vliet 
had  only  about  100  men  under  arms  at  Maumee,  some  twenty  miles 
away,  when  he  received  information  that  Mason,  with  a  force  greatly 
outnumbering  his  own,  was  in  possession  of  Toledo.  His  officers 
thought  any  military  movement  would  only  result  in  disaster,  and  Van 
Vliet  agreed  with  them,  but  he  determined,  if  he  could  not  play  the 
lion,  to  play  the  fox.  The  three  judges  were  with  his  detachment,  and 
to  them  he  unfolded  a  plan  of  outwitting  Mason,  to  which  they  gave 
their  assent.  He  selected  twenty  men,  and  with  the  judges  and  clerk 
of  the  court,  all  mounted,  he  left  about  midnight  and  quietly  entered 
Toledo  about  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th.  The  party  went 
to  a  school  house  on  Erie  street,  procured  lights  and  opened  the  court 
in  due  form.  The  clerk,  Horatio  Conant,  took  notes  on  loose  sheets  of 
paper,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  presiding  judge  declared  the  court 
adjourned. 

Just  then  a  wag  who  belonged  to  the  party  said,  "  The  Michigan  men 
are  coming."  The  party  ran  out  of  the  school  house,  unhitched  their 
horses  in  frantic  haste,  and  scurried  back  by  the  road  they  came  at  full 
speed.  On  the  way  back  it  was  discovered  that  Clerk  Conant  had  lost 
the  papers.  He  had  been  riding  like  the  others  in  hot  haste,  and  a 
branch  of  a  tree  had  knocked  off  his  bell -crowned  hat  which  contained 
the  important  documents.  The  party  was  filled  with  vexation  and 
consternation.  All  their  fine  strategy,  they  thought,  had  gone  for 
naught.  But  Van  Vliet  was  a  man  of  resource.  He  directed  two 
troopers  to  ride  back  and  observe  where  low  branches  crossed  the  road. 
They  did  so,  and  in  half  an  hour  returned  with  the  hat  and  papers  in- 
tact.    Thus  Ohio  won  a  judicial  and  bloodless  victory. 

But  it  is  very  probable  that  Ohio,  with  her  seven  or  eight  members 

389 


of  Congress  against  one  delegate  from  Michigan,  would  have  been  vic- 
tors in  any  event.  It  is  said  that  Mason  was  not  informed  of  the  meet- 
ing of  the  court  until  he  returned  to  Michigan.  On  the  next  day  he 
reviewed  the  troops  in  Toledo,  and  was  riding  along  the  line  with  his 
staff,  when  a  courier  rode  up  and  handed  him  a  letter.  He  opened  it 
and  found  he  had  been  superseded  by  John  S.  Horner  as  secretary  and 
acting  governor.     The  parade  was  dismissed  and  the  troops  came  home. 

In  August,  before  this  fiasco,  President  Jackson  had  appointed 
Charles  Shaler  of  Pennsylvaina  to  be  secretary  of  the  territory.  Shaler, 
however,  declined.  When  a  young  man  at  Cleveland  he  had  volun- 
teered to  carry  the  news  of  the  declaration  of  war  to  Governor  Hull 
while  the  latter  was  on  his  way  to  Detroit.  This  he  accomplished 
with  rapidity  and  enterprise.  The  president  then  appointed  John  S. 
Horner,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  who  practiced  law  in  Philadelphia.  The 
new  acting  governor  was  commissioned  on  September  8,  1835,  and 
commenced  his  duties  soon  after.  He  was  a  tall,  handsome  man,  a 
southerner  by  birth  and  his  wife  was  a  very  attractive  lady.  The  gossip 
of  the  time  was  that  President  Jackson  was  one  of  her  admirers,  and 
when  she  was  single  he  had  asked  her  why  she  did  not  get  married. 
She  returned  the  stereotyped  answer  that  no  one  would  have  her, 
whereupon  "Old  Hickory"  remarked:  "You  get  married  and  I'll 
make  your  husband  a  governor." 

When  Horner  arrived  in  Detroit  he  immediately  realized  that  he  had 
succeeded  a  popular  idol,  and  that  he  was  the  representative  of  a  presi- 
dent who  had  thwarted  the  wishes  of  the  people. 

During  the  twenty  five  days  of  governorship  he  went  through  sev- 
eral disagreeable  experiences.  He  engaged  Henry  Huntingdon  Brown, 
who  at  that  time  was  a  broker,  as  his  secretary.  Governor  Horner,  as 
well  as  Mr.  Brown  and  his  wife,  lived  at  the  boarding  house  of  Mrs. 
Abigail  Snelling,  the  widow  of  Col.  Josiah  Snelling,  on  the  north  side 
of  Congress  street,  second  door  west  of  Shelby  street.  Other  boarders 
were  Colonel  John  M.  Berrien,  an  army  officer  who  had  resigned  to 
become  engineer  of  the  Detroit  and  St  Joseph  (Michigan  Central)  Rail- 
roap;  Alvah  Bradish,  the  artist,  and  several  others.  Horner,  who 
seems  to  have  been  a  free  talker,  made  several  disparaging  remarks 
about  the  lady  boarders,  which  was  resented  by  Brown.  A  heated  dis- 
cussion followed  and  blows  were  exchanged.  Horner  wore  spectacles, 
and  Brown,  not  wishing  to  injure  his  eyes,  said:  "Take  off  your 
glasses,  sir!  "     They  were  separated  and  the  contest  ceased.      Horner 

390 


was  apprehensive  that  the  affair  might  damage  his  political  prospects 
and  he  drew  up  a  statement  of  the  affair  to  be  sent  to  Washington.  He 
wished  Bradish  to  sign  it,  but  the  latter  refused. 

Horner  addressed  a  meeting  at  the  City  Hall  September  12,  1835,  in 
which  he  announced  his  views  and  intentions,  in  regard  to  his  official 
course,  in  a  style  that  greatly  displeased  his  auditors.  After  he  had 
concluded,  the  meeting  organized  and  Jacob  M.  Howard,  afterward 
United  States  senator,  who  had  been  a  lieutenant  of  Michigan  troops  at 
Toledo,  wrote  the  following  resolution  which  was  adopted: 

"  Resolved,  That  if  our  present  secretary  of  the  territory  should  find  it  beyond  his 
control,  either  from  the  nature  of  his  instructions,  his  feelings  of  tenderness  toward 
those  who  had  for  a  long  period  of  time  set  at  defiance  as  well  the  laws  of  the  Terri- 
tory as  those  of  the  United  States,  or  any  feeling  of  delicacy  toward  the  executive  of 
a  neighboring  State,  who  has  in  vain  endeavored  to  take  forcible  possession  of  a  part 
of  our  territory,  to  enable  him  to  properly  carry  into  effect  the  exacting  laws  of 
this  Territory,  it  is  to  be  hoped  he  will  relinquish  the  duties  of  his  office  and  return 
to  the  land  of  his  nativity." 

But  the  crowning  incivility  was  perpetrated  at  Ypsilanti  a  few  days 
later.  While  Horner  was  paying  a  visit  to  that  place  a  disorderly 
crowd  threw  stones  through  the  window  of  the  tavern  at  which  he  was 
stopping.  He  had  to  sleep  on  the  floor  as  the  safest  place,  and  his 
landlord  charged  him  for  the  damage.  After  the  State  officers  assumed 
their  functions  President  Jackson  directed  him  not  to  recognize  them. 
He  was  subsequently  appointed  secretary  of  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin, 
where  he  did  excellent  work  in  preventing  an  Indian  war.  This  was 
highly  approved  by  Jackson,  and  Congress  voted  him  $1,000  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  services.  He  was  subsequently  register  of  the  Green  Bay 
land  office  for  thirteen  years,  and  probate  judge  of  Green  Lake  and 
Marquette  counties,  Wisconsin,  for  four  years.  Although  born  in  Vir- 
ginia he  was  opposed  to  slavery,  and  at  an  early  day  was  an  advocate 
of  emancipation.  His  sincerity  was  evidenced  by  manumitting  all  the 
slaves  inherited  by  him  from  his  father's  estate. 

At  the  election  in  October,  1835,  Stevens  T.  Mason  was  elected  gov- 
ernor; Edward  Munday,  lieutenant  governor,  and  Isaac  E.  Crary  rep- 
resentative in  Congress.  The  Legislature  met  on  the  second  Monday 
of  November,  and  on  the  10th  Lucius  Lyon  was  elected  United 
States  senator  unanimously  by  the  senators  and  representatives.  For 
the  same  office  Maj.  John  Biddle  received  a  majority  of  four  in  the 
Senate  and  John  Norvell  a  majority  of  seven  in  the  House;  the  latter 
was  then  elected  on   joint  ballot.      George  W.  Jones,  residing  in  Wis- 

391 


consin,  was  elected  territorial  delegate,  as  the  Territory  extended  be- 
yond the  proposed  new  State  and  therefore  continued.  A  constitution 
was  adopted  which  provided  for  the  continuance  of  territorial  officers 
until  superseded.  The  organization  of  State  courts  was  postponed  un- 
til July,  1836,  as  the  territorial  judges  were  entirely  satisfactory.  The 
Legislature  adopted  a  constitution  and  adjourned  until  January,  every- 
body hoping  that  the  State  would  be  admitted.  But  Michigan  did  not 
become  a  State  just  then. 

Both  the  southern  and  northern  men  in  Congress  were  watching 
jealously  the  admission  of  new  States,  and  both  had  determined  that 
there  should  be  as  many  slave  States  as  there  were  free  States,  one  to 
counterpoise  the  other.  So,  after  long  debates  on  the  admission  of 
Arkansas  and  Michigan,  both  were  admitted  on  June  15,  1836.  The 
first  was  admitted  unreservedly,  but  in  the  case  of  the  latter  there  was 
a  condition  that  she  should  give  up  her  claim  to  the  Toledo  strip  and 
accept  in  compensation  the  upper  peninsula  east  of  Montreal  River, 
and  the  American  part  of  Lake  Superior  from  that  point  to  the  north- 
western national  boundary  line.  Until  Michigan  formally  agreed  to 
this  by  a  convention  of  delegates  elected  for  that  purpose,  she  was  not 
to  be  admitted  at  all.  The  popular  feeling  against  these  conditions 
was  quite  bitter  at  first.  The  Legislature  met  on  July  11,  1836,  and 
directed  an  election  for  a  convention  to  be  held  at  Ann  Arbor  on  the 
fourth  Monday  of  September.  The  convention  met  and  refused  to 
consent  to  the  terms  of  Congress.  Then  a  reaction  took  place.  It  was 
intimated  from  Washington  that  Michigan's  share  as  a  new  State  in  the 
dividends  of  surplus  revenue,  and  the  five  per  cent,  on  the  proceeds  of 
public  lands,  would  amount  to  $450,000,  all  of  which.  President  Jack 
son  stated,  would  be  lost  to  Michigan  if  she  was  not  admitted  at  that 
time.  Schoolcraft  and  Houghton  also  told  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the 
upper  peninsula,  far  exceeding  in  value  the  paltry  strip  on  the  southern 
border. 

Thereupon  a  Democratic  convention  of  Wayne  county,  and  another 
of  Washtenaw,  adopted  resolutions  for  the  holding  of  another  conven- 
tion. The  Detroit  papers  advised  the  people  that  it  was  useless  to  call 
another  convention,  because  the  matter  had  been  voted  upon  once  and 
rejected.  Another  vote  could  not  be  legally  taken  so  soon  after  the 
people  had  spoken  so  decisively.  This  advice  aided  the  cause  of  those 
who  were  working  for  admission,  because  their  opponents  refused  to 
vote  at  all  at  the  second  election  of  delegates.     Those  who  had  voted 

392 


COL.  HENRY  B.  LOTHROP. 


before  in  favor  of  accepting  the  terms  offered  by  Congress,  were 
elected  to  the  second  convention  v^ithout  opponents.  Governor 
Mason  endorsed  the  movement,  and  a  convention  was  held  at  Ann 
Arbor  on  December  14,  1836.  The  convention  was  made  up  entirely 
of  persons  who  favored  admission,  and  as  a  result  the  terms  of  Con- 
gress were  agreed  to,  and  after  some  debate  in  Congress  Michigan 
was  admitted  as  the  twenty  sixth  State  of  the  Union,  on  January 
26,  1837.  The  State  was  recognized,  when  admitted,  as  having  existed 
as  such  since  November,  1835,  when  the  senators,  representatives, 
governor  and  legislators  came  into  office,  and  such  has  been  the  uni- 
form ruling  of  all  departments.  The  State  organized  a  Supreme  Court 
in  1836,  with  William  A.  Fletcher  as  chief  justice.  Elon  Farnsworth 
was  made  chancellor  of  the  Court  of  Chancery.  Then  the  State  Uni- 
versity was  established  at  Ann  Arbor,  with  the  governor,  lieutenant- 
governor,  chancellor,  and  the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  as  ex- 
officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  which  was  made  up  of  twelve 
appointees  by  the  governor  and  the  Senate.  Branches  were  established 
at  Detroit,  Pontiac,  Niles,  Tecumseh,  Kalamazoo,  Monroe  and  White 
Pigeon.  The  University  opened  in  ]  841  and  the  first  class  v^as  gradu- 
ated in  1845. 

Mr.  Fletcher  served  as  chief  justice  from  1836  to  1843.  He  was  a 
man  who  would  have  achieved  distinction  in  any  walk  of  life.  He 
rose  to  the  highest  position  in  the  judiciary  in  spite  of  his  intemperate 
habits  and  his  unfortunate  marriages  which  deprived  him  of  much 
that  is  desirable  in  social  life.  Personally  he  was  about  five  feet  seven 
inches  in  height,  and  weighed  about  175  pounds.  His  carriage  was 
erect  and  his  appearance  dignified.  His  head  was  large  and  well 
shaped  and  being  slightly  bald  in  front,  his  forehead  appeared  of  great 
height.  He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1788.  In  1813  he  was  a 
merchant  at  Salem,  Mass,  Later  he  emigrated  to  Esperance,  Scho- 
harie county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  married  Gertrude  Lawzer  in  1820.  This 
was  a  singular  alliance  for  a  man  of  such  promise  to  make.  Miss  Law- 
zer was  a  woman  of  Dutch  descent,  tall,  gaunt  and  angular.  Her  face 
was  coarse  featured  and  masculine,  and  there  was  a  taint  of  hereditary 
insanity  in  her  blood.  For  a  number  of  years  she  had  kept  the  village 
tavern,  and  had  made  some  money  at  it.  She  had  been  the  mistress 
of  Judge  Isaac  H.  Tiffany,  and  had  borne  him  two  sons  before  Fletcher 
made  her  acquaintance.  It  is  supposed  that  Fletcher  entered  into  a 
contract  with  her  by  which  she  was  to  furnish  money  to  purchase  a  law 

393 


library  for  him,  and  he  was  to  accept  her  as  his  common  law  wife.  In 
1821,  less  than  a  year  after  they  began  living  together,  Fletcher  came 
to  Detroit  and  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  deserted  "  Aunt  Gitty,"  as 
she  was  commonly  called. 

Mr.  Fletcher  was  thirty-three  years  of  age  when  he  arrived  in  De- 
troit. He  found  established  in  the  town  such  lawyers  as  Charles  Larned, 
George  McDougall,  B.  F.  H.  Witherell,  William  Wcodbridge,  William 
W.  Petit,  Solomon  Sibley,  James  L.  and  Harry  S.  Cole,  W,  G. 
Whitney  and  Alexander  D.  Frazer,  the  latter  awaiting  admission  to  the 
bar.  At  that  time  Mr.  Fletcher  was  well  versed  in  the  law.  He  was 
an  effective  pleader  and  a  convincing  speaker.  In  1823  Governor  Cass 
and  the  territorial  judges  appointed  him  chief  justice  of  Wayne  county, 
succeeding  John  L.  Leib,  and  B.  F.  H.  Witherell  and  Phillip  Lecuyer 
were  his  associate  justices.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  When  the 
congrcGsional  campaign  of  1823,  which  is  elsewhere  described,  was 
finished.  Judge  Fletcher  made  the  address  of  the  day  at  the  laying  of 
the  corner  stone  of  the  capitol  building,  September  23.  When  his  term 
of  office  expired  Judge  Fletcher  resumed  his  practice  and  in  1830  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Territorial  Council.  In  1833  when  all  the  State 
courts  except  that  of  Wayne  county  were  abolished,  and  the  circuit 
courts  were  established,  acting  Governor  Mason  appointed  Fletcher  as 
circuit  judge.  He  continued  in  that  capacity,  holding  two  terms  of 
court  each  year  at  each  county  seat  in  his  district,  until  1836.  His 
manner  on  the  bench  was  serene,  polite  and  dignified,  and  his  office  de- 
manded the  exercise  of  legal  ability,  for  in  the  new  State  he  was  con- 
stantly confronted  with  novel  propositions,  and  having  no  precedents 
to  guide  him  he  had  to  blaze  his  own  way.  He  sent  for  "  Aunt  Gitty" 
in  1834,  and  as  he  saw  that  she  would  not  be  received  in  Detroit  society, 
in  which  he  had  heretofore  been  a  prominent  figure,  he  removed  to  the 
village  of  Ann  Arbor.  In  their  separation  of  thirteen  years  the  eccen- 
tricities of  his  wife  had  multiplied,  and  her  personal  ugliness  was 
much  enhanced  by  her  oddities  of  dress.  From  the  bench  of  the  Circuit 
Court  Judge  Fletcher  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Michigan  on  July  18,  1836.  His  associates  were  George  Morell  and 
Epaphroditus  Ransom,  and  his  salary  was  $1,600.  Each  of  the  judges 
also  performed  the  duties  of  a  circuit  judge.  The  opinions  of  this 
learned  judge  were  not  preserved,  strange  to  say,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  which  were  so  notable  that  they  found  their  way  into  the  news- 
papers of  the  day,  and   are   the  admiration  of  later  generations  of  his 

394 


profession.  In  1836,  just  before  his  appointment  to  the  supreme  bench, 
Judge  Fletcher  began  the  task  of  codifying  the  laws,  but  he  turned  the 
task  over  to  Gen.  Edward  Clark,  an  Ann  Arbor  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  the  Legislature  afterward  gave  it  to  Ebenezer  Harrington  and 
Elijah  J.  Roberts,  who  finished  the  work. 

The  Fletchers  lived  on  a  small  farm  just  east  of  the  present  univer- 
sity campus.  In  1840  Mrs.  Fletcher  became  insane  and  was  removed 
to  an  asylum  at  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  where  she  died  in  December,  1855. 
Judge  Fletcher  did  not  wait  for  her  demise  before  taking  another  wife. 
In  1843  he  applied  for  a  divorce,  which  was  granted  by  Supreme  Jus- 
tice Alpheus  Felch,  whereupon  the  judge  chose  for  his  second  wife 
Adeline  D.  Doyle,  widow  of  an  Irish  laborer,  who  supported  herself  by 
washing.  The  judge  was  fifty- eight  years  of  age,  while  she  was  a 
sturdy  woman  of  thirty-two  years  and  of  prepossessing  appearance. 
They  lived  happily  enough  and  the  new  wife  took  excellent  care  of  the 
judge  in  his  declining  years.  Judge  Fletcher's  mind  began  to  give  way 
before  the  inroads  of  intemperance,  and  from  being  chief  justice  of 
Michigan  he  became  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Ann  Arbor.  He  died 
there  in  1853,  leaving  no  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Alvah  Bradish 
painted  a  portrait  of  Judge  Fletcher  when  he  was  in  his  prime.  It  was 
searched  for,  to  be  hung  with  those  of  the  other  supreme  justices  in 
the  court  room  at  Lansing,  but  the  picture  had  been  loaned  in  Detroit 
to  decorate  a  banquet  hall,  at  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  the  State,  and 
and  thereafter  it  could  never  be  found. 

The  men  who  ruled  over  Michigan  in  the  days  immediately  after  che 
British  surrender  and  up  to  its  admission  to  the  Union  were  as  fol- 
lows: 

General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  governor  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  which 
included  Detroit  and  Michigan,  from  1787  to  1800. 

Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison,  as  governor  of  Indiana  Territory, 
1800  to  1805. 

Gen.  William  Hull,  appointed  governor  of  Michigan  Territory  March 
1,  1805,  and  reappointed  for  his  third  term  January  12,  1811.  Hull 
surrendered  Detroit  August  16,  1812,  and  it  continued  under  control  of 
General  Proctor,  until  General  Harrison  invaded  Canada  and  compelled 
the  British  to  abandon  the  town. 

Lewis  Cass  was  appointed  governor  and  military  commander  October 
29,  1813,  and  continued  in  office  until  called  to  Jackson's  cabinet  in  1831 
as  secretary  of  war. 

395 


George  B.  Porter  was  governor  of  Michigan  Territory  from  August 
G,  1831,  until  he  died  of  cholera  July  6,  1834. 

Stevens  Thompson  Mason,  secretary  of  the  territory,  succeeded 
Governor  Porter  and  became  the  first  governor  of  the  State  of  Michi- 
gan after  its  admission  to  the  Union. 

The  secretaries  of  the  territory  which  included  Michigan  and  De- 
troit, frequently  acted  as  governor  during  the  absence  of  the  governor. 
The  names  and  terms  of  the  secretaries  were  as  follows : 

Winthrop  Sargent,  1787  to  1800. 

John  Gibson,  1800  to  1805. 

Stanley  Griswold,  March  1,  1805,  to  March  18,  1808. 

Reuben  Attwater,  March  18,  1808,  to  October  15,  1814. 

William  Woodbridge,  from  October  15,  1814,  to  January  15,  1828. 

James  Witherell,  from  January  15,  1828,  to  May  20,  1830. 

John  T.  Mason,  from  May  20,  1830,  to  July  12,  1831. 

Stevens  T.  Mason,  from  July  12,  1831,  to  September  30,  1835.  He 
was  acting  governor  from  July  6,  1834,  to  September  8,  1835,  and  be- 
came governor  of  the  Territory  on  November  3,  1835,  and  governor  of 
the  State  in  1837. 

John  S.  Horner,  from  September  8,  1835,  to  November  3,  1835. 

The  names  and  time  of  service  of  the  territorial  judges  were  as  fol- 
lows: A.  B.  Woodward,  1805-1823;  Frederick  Bates,  1805-1808; 
John  Griffin,  1805-1823;  James  Witherell,  1808-1827;  Solomon  Sibley, 
1823-1837;  John  Hunt,  1823-1827;  James  D.  Doty,  1823-1832;  Henry 
Chipman,  1827-1832;  William  Woodbridge,  1827-1832;  George  Morell, 
1833-1837;  Ross  Wilkins,  1832-1837,  and  David  Irwin,  1832-1837. 


396 


CHAPTER   LV. 

Dr.  Douglass  Houghton  Begins  the  First  Geological  Survey  of  the  State — He 
Reveals  Some  of  the  Vast  Resources — The  Canadian  Rebellion — Causes  Which 
Led  to  the  Uprising  of  an  Oppressed  People — Exciting  Times  at  Detroit,  Windsor 
and  Sandwich. 

After  considerable  opposition  among  the  former  members  of  the 
Legislature,  an  act  for  a  State  Geological  Survey  was  passed  and  ap- 
proved by  Governor  Mason  on  February  23,  1837.  It  provided  for  a 
State  geologist  and  it  appropriated  annual  sums,  increasing  from 
$3,000  for  the  first  year  to  $12,000  for  the  fourth  year.  Dr.  Douglass 
Houghton  was  appointed  State  geologist,  and  he  made  a  brief  prelimi- 
nary survey  of  the  State,  particularly  in  the  northern  portion,  and 
made  his  first  annual  report  to  the  governor  on  January  25,  1838.  The 
second  survey  was  made  in  1838  by  the  following  staff:  Douglass 
Houghton,  geologist;  Abram  Sager,  in  charge  of  the  zoological  depart- 
ment; Sylvester  Higgins,  topographer  and  draughtstnan  ;  John  Wright, 
in  charge  of  the  botanical  department;  Columbus  C.  Douglass,  assistant 
to  geologist ;  Bela  Hubbard,  assistant  to  geologist;  William  P.  Smith, 
in  charge  of  mechanical  zoology.  The  second  annual  report  was  sub- 
mitted February  4,  1838,  and  showed  the  result  of  a  general  examina- 
tion of  some  of  the  central  and  southern  counties;  the  character  of  that 
portion  west  and  north  of  Saginaw  Bay;  the  connection  of  Michigan's 
geology  with  neighboring  States ;  special  remark  on  the  clays,  marls  and 
gypsum;  and  the  changes  of  the  levels  of  the  waters  of  the  great  lakes. 
The  heads  of  the  departments  also  made  reports  of  their  special  work. 
The  third  annual  report  was  en  the  general  topography  and  geology  of 
the  south  slope,  the  lower  peninsula,  embracing  limestones  and  sand- 
stones, now  included  in  the  Paleozoic  age.  Soon  other  annual  reports 
were  made,  which  brought  the  account  of  the  physical  resources  of  the 
new  State  up  to  February  15,  1844,  which  was  the  date  of  Dr.  Houghton's 
annual  report.  Discoveries  thus  made  have  been  of  incalculable  bene- 
fit to  the  State,  and  the  development  of  iron  and  copper  in  the  upper 
peninsula,  and  of  salt  in  the  lower  peninsula,  have  added  hundreds  of 

397 


millions  of  dollars  to  the  wealth  of  Michigan.  The  lumber  interests  in 
both  peninsulas  have  probably  been  of  even  more  value.  Dr.  Hough- 
ton was  drowned  near  Eagle  River  on  Lake  Superior,  on  October  12, 
1845.  The  State  geological  surveys  were  suspended  until  1859,  when 
Prof.  Alexander  Winchell  was  appointed  State  geologist. 

At  the  first  State  election  in  November,  1837,  Stevens  T.  Mason,  the 
Democratic  candidate,  received  11,268  votes,  against  11,031  votes  for 
C.  C.  Trowbridge,  his  Whig  opponent,  a  majority  of  237.  At  that 
time  there  were  a  number  of  public  works  in  progress,  and  the  labor 
demand  had  drawn  to  the  new  State  a  large  number  of  Irishmen  who 
were  nearly  all  Democrats,  and  it  was  to  this  vote  that  Mason  owed  his 
success.  For  lieutenant-governor,  Edward  Munday  received  11,226 
votes,  and  defeated  his  opponent,  Daniel  S.  Bacon,  by  a  majority 
of  102. 

While  Michigan  was  qualifying  for  statehood  trouble  was  brewing 
across  the  river,  which  ultimately  ripened  into  open  rebellion.  Canada 
was  dominated  up  to  that  time  by  an  oligarchy  which  had  grown  up 
imperceptibly.  The  people  at  large  were  then  groaning  under  the  rule 
of  irresponsible,  self  seeking  officials  who  loaded  their  sycophantic  ad- 
herents with  favors  and  oppressed  the  remainder.  They  legislated  to 
further  their  own  ends  and  not  for  the  common  weal.  The  people 
were  represented  by  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  but  the  upper 
house  ignored  their  wishes.  As  the  latter  was  the  instrument  of  the 
executive  and  had  the  ear  of  the  crown,  the  people  could  do  nothing 
but  complain.  The  general  scheme  of  each  man  connected  with  the 
government  was  to  establish  himself  in  possession  of  a  lordly  manor, 
with  a  vast  estate  of  the  best  lands  of  the  province.  It  was  the  practice 
to  grant  5,000  acres  to  each  member  of  the  Executive  Council,  and 
1,200  acres  to  each  of  their  children.  Those  members  of  the  Legislative 
Council  who  were  under  the  control  of  the  executive,  and  men  of 
means  who  could  buy  the  favor  of  the  ruling  influence,  were  granted 
lands  in  the  same  lavish  fashion.  In  furtherance  of  the  scheme,  grants 
of  200  acres  were  made  to  servants  and  poor  relations,  with  the  under- 
standing that  these  would  afterward  be  deeded  over  to  the  master  and 
magnate.  Settlers  who  were  anxious  to  acquire  homesteads  were  com- 
pelled to  wait  until  their  superiors  had  taken  what  they  wanted.  Soon 
these  land  grabbers  were  in  possession  of  whole  townships,  and  wher- 
ever a  little  settlement  of  pioneers  would  establish  itself  the  schemers 
would  appropriate  as  much  as  possible  of  the  adjacent    lands,   which 

398 


would  soon  be  rapidly  enhanced  in  value  by  the  presence  of  the  pio- 
neers. The  home  office  finally  interfered  with  this  wholesale  system 
of  granting-  lands  to  political  favorites  and  tools,  but  the  United  Em- 
pire Loyalists,  the  Executive  Council  and  their  children,  and  the  sol- 
diers retained  the  special  privileges. 

A  United  Empire  Loyalist  could,  upon  paying  from  two  pounds  to 
five  pounds,  secure  a  grant  of  200  acres,  and  a  like  amount  for  each  of 
his  children.  Millions  of  acres  of  the  best  lands  were  thus  bestowed. 
Robert  Hamilton,  one  of  the  favored  residents,  became  possessor  of 
200,000  acres,  and  there  were  plenty  of  other  estates  which  really 
amounted  to  principalities.  Another  land  scheme  was  the  act  of  1791, 
which  reserved  for  the  support  of  the  Protestant  clergy  what  was 
known  as  the  Clergy  Reserve.  When  a  grant  of  land  was  made  to  any 
person  or  syndicate,  a  grant  of  one-seventh  of  the  amount  was  made  to 
the  Clergy  Reserve,  and  the  future  rents  and  emoluments  were  to  go 
for  the  support  of  a  clergyman  in  every  township.  This  proportion  of 
grants  was  greatly  exceeded,  in  violation  of  the  law,  and  when  Michi- 
gan became  a  State  the  Clergy  Reserve  in  Canada  amounted  to  300,000 
acres.  The  Episcopal  or  Established  church  at  first  laid  claim  to  all 
this  land,  but  as  the  Scotch  and  Irish  Presbyterians  were  in  a  majority, 
a  division  had  to  be  made.  One  partition  of  lands  made  in  1833  shows 
the  manner  of  distribution.  The  Established  church  was  granted  22,- 
345  acres,  the  Kirk  of  Scotland,  1,160  acres,  and  the  Catholic  church, 
400  acres.  Methodists  and  other  denominations  were  not  only  ignored, 
but  their  ministers  were  forbidden  under  penalty  of  imprisonment  or 
banishment  to  perform  marriage  ceremonies.  Canada  was  a  dumping 
ground  for  the  poor  relations  of  the  aristocracy  across  the  sea.  These 
were  given  grants  of  lands  and  passage  money  to""  get  rid  of  their  im- 
portunities at  home,  and  the  younger  sons  and  a  host  of  adventurers 
rushed  to  the  country  where  fortunes  were  falling  to  the  favored  ones. 
These  sprigs  of  gentility  were  quick  to  see  their  advantages.  Most  of 
the  pioneer  or  actual  settlers,  who  built  homes  and  cleared  farms,  were 
poor  people  of  limited  education.  They  constituted  a  majority  of  the 
citizens  of  Canada,  so  the  poor  relations  and  landless  aristocrats  united 
with  the  United  Empire  Loyalists  and  the  men  of  wealth  and  educa- 
tion, and  formed  a  political  party  which  was  to  misrule  the  country  for 
more  than  thirty-five  years.  By  thus  combining  they  wormed  their 
way  into  all  the  important  offices  and  became  the  power  behind  the 
local  government. 

399 


This  aggregation  was  known  as  the  Family  Compact.  Those  who 
did  not  belong  to  it  were  regarded  as  outsiders  and  only  received  what 
consideration  the  new-made  aristocracy  saw  fit  to  bestow.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  Family  Compact  became  the  "gentlemen"  of  the  colony. 
They  toiled  not,  but  they  grew  rich  out  of  allotted  lands,  while  actual 
settlers  wore  themselves  out  in  redeeming  the  country  from  a  wilder- 
ness. Aristocrats  who  came  out  to  Canada  little  better  than  paupers, 
were  presently  riding  about  in  grand  coaches,  blazoned  with  heraldic 
bearings.  They  had  their  flunkies  in  livery  and  held  their  heads  very 
high  indeed.  They  imitated  the  old  country  style  in  building  manor 
houses  and  grew  rich  by  selHng  lands  they  had  perhaps  never  seen,  but 
which  actual  settlers  had  made  valuable  by  cultivating  farms  and  build- 
ing towns  in  their  vicinity.  The  aristocrats  controlled  the  courts  and 
every  department  of  the  local  government;  and  the  justice,  which  is 
dear  to  the  heart  of  every  Briton,  and  which  he  will  ultimately  have  at 
any  cost,  was  denied  to  the  common  people.  It  did  not  take  the  people 
long  to  see  that  they  must  show  resistance  to  this  oligrachy  in  order  to 
secure  reforms,  and  the  more  energetic  and  intelligent  citizens  outside 
of  the  Family  Compact  began  plotting  for  the  downfall  of  the  local 
government,  intending  to  establish  themselves  with  an  independent 
government  like  that  of  the  United  States,  since  they  could  gain  noth- 
ing by  appeal  to  the  crown. 

In  1837  the  discontent  in  both  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  ripened  into 
rebellion.  A  leading  figure  in  the  lower  province  was  Louis  Joseph 
Papineau,  who  was  the  speaker  in  the  lower  Canadian  parliament  from 
1818  to  1837.  Repression  and  imprisonment  failed  to  subdue  the  French 
inhabitants  and  their  first  collision  with  British  troops  took  place  at 
St.  Denis  on  October  22,  1837,  when  the  British  had  to  retire.  Three 
days  afterward  the  British  defeated  a  force  of  insurgents  at  St.  Charles. 
At  St.  Eustache,  twenty  miles  from  Montreal,  British  troops  under  Sir 
John  Colborne  defeated  a  force  of  insurgents  under  Dr.  Jean  Oliver 
Chenier.  At  this  fight  Captain  Fred  Marryat,  the  English  novelist, 
was  present  as  a  spectator.  In  Upper  Canada  the  leader  of  the  dis- 
contented was  William  Lyon  Mackenzie,  a  Scotch  member  of  parlia- 
ment, and  editor  of  a  paper  at  Toronto.  A  rising  took  place  on  De- 
cember 7,  1837,  at  Montgomery's  tavern  near  Toronto,  which  was  easily 
dispersed  by  the  government  troops.  Mackenzie  fled  across  the  border 
and  made  speeches  for  the  cause  at  Buffalo.  Several  hundred  men 
joined  his  standard,  and  Navy  Island,  which   belonged  to  Canada,  and 

400 


VERY    REV.  FREDOLIN    J.  BAUMGARTNER. 


is  situated  a  few  miles  above  the  falls  of  Niagara,  was  fortified.  Rens- 
selaer Van  Rensselaer  of  Albany,  was  appointed  commander.  Col. 
Allen  N.  McNabb  soon  had  a  force  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  stream. 
Asa  C.  Dickinson,  one  of  the  patriot  colonels,  was  wounded  in  the 
shoulder  by. a  Canadian  bullet;  he  was  the  father  of  ex-Postmaster-Gen- 
eral Don  M.  Dickinson.  An  American  steamer,  named  the  Caroline, 
was  used  in  transporting  men  and  supplies  from  Schlosser,  on  the 
American  mainland,  to  the  island.  On  the  night  of  December  28,  1837, 
a  party  sent  by  McNabb  cut  out  the  Caroline  as  she  lay  at  Schlosser, 
set  her  on  fire  and  she  went  blazing  down  the  stream.  She  sunk,  how- 
ever, before  reaching  the  falls,  and  only  some  charred  pieces  of  her 
wood  work  went  over  the  cataract.  Navy  Island  was  evacuated  on 
January  13,  1838,  and  most  of  the  patriots  proceeded  to  the  Detroit 
River. 

In  January,  1838,  Manager  McKinney,  of  the  theatre  that  stood  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Gratiot  avenue  and  Farrar  street,  devoted  the 
net  proceeds  of  his  place  of  amusement  for  the  patriotic  cause.  A 
public  meeting  was  held  at  the  theatre  on  New  Year's  day,  1838.  at 
which  money  and  arms  were  subscribed.  Four  days  later  the  jail  was 
forced  by  stratagem  and  400  muskets  stored  there  for  safe  keeping, 
were  stolen  by  the  patriots.  On  January  8,  1838,  the  schooner  Ann 
was  seized  at  Detroit,  and  with  the  stolen  arms  on  board  was  taken 
down  the  river.  Dr.  E.  A.  Thellar,  of  Detroit,  an  Irishman  who  had 
lived  in  Canada,  commanded  her  and  he  bombarded  Amherstburg  on 
the  9th.  The  Canadian  militia  returned  the  fire,  and  the  bullets  cut  the 
halyards  and  the  mainsail  came  down.  The  Ann  drifted  ashore 
at  Elliott's  Point,  and  Colonel  Radcliff,  who  commanded  the  militia, 
sent  a  party  to  seize  her,  and  she  was  captured  with  all  on  board. 
Governor  Mason  with  a  force  of  militia  went  down  the  river  twice  at 
this  time,  but  did  nothing  in  the  shape  of  enforcing  neutrality  except 
to  come  back  again.  A  great  resort  of  the  patriots  in  Detroit  was  the 
Eagle  Hotel,  kept  by  Horace  Heath,  on  the  south  side  of  Woodbridge 
street,  second  door  west  of  Griswold  street. 

There  were  plenty  of  men,  but  a  scarcity  of  arms,  and  a  scheme  was 
concocted  to  rob  the  United  States  arsenal  at  Dearborn,  ten  miles  from 
Detroit.  One  dark  night  in  the  early  part  of  February,  1838,  a  force 
of  about  twenty  patriots,  with  several  wagons,  went  to  Dearborn,  broke 
in  the  arsenal  and  carried  away  about  500  muskets  and  accoutrements. 
The  arms  were  brought  to  Detroit  and  hidden  in  a  hayloft  in  the  rear 

401 


of  the  Eagle  Hotel.  The  daring  robbery  caused  great  excitement,  and 
Gen.  Hugh  Brady,  U.  S.  A.,  in  command  of  the  troops  on  the  frontier, 
instituted  a  search  for  the  arms.  They  were  recovered  a  few  days 
afterward.  In  February,  1838,  a  number  of  patriots  assembled  in  De- 
troit and  were  addressed  at  the  Eagle  Tavern  on  Woodbridge  street, 
near  Shelby  street,  by  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Sutherland.  The  force  marched, 
on  February  24,  down  the  river  until  opposite  Fighting  Island,  where 
they  crossed  on  the  ice  and  camped  all  night  on  the  island.  On  the 
morning  of  the  25th  they  were  driven  off  the  island  by  a  British  force 
of  infantry  and  artillery.  The  next  engagement  was  on  March  3,  at 
Pelee  Island  on  Lake  Erie,  north  of  Sandusky,  where  a  British  force 
defeated  a  badly  armed  body  of  patriots.  On  May  23  the  steamer  Sir 
Robert  Peel  was  boarded  and  burned  near  Kingston,  on  Lake  Ontario, 
by  a  party  of  patriots.  In  June  Captain  Marryat  came  to  Detroit  and 
was  the  guest  of  E.  A.  Brush.  His  anti-patriot  sentiments  were  known, 
and  a  number  of  his  books  were  gathered  by  patriot  sympathizers  and 
burned  in  front  of  the  house.  He  took  the  hint  and  left  town.  After- 
ward there  were  several  skirmishes  in  the  country  back  of  the  Niagara 
River,  in  which  some  of  the  patriots  were  captured  and  hung  and 
others  transported;  risings  at  Napierville  and  Lacole,  in  Lower  Canada, 
which  were  dispersed ;  and  a  naval  engagement  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  between  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y.,  and  Prescott,  Ont.  Here  the 
rebels  fought  on  land  and  water  for  two  days  and  surrendered  on  No- 
vember 14,  1838.  Meanwhile  Detroit  was  continuously  excited  by  the 
conflict.  The  wealthy  residents  and  professional  men  frowned  on  the 
patriot  cause,  but  seven-eighths  of  the  people  sympathized  with  it. 

President  Van  Buren  issued  a  proclamation  ordering  the  strict  en- 
forcement of  the  neutrality  laws,  and  Gen.  Hugh  Brady,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  military  district,  was  kept  busy  all  along  the  frontier 
in  obeying  his  instructions.  After  many  defeats  the  patriots  resolved 
to  invade  Canada  from  Detroit,  and  on  December  4,  1838,  at  2  a.  m., 
135  armed  men,  led  by  Gen.  Lucius  Verus  Bierce,  of  Akron,  O., 
boarded  the  steamer  Champlain,  at  the  foot  of  Rivard  street,  and 
crossed  to  the  Canadian  side  at  a  point  about  three  miles  above  Wind- 
sor. They  marched  down  the  river  road,  and  at  Windsor  burned  a  bar- 
racks, guard  house  and  the  steamer  Thames.  ,A  strong  body  of  Cana- 
dian troops  lay  at  Sandwich,  about  two  miles  below.  Meanwhile 
Surgeon  John  J.  Hume,  who  had  come  up  from  Sandwich  to  see  what 
was  the  matter,  was  shot  and  killed.     The  militia  came  up  from  Sand- 

402 


wicli  to  Windsor  about  7  a.  m.  and  promptly  engaged  the  patriots  in 
Francois  Baby's  orchard.  One  volley  settled  the  fight,  the  patriots 
retreating  in  disorder.  They  were  pursued  and  several  killed  and 
captured.  The  casualties  on  the  patriot  side  were  twenty-one  killed. 
Four  others  were  captured,  and  were  shot  by  order  of  Col.  John  Prince, 
who  had  remained  at  Sandwich  during  the  fighting.  On  the  Canadian 
side  there  was  no  one  killed  during  the  short  engagement,  biit  four 
persons  were  killed  just  before  and  after  the  fight,  and  several  soldiers 
were  burned  to  death  in  the  barracks.  After  the  engagement  a  detach- 
ment of  the  34th  British  Regiment  from  Amherstburg,  with  one  six- 
pound  cannon,  arrived  at  Windsor  and  passed  up  the  road  in  order  to 
harass  the  fugutives,  some  of  whom  were  crossing  the  river  in  canoes. 
About  the  place  where  the  patriots  landed  in  the  morning,  the  gun 
was  unlimbered  and  several  shots  fired  at  a  canoe  filled  with 
patriots.  A  ball  struck  Capt.  James  B.  Armstrong,  of  Port  Huron, 
and  nearly  cut  off  his  arm.  At  the  same  time  that  the  cannon  was 
firing,  the  steamer  Erie  moved  up  the  river  and  the  Brady  Guards,  a 
Detroit  military  companj^,  fired  on  the  fugitives.  All  these  incidents 
were  watched  by  thousands  of  Detroit  citizens  from  the  American  side 
of  the  the  river.  This  was  the  last  battle  of  the  patriot  war.  The 
efforts  of  the  oppressed  colonists,  though  thwarted  for  the  time,  were 
ultimately  successful.  The  Family  Compact,  a  semi-political  organiza- 
tion, withered  and  died,  and  better  laws  were  enacted,  which  gave  the 
Canadian  people  more  justice  and  equal  rights. 

During  1840  the  friends  of  Stevens  T.  Mason  noticed  that  his  popu- 
larity was  sadly  on  the  wane.  The  State  was  suffering  from  business 
depression,  and  the  results  of  the  banking  law  had  spread  ruin  far  and 
wide.  When  any  misfortune  affects  the  body  politic  there  are  always 
some  who  seek  to  locate  the  blame  on  the  rulers,  and  young  Mason  was 
the  victim  in  the  case.  "Did  he  not  sign  the  wildcat  banking  law?  " 
his  enemies  would  ask.  This  was  not  a  fair  question,  because  the  sen- 
timent of  the  business  men  in  the  Territory  at  that  time  was  almost 
unanimous  in  advising  that  action  and  also  in  endorsing  it.  In  the  fall 
of  1840,  there  being  no  unanimous  desire  that  Mason  should  be  renomi- 
nated, he  retired  from  the  ofifice  and  the  State  and  removed  with  his 
wife,  parents  and  sisters  to  New  York  city,  where,  it  is  said,  he  com- 
pleted his  legal  studies  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His  wife,  whom 
he  had  married  in  New  York  in  1839,  was  Julia  Phelps,  daughter  of  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  that  city.     The  family  were  stopping  at  the  Astor 

403 


House,  where  he  fell  sick  about  Christmas,  1843.  His  ailment,  scarlet 
fever,  did  not  create  any  uneasiness  at  first,  but  he  gradually  grew 
worse  and  on  January  4,  1843,  he  died,  aged  thirty  one  years.  The 
cause  of  his  death  was  stated  to  be  "suppressed  scarlet  fever."  Dur- 
ing his  brief  married  life  three  children  were  born,  but  two  boys  died 
very  young.  His  surviving  child  is  the  wife  of  Col.  E.  H.  Wright  of 
Newark,  N.  J.  Governor  Mason's  widow  afterward  married  Henry 
McVickar,  of  New  York,  and  died  about  1864. 


CHAPTER  LVI. 


The  Campaign  of  1840 — How  a  Word  of  Ridicule  against  General  Harrison,  the 
Pioneer  Soldier,  Set  the  Country  on  Fire  with  Political  Zeal — The  Creation  of  the 
Republican  Party — Conceived  in  the  Office  of  the  Detroit  Tribune,  It  Was  Born 
"  Under  the  Oaks  at  Jackson." 

Like  every  city,  village  and  hamlet  in  the  countr}^  Detroit  had  its 
full  share  of  enthusiasm  in  the  Harrison-Van  Buren  presidential  cam- 
paign of  1840.  It  could  scarcely  be  called  a  campaign  of  ideas,  or  a 
struggle  for  reforms,  it  was  simply  a  grand  national  frolic  in  which  the 
people  showed  their  surface  likes  and  dislikes  in  jubilant  and  uproarious 
style.  Jackson's  course  in  regard  to  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  as 
well  as  other  measures,  had  been  approved  by  the  agricultural  States, 
but  it  had  diminished  his  strength  in  the  large  commercial  centers  of 
the  seaboard.  Many  supporters  of  the  Democrat  party  now  turned 
against  it,  and  the  opposition,  consisting  of  the  old  Federals,  Anti- 
Masonic,  National- Republican  and  other  elements,  now  combined  in 
one  party  under  the  name  of  "Whig."  This  name  was  first  suggested 
in  1834  by  James  Watson  Webb,  editor  of  the  New  York  Courier  and 
Enquirer,  who  had  been  an  army  officer,  and  was  stationed  at  Detroit 
in  1819.  In  1836  a  good  many  Democrats  were  opposed  to  the  nomi- 
nation of  Van  Buren  for  the  presidency,  but  he  was  Jackson's  political 
child,  and  the  will  of  Old  Hickory  was  obeyed.  The  Whigs  again 
opposed  him  with  Harrison,  preferring  him  to  Henry  Clay,  because  he 
had  no  record  and  was  not  a  slaveholder.  The  distinguishing  name  of 
the  campaign  was  suggested  by  a  sneering  allusion  to  Harrison  in  the 
Baltimore  Republican,  a  Democratic  paper,  as  follows:    "  Give  him  a 

404 


barrel  of  hard  cider  and  settle  a  pension  of  $3,000  a  year  on  him,  and 
our  word  for  it,  he  will  sit  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  a  log  cabin." 
The  Whigs  were  incensed  by  the  imputation,  and  henceforth  the  log- 
cabin  and  hard  cider,  and  other  symbols  of  pioneer  poverty  were 
accepted  by  them  as  favorite  properties  in  the  great  election  drama 
of  1840. 

William  Henry  Harrison,  although  poor,  had  made  a  most  distin- 
guished record  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  the  singing  of  "Tippecanoe  and 
Tyler  too,"  would  set  Whig  assemblies  in  a  state  of  frenzy.  There 
were  enormous  mass  meetings  which  have  seldom  been  duplicated  in 
after  years.  Fifty  thousand  people,  two  thousand  of  whom  were  from 
Detroit  and  Michigan,  gathered  in  the  summer  at  the  Tippecanoe  battle 
ground  on  the  Maumee.  A  majority  went  there  on  horseback  and  in 
wagons,  carrying  with  them  tents,  food  and  bedding.  But  some  went 
there  on  foot  from  points  200  miles  distant.  In  Detroit  the  Whigs 
erected  a  log  cabin  40  by  50  feet  in  dimensions,  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  street.  It  was  fitted  up  with  all  the 
pioneer  furniture  and  accessories,  and  with  strings  of  dried  apples  and 
flitches  of  bacon  depending  from  the  rafters.  Hard  cider  was  dispensed 
gratis  to  all.  The  cabin  was  dedicated  April  21,  and  after  addresses, 
a  crowd  of  about  1,000  persons  sat  down  to  a  meal  of  pork  and  beans, 
hominy,  johnnycake,  pumpkin  pie,  etc.,  and  drank  hard  cider  to  the 
toasts.  Another  big  Whig  meeting  in  Detroit  drew  15,000  people  from 
the  interior  of  the  State.  There  were  not  enough  beds  in  the  town  to 
accommodate  them,  and  thousands  slept  on  floors  and  out  of  doors  on 
the  streets.  The  procession  was  about  four  miles  long  and  one  of  the 
attractions  was  the  ship  "Constitution,"  which  was  drawn  by  six 
horses  and  had  a  full  crew  on  board.  There  were  flags  and  banners 
and  all  sorts  of  emblems,  and  one  party  rolled  along  a  big  leather  cov- 
ered ball  about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  Democrats  were  almost 
stunned  by  the  Whig  demonstration,  and  generally  did  not  care  to  com- 
pete. A  Democratic  barbecue,  however,  was  held  on  September  28, 
1840,  on  the  Cass  farm,  and  Richard  M.  Johnson,  vice-president  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  candidate  for  re  election,  was  present.  He  came 
to  Detroit  by  steamboat  and  there  happened  to  be  a  number  of  Whigs 
on  the  boat.  At  that  time  the  Democrats  insisted  that  Harrison  had 
skulked  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  and  that  Johnson  was  the  true 
hero  of  that  battle,  and  the  man  who  killed  Tecumseh.  The  Whigs 
on  the  boat,  who  entertained   a  sincere  respect  for  Johnson,  paid  their 

405 


respects  to  him.  In  conversation  he  said  that  before  engaging  the  en- 
emy he  asked  permission  of  General  Harrison  to  charge  with  his  reg- 
iment in  column.  Harrison  then  asked  him  if  he  had  drilled  his  men 
for  such  a  desperate  movement,  and  he  replied  that  he  had.  Harrison 
then  gave  him  permission,  and  he  soon  engaged  the  enemy.  "I  did 
not  see  the  general  until  after  the  battle,"  said  Johnson,  "  but  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  was  in  his  proper  place  as  commander-in-chief." 

The  Democratic  barbecue  was  attended  by  a  large  crowd,  but  en- 
thusiasm was  lacking  and  there  was  neither  humor  or  music.  In  the 
electorial  college  Harrison  received  234  votes  against  60  cast  for  Van 
Buren,  and  in  the  popular  votes  he  received  146,315  plurality,  which 
was  five  times  more  than  Van  Buren  had  received  over  Harrison  in 
1836,  James  G.  Birney,  of  New  York,  the  candidate  of  the  Liberty, 
or  Anti  Slavery  party,  received  7,059  votes.  Meanwhile  mighty  forces 
were  at  work  and  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  was  gathering  strength 
every  hour.  The  murder  of  Rev.  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  at  Alton,  III,  on 
November  7,  1837,  added  fuel  to  the  flame.  In  1844  Lewis  Cass  was  a 
candidate  against  James  K.  Polk  for  the  Democrat  nomination  for 
the  presidency,  but  the  latter  triumphed.  The  Whigs  nominated 
Henry  Clay,  who  was  a  slaveholder.  There  were  many  Whigs  who 
were  opponents  of  slavery,  and  they  seceded  and  cast  their  votes  for 
James  G.  Birney,  who  received  15,812  votes  in  New  York  State.  This 
diversion  of  Whig  votes  carried  New  York  and  the  presidency  for  Polk. 
In  1848  the  Whigs  elected  Zachary  Taylor  over  Lewis  Cass.  Martin 
Van  Buren  had  meanwhile  recanted  his  errors  and  become  a  Free- 
Soiler,  and  was  the  candidate  of  that  party  for  the  presidency.  By 
drawing  off  enough  votes  from  the  Democrats  he  allowed  the  Whigs 
to  win  by  a  plurality  of  nearly  140,000  votes.  In  1852  the  Whigs 
nominated  Winfield  Scott,  who  was  defeated  by  Franklin  Pierce, 
Democrat,  by  an  electoral  vote  of  254  to  43.  Then  the  Whig  party, 
having  failed  to  meet  the  isssue  of  the  hour,  went  out  of  existence. 
There  was  one  pro-slavery  party  in  the  country  and  there  was  no  need 
for  two. 

The  Republican  party  originated  in  Michigan  in  1854,  and  its  incep- 
tion was  in  the  Detroit  Tribune  office  with  a  number  of  prominent 
Detroiters.  There  were  then  three  parties  in  Michigan — the  Demo- 
crats, Whigs  and  Free-Soilers.  On  February  22,  1854,  the  Michigan 
Free-Soilers  nominated  Kinsley  S.  Bingham  for  governor.  Joseph 
Warren,  editor  of  the  Detroit  Tribune,  a  Whig  paper,  urged  the  Whigs 

406 


to  endorse  the  Free  Soil  ticket.  The  Free  Soil  Democrats  would  not 
vote  for  the  ticket,  and  it  was  quite  imcertain  what  the  Whigs  would 
do.  It  became  evident  that  the  proper  move  was  to  form  a  new 
party,  which  anti  slavery  men  of  all  parties  could  endorse,  but  no  one 
had  yet  made  that  proposition.  On  May  30  or  31  Hiram  Benedict,  a 
Detroit  dentist,  met  W.  D.  Cockran,  a  private  school  teacher,  and  in 
conversation  asked  the  latter  whether  the  formation  of  a  new  party 
would  accomplish  that  end.  Mr.  Cockran  would  not  say,  and  they 
both  consulted  Rev.  S.  A.  Baker,  editor  of  the  Daily  Detroit  Demo- 
crat, a  Free-Soil  sheet.  At  their  interview  with  Baker,  S.  P.  Mead 
and  Samuel  Zug  were  present.  Nothing  definite  was  elicited,  and 
Benedict  then  proposed  that  they  should  gather  friends  and  see  Joseph 
Warren  at  his  office.  This  conference  resulted  in  another  meeting  at 
the  Tribune  office,  at  which  some  twenty  were  present,  including 
Zachariah  Chandler,  J.  M.  Edmonds,  R.  P.  Toms,  Joseph  Warren,  S. 
M.  Holmes,  S.  A.  Baker,  Samuel  Zug,  S.  P.  Mead,  D.  Powers,  W.  D. 
Cockran,  Jacob  M.  Howard,  Hiram  Benedict  and  others,  Mr.  Howard 
was  made  chairman  and  Mr.  Warren  secretary.  After  an  exchange  of 
opinions  a  meeting  at  the  city  hall  was  determined  upon,  and  Warren 
was  requested  to  draw  up  a  call  for  a  mass  convention.  The  meeting 
at  the  city  hall  was  well  attended,  and  a  mass  convention  called  for 
July  6  at  Jackson.  A  Free  Soil  mass  meeting  was  held  on  June  21, 
and  that  party  withdrew  its  ticket.  Isaac  P.  Christiancy  was  requested 
by  them  to  draw  up  a  platform  to  be  presented  at  the  Jackson  conven- 
tion. Jacob  M.  Howard  also  drew  up  a  platform  for  the  same  purpose. 
When  the  two  bodies  met  at  Jackson  on  July  6,  1854,  the  parties  met  first 
in  a  hall,  but  there  not  being  room  enough  they  adjourned  to  the  open 
air.  The  Free  Soilers,  with  Christiancy  at  their  head,  assembled  under 
an  oak  tree,  and  the  Detroit  committee,  with  Jacob  M.  Howard,  met 
under  another  a  few  roads  distance.  The  two  bodies  agreed  to  the  re- 
spective platforms,  then  met  and  compared  the  two.  They  accepted 
the  Howard  platform  with  the  alteration  of  a  few  lines  suggested  by 
Christiancy,  and  it  was  adopted.  Mr.  Howard  left  the  name  of  the 
proposed  party  blank,  and  Warren  suggested  that  the  naming  of  the 
party  be  left  to  Horace  Greeley.  It  was  telegraphed,  and  the  latter 
replied,  suggesting  "Democratic-Republican."  On  motion  of  Mr. 
Howard  the  word  Democratic  was  struck  out,  and  the  latter,  who  was 
afterward  United  States  senator  from  Michigan,  was  thus  the  god- 
father of  the  Republican  party.      In  Congress  he  was  also  the  author  of 

407 


the  Thirteenth  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  United  vStates, 
which  abolished  slavery  by  law,  Lincoln's  proclamation  having  abolished 
it  as  a  war  measure. 

Later  in  the  year  Kinsley  S.  Bingham  was  nominated  by  the  Michi- 
gan Republicans  for  governor  and  he  was  elected.  In  1856  the  new 
Republican  party,  with  John  C.  Fremont  as  their  standard  bearer,  was 
defeated  by  the  Democratic  candidate,  James  Buchanan,  of  Lancaster, 
Pa.  The  issue  was  partially  obscured  by  the  Know-Nothing  party, 
whose  aim  was  to  exclude  foreigners  from  office,  and  that  party  nomi- 
nated Millard  Fillmore.  Buchanan  received  1,838,169  votes;  Fremont, 
1,341,264;  and  Fillmore,  874,538.  Then  the  southern  leaders  began  to 
feel  that  slavery  was  doomed  and  began  to  plot  secession.  In  1856 
Kinsley  S.  Bingham  was  again  elected  governor  of  Michigan,  and  the 
new  party  maintained  its  ascendency  in  the  State  for  twenty-eight 
years.  Josiah  W.  Begole,  Democrat,  was  governor  in  1883-85,  and 
Edwin  B.  Winans,  Democrat,  in  1891-92;  these  have  been  the  only 
two  exceptions  to  Republican  rule  in  Michigan  since  January,  1855. 

The  constitution  of  1835  provided  that  the  State  should  decide  in  1847 
where  the  capital  should  be  permanently  located.  When  the  Legislature 
of  1847  assembled  at  Detroit  at  the  State  House  on  Griswold  street,  the 
capital  question  was  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  all  the  members.  Each 
group  from  the  several  sections  of  the  State  wished  the  capital  removed 
to  their  own  locality,  with  the  exception  of  the  Detroit  and  Wayne 
county  members.  George  B.  Throop,  a  Detroit  lawyer,  was  appointed 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  location,  his  associates  being  Harvey 
Chubb  of  Washtenaw,  Alexander  M.  Arzeno  of  Monroe,  Patrick  Mar- 
antelle  of  St.  Joseph,  Enos  Goodrich  of  Genesee  and  Alex.  T.  Bell  of 
Ionia.  They  could  not  agree  and  made  three  separate  reports.  Throop's 
report  favored  the  retention  of  the  seat  of  government  at  Detroit,  his 
principal  argument  being  that  the  State  could  not  afford  the  expense  of 
removal.  The  others,  with  the  exception  of  Goodrich,  favored  Marshall, 
and  argued  against  Detroit,  their  objection  being  that,  being  located  on 
the  border,  it  was  liable  to  be  seized  by  a  foreign  power  in  time  of  war. 
Goodrich  stood  alone  in  favoring  some  place  in  the  northern  woods  of 
the  State,  but  did  not  designate  the  locality.  The  usual  "  log  rolHng  " 
took  place,  and  in  the  strategic  combinations  it  was  soon  discovered 
that  the  members  who  favored  removal  were  in  a  large  majority.  The 
Detroit  men  endeavored  to  pit  one  section  against  the  other  in  the  hope 
of  dividing  and  conqiiering.      In  the  Senate  Andrew  T.  McReynolds  of 

408 


J.    C.    DICKINSON,    M.    D. 


Detroit,  the  member  for  Wayne  county,  made  a  stout  fight  for  the  city. 
But  James  Seymour,  then  of  Genesee  county,  made  the  winning  prop- 
osition. He  had  pushed  out  to  Ingham  county  and  built  mills  in  the 
wilderness  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  North  Lansing,  and  he  recited  the 
advantages  .of  his  location  to  willing  ears.  He  urged  that  it  was  com- 
pletely isolated  from  political  mobs  or  popular  influences,  which  was 
the  grand  desideratum  for  a  capital,  and  added  that  he  would  donate 
the  capital  site  and  grounds.  There  were  long  and  spirited  debates  in 
both  houses,  and  the  Lansing  site  triumphed  in  the  Lower  House  by  a 
vote  of  48  to  17  and  in  the  Senate  by  a  vote  of  12  to  8. 

Of  course  Detroit  was  vexed  and  angry,  and  it  was  charged  that  its 
legislative  warriors  had  allowed  themselves  to  be  tricked  and  defeated. 
But  the  vote  clearly  showed  that  no  strategy  would  have  availed  against 
such  an  adverse  majority,  and  that  the  criticisms  were  founded  on  the 
bad  temper  engendered  by  defeat.  During  the  years  1848-50,  letters 
written  from  the  capital  by  legislators  were  postmarked  Michigan, 
Michigan.  Letters  written  to  members  of  either  house  and  to  the 
governor  were  thus  addressed.  The  temporary  capitol  was  a  wooden 
building  built  in  a  wilderness  from  which  the  forest  had  just  been 
cleared.  A  town  sprung  into  existence  about  the  capitol,  which  was 
incorporated  in  1859.  At  that  time  it  contained  3,000  people.  The 
name  Lansing  was  given  to  the  town  some  time  before  its  incorpora- 
tion. 


CHAPTER    LVII. 

Constitution  of  1850— It  Is  an  Example  of  the  Folly  of  Attempting  to  Legislate  too 
far  in  Advance  of  the  Times — It  Contains  a  Few  Excellent  Provisions  in  Advance 
of  the  Constitution  of  1835  and  a  Lot  of  Detrimental  Restrictions. 

The  constitution  of  1835  was  wisely  framed.  It  did  not  attempt  to 
provide  for  all  future  exigencies  but  was  simple  in  construction,  leaving 
the  broadest  discretion  to  the  Legislature.  The  experience  of  some  of 
the  older  States,  which  attempted  too  much  legislation  in  advance  of 
their  time,  had  warned  the  Michigan  lawgivers  to  leave  something  for 
future  generations  to  do.  Fifteen  years  later  another  constitutional 
convention  was  held  and  what  is  known  as  the  constitution  of  1850  was 

409 


formulated.  The  convention  met  at  Lansing,  June  3,  1850,  and  ad- 
journed to  August  15.  Thirty- one  counties  were  represented  by  one 
hundred  delegates.  Wayne  was  represented  by  Daniel  Goodwin,  B.  F. 
H.  Witherell,  John  Gibson,  Ammon  Brown,  Henry  J,  Alvord,  Henry  Fra- 
lick,  Peter  Desnoyers,  Henry  T.  Backus,  Joseph  H.  Baggand  Ebenezer 
C.  Eaton. 

Daniel  Goodwin  of  Wayne  was  president  of  the  convention,  and  the 
secretaries  were  John  vSwegles,  jr.,  Horace  F.  Roberts  and  Charles 
Hascall.  The  new  constitution,  which  was  merely  an  elaboration  of 
the  old,  was  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  people  on  November  5,  1850, 
and  was  adopted  by  a  majority  of  26,736  votes.  This  constitution  is 
the  one  under  which  the  State  is  doing  business  at  the  present  time, 
although  a  few  amendments  have  been  added.  Constitutional  lawyers 
agree  that  barring  a  few  restrictions  concerning  finances  and  internal 
improvements,  which  were  added  to  the  original  constitution,  the  bulk 
of  the  legislation  contained  in  the  new  constitution  has  been  a  hindrance 
rather  than  an  advantage.  Judge  James  V.  Campbell  criticised  the 
document  as  follows : 

"  In  a  republican  government  it  mtist  be  assumed  that  the  popular  representatives 
in  the  Legislature  will  act  with  honest  motives  and  reasonable  prudence;  and  while 
some  things  should  not  be  allowed  under  any  circumstances,  and  others  require 
checks,  yet  all  which  is  subject  to  be  changed  by  time  and  changing  events,  ought 
in  general  to  be  within  legislative  jurisdiction." 

The  leading  provisions  of  the  constitution  which  were  amendatory  to 
the  constitution  of  1835  were  as  follows: 

The  number  of  circuit  judges  was  increased  to  eight  and  provision 
was  made  for  a  further  increase  as  the  case  might  require.  The  terms 
of  the  judges  were  fixed  at  six  years  and  they  were  given  law  and 
equity  powers.  The  Chancery  Court  had  been  abolished  in  1846,  and 
equity  cases  had  already  come  into  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Circuit  Court. 
A  separate  State  Supreme  Court  was  provided  for  after  six  years.  The 
old  judiciary  S3^stem  was  continued  in  the  sparsely  settled  upper  penin- 
sula, which  was  left  under  jurisdiction  of  a  District  Court.  Provision 
was  made  for  the  dispensing  in  a  large  measure  with  the  grand  jury 
system,  and  preliminary  examinations  were  left  to  the  lower  courts. 
Imprisonment  for  debt  was  forbidden,  except  in  cases  of  fraud,  breach 
of  trust  and  official  misconduct.  In  place  of  annual  sessions  of  the 
Legislature,  regular  sessions  were  limited  to  once  in  two  years.  The 
constitution  forbade  the  passing  of  special  acts  of  incorporation  except 

410 


for  municipal  purposes.  It  provided  for  an  enumeration  of  the  resi- 
dents of  the  State  in  1854  and  every  ten  years  thereafter.  The  pay  of 
legislators  was  limited  to  $3  a  day  and  ten  cents  a  mile  for  traveling 
expenses.  The  salary  of  the  governor  was  fixed  at  $1,000  (it  is  now 
$4,000);  the- lieutenant-governor's  salary  was  fixed  at  $800,  and  the 
commissioner  of  the  land  office  at  the  same  compensation.  All  the 
other  offices  were  limited  to  ridiculously  small  compensation. 

The  constitution  provided  that  ordinary  revenues  should  be  raised  by 
annual  tax.  Specific  taxes  received  from  corporations  were  to  be  ap- 
plied for  the  extinguishment  of  the  State  debt,  and  then  to  the  primary 
school  fund.  The  State  was  forbidden  to  contract  a  public  debt  ex- 
ceeding $50,000,  except  for  purposes  of  war.  It  was  also  forbidden  to 
take  stock  or  interest  in  corporations  or  lend  its  credit  to  corporations. 
All  State  and  judicial  offices  were  made  elective.  The  elective  fran- 
chise was  extended  to  all  white  male  inhabitants  who  had  declared  their 
intention  to  become  citizens  six  months  before  election,  and  who  had 
resided  two  years  and  six  months  in  the  State.  In  1870  the  word 
"white"  was  stricken  from  the  constitution  and  the  colored  race  was 
admitted  to  the  ballot.  Regents  of  the  University  were  made  elective. 
Property  of  married  women  was  secured  to  their  sole  use,  etc. 

A  vote  was  taken  in  1868  for  the  holding  of  a  third  constitutional 
convention.  Those  favoring  the  proposition  cast  71,733  votes,  while 
those  who  opposed  it  cast  110,582.  Another  attempt  to  secure  a  new 
constitution  was  made  in  1874  and  it  was  defeated  by  a  still  greater 
majority.  A  total  of  sixty-two  amendments  have  been  proposed  and 
thirty-three  have  been  adopted.  Eleven  of  them  was  for  the  increase 
of  the  salaries  of  St^te  officials. 

Detroit's  mayor  in  1851  was  Zachariah  Chandler,  who,  in  after  years, 
particularly  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  became  one  of  the  most 
striking  personalities  in  the  United  States.  A  native  of  Bedford,  N. 
H.,  where  he  was  born  December  10,  1813,  he  came  to  Detroit  in  Sep- 
tember, 1833,  with  his  brother-in-law,  Franklin  Moore,  and  the  two 
went  into  partnership  in  a  store  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  Hull  house 
on  Jefferson  avenue,  where  the  Biddle  House  now  stands.  The  part- 
nership lasted  about  a  year,  and  Chandler  was  afterward  in  business 
on  his  own  account.  During  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1834  he  was  one 
of  a  corps  of  male  nurses,  with  John  Farmer,  W.  N.  Carpenter  and 
others,  who  cared  for  the  sick  and  buried  the  dead. 

In  a  few  years  he  abandoned  the  retail  general  trade  and  became  a 

411 


wholesaler.  He  was  a  keen,  shrewd  business  man,  and  soon  took  the 
lead  in  mercantile  affairs.  A  Whig  in  politics,  and  a  regular  contribu- 
tor to  the  party  exchequer,  he  also  worked  at  the  polls  on  election 
days,  and  when  opposing  Democrats  became  hostile,  was  not  slow  to 
take  off  his  coat  and  exchange  blows  when  needed.  When  Lieut. 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  stationed  at  the  Detroit  barracks  in  Detroit,  be- 
tween 1839  and  1851,  there  were  several  collisions  between  these  two 
positive  natures.  They  did  not  take  the  form  of  fisticuffs,  however,  but 
were  legal  contests  in  which  each  was  plaintiff  in  turn.  The  reason  of 
the  enmity  has  never  been  explained,  but  in  later  years,  when  Grant 
was  at  the  head  of  the  United  States  army.  Senator  Chandler  was  his 
warmest  friend  and  supporter. 

In  1848  Chandler  made  his  first  political  speech  in  favor  of  Zachary 
Taylor,  and  in  opposition  to  Lewis  Cass,  for  president.  He  was  always 
a  Free  Soiler,  and  as  the  slavery  question  became  larger  he  became 
more  radical  in  his  hatred  of  human  bondage  When  the  Underground 
railroad  was  started  he  contributed  freely  to  the  fund  for  its  operating 
expenses.  In  1850  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Whig  convention  at  Jack- 
son, but  took  no  active  part  in  the  campaign. 

In  1851  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  the  Detroit  Whigs  for 
mayor  against  John  R.  Williams,  who  had  served  in  that  office  seven 
terms.  Chandler  carried  every  ward  in  the  city.  In  1852  he  was  a 
candidate  for  governor  against  Robert  McClelland,  and  was  defeated 
by  more  than  8,000  votes,  but  ran  ahead  of  his  party  vote.  In  1854  the 
Republican  party  was  organized,  "  under  the  oaks  "  at  Jackson,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  foremost  members.  At  this  time  he  worked  unceasingly 
for  the  anti-slavery  cause.  In  1856  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  first  Re- 
publican national  convention,  and  supported  Abraham  Lincoln,  but 
Fremont  was  nominated  and  defeated.  The  Republicans  carried  Mich- 
igan, however,  and  when  the  successor  of  Cass  was  chosen,  Zachariah 
Chandler  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  in  his  place,  and  he 
was  sworn  in  on  March  4,  1857,  at  the  same  time  as  was  Jefferson  Davis 
for  Mississippi. 

Chandler's  career  in  the  Senate,  in  which  he  served  three  terms,  or 
eighteen  years,  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  United  States.  In  ante- 
bellum days,  in  discussions  on  the  Lecompton  constitution,  the  Dred 
Scott  decision,  the  John  Brown  raid,  and  the  assault  upon  Sumner  by 
"Bully"  Brooks  of  South  Carolina,  his  speeches  were  fiery,  aggressive 
and  intrepid.      Personal  violence  being  threatened  by  Southern  mem- 

412 


bers,  a  compact  was  entered  into  in  writing  by  Senators  Chandler, 
Cameron  and  Ben  Wade,  that  in  case  of  further  violence  or  outrage, 
one  of  the  three  should  take  up  the  quarrel  and  fight,  if  need  be  to  the 
death.  This  became  known  to  the  Southern  members,  and  they  be- 
came chary  of  offending  in  the  future.  Then  came  the  election  of  Lin- 
coln and  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  In  that  great  crisis,  when  Buchanan's 
cabinet  resigned  and  Southern  congressman  taunted  the  loyal  members 
and  left  their  seats.  Chandler  looked  treason  in  the  face  and  denounced 
it.  In  February,  1861,  he  wrote  the  "blood  letting  "  letter  to  Governor 
Blair,  of  Michigan,  in  which  occurred  the  following  words:  "  .  .  . 
Some  of  the  manufacturing  States  think  a  fight  would  be  awful.  With- 
out a  little  blood-letting  the  Union  would  not,  in  my  opinion,  be  worth 
a  rush."  This  letter  he  was  often  called  upon  afterward  to  meet  in 
public  life,  but  he  never  failed  to  stand  by  it  vigorously.  When  the 
punishment  of  Jeff  Davis  by  hanging  was  mooted  he  declared  in  favor 
of  it.  In  the  troublous  times  of  reconstrviction  he  was  as  firm  and  un- 
yielding as  during  the  war. 

-  In  1875  he  sought  a  fourth  re-election.  His  positive  qualities  and 
aggressive  methods  had  naturally  created  strong  enmities,  and  a 
coalition  formed  by  six  Republicans  and  the  Democratic  members  of 
the  Legislature  elected  Isaac  P.  Christiancy.  But  the  party  had  need 
of  Chandler,  and  President  Grant  appointed  him  secretary  of  the  in- 
terior. The  department  was  at  that  time  reeking  with  jobbery  and 
corruption,  but  he  cleansed  and  purified  it.  In  1879  Senator  Christiancy 
resigned,  and  Senator  Chandler  was  elected  to  the  vacant  seat  by  sixty- 
nine  out  of  eighty-eight  votes.  In  the  campaign  of  1879  he  was  active 
and  untiring.  After  making  a  speech  at  Chicago,  on  the  evening  of 
October  31,  1879,  he  returned  to  his  room  in  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel. 
Next  morning  he  was  found  dead  in  his  bed.  The  body  was  brought 
to  Detroit,  and  lay  in  state  in  the  City  Hall,  and  many  thousand  citizens 
filed  past  the  coffin  to  get  one  more  glimpse  of  that  strong  and  fearless 
face.  His  estate,  which  was  inventoried  at  about  $2,000,000,  was  divided 
between  his  widow  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Senator  Eugene  Hale,  of 
Maine. 


413 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

The  Famous  Railroad  Conspiracy— First  Encounter  of  the  Michiganders  with  a 
"  Soulless  Corporation" — High-handed  Measures  Provoke  the  People  to  Anarchy — 
They  Burn  the  Michigan  Central  Depot  at  Detroit,  November  19,  1850 — Thirty-eight 
Farmers  Arrested  for  the  Crime  and  a  Number  are  Severely  Punished. 

For  several  years  after  the  eastern  parties  had  acquired  the  owner- 
ship of  the  Michigan  Central  Raih-oad,  the  affairs  of  the  corporation 
were  conducted  in  a  manner  highly  unsatisfactory  to  the  people  along 
the  line.  In  many  cases  the  trains  would  not  stop  at  designated 
stations  for  passengers,  and  as  the  road  was  not  fenced  for  the  greater 
part  of  its  length,  many  animals  were  killed  by  the  engines.  When 
redress  was  sought,  the  manners  and  conduct  of  the  officials  was  such 
as  to  greatly  exasperate  the  sufferers.  The  road  finally  adopted  the 
policy  of  paying  half  the  value  of  the  horses,  cows  and  other  animals 
killed,  on  the  plea  that  the  owners  had  planned  to  have  the  animals 
killed  in  order  to  collect  dainages.  This  was  exceedingly  unwise  and 
unjust,  as  it  virtually  classed  every  man  who  had  his  cattle  killed  as  a 
swindler.  The  complaints  of  the  residents  being  thus  unredressed,  a 
number  who  resided  at  Michigan  Center,  Leoni  and  vicinity,  made  re- 
prisals by  placing  obstructions  on  the  track,  derailing  trains,  burning 
the  company's  property  and  committing  other  outrages.  The  last  of 
these  offenses  was  the  burning  of  the  Michigan  Central  freight  depot  in 
Detroit,  on  November  19,  1850,  involving  a  loss  of  from  $140,000  to 
$150,000. 

The  company  ferreted  out  the  guilty  parties,  and  on  April  19,  1851, 
Sheriff  Lyman  Baldwin,  with  a  posse,  went  out  to  Michigan  Center  and 
Leoni,  and  arrested  a  number  of  the  parties,  who  were  well  to-do 
farmers,  tavern-keepers  and  laborers.  They  were  confined  in  the 
Wayne  county  jail.  The  thirty- eight  defendants  tried  were  as  follows: 
John  Ackeson,  Mills  Barbour,  Ephraim  A.  Barrett,  Eri  Beebe,  Benja- 
min T.  Burnett,  James  Champlin,  Erastus  ChampHn,  Lyman  Champlin, 
Willard  Champlin,  William  Corwin,  Ebenezer  Farnham,  Ammi  Tilley, 
Grandison  Tilley,  Abel  F.    Fitch,   Andrew  J.    Freeland,  Benjamin  T 

414 


Gleason,  Abner  Grant,  William  Gunn,  Hiram  Hay,  Welcome  Hill,  John 
Ladue,  William  H.  Lang,  Miner  T.  Laycock,  Napoleon  B.  Lemm, 
Arba  N.  Moulton,  Aaron  Mount,  Daniel  Myers,  John  Palmer,  Lester 
Penfield,  Eben  Price,  Richard  Price,  Henry  Showers,  Erastus  Price, 
Russell  Stone,  Jacob  Tyrrel,  William  S.  Warner,  John  W.  Welch  and 
Orlando  D.  Williams.  David  Stuart,  prosecuting  attorney,  J.  Van 
Arman,  James  A.  Van  Dyke,  Jacob  M.  Howard,  Alex  D.  Eraser, 
Daniel  Goodwin  and  William  Gray  appeared  for  the  people,  and  Will- 
iam H.  Seward,  then  United  States  senator  from  New  York,  Will- 
iam A.  Howard,  Wells  &  Cook,  L.  W.  Hewitt,  and  N.  H.  Joy  defended 
the  accused.  The  following  jurors  were  chosen:  Silas  A.  Bagg,  Amos 
Chaffee,  Levi  Cook,  Stephen  Fowler,  Ichabod  Goodrich,  Horace  Hal- 
lock,  Alexander  McFarlane,  Alexander  C.  McGraw,  Ralph  Phelps, 
John  Roberts,  Rollin  C.  Smith,  and  Buckminster  Wight.  The  trial 
commenced  on  May  29,  1851,  and  was  continued  to  September  26,  a 
period  of  eighty-nine  days,  and  was  pertinaciously  contested  at  every 
step  by  the  able  lawyers  on  each  side.  During  its  progress  Abel  F. 
Fitch,  the  leader  of  the  conspiracy,  died,  and  Mr.  Seward  impressively 
said  he  had  been  called  to  a  higher  tribunal.  On  the  latter  date  twelve 
of  the  conspirators  were  convicted  and  sentenced  as  follows:  Ammi 
Tilley  and  Orlando  Williams,  ten  years  imprisonment;  Richard  Price, 
Eben  Price,  William  Corwin,  Ebenezer  Farnham,  Andrew  J.  Freeland 
and  Aaron  Mount,  eight  years;  Lyman  Champlin,  Willard  Champlin, 
Erastus  Champlin,  and  Erastus  Smith,  five  years. 

But  the  result  of  the  trial  did  not  deter  the  parties  aggrieved  from 
further  criminal  acts.  About  four  months  after  the  convicted  conspira- 
tors w^ere  in  State  prison,  the  Detroit  car  shops  of  the  company  were 
burned,  and  in  1854  the  passenger  depot  was  consumed  by  an  incen- 
diary fire.  In  1862  the  round  house  and  nine  locomotives  were  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  in  1865  the  freight  depot  was  laid  in  ashes.  The 
total  loss  from  these  fires  was  about  $250,000,  and  although  there  was 
no  direct  proof  it  was  generally  believed  that  they  were  destroyed  in 
revenge  for  the  actions  of  the  company. 

January  17,  1854,  was  a  gala  day  in  Detroit.  On  that  day,  after 
three  years  of  effort,  and  $300,000  in  subscriptions  raised,  the  extension 
of  the  Great  Western  Railroad  of  Canada  to  Windsor,  opposite  Detroit, 
had  been  completed.  Detroit  was  then  for  the  first  time  in  direct  rail- 
road communication  with  the  seaboard.  The  first  train  from  London, 
with  the  principal  officers  of  the  Great  Western  on  board,  arrived  at 

415 


Windsor  about  5  r.  m.  They  were  brought  across  the  ferry  amid  the 
tooting  of  steamboat  and  locomotive  whistles  and  the  thunder  of  can- 
non. A  procession  was  formed  consisting  of  the  Great  Western 
officials,  the  military  and  civic  societies  of  Detroit  and  the  mayors  of 
Detroit  and  Windsor,  which  marched  through  the  principal  streets  to 
the  freight  house  at  the  foot  of  Third  street,  where  over  2,000  persons 
dined  sumptuously. 

Slavery  existed  in  Detroit  from  the  earliest  times.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom of  the  northern  savages  to  make  slaves  of  their  prisoners  of  war, 
and  the  early  French  settlers  bought  slaves  from  them.  Many  of  the 
slaves  were  Pawnees,  a  tribe  which  was  almost  exterminated  by  the 
fierce  northern  Indians,  and  the  common  name  for  a  slave  was  Pawnee 
or  Pani.  Negro  slavery  was  soon  introduced,  and  for  nearly  a  century 
no  effort  was  made  to  check  slavery.  Canada  passed  a  law  in  1792 
which  forbade  the  importation  of  slaves,  and  declared  as  free  all  chil- 
dren born  in  the  country  after  the  date  of  the  act.  Through  the  efforts 
of  Rev.  Manasseh  Cutler,  the  ordinance  for  the  government  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  prepared  in  1787,  prohibited  slavery,  but  Detroit 
did  not  come  under  the  influence  of  this  ordinance  until  the  American 
occupation  in  1796.  The  slaves  continued  in  bondage  even  after  this, 
but  importation  being  cut  oflf  the  number  gradually  decreased  by  death. 
In  1818  they  were  made  taxable  property.  In  1827  an  act  was  passed 
by  which  no  colored  man  was  permitted  to  enter  Michigan  unless  he 
bore  a  certificate  of  his  freedom,  which  was  registered  by  the  county 
clerk.  One  of  the  last  slaves  in  Detroit  was  an  aged  Pawnee  servant 
belonging  to  Judge  Woodward,  who  enjoyed  full  liberty  for  several 
years  before  his  death.  In  1836  less  than  twenty  slaves  were  left  in 
the  State  of  Michigan,  and  a  strong  anti-slavery  sentiment  had  taken 
root  among  the  people.  Runaway  slaves  from  the  South  occasionally 
made  their  way  to  Detroit  several  years  before  Michigan  became  a 
State,  and  the  stories  of  their  hardships,  and  the  visible  marks  of  ill- 
usage  many  of  them  bore,  created  general  sympathy.  As  a  result 
quite  a  colony  of  negroes  was  living  in  Detroit  in  1830,  and  there  were 
still  more  on  the  Canadian  shore.  When  slave  hunters  pursued  these 
refugees  the  Detroiters  did  what  they  could  to  help  the  blacks  to  es- 
cape their  clutches. 

Thornton  Blackburn  and  his  wife  escaped  from  a  Kentucky  planta- 
tion in  1831,  and  made  their  way  into  Canada  safely.  Time  passed, 
and  not  being  pursued,  they  came  over  to  Detroit  to  live.     After  living 

416 


JOSEPH    G.  HAMBLEN, 


undisturbed  for  two  years  two  slave  hunters  came  to  the  city,  laid  claim 
to  the  fugitives  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  man  and  wife  were 
locked  up  in  jail  to  await  the  pleasure  of  the  claimants.  The  colored 
population,  no  doubt  instigated  by  the  anti-slavery  whites,  gathered  in 
full  force,  armed  with  such  rude  weapons  as  they  could  lay  hands  on, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  Blackburns  from  being  carried  back  to  Ken- 
tucky. Part  of  them  watched  the  steamboat  landing  to  prevent  their 
being  taken  to  the  boats,  and  the  greater  part  assembled  around  the 
jail.  Two  days  passed  in  which  friends  were'  admitted  to  the  jail,  and 
one  woman  changed  clothing  with  Mrs.  Blackburn  and  enabled  her  to 
escape  to  Canada.  This  enraged  the  slave  hunters,  and  they  demanded 
that  Blackburn  should  be  immediately  taken  to  the  wharf  by  the  sher- 
iff, and  delivered  to  them  on  a  steamer  which  was  waiting.  Sheriff 
John  M.  Wilson  undertook  to  make  the  delivery,  but  the  colored  people 
gathered  about  the  wagon  like  a  swarm  of  hornets.  Stones  flew  and 
clubs  were  flourished.  Before  he  had  passed  the  Campus  Martins 
Blackburn  had  been  torn  from  the  wagon  and  spirited  away,  and 
Wilson  lay  senseless  and  dangerously  injured.  An  order  came  from 
Washington  calling  a  company  of  troops  to  support  the  law,  but  after 
Thornton  landed  in  Canada  there  was  no  more  trouble. 

In  1837  an  anti-slavery  society  was  organized  in  Detroit,  and  an  in- 
stitution known  as  the  Underground  Railway  was  instituted  for  assist- 
ing slaves  to  obtain  their  liberty.  This  society,  which  extended  all 
over  the  North,  had  several  newspaper  organs,  one  of  which,  "The 
Voice  of  Freedom,  "  was  published  at  Windsor.  Agents  were  stationed 
at  many  points  between  Canada  and  the  slave  States,  and  refugees 
could  there  find  shelter  and  assistance.  The  station  masters,  as  they 
were  called,  passed  them  on  to  the  next  station,  generally  under  cover 
of  night,  until  they  finally  reached  a  terminus  on  the  border,  like 
Detroit,  where  they  crossed  the  line  into  Canada.  The  Fugitive  Slave 
Law,  passed  in  1850,  provided  for  special  officers  to  assist  in  the  cap- 
ture of  runaway  slaves,  and  gave  the  hunters  the  right  to  search  in 
private  houses.  At  this  time  about  twenty  slaves  were  arriving  at  De- 
troit every  week,  and  the  society  redoubled  its  efforts.  Many  of  the 
refugees  were  settled  on  lands  back  of  Windsor  and  Sandwich,  and  the 
descendants  of  these  people  are  numerous  in  Canada  to-day.  In  1855 
the  Michigan  Legislature  did  what  it  could  to  counteract  the  Federal 
statute,  by  authorizing  all  prosecuting  attorneys  to  defend  slaves  who 
denied  the  right  of  ownership,  and  prohibiting  the  use  of  public  jails 
for  confining  escaped  slaves. 

417 

53 


In  the  spring  of  1859  John  Brown,  the  famous  abolitionist,  came  to 
Detroit,  with  two  of  his  sons  and  two  other  Kansas  Abolitionists,  to- 
gether with  a  convoy  of  fourteen  slaves  from  southwestern  Missouri. 
Brown  had  been  driven  out  of  Kansas  by  the  partisans  of  slavery,  but 
not  until  two  of  his  sons  had  been  killed  by  a  mob.  While  in  Detroit 
he  met  Fred.  Douglass,  who  was  making  a  lecturing  tour  through  the 
West.  Several  meetings  of  the  Abolitionists  were  held  at  185  Congress 
street  east,  where  the  plan  was  laid  for  the  famous  John  Brown  raid. 
It  was  a  foolhardy  and  useless  attempt  to  establish  a  military  refuge 
for  escaped  slaves  at  Harper's  Ferry,  from  which  place  they  were  to  be 
sent  on  to  Canada.  Brown  was  defeated,  seventeen  of  his  followers 
were  killed,  and  he  and  several  of  his  associates  were  hanged.  This 
affair  widened  the  breach  between  the  free  Northern  States  and  the 
slave  States,  and  already  plots  were  hatching  for  the  secession  of  the 
latter  from  the  Union  and  the  formation  of  a  new  confederacy  which 
would  secure  the  institution  of  slavery  from  molestation. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 


Detroit  During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion — How  the  People  of  the  North  Allowed 
Themselves  to  be  Disarmed — Detroit  Becomes  the  Rendezvous  for  Michigan  Patriots 
and  a  Rallying  Point  for  Advocates  of  Dishonor  and  Treason — Wild  Scenes  on  the 
Campus  Martins. 

The  war  of  the  Rebellion  came  upon  the  people  of  the  North  in  1861 
like  a  thunderclap.  Viewing  the  war,  and  the  causes  leading  up  to  it, 
after  a  lapse  of  nearly  forty  years,  it  is  hard  to  understand  the  careless 
apathy  of  the  people  of  the  North,  while  the  slave  States  were  actively 
preparing  for  a  conflict.  The  slave  States  controlled  President  Bu- 
chanan's cabinet,  and  the  latter  built  up  the  military  armament  of  the 
South.  The  Southern  leaders  openly  boasted  that  they  would  not  be 
coerced  by  the  majority  of  the  Federal  States,  and  their  intention  to 
secede  and  form  a  new  confederation  had  been  a  standing  threat  for  a 
generation  during  the  contest  between  the  Abolitionists  and  the  slave 
owners.  The  North  would  not  believe  that  the  South  was  so  thor- 
oughly in  earnest  until  the  States  actually  seceded.  Without  attempt- 
ing to  disguise  their  purpose  the  Southerners  of  South  Carolina  erected 

418 


powerful  batteries  all  about  Fort  Sumter,  and  when  they  had  gathered 
a  sufficient  force  of  men  and  arms  demanded  the  evacuation  of  the  fort 
by  the  Federal  troops.  Upon  refusal  they  proceeded  to  bombard  the 
the  fortress  and  compel  its  surrender.  It  required  this  vicious  blow  to 
convince  the  supporters  of  the  Union  that  the  conflict  was  irrepressible. 
When  they  looked  about  for  means  of  defense,  however,  they  found 
themselves  badly  handicapped.  The  national  treasury  was  depleted 
and  the  national  defenses  were  crippled.  Before  the  North  took  alarm 
the  conspirators  had  destroyed  many  of  the  defenses  of  the  North. 
John  B.  Floyd,  secretary  of  war,  had  scattered  the  troops  of  the  regular 
army  to  remote  parts  of  the  country,  where  they  could  not  be  readily 
conveyed  to  the  Atlantic  coast.  He  had  transferred  150,000  muskets 
from  northern  to  southern  arsenals,  and  was  a  partner  to  the  robbery 
of  $870,000  in  government  securities  from  the  interior  department. 
One  of  his  orders  was  to  destroy  the  old  batteries  of  Fort  Wayne,  at 
Detroit,  and  the  gun  carriages  were  burned,  leaving  the  cannon  dis- 
abled. At  Dearborn,  eight  miles  west  of  Detroit,  was  an  arsenal,  and 
by  order  of  Secretary  Floyd  the  muskets  were  sold  at  auction  in  the 
summer  of  1860.  Such  guns  were  useless  to  the  average  citizen,  but  a 
few  farmer  boys  bought  guns  at  a  dollar  apiece,  and  the  rest  were  bid 
in  by  a  mysterious  stranger  and  shipped  to  the  South.  Every  available 
war  vessel  was  dispatched  to  distant  seas.  Floyd  was  arrested  on  the 
charge  of  robbing  the  treasury,  but  his  tracks  had  been  so  well  covered 
that  the  committee  was  compelled  to  exonerate  him.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  went  south  and  was  appointed  a  brigadier- general  in  the  Con- 
federate service. 

When  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  the  North  was  instantly  aflame  with 
patriotism.  Loyal  citizens  flung  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  the  breeze 
from  their  homes,  and  the  public  buildings  were  also  decorated  with 
flags.  In  the  general  distrust  public  officials  were  doubted,  and  many 
of  them  were  required  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  According  to 
the  census  of  1861  Michigan  had  a  population  of  751,110,  and  110,000 
of  her  sons  were  able  to  bear  arms.      Detroit  had  a  population  of  46,000. 

The  news  of  the  fall  of  Sumter  came  on  April  12,  and  next  day  a 
great  mass  meeting  was  held  on  the  Campus  Martius,  at  which  the 
citizens  pledged  their  support  to  the  Union.  Two  days  later  came  the 
call  of  President  Lincoln  for  75,000  troops  to  put  down  the  rebellion. 
This  showed  that  even  the  executive  department  did  not  realize  the 
magnitude  of  the  operations  in  the  South  or  the  strength  of  the  rebel- 

419 


lion.  Governor  Blair  arrived  in  Detroit,  April  IG,  to  confer  with  the 
leading  citizens  in  regard  to  raising  the  quota  of  troops  required  of 
Michigan.  The  Federal  government  asked  Michigan  to  send  one  reg- 
iment of  infantry  fully  armed  and  equipped,  and  it  was  confidently 
believed  that  their  services  would  be  required  but  ninety  days.  If 
some  one  had  suggested  that  Michigan  was  destined  to  send  over  90,000 
men  to  the  front  during  the  next  four  years,  and  that  nearly  15,000  of 
these  would  leave  their  bones  on  southern  soil,  the  prophecy  would 
have  been  received  with  jeers  of  derision.  It  was  found  that  the  State 
was  heavily  in  debt  and  that  $100,000  would  be  required  to  equip  the 
first  Michigan  regiment.  John  Owen,  State  treasurer,  pledged  $50,000 
for  the  city  of  Detroit  if  the  rest  of  the  State  would  raise  a  like  amount, 
and  a  subscription  paper  circulated  through  a  great  gathering  at  the 
Michigan  Exchange  Hotel  that  day  raised  $23,000  on  the  spot.  Gov- 
erner  Blair  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  ten  companies  of  volunteers, 
and  on  April  23,  he  called  a  special  session  of  the  Legislature  to  meet 
on  May  7.  On  April  24  Adjutant-General  John  Robertson  organized 
the  First  Michigan  Infantry  and  appointed  its  field  officers,  and  the 
soldiers  were  directed  to  rendezvous  at  Fort  Wayne,  Detroit.  The  First 
Regiment  was  mustered  in  on  May  11,  and  Col.  O.  B.  Wilcox  was 
placed  in  command.  It  left  Detroit  May  13,  and  in  three  days  was  at 
Washington,  although  but  poorly  drilled  for  serious  military  duty. 
This  regiment,  which  left  Detroit  780  strong,  was  in  the  thick  of  the 
fray  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  fought  July  21,  1861.  In  this  battle, 
for  a  time,  the  Union  forces  appeared  to  be  winning  all  along  the  line. 
The  First  Michigan  behaved  like  veterans,  and  charged  three  times 
upon  a  strongly  posted  battery,  leaving  many  of  their  number  on  the 
field.      Colonel  Wilcox  was  disabled  by  a  wound. 

On  June  28,  1861,  it  having  become  apparent  that  the  Rebellion 
would  not  be  put  down  in  the  ninety  days  for  which  the  first  call  for  troops 
was  made,  the  First  Regiment  was  reorganized  with  headquarters  at 
Ann  Arbor,  and  left  for  the  field  on  September  16,  960  strong.  The 
reorganized  regiment  was  commanded  by  Col.  J.  C.  Robinson,  a  cap- 
tain in  the  regular  army,  who  afterwards  became  a  brigadier,  and  finally 
a  brevet-major-general  in  the  regular  army. 

A  second  regiment  was  gathered  before  the  first  had  left  for  the 
front,  and  it  left  for  the  war  1,020  strong,  on  June  5,  with  Col.  I.  B. 
Richardson  in  command.  The  active  military  preparations  in  Detroit 
required  that  better  accommodations  be  provided  for  the  soldiers  who 

420 


rendezvoused  here.  The  old  State  Fair  Grounds,  which  was  also 
known  as  the  Detroit  Riding  Park,  was  utilized  for  a  military  head- 
quarters and  the  buildings  were  fitted  up  for  barracks.  In  honor  of 
Henry  Barns,  editor  of  the  Advertiser  and  Tribune,  it  was  called 
Camp  Barns.  This  fair  ground  was  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward 
avenue,  extending  westward  as  far  as  Cass  avenue.  Alexandrine  ave- 
nue was  its  southern  boundary  and  the  northern  boundary  lay  in  what 
is  now  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club  grounds.  Another  and  larger  military 
station  was  established  on  a  ten  acre  plat  on  Clinton  avenue,  between 
Elmwood  and  Joseph  Carapau  avenues.  The  State  Military  Board 
which  had  charge  of  the  raising  and  equipping  of  troops  was  composed 
of  Gen.  A.  S.  Williams  and  Col.  H.  M.  Whittlesey  of  Detroit;  Col.  A. 
W.  Williams  of  Lansing,  and  Col.  C.  W.  Leffingwell  of  Grand  Rapids; 
Adjutant-General  John  Robertson,  Quartermaster-General  J.  H.  Foun- 
tain and  Friend  Palmer,  his  assistants.  Col.  James  E.  Pittman  of  De- 
troit was  State  paymaster  and  he  was  afterward  made  inspector-gen- 
eral. On  August  20,  1861,  the  Sixth  Michigan  Infantry  was  mustered 
in  at  Kalamazoo;  the  Seventh  at  Monroe  two  days  later,  and  the  Fifth 
on  August  28,  at  Detroit.  A  camp  of  instruction  had  been  established 
at  Fort  Wayne  below  Detroit,  under  Col.  I.  B.  Richardson,  and  his 
regiment,  the  Second,  and  the  Fifth,  under  Col.  Henry  D,  Terry,  had 
been  well  drilled  and  fitted  for  active  duty  in  the  field.  Other  States 
imitated  the  example  of  Michigan  in  preparing  her  troops  for  ser- 
vice. In  addition  to  these  regiments,  Companies  B  and  C  of  Ber- 
dan's  Sharpshooters  were  mustered  in  at  Detroit.  The  former  com- 
pany was  raised  at  Lansing,  and  the  latter,  commanded  by  Captain 
Duester,  at  Detroit.  Two  companies  of  cavalry  were  recruited  at  Battle 
Creek  and  sent  to  join  a  Missouri  regiment.  Capt.  John  McDermott 
raised  in  Detroit  the  Jackson  Guards,  a  company  of  Irishmen,  and  they 
were  attached  to  an  Illinois  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Mulligan. 
In  addition  to  the  regiments  already  named  Michigan  sent  out  the 
following  during  1861:  Third  Infantry  from  Grand  Rapids,  1,042 
strong,  Col.  Daniel  McConnell;  Fourth  Infantry  from  Adrian,  1,024 
strong.  Col.  D.  A.  Woodbury;  Eighth  Infantry,  from  Detroit,  900 
strong,  Col.  W.  M.  Fenton;  Ninth  Infantry,  from  Detroit,  943  men, 
Col.  W.  W.  Duffield;  Sixteenth  Infantry,  Detroit,  960  men,  Col.  T.  W. 
B.  Stockton;  Eleventh  Infantry,  White  Pigeon,  1,000  men.  Col.  W.  J. 
May;  First  Cavalry,  Detroit,  1,150  men.  Col.  T.  F.  Brodhead;  Second 
Cavalry,  Grand  Rapids,  1,170  men.  Col.  W.  C.  Davis;  Third  Cavalry, 

421 


Grand  Rapids,  1,180  men,  Lieut. -Col.  R.  H.  G.  Minty;  First  Battery, 
Detroit,  123  men,  Capt.  C.  O.  Loomis;  Second  Battery,  Grand  Rapids, 
110  men,  Capt.  W.  S.  Bliss;  Third  Battery,  Grand  Rapids,  80  men, 
Capt.  A.  W.  Dees;  Fourth  Battery,  White  Pigeon,  126  men,  Capt.  A. 
F.  Bidwell;  Fifth  Battery,  Marshall,  76  men,  Capt.  J.  H.  Dennis.  Ten 
of  these  regiments  were  clothed  and  subsisted  by  the  State  until  they 
were  mustered  into  service.  In  the  early  part  of  1862  the  Sixth,  Sev- 
enth and  Eighth  Batteries,  and  the  Tenth,  Twelfth,  Thirteenth,  Four- 
teenth and  Fifteenth  Infantry  Regiments  were  sent  to  the  front  from 
various  parts  of  the  State,  and  they  were  all  away  before  April  23. 
Col.  Arthur  Rankin  came  over  from  Windsor,  Ont.,  and  offered  to 
raise  a  regiment  of  Lancers  for  the  State  of  Michigan.  This  was 
gratefully  accepted,  and  the  men  were  being  equipped  for  service,  when 
an  order  came  from  the  War  Department  disbanding  the  regiment. 
The  government  preferred  to  fight  out  its  quarrel  with  the  insurgents 
without  aid  from  other  countries,  and  this  fine  body  of  men  went  back 
to  their  homes  to  the  great  disappointment  of  the  Michigan  officials. 

Capt.  Kin  S.  D5'gert  raised  a  company  of  sharpshooters  in  Detroit, 
which  was  attached  to  the  Sixteenth  Infantry,  and  afterwards  placed  in 
Berdan's  command.  A  company  known  as  the  Stanton  Guards,  was 
raised  by  Capt.  Grover  S.  Wormer  in  Detroit,  to  act  as  a  guard  for 
rebel  prisoners  at  Mackinac  Island. 

In  1862  President  Lincoln  called  for  300,000  more  men  to  reinforce  the 
army  of  the  North  after  its  heavy  losses  in  the  peninsular  campaign, 
and  11,686  was  the  quota  for  Michigan.  The  Seventeenth  Michigan 
Infantry  went  from  Detroit  982  strong  under  Col.  William  H.  Withing- 
ton ;  the  Twenty-fourth  Infantry  was  made  up  in  Detroit,  1,027  strong, 
under  Col.  H.  A.  Morrow,  who  resigned  his  office  as  city  recorder  to 
go  to  the  front.  The  Twenty-fourth  was  an  admirable  body  of  men 
and  it  became  a  part  of  the  "  Iron  Brigade."  Among  the  other  regi- 
ments were  the  Fourth  Cavalry,  Detroit,  1,223  men.  Col.  R  H.  G. 
Minty;  the  Ninth  Battery,  Detroit,  168  men,  Capt.  J.  J.  Daniels;  the 
Fifth  Cavalry,  Detroit,  1,305  men.  Col.  T.  J.  Copeland. 

It  must  be  admitted  with  a  sense  of  shame  that  the  enemies  of  the 
country  were  not  all  in  the  South.  An  element  more  to  be  feared  was 
scattered  along  the  border  in  the  North,  composed  of  southern  sympa- 
thizers and  cowardly  persons  who  dare  not  fight,  but  were  continually 
showing  their  teeth  and  threatening  to  raise  an  army  in  the  North 
which  would  be  a  fire  in  the  rear  of  the  Union  army.      To  foment  this 

422 


threatened  trouble,  emissaries  of  the  Confederate  government  were 
sent  north  to  stir  up  the  malcontents  and  to  create  a  sentiment  in  favor 
of  the  South.  Many  of  these  persons  made  their  headquarters  on  the 
Canadian  border,  and  they  were  constantl}^  haranguing  to  show  the 
hopelessness  of  the  war,  and  alarming  the  people  by  reporting  that  a 
draft  was  about  to  be  made  for  an  enormous  number  of  troops.  When 
the  loyal  citizens  held  mass  meetings  to  stir  up  the  patriotism  of  the 
people  and  encourage  enlistments,  the  malcontents  and  rebel  agents 
gathered  with  the  others,  and  by  combining  in  organized  mobs,  made 
much  disturbance.  The  most  common  meeting-place  was  on  the 
Campus  Martins,  around  an  elevated  stand,  which  stood  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Bagley  Fountain.  On  July  15,  18G2,  a  huge  meeting  was 
held  there  preparatory  to  the  raising  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Michigan  In- 
fantry, and  a  special  stand  had  been  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  sol- 
dier's monument.  Mayor  William  C.  Duncan,  Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  Judge 
Witherell,  Capt.  Eber  Ward,  C.  C.  Trowbridge,  John  Owen  and  Duncan 
Stewart  were  the  presiding  officers,  and  E.  N.  Wilcox  and  William  A. 
Moore  were  the  secretaries.  Speeches  were  made  by  William  A.  How- 
ard and  Theodore  Romeyn,  amid  the  occasional  hoots  and  cat-calls 
from  rowdies.  T.  M.  McEntee  tried  to  speak,  but  could  not  make 
himself  heard  above  the  din.  When  it  was  suggested  that  resolutions  be 
drafted,  the  rebel  sympathizers  raised  the  cry:  "  Do  you  hear  that ;  we 
told  you  there  was  to  be  a  draft.  "  Capt  Eber  Ward  and  Duncan  Stew- 
art, who  had  been  most  active  in  raising  troops  and  furnishing  money, 
were  singled  out  for  vengeance,  and  they  would  have  been  badly  hurt  had 
not  Sheriff  Mark  Flannagan,  a  strapping  son  of  Anak,  covered  their 
retreat  to  the  shelter  of  the  Russell  House.  General  Cass,  at  that 
time  a  venerable  man  and  in  feeble  health,  was  attacked  in  his  car- 
riage, and  the  mob  surrounded  the  Russell  House,  threatening  to  hang 
the  objects  of  their  hatred.  The  stand  where  the  speeches  had  been 
made  was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  mob.  This  exhibition  of  disloyalty 
caused  intense  indignation  among  the  Union  citizens  of  Detroit,  and 
the  next  day  a  number  of  them  got  together  and  called  a  meeting  for 
the  22d,  at  the  same  place.  A  new  platform  was  built,  to  take  the 
place  of  the  one  torn  down.  At  the  meeting  E.  C.  Walker  was  tempo- 
rary chairman,  and  he  nominated  for  president,  Wm.  C.  Duncan,  then 
mayor  of  the  city.  The  following  vice-presidents  were  chosen :  Lewis 
Cass,  Ross  Wilkins,  B.  F.  H.  Witherell,  Bishop  Samuel  A.  McCoskry, 
Bishop    P.    P.   Lefevere,   Shubael   Conant,  Wm.    Barkley,    Charles    C. 

423 


Trowbridge,  Col.  J.  V.  Reuhle,  Dnncan  Stewart,  Joseph  Godfrey, 
J.  W.  Purcell,  James  Shearer,  Cyrus  W.  Jackson,  Adam  Elder, 
Gordon  Campbell,  Edward  Kanter,  Charles  Kellogg,  Fred  Behr, 
Alex.  Chapoton,  Charles  Busch,  Hugh  Moffat,  Fred  Buhl  and  Neil 
Flattery.  Secretaries,  Stanley  G.  Wight  and  C.  Wood  Davis.  The 
committee  on  resolutions,  consisting  of  Thomas  N.  McEntee,  D. 
Bethune  Duffield,  Wm.  A.  Moore,  De  Witt  C.  Holbrook,  Wm.  P. 
Yerkes,  Chancey  Hurlbut,  and  Henry  Morrow,  which  had  been  ap- 
pointed at  the  previous  meeting,  reported  a  series  of  resolutions, 
couched  in  the  most  patriotic  terms,  and  breathing  a  spirit  of  devoted 
loyalty.  They  were  adopted  unanimously.  Eloquent  speeches  were 
made  by  Henry  A.  Morrow,  Lewis  Cass,  Mark  Flanigan,  Duncan 
Stewart,  C.  I.  Walker,  H.  H.  Emmons  and  James  F.  Joy.  Morrow  in 
his  speech  announced  that  Governor  Blair  had  authorized  him  to  raise 
a  regiment,  and  a  number  of  persons  in  the  audience  said  they  would 
join  it.  The  regiment  was  afterward  known  as  the  Twenty-fourth 
Michigan. 

In  18G3  the  effects  of  the  war  began  to  tell  upon  the  country.  The 
demand  for  men  was  greater  than  the  supply  and  drafts  became 
necessary,  but  Michigan  kept  up  her  cpota  until  near  the  close  of 
the  war.  When  the  draft  began  some  of  the  rebel  sympathizers  and 
the  "  peace-at  any-price  "  men  were  drawn  with  the  rest,  and  they  were 
bitter  in  their  denunciation  of  what  they  termed  "  the  nigger  war. " 
This  feeling  culminated  in  bloody  riots  in  New  York  and  other  cities 
during  the  dark  days  of  1863,  and  Detroit  had  its  riot  with  the  others, 
only  a  little  earlier  than  most  of  the  cities.  A  mulatto  named  William 
Faulkner,  who  lived  in  Detroit,  was  charged  with  making  felonious 
assaults  upon  two  little  girls:  Mary  Brown,  white,  and  Ellen  Hoover, 
colored.  He  was  tried  on  the  charge  March  5,  1863,  before  Judge 
Witherell.  J.  Logan  Chipman  and  A.  W.  Hessler  conducted  the  de 
fense,  and  James  Knox  Govin  was  prosecuting  attorney.  When  the 
time  came  for  the  noon  recess  a  great  mob  of  hoodlums  awaited  the 
appearance  of  Faulkner  at  the  door  of  the  court  house,  which  was  at 
the  corner  of  Congress  and  Griswold  streets.  They  intended  to  lynch 
him  while  he  was  being  conducted  to  jail.  The  prisoner  was  kept  in 
the  court  room  during  the  noon  hour  to  avoid  the  fury  of  the  mob.  In 
the  afternoon  Faulkner  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  Jackson  prison. 
At  that  time  the  provost  marshal  had  a  strong  guard  to  keep  the  drafted 
men  in  custody,  and  seventy-five  of  the  guards  was  called  to  the  court 

424: 


COL.    OSCAR    A.    JANES. 


room  to  guard  the  prisoner  on  his  way  to  jail.  The  sheriff  then  started 
with  Faulkner.  The  mob  gathered  in  great  force  and  the  provost 
guards  were  saluted  by  a  volley  of  paving  stones  while  crossing  the 
Campus  Martius.  The  guards,  after  warning  the  mob  back,  fired  upon 
the  crowd,  wounding  several  persons,  and  one  inoffensive  citizen  named 
Christopher  Lang,  was  killed  by  a  stray  bullet.  Faulkner  was  landed 
safely  in  jail  and  then  the  cry  was  raised:  "  Drive  the  niggers  out ; 
they're  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles,"  It  was  just  after  nightfall,  and 
the  mob  divided  into  two  sections  to  attack  the  negro  residents. 
Wherever  a  colored  person  was  seen  on  the  street  the  hoodlums  at- 
tacked him,  and  neither  age  nor  sex  was  spared.  Ephraim  Clark,  the 
aged  sexton  of  the  colored  Episcopal  church,  was  knocked  down  and 
kicked  into  insensibility.  Louis  Pierce,  who  kept  a  little  clothing  store 
at  69  Lafayette  (now  Champlain  street),  was  seen  standing  in  front  of 
his  door;  the  crowd  pursued  him  inside  his  shop,  where  he  was  brutally 
pounded  with  clubs.  Then  his  shop  was  fired  and  utterly  destroyed, 
while  the  owner  and  his  family,  who  lived  upstairs,  narrowly  escaped 
with  their  lives.  A  young  colored  woman,  who  carried  an  infant  in 
her  arms,  was  knocked  down  on  the  street  and  the  baby  was  thrown 
from  hand  to  hand  in  the  crowd  until  it  was  nearly  dead. 

In  the  vicinity  of  East  Fort,  Brush  and  East  Congress  streets  was  a 
large  colony  of  colored  people,  extending  from  Randolph  to  Beaubien 
streets.  In  that  district  the  mob  burned  thirty-two  buildings,  twenty- 
six  of  which  were  tenements,  and  left  200  people  shelterless,  besides 
destroying  all  their  household  effects  and  pounding  the  victims  with 
clubs.  Solomon  Huston  and  his  brother  kept  a  cooper  shop  near  the 
corner  of  East  Fort  and  Beaubien  streets.  They  were  regarded  by  the 
people  as  champions  of  their  race,  and  the  panic-stricken  Africans  fled 
from  their  blazing  tenements  to  take  shelter  in  the  cooper  shop.  The 
mob  followed  and  set  the  building  on  fire  in  a  dozen  places,  and  as  fast 
as  the  inmates  attempted  to  escape  they  were  knocked  down  and  thrown 
back  until  their  lives  were  in  imminent  danger.  Edward  Crosby,  a 
Michigan  Central  fireman,  was  shot  by  some  person  in  the  crowd  dur- 
ing the  scene  at  the  cooper  shop,  and  thirty-three  shots  were  picked  out 
of  his  back  and  neck.  The  mob  tried  to  burn  the  colored  Episcopal 
church,  but  Constable  Sullivan,  of  the  Seventh  ward,  took  his  stand  on 
the  steps,  pistol  in  hand,  and  threatened  to  kill  the  first  man  in  the 
crowd  who  showed  a  light,  and  the  mob  gave  way  before  him.  He 
was  afterward  presented  with  a  gold  watch  by  several  public  spirited 

425 


residents.  Fire  engine  No.  2  was  working  at  the  fire  when  the  mob 
made  a  rush  and  tried  to  disable  it,  but  several  brave  citizens  came  to 
the  rescue  of  the  firemen,  and  the  streams  of  water  were  turned  upon  the 
hoodlums  with  good  effect.  Even  the  women  of  the  city  did  what  they 
could  in  sheltering  the  victims  of  the  mob.  Mrs.  Isaac  W.  IngersoU 
saw  a  Windsor  negro  running  along  the  alley  in  rear  of  her  house  pur- 
sued by  a  blood-thirsty  mob.  She  ran  out  and  cried:  "  Stop,  you  shall 
not  touch  him,  you  devils."  She  took  him  into  the  yard  of  her  hus- 
band's sash  factory  on  Fort  street  and  at  night  lodged  him  in  her  house 
in  safety.  The  city  was  in  a  wild  state  of  excitement.  In  lesponse  to 
the  call  for  military  force  to  restore  order,  the  following  companies 
turned  out:  The  Light  Guard,  under  Captain  Matthews;  the  Lyon 
Guard,  under  Captain  Stanton;  the  Nineteenth  U.  S.  Infantry  from 
Fort  Wayne,  and  five  companies  of  the  Twenty-Seventh  Infantry  from 
Ypsilanti.  The  mob  scattered  before  the  military  arrived,  and  next 
day  sixteen  of  the  ring  leaders  were  arrested.  The  active  portion  of 
the  mob  was  composed  of  excitable  boys  and  young  men,  some  being 
the  sons  of  prominent  citizens.  While  they  were  setting  fire  to  the 
shanties  and  rookeries  and  making  bonfires  of  the  household  goods  in 
the  middle  of  the  street,  older  persons  stood  by  encouraging  their  acts 
of  lawlessness,  and  a  disturbance  which  might  have  been  quelled  in  a 
few  moments  by  two  or  three  determined  men  assumed  the  proportions 
of  a  riot,  and  many  citizens  passed  the  night  in  fear  of  a  general  con- 
flagration that  might  destroy  the  town.  In  the  course  of  time  it  be- 
came evident  that  Faulkner  had  been  wrongfully  convicted  and  after 
serving  six  years  he  was  pardoned.  To  make  some  amends  for  the  in- 
justice done  him  some  charitable  citizens  set  him  up  in  business  in  a 
stall  of  the  Central  Market,  where  he  was  for  many  years  a  well  known 
character. 

In  1863  a  plot  was  organized  under  the  sanction  of  the  Confederate 
government  for  the  purpose  of  liberating  the  rebel  prisoners  in  the 
North.  There  were  8,000  at  Camp  Douglass,  near  Chicago;  4,000  at 
Camp  Morton,  near  Indianapolis;  8,000  at  Camp  Chase,  near  Columbus, 
and  3,200  at  Johnson's  Island,  near  Sandusky.  The  prisoners  at  the 
last  named  place  were  all  officers.  The  plan  was  to  attack  all  these 
places  simultaneously  on  Monday,  September  19,  1864.  Leaders  and 
subordinates  were  stationed  at  each  of  these  places.  The  leader  in 
charge  of  the  Johnson's  Island's  part  of  the  plan  was  Major  C.  H.  Cole, 
and  two  of  his  trusted  subordinates  were  Bennett  G.  Burley,  a  Scotch- 

426 


man  and  acting  master  in  the  Confederate  navy,  and  John  Yates  Beall, 
a  wealthy  West  Virginian,  who  had  organized  a  company  of  infantry 
which  was  afterward  a  part  of  the  "Stonewall  Brigade."  Cole  in as- 
queraded  at  Sandusky  as  a  speculator  in  oil  of  Titusville,  Pa.,  was  a 
lavish  entertainer  and  made  friends  with  the  officers  of  the  U.  S.  steamer 
Michigan,  then  stationed  near  Sandusky  to  protect  the  Johnson's  Isl- 
and garrison.  He  had  been  entertained  on  the  Michigan  before  and 
had  secured  an  invitation  to  dinner  on  the  day  that  the  affair  was  to 
take  place.  On  September  19,  1864,  Cole,  Burley,  Beall  and  another 
boarded  the  steamer  Philo  Parsons  at  Detroit.  The  clerk  of  the 
steamer  was  Walter  Ashley,  who  was  also  part  owner,  and  she  plied 
between  Detroit  and  Sandusky.  At  Sandwich  and  Amherstburg  some 
twenty  five  men  came  on  board,  and  at  the  latter  place  -a  heavy  trunk. 
The  boat  reached  Kelly's  Island  about  4  p.  m.,  and  then  proceeded  on 
her  way.  About  fifteen  minutes  afterward  the  boat  was  seized  and  the 
trunk  opened.  It  contained  revolvers  and  axes,  which  were  distributed 
among  the  raiders.  At  Middle  Bass  Island  they  found  the  steamer 
Island  Queen,  which  had  been  seized  by  another  party,  and  those  on 
board,  including  some  twenty- five  Union  soldiers,  were  compelled  to 
go  on  board  the  Philo  Parsons.  The  Island  Queen  was  afterward  set 
adrift.  The  Philo  Parsons  proceeded  to  a  point  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  steamer  Michigan,  and  Cole  went  to  her  on  a  small  boat 
to  fill  his  engagement.  There  were  Confederate  accomplices  on  board 
the  Michigan,  and  he  had  arranged  to  have  the  wine  drugged,  the  of- 
ficers, stupefied  and  the  boat  seized,  and  then  to  give  a  signal  to  the 
Philo  Parsons,  when  both  boats  would  appear  before  Johnson's  Island 
and  liberate  the  prisoners.  But  after  dinner,  while  drinking  a  glass  of 
wine,  an  officer  from  Johnson's  Island  came  on  board  and  went  to  the 
cabin.  Touching  Cole  on  the  shoulder  he  said:  "  Major,  I  arrest  you 
for  being  a  Confederate  spy."  Cole  laughed  lightly,  although  his  heart 
sank.  He  coolly  admitted  his  guilt,  and  immediately  proceeded  to  tell 
that  several  innocent  men  were  his  accomplices.  These,  of  course, 
were  arrested,  and  in  the  trial  that  followed  he  was  sentenced  to  death, 
but  he  escaped  and  was  subsequently  pardoned.  Meanwhile  Burley 
and  Beall,  the  leaders  on  board  the  Philo  Parsons,  waited  for  the  signal 
from  the  Michigan,  but  none  came.  They  turned  back,  landed  the  sol- 
diers and  other  prisoners  on  Fighting  Island,  and  then  landed  the 
steamer  at  Sandwich,  where  she  was  plundered,  and  holes  were  bored 
in  her  bottom  in  order  to  scuttle  her.      Beall  was  hung  as  a  spy  on  Gov- 

437 


ernor's  Island,  New  York,  on  February  24,  1865.  Burley  was  arrested 
at  Toronto  at  the  instance  of  U.  S.  District  Attorney  Alfred  Russell  of 
Detroit,  then  in  Canada  on  business  connected  with  the  St.  Alban's  raid. 
Burley  was  charged  with  robbery  and  after  trial  was  extradited.  He 
was  brought  to  Detroit  and  confined  in  the  House  of  Correction  for 
several  months,  and  was  tried  at  Port  Clinton,  the  county  seat  of  Otta- 
wa county,  O.,  in  which  county  the  offense  was  committed.  Alfred 
Russell  appeared  for  the  United  States,  and  ex-Judge  Rufus  P.  Ranney, 
of  Toledo,  and  Sylvester  Larned,  of  Detroit,  defended  Burley.  The 
jury  disagreed,  and  another  trial  was  ordered,  but  while  in  confinement 
the  friends  of  Burley  helped  him  to  escape  In  Montreal  he  wrote  an 
account  of  the  affair,  which  was  published  by  Lovell  &  Co.  In  his  ad- 
venturous after-life  he  returned  to  Scotland;  then  went  to  Africa  and 
was  with  Burnaby's  famous  march ;  and  at  last  accounts  was  a  war 
correspondent  for  a  London  newspaper.  The  cause  of  the  failure  was 
treachery.  Colonel  Johnson,  a  southern  man,  who  claimed  to  have  been 
badly  treated  by  Judah  P.  Benjamin,  the  rebel  acting  secretary  of  war, 
had  disclosed  the  whole  plot.     Johnson  afterward  committed  suicide. 

Stirring  times  were  those  when  the  army  of  the  North  was  gathering 
for  the  fray.  Soldiers  paraded  the  streets  of  Detroit  in  new  uniforms, 
the  admiration  of  their  wives,  mothers  and  sweethearts.  They  drilled 
zealously,  and  had  their  mad  pranks  when  off  duty.  War  songs  were 
sung  and  whistled  about  the  streets  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night. 
"John  Brown's  Body  "  was  kept  marching  on;  "  Tenting  To-night  on 
the  Old  Camp  Ground;"  "All  Quiet  along  the  Potomac  To-night;" 
"When  this  Cruel  War  is  Over;"  "Lora  Vale;"  "When  Johnnie 
Comes  Marching  Home,"  and  a  hundred  other  songs  were  familiar  to 
every  citizen.  Later  came  the  lyrics  of  battles  and  of  prison  life — 
"  Just  before  the  Battle,  Mother;  "  "  Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys 
are  Marching; "  "  Marching  through  Georgia,"  and  many  others — which 
the  lapse  of  forty  years  has  not  erased  from  memory.  When  the  boys 
were  recruiting,  or  when  a  number  of  them  were  home  on  a  furlough, 
street  fights  were  frequent,  for  the  soldier  is  loaded  with  patriotism 
and  very  touchy  about  national  honor.  If  a  southern  sympathizer 
made  invidious  remarks  about  "  Lincoln's  hirelings,  or  mudsills,"  or 
"nigger  equality,"  or  delivered  himself  of  any  disparaging  phrases,  he 
would  be  instantly  attacked  by  a  soldier  boy,  and  usually  got  the  worst 
of  the  encounter. 

It  was  during  the  war  that  the  American  people  contracted  the  news- 

128 


paper  habit,  from  which  they  have  never  recovered.  Papers  were 
bought  and  read  in  furious  haste  when  it  was  known  that  a  great 
battle  was  about  to  take  place.  The  telegraph  offices  were  watched 
with  eager  impatience.  News  of  victory  filled  the  city  with  tremen- 
dous enthusiasm.  Bells  clanged,  fireworks  blazed  and  cannon  roared 
at  the  news  from  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  Vick.sburg,  Gettysburg 
and  Missionary  Ridge.  Deep  gloom  fell  upon  the  city  at  the  news 
from  Fredericksburg,  Cold  Harbor,  the  tvvo  battles  of  Bull  Run,  and 
other  great  fights  in  which  the  North  was  beaten.  The  country  was 
filled  with  an  intoxication  of  joy  at  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  the  peace 
of  Appomattox. 

It  is  a  long  story,  the  history  of  the  Michigan  troops  in  the  war,  and 
volumes  have  been  written  concerning  their  brave  deeds.  They  cov- 
ered themselves  with  glory  at  Fredericksburg,  at  Chancellorsville,  in 
the  deadly  strife  at  Chickamauga,  at  Chattanooga,  at  Antietam,  and  at 
Gettysburg.  The  latter  was  the  greatest  battle  of  modern  times,  and 
it  would  have  been  the  Waterloo  of  the  Rebellion  had  not  the  victo- 
rious army  been  too  badly  crippled  to  follow  up  its  victory.  The  monu- 
ments of  Michigan  regiments  on  many  a  bloody  field  bear  witness  of 
their  valor.  The  remnant  of  the  Michigan  corps  came  home  in  I860, 
leaving  about  14,000  behind  never  to  return.  The  Twenty-fourth 
Michigan,  a  part  of  the  "  Iron  Brigade,"  lost  318  by  death  in  the  serv- 
ice, and  the  others  lost  a  goodly  proportion  of  their  number.  Ban- 
quets were  given  to  the  returning  heroes  as  they  arrived,  and  the 
enthusiasm  displayed  when  they  went  away  to  the  war  was  repeated 
with  increased  fervor.  The  Michigan  boys  brought  back  123  flags 
which  had  been  captured  from  the  enemy,  and  on  July  4,  1866,  the 
decimated  regiments  paraded  the  streets,  showing  the  rents  which  shot 
and  shell  had  made  in  their  ranks.  The  captured  flags  were  presented 
to  the  State  in  the  name  of  the  Michigan  soldiers  by  Gen.  O.  B.  Will- 
cox,  who  went  out  with  the  First  Regiment. 

During  the  war  the  loyal  people  who  stayed  at  home  were  not  idle. 
In  order  to  induce  soldiers  to  enlist,  Wayne  county  and  Detroit  raised 
bounty  money  by  public  appropriations  and  private  contributions, 
amounting  to  $660,554.  Many  of  the  soldiers  went  to  the  front  leaving 
positions  of  honor  and  profit.  Others  left  employment  which  meant 
daily  bread  to  their  families,  and  to  support  these  families  the  people 
of  Wayne  county  paid  out  $547,000  through  their  county  treasury  and 
a  large  amount  by  private  contribution.     The  ladies  organized  relief 

429 


societies  and  soldiers'  aid  societies,  which  scraped  lint,  made  linen  band- 
ages and  provided  delicacies  for  the  wounded  and  sick,  and  every 
month  great  boxes  containing  comfort  for  the  boys  in  camp  went  out 
from  Detroit.  Michigan  sent  90,747  men  to  the  war  and  offered  many 
thousands  more.  Detroit  sent  6,000  out  of  the  9,213  furnished  by 
Wayne  county.  The  death  list  of  Michigan  soldiers  numbered  14,343, 
of  whom  358  were  officers. 

In  the  exultation  over  the  surrender  of  General  Lee,  the  greater 
part  of  the  North  was  ready  to  shake  hands  with  the  rebels  and  for- 
give the  past,  but  the  joy  and  gladness  was  turned  into  deep  sorrow 
and  violent  indignation  by  the  news  of  the  murder  of  President  Lin- 
coln. On  April  16  an  immense  meeting  was  held  on  the  Campus 
Martins,  at  which  the  speakers  expressed  the  grief,  horror  and  rage  of 
the  populace.  Special  services  were  held  in  all  the  churches,  and  on  the 
25th  an  immense  funeral  procession,  with  a  catafalque,  passed  through 
the  principal  streets,  in  which  nearly  all  the  houses  were  draped  with 
enblems  of  mourning. 

No  sooner  had  the  soldiers  returned  from  the  war  than  a  number  of 
patriotic  citizens  organized  a  Soldier's  and  Sailor's  Monument  Fund, 
and  Rev.  George  D.  Taylor  was  appointed  to  solicit  funds.  A  design 
submitted  by  Randolph  Rogers,  the  sculptor,  was  accepted,  and  the 
corner  stone  of  the  monument  was  laid  in  the  east  Grand  Circus  Park 
on  July  4,  1867.  Later  the  association  decided  to  place  the  monument 
on  the  Campus  Martins,  in  the  most  conspicuous  place  in  the  city. 
The  granite  work  was  completed,  and  the  chief  figure,  a  symbolic  rep- 
resentation of  Michigan  in  bronze,  was  placed  upon  the  summit  of  the 
central  shaft  in  the  spring  of  1872.  It  was  unveiled  April  9,  with  im- 
posing ceremonies.  The  lesser  figures  were  not  added  until  nine  years 
later.  The  total  cost  of  the  monument,  which  is  sixty  feet  in  height, 
was  $70,000.  While  the  figure  of  Michigan  is  superb,  the  rest  of  the 
monument  is  not  all  that  could  be  desired,  the  other  bronzes  being 
too  much  like  lay  figures. 


430 


CHAPTER    LX. 

Money,  Banks  and  Finances — Governor  Mason's  Zeal  Leads  Him  into  Disastrous 
Financiering — Michigan  Mulcted  for  Millions  in  Early  Railroad  Building — How 
Fraudulent  Banks  Kept  Afloat  in  Spite  of  the  Inspectors — The  Country  Flooded  with 
Wildcat  Money. 

In  the  early  days  of  Detroit  there  was  but  little  money,  and  all  trade 
was  conducted  by  barter.  Merchandise  and  provisions  were  exchanged 
for  furs,  and  all  values  were  generally  reckoned  from  the  unit  of  a 
pound  weight  of  prime  beaver  skin,  and  accounts  were  kept  in  that 
currency.  There  was  a  small  amount  of  French  and  Spanish  coins  in 
circulation  during  the  French  occupation,  which  was  supplemented 
afterwards  by  British  gold  and  silver,  until  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  and  the  Americans'  occupation  of  Detroit  in  1796.  From 
that  time  the  large  merchants  of  Detroit  were  the  bankers  of  the  settle- 
ment, and  were  allowed  to  issue  individual  due-bills,  being  restricted 
according  to  their  means. 

No  sooner  had  General  Hull  received  his  appointment  as  governor 
of  Michigan  than  he  determined  to  establish  a  bank  at  Detroit.  He 
conferred  with  Russell  Sturgis,  Messrs.  Parker  and  Broadstreet  and 
three  other  Boston  capitalists.  Judging  from  what  followed  it  must 
have  been  arranged  that  the  Boston  men  were  to  furnish  enough  cap- 
ital to  put  the  proposed  bank  in  operation,  while  the  governor  and 
judges  were  to  participate  in  its  affairs  in  consideration  of  their  passing 
an  act  which  would  authorize  the  bank  to  do  business,  and  by  issuing 
a  charter.  General  Hull  broached  the  subject  as  soon  as  he  arrived  at 
Detroit,  arguing  that  the  Territory  was  one  of  the  richest  in  the  world, 
and  that  a  bank  was  so  essential  to  its  commercial  interests  that  the 
profits  would  be  enormous.  The  governor  and  judges,  being  the  leg- 
islative power,  could  prevent  any  other  bank  from  coming  in  competi- 
tion. In  the  winter  of  1805  Governor  Hull  and  Judge  Woodward  went 
east  and  completed  the   final  arrangements  with  the  Boston  capitalists 

431 


and  promoters.  Early  next  spring  William  Flannigan  came  on  from 
Boston  bringing  a  large  quantity  of  iron  bars,  bolts  and  locks  to  be  used 
in  the  construction  of  a  bank  building,  and  he  was  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Hull  and  the  rest  of  the  governor's  family.  About  the  same  time  a 
petition  came  from  the  Boston  promoters  asking  the  governor  and 
judges  to  grant  a  charter  for  the  Detroit  bank.  A  substantial  looking 
bank  building,  with  massive  walls  of  brick,  iron  grated  door,  and  a 
vault  of  masonry  inclosing  a  crib  of  strong  iron  bars,  was  erected  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  streets.  The 
building  was  but  one  story  high,  but  its  strength  impressed  the  citizens 
that  the  Detroit  bank  was  both  physically  and  financially  an  impreg- 
nable institution. 

A  few  weeks  later  came  Parker  and  Broadstreet  with  $19,000  in 
specie,  the  ostensible  purpose  being  to  stock  the  bank.  The  banking 
law  was  passed  and  the  charter  was  granted  in  September.  Judge 
Woodward  was  made  president  and  William  Flannigan  cashier.  The 
charter  limited  the  period  of  the  bank  to  101  years,  and  the  capital  to 
$1,000,000.  The  bank  act  authorized  the  governor  to  subscribe  for  stock 
in  the  name  of  the  Territory,  and  when  the  stock  was  opened  for  sub- 
scription Governor  Hull  purchased  ten  shares  for  Michigan,  paying  for 
them  out  of  the  territorial  fund.  The  purpose  of  this  can  be  readily 
seen,  as  the  act  passed  by  the  governor  and  judges  declared  the  issue 
of  the  bank  legal  tender  for  all  debts  in  the  Territory,  and  the  subscrip- 
tion for  stock  in  the  name  of  the  Territory  would  give  the  impression 
that  the  wealth  of  the  Territory  was  the  backing  of  the  bank.  When  the 
sale  of  shares  to  Detroit  residents  at  $25  a  share  began  to  decline,  the 
promoters,  Parker  and  Bradstreet,  and  a  few  others  who  were  on  the 
inside  of  the  deal,  bought  heavily  at  the  rate  of  $2  a  share.  When  the 
organization  was  effected,  and  the  sale  of  stock  stopped,  the  president 
and  cashier  began  signing  great  bundles  of  engraved  bank  bills  of  dif- 
ferent denominations,  which  had  been  brought  from  the  East.  Parker 
and  Bradstreet,  having  accomplished  what  they  came  to  do,  returned 
east,  carrying  with  them  a  strong  box  containing  $165,000  in  brand 
new  bills.  These  they  passed  into  circulation  in  New  England  upon 
the  representation  that  the  bank  was  backed  by  the  Territory  of  Michi- 
gan, and  that  the  bills  were  legal  tender,  according  to  the  law  of  the 
Territory. 

Much  more  of  this  currency  was  afterward  sent  to  the  Eastern  States, 
and  peddled  out  at  a  discount  when  it  could  no  longer  be  passed  at  par. 

432 


GEORGE    C.  LAWRENCE. 


The  day  of  reckoning  was  sure  to  come,  and  to  avoid  the  consequences 
of  this  practically  unlimited  issue  of  promises  to  pay,  the  original  pro- 
moters sold  out  to  Mr.  Dexter,  another  Boston  speculator.  In  1807 
one  of  the  $5  bills  of  the  bank  was  presented  at  Detroit  for  payment  in 
specie  and  payment  was  refused.  Later  Conrad  Ten  Eyck,  an  old  resi- 
dent of  Detroit,  came  from  the  East  with  |500  in  bills,  which  he  had 
procured  at  Albany  at  a  big  discount.  Payment  was  at  first  refused, 
but  afterward  the  notes  were  honored.  The  payment  was  a  scheme  to 
restore  confidence.  Judge  Woodward  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  Henry, 
who  was  brought  to  Detroit  by  Mr.  Dexter,  Dexter's  ruse  to  restore 
confidence  was  so  successful  that  it  is  said  he  circulated  about  $12,000 
of  the  bank  bills  in  Michigan,  and  he  went  back  East  with  a  trunk  full 
of  them  to  be  peddled  out  as  before.  Nobody  knows  what  the  total 
issue  of  the  bank  amounted  to,  but  it  is  estimated  by  some  authorities 
to  have  been  $500,000,  by  others  at  $1,500,000.  No  more  bills  were 
honored,  and  the  circulation  of  them  at  heavily  discounted  values  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  Congress.  Judge  Witherell  was  appointed  to 
investigate  the  affairs  of  the  bank,  and  he  disclosed  the  true  nature  of 
the  gigantic  swindle.  Governor  Hull  and  Judge  Woodward  cried  out 
with  all  the  others,  that  the  people  of  the  country  had  been  swindled, 
and  indignantly  denied  that  they  had  been  parties  to  the  wholesale 
fraud  Their  integrity  in  this  matter  may  well  be  questioned.  They 
had  acted  in  collusion  with  the  eastern  promoters  from  the  very  first, 
and  it  is  not  likely  that  they  were  actuated  entirely  by  philanthropic 
motives.  It  is  certain  that  with  their  knowledge  and  consent  a  vast 
amount  of  the  bills  were  authorized,  signed  and  sent  out  from  this  city. 
The  question  arises:  What  was  received  in  exchange  for  those  bills? 
They  were  not  bestowed  as  charity,  but  were  exchanged  at  par  as  long- 
as  the  credit  of  the  bank  could  be  sustained.  When  the  money  market 
began  to  be  glutted  with  Detroit  currency,  they  were  passed  at  a  dis 
count.  The  $19,000  in  specie  brought  from  Boston,  and  all  the  money 
realized  from  the  sale  of  stock  in  Detroit,  had  vanished  when  Judge 
Witherell  made  his  official  investigation,  and  the  bank  was  ordered 
closed  in  1808  by  authority  of  Congress.  Judge  Woodward  came  to 
Detroit  a  poor  man.  His  salary  as  a  judge  was  $1,200  a  year,  and  al- 
though he  lived  modestly  he  could  not  have  accumulated  a  fortune  out 
of  his  savings.  Judge  Woodward  left  Detroit  a  rich  man  and  a  very 
large  land  owner,  having  pinned  his  faith  upon  land  values  rather  than 
upon  printed  promises  to  pay.      If  his  course  was  entirely  blameless  in 

433 


connection  with  the  bank,  the  records  of  the  past  are  inexplicable,  for 
they  certainly  cast  something  more  than  a  suspicion  upon  his  conduct 
as  well  as  upon  that  of  Governor  Hull. 

The  second  bank  was  the  Bank  of  Michigan  which  was  established  in 
1818.  Its  first  stockholders  were  John  R.  Williams,  Gen.  Alexander 
Macomb,  Augustus  B.  Woodward,  Otis  Fisher,  Andrew  G.  Whitney, 
James  Abbott,  William  Woodbridge,  Stephen  Mack,  James  May,  Solo- 
mon Sibley,  Peter  J.  Desnoyers,  Benjamin  Stead,  Ebenezer  S.  Sibley, 
Charles  James  Lanman,  John  Anderson,  De  Garmo  Jones,  John  H. 
Piatt,  Henry  Jackson  Hunt,  Barnabus  Campau,  Joseph  Campau,  John 
J.  Deming,  Henry  B.  Brevoort,  William  Brown,  Catherine  Navarre, 
Abraham  Edwards,  Philip  Lecuyer,  and  Mary  Devereaux.  Its  first 
president  was  John  R.  Williams,  and  its  first  cashier  James  McCloskey. 

In  1824  the  Dwights,  who  were  large  capitalists  in  Boston,  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  and  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  acquired  the  control  of  the  bank,  and 
it  was  thereafter  often  called  "  The  Bank  of  the  Dwights  "  In  this  in- 
stitution they  invested  over  $500,000.  The  bank's  first  quarters  were 
in  the  brick  building  of  the  old  Detroit  Bank,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  street.  The  bank's  affairs  not  being 
in  a  satisfactory  condition,  the  Dwights,  in  1825,  sent  Eurotas  P.  Hast- 
ings, who  had  been  a  teller  in  the  Bank  of  Geneva,  to  Detroit  to  ex- 
amine the  books  of  the  Bank  of  Michigan.  At  first  McCloskey  refused 
to  allow  his  books  to  be  examined,  but  two  days  later  he  surrendered 
them.  Hastings  found  that  $10,300  had  disappeared,  but  McCloskey 
said  it  was  all  right;  that  his  books  were  not  fully  posted.  He  pro- 
duced his  cash  book,  which  Hastings  also  examined  and  found  it  was 
carelessly  kept  and  showed  evidence  of  fraud.  McCloskey  was  so 
emphatic  in  asseverating  that  his  accounts  were  correct  that  it  was  de- 
cided to  examine  all  the  books  from  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the 
bank.  Hastings  performed  this  work  in  three  months  and  then  re- 
ported again  that  McCloskey  was  $10,300  behind.  During  this  time 
Peter  J.  Desnoyers,  who  had  succeeded  John  R.  Williams,  resigned  the 
presidency  and  Hastings  was  elected  in  his  place.  When  Hastings 
made  his  final  report  the  directors  appointed  a  committee  of  three,  con- 
sisting of  Hastings,  De  Garmo  Jones,  and  a  clerk  named  James  Whipple, 
to  count  the  money  and  take  possession  of  the  key  of  the  vault.  The 
money  was  counted,  and  to  their  surprise  they  found  that  the  funds 
agreed  with  the  cash  account. 

434     ' 


Mieanwhile,  however,  a  special  deposit  of  some  $40,000  had  been  re- 
ceived by  McCloskey  from  Charles  J.  Lanman,  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  at  Monroe.  McCloskey  had  given  a  receipt  for  this 
to  Lanman,  but  the  latter  also  wanted  the  signature  of  Hastings  as 
president,  and  sent  it  to  the  latter.  Hastings  declined  to  affix  his  re- 
ceipt, and  so  notified  Lanman.  As  the  money  was  in  the  vault  the 
committee  proceeded  to  count  it.  McCloskey  interposed,  saying  that  the 
committee  had  no  right  to  examine  the  money.  They  persisted,  how- 
ever, and  found  the  box  containing  it  nailed  up.  "  Tuis  box  was  for- 
merly open,  "  remarked  Hastings.  "  No,  sir,  "  said  McCloskey,  with  a 
great  show  of  indignation,  "  it  was  always  nailed  up.  "  The  four  per- 
sons passed  out  of  the  vault  and  Mr.  Hastings  turned  the  key  in  the 
door.  "I  want  that  key,"  said  McCloskey,  "I  am  responsible  for  the 
money  here."  "You  are  not  responsible,"  said  Hastings,  "I  am 
president  of  the  bank.  "  The  key  was  of  brass,  some  nine  inches  in 
length,  and  Mr.  Hastings  carried  it  out  of  the  vault.  As  they  were 
passing  out  behind  the  counter,  McCloskey  made  a  spring  and  tried  to 
wrench  it  out  of  Hastings's  hand.  The  president,  however,  held  on  to 
the  key,  and  the  struggle  for  its  possession  continued  for  several 
minutes,  first  in  the  bank,  then  on  the  steps,  and  finally  on  the  side- 
walk. McCloskey  grasped  the  handle  and  Hastings  the  end  that  en- 
tered the  lock.  Hastings  was  resolute,  McCloskey  was  desperate,  and 
neither  would  give  up.  Finally,  De  Garmo  Jones,  who  had  a  temper 
of  his  own,  became  considerably  excited  and  mixed  in.  He  clinched 
McCloskey  and  shook  him  violently,  and  Hastings  thereby  secured 
possession  of  the  key.  That  night  the  director.-;  secured  the  attendance 
of  McCloskey's  bondsmen,  the  sheriff,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  con- 
stable, and  two  young  men,  and  in  their  presence  the  box  containing 
the  money  was  opened  and  the  money  counted.  It  was  found  to  con- 
tain $10,300  less  than  the  receipt  called  for.  One  of  the  party  discov- 
ered on  the  wall,  nearest  the  vault,  the  figures$10,300  written  in  pencil. 
It  was  now  proved  that  McCloskey  had  tried  to  square  his  accounts  by 
another  robbery.  A  search  warrant  was  made  out,  but  the  officers 
could  find  in  his  house  neither  money  nor  property  to  seize.  The 
bondsmen  finally  made  a  proposition  that  the  bank  should  sue  Mc- 
Closkey, and  if  a  judgment  was  rendered  against  him,  that  they  should 
pay  half  of  it.  This  was  accepted.  Next  day  Jonathan  Kearsley,  re- 
ceiver of  the  United  States  land  office  at  Detroit,  came  into  the  bank 
greatly  excited.      He  said  he  ought  to  have  been  apprised  of  the  defalca- 

435 


tion,  as  McCloskey  had  applied  to  him  for  a  loan  of  $10,300.  ' '  I  was  just 
about  to  count  out  the  money  to  him,"  said  Kearsley;  "if  I  had  I 
would  have  lost  it  all."  "Not  at  all,"  said  Hastings;  "if  McCloskey 
had  got  the  money  from  you  as  cashier  of  the  bank,  it  would  have  been 
restored  to  you."  Of  course  McCloskey  was  discharged,  and  after 
being  charged  with  embezzlement,  the  bank  compromised  with  his 
bondsman  by  taking  one-half  the  money  stolen. 

In  the  same  autumn  C.  C.  Trowbridge  succeeded  McCloskey  as  cash- 
ier.     Mr.  Hastings  continued  as  president  of  the  bank  until  1839,  a 
period  of  fourteen  years,  during  which  time  it  had  an  eventful  history. 
In  1832  the  Bank  of  Michigan   was  selected  by  the  government  as  one 
of  the  depositories  for  the  safe  keeping  and  disbursement   of  public 
money,  derived  mostly  from  the  sale  of  government  lands.     The  gov- 
ernment charged  these  banks  two  per  cent,   interest  on  the  funds  de- 
posited.    This  was  the  beginning  of  a  very  prosperous  era  in  Michigan 
and  the  West.     The  only  other  bank  similarly  favored  in  Detroit  was 
the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank,  which  had  been  started  in  1830 
The  bank  then  became  a  gigantic  institution,  with  a  large  capital  and 
deposits  amounting  to  nearly  $3,000,000,  and  had  intimate  connection 
with  all  of  the  prominent  banks  of  the  country.     Its  bills  circulated  as 
freely  in  Texas,  Louisiana  or  Maine,  as  in  Michigan  or  Ohio,  and  nearly 
every  prominent  man  in  the  West  and  Northwest  had  more  or  less 
business  with  it.      Money  was  loaned  freely  on  notes  and  on  wild  lands, 
and  under  the  stimulus  of  approaching  admission  to  the  Union,  a  vast 
tide  of  emigration  set  in  from  the  eastern  States,  accompanied  by  the 
wildest  speculation  in  lands.    In  1834  the  Bank  of  Michigan  established  a 
branch  at  Bronson,  now  Kalamazoo,  which  for  a  time  did  a  profitable 
business,  and  proved  to  be  a  great  convenience  to  the  people  of  that  section 
in  promoting  exchanges  and  furnishing  a  sound  local  currency.      Most 
of  the  securities  furnished  to  the  bank   during  that  period  were  based 
upon  improved  real  estate  and  wild  lands.     There  was  little  cash  capital 
in  the  State  save  that  furnished  by  the  two  banks.     The  charter  of  the 
Bank  of  Michigan  was  exceedingly  liberal,  permitting  the  ciiculation  of 
three  times  the  amount  of  its  capital,  and  also  as  much  as  the  specie  on 
hand.       Everything    seemed    to    promise  continued  prosperity,    when 
President  Jackson's  specie  circular  of  July  11,  1836,  was  issued,  and  in- 
stantly  came  disaster.     Everything  was  then  placed   on  a  coin  basis, 
and  the  banks  having  to  pay  back  the  moneys  deposited  by  the  govern- 
ment, were  much  embarrassed.     Land  schemes  collapsed  like  so  many 

436 


bubbles,  and  the  New  York  banks  suspended  payment  and  the  Detroit 
banks  followed  next. 

The  result  of  the  contest  between  President  Jackson  and  the  United 
States  Bank  affected  every  bank  in  the  country.  The  United  States 
Bank  was  organized  in  1816,  and  in  1830  it  had  become  a  power  in  the 
land.  In  that  year  Jackson  questioned  the  constitutionality  of  its 
charter,  and  in  1832  vetoed  the  bill  for  its  renewal.  Next  year  he 
ordered  a  withdrawal  of  the  public  funds  in  its  care.  The  secretary  of 
the  treasury  refused  compliance;  he  was  removed,  and  his  successor 
enforced  the  order.  The  money,  which  mostly  came  from  the  sale  of 
government  lands,  was  then  deposited  in  the  banks  of  the  several 
States.  The  Bank  of  Michigan  and  the  Farmers' and  Mechanics'  Bank, 
both  located  in  Detroit,  were  made  depositories  of  $1,500,000  of  gov- 
ernment funds,  for  which  they  had  to  pay  two  per  cent,  interest.  This 
necessitated  the  loaning  of  the  money  in  their  hands,  and  a  period  of 
great  prosperity  followed.  The  demand  for  public  lands  in  the  West 
brought  thousands  of  settlers  and  speculators  to  Detroit,  which  was 
then  the  gateway  of  the  West,  and  the  place  where  the  principal  land 
office  was  situated.  During  this  time  the  government  accepted  the 
bills  of  the  banks  of  Ohio  and  other  States,  but  the  currency  proving 
objectionable,  President  Jackson,  on  July  11,  183G,  issued  a  circular 
ordering  all  receipts  for  public  lands  to  be  in  coin.  This  caused  great 
excitement,  and  every  Detroit  bank  suspended  specie  payments.  Stag- 
nation in  business  followed,  all  manufactories  stopped,  and  large  num- 
bers of  men  were  thrown  out  of  employment. 

In  1837,  during  the  first  part  of  these  threatening  troubles,  Michigan 
became  exceedingly  ambitious  and  authorized  a  loan  of  $5,000,000  to 
aid  the  construction  of  public  internal  improvements,  including  four  rail- 
roads, three  canals  and  the  improvement  of  the  St.  Joseph,  Kalamazoo, 
and  Grand  Rivers.  The  railroads  were  to  be  named  the  Southern,  ex- 
tending from  Monroe  to  New  Buffalo;  the  Northern,  from  Port  Huron 
to  Grand  Rapids;  and  the  Central,  from  Detroit  to  St.  Joseph.  There 
was  also  a  small  railroad  from  Havre  to  the  Ohio  State  line  provided 
for.  The  whole  scheme  was  certainly  twenty-five  years  in  advance  of 
a  remunerative  demand.  Nevertheless,  the  Morris  Canal  &  Banking 
Company  of  New  Jersey,  the  owners  of  which  had  been  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  United  States  Bank,  agreed  to  be  agents  or  purchasers  of 
the  bonds  at  two  and  a  half  per  cent,  interest.     Governor  Mason  went 

437 


to  New  Jersey  to  get  the  money,  and  he  was  accompanied  by  a 
Detroit  friend.  The  sum  of  $200,000  was  given  in  advance  pay- 
ment; the  bills  were  placed  in  a  trunk;  and  the  two  came  back  to 
Detroit.  When  the  money  was  counted  some  $20,000  of  the  bills  were 
missing.  Mason  saw  his  companion  at  once  and  said:  "Look  here; 
the  money  is  gone.  Either  you  or  I  stole  it,  and  by  God  it  was  not  I." 
Of  course  his  companion  protested  it  was  not  he,  and  no  direct  proof 
of  his  guilt  could  be  found.  But  the  New  Jersey  bankers  had  affixed  a 
private  mark  on  each  bill,  and  when  this  was  made  known  in  Detroit, 
the  bills  came  back.  They  came  by  mail  to  Mason  two  weeks  after- 
ward from  Cleveland,  without  any  accompanying  explanation  or  re- 
mark. Of  the  $5,000,000  bonds  issued  only  about  $2,500,000  were 
realized,  the  remainder  being  absorbed  by  the  interest  and  commission, 
and  some  $2,000,000  were  lost  by  the  bankruptcy  of  the  contracting 
parties.  But  Michigan  did  not  repudiate  this  debt,  and  public  works 
were  pushed  forward  with  energy  and  courage.  Three  railroads  had 
been  previously  projected  and,  at  the  time  that  the  appropriation  passed, 
about  thirty  miles  of  the  Southern,  now  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad,  was  in  operation.  Aid  was  extended  to  the  Detroit 
and  Pontiac  road,  now  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road, and  in  the  summer  of  1838  twelve  miles  were  in  operation.  In 
the  spring  of  1838  the  Central,  now  the  Michigan  Central,  was  opened 
as  far  as  Ypsilanti.  The  latter  road  was  owned  by  the  State  and  was 
sold  in  1846  to  Boston  capitalists  for  $2,000,000.  The  money  w^as  paid 
principally  in  the  bonds  issued  for  the  $5,000,000  loan  which  had  been 
realized  upon,  and  also  a  part  of  those  for  which  partial  or  no  value  had 
been  realized;  the  latter  at  a  stipulated  price.  Thus  a  large  outlay  for 
an  accumulation  of  interest  was  saved,  and  a  vexatious  and  troublesome 
question  settled. 

Besides  these  enterprises  a  number  of  other  railroads  and  canals 
were  projected  by  private  companies,  one  of  which  was  a  canal  to  ex- 
tend from  Gibralter  to  Flat  Rock  in  Wayne  county.  None  of  the 
canals  was  finished  and  only  three  of  the  railroads  commenced.  To 
cap  the  climax  of  financial  hallucination,  the  Michigan  Legislature,  in 
the  same  month  as  the  $5,000,000  loan,  enacted  a  general  banking  law 
which  provided  for  an  unlimited  number  of  "  safety  fund  "  banks.  The 
stockholders  of  a  bank  under  this  law  gave  first  mortgages  upon  real 
estate  to  secure  the  notes.     This  was  the  "  Wild  Cat  "  banking  law,  so 

438 


called,  and  under  it  there  sprang  up,  as  if  by  magic,  a  host  of  banks 
largely  engineered  by  unscrupulous  and  needy  adventurers,  who  per- 
suaded the  farmers  to  mortgage  their  farms  in  order  to  buy  bank  stock 
and  thus  become  suddenly  rich.  The  country  was  soon  flooded  with 
wildcat  bank  notes  got  up  in  the  best  style  of  the  engraver's  art.  The 
law  provided  that  a  certain  amount  of  specie  was  to  be  kept  on  hand 
for  the  redempton  of  the  notes,  and  the  banks  were  permitted  to  issue 
to  the  amount  of  two  and  one-half  times  the  capital  stock.  But  this 
was  easily  evaded.  The  balloon  was  inflated  in  a  few  weeks ;  everybody 
became  excited;  money  was  plentiful;  and  every  man  who  had  real 
estate,  generally  purchased  on  a  small  margin  down,  expected  to  be- 
come a  millionaire.  Everything  rose  in  price;  land  produce  and  manu- 
factured articles.  The  notes  were  generally  sent  to  distant  States  to 
circulate,  in  the  hope  of  never  coming  back  to  Michigan.  Bank  Com- 
missioner Marshall  J.  Bacon,  a  Detroit  attorney,  made  his  rounds  all 
over  the  State  to  see  that  the  new  banks  had  the  proper  amount  of  coin. 
He  was  watched  and  his  movements  dogged.  It  was  curious  how 
many  people  stopped  him  on  the,  streets  of  Detroit  to  inquire  where  he 
was  going  at  that  time  or  in  the  near  future. 

Many  Detroiters  were  interested  in  those  village  banks  in  the  in- 
terior. When  Bacon  arrived  at  a  bank  situated  sometimes  in  a  small 
hamlet,  in  a  building  that  did  not  cost  more  than  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars, he  would  be  shown  a  keg  or  box  of  silver  and  gold.  Very  often 
the  package  and  the  money  suspiciously  resembled  what  he  had  exam- 
ined a  few  days  before.  A  story  is  extant  that  one  keg  of  gold  and 
silver  traveled  all  over  the  State  in  a  sleigh.  Sometimes  the  money 
passed  Bacon  on  the  road ;  sometimes  the  precaution  was  taken  to 
transport  it  only  by  night;  and  occasionally  it  arrived  too  late.  Then 
the  strategy  of  the  bank  managers  would  be  developed.  Every  atten- 
tion would  be  bestowed  on  the  commissioner,  refreshments  were  forced 
on  him  and  every  pretext  for  delay  invented  until  the  specie  arrived, 
when  it  would  be  rolled  in  the  back  door.  The  directors  of  a  bank  at 
Sandstone,  in  Jackson  county,  in  woeful  ignorance  of  the  duties  of  a 
bank  commissioner,  supposed  that  the  bare  sight  of  a  box  of  specie  was 
enough  to  satisfy  the  official  of  their  financial  standing.  They  accord- 
ingly opened  it  before  him,  and  showed  him  the  rouleaux  of  gold  coins 
at  the  top.  To  their  unspeakable  consternation  he  pulled  out  some  of 
the  coins  and  proceeded  to  pile  them  up  on  a  table,  and  there,  at  the 

439 


bottom  of  the  box  was  a  valuable  collection  of  tenpenny  nails  and 
broken  glass.  But  the  other  banks  had  the  genuine  metal  to  show. 
The  facile  cashier  would  then  come  forward  and  make  the  necessary 
affidavits,  the  money  would  be  counted,  and  the  commissioner  departed, 
and  then  the  money  would  be  placed  in  the  original  package  and  taken 
away  to  be  inspected,  perhaps  the  next  day,  at  another  bank.  It  was 
curious  that  a  lawyer  like  Bacon  could  be  deceived  in  that  way.  Per- 
haps he  was  not,  but  if  he  was  a  complaisant  or  corrupt  official  he  did 
not  get  rich.  On  the  contrary  he  was  as  poor  as  the  proverbial  church 
mouse,  and  found  it  cheaper  to  move  than  pay  rent.  Within  the  space 
of  ten  months  forty-nine  banks  were  organized  and  forty  went  into 
operation.  The  bubble  soon  burst,  and  in  1839,  only  seven  banks 
were  in  existence.  But  the  notes,  like  chickens,  came  home  to  roost. 
The  banks  couldn't  redeem  them.  The  cashiers  all  said :  "  You  must 
wait."  Men  had  pockets  full  of  money,  but  couldn't  buy  a  barrel  of 
flour.  The  farmers  were  at  their  wits'  end,  for  their  mortgaged  farms 
were  their  only  as.sets;  the  speculators  had  nothing  at  stake.  But  they 
did  not  lose  their  farms,  because  the  banking  law  was  declared  uncon- 
stitutional by  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  mortgages  went  for  nothing. 
In  the  early  part  of  1837  the  prices  of  produce  reached  the  highest 
notch.  Flour  ranged  from  $11  to  $16  per  barrel;  corn  meal  was  $1.50 
per  cwt.,  and  potatoes  $2  per  bushel,  and  other  provisions  in  like 
proportion.  But  the  panic  which  prostrated  everything  later  in  the 
year,  brought  provisions  down  and  flour  fell  to  $8  per  barrel.  The 
great  staple  fell  lower  and  lower  during  the  panic  until  in  1842  it  was 
sold  for  $2.25  per  barrel. 

The  evil  effects  of  this  ignorant  financial  legislation  were  felt  in 
Michigan  for  many  years  beyond  the  panic.  Its  discredited  bank  bills 
gave  the  East  a  bad  impression  of  the  honesty  of  the  new  State,  and 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  emigrants  disregarded  its  many  advantages 
and  fertile  soil,  and  passed  on  to  settle  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  Wisconsin 
and  other  States  -and  Territories  further  west.  In  this  wildcat  era, 
all  the  wildcat  banks  failed,  but  the  Bank  of  Michigan  and  the  Farm- 
ers' and  Mechanics'  Bank,  being  sound  institutions,  soon  resumed 
specie  payments.  In  the  early  part  of  1839  the  Dwights  demanded  a 
change  and  Mr.  Hastings  was  succeeded  by  C.  C.  Trowbridge,  who  man- 
aged it  until  the  bank  closed  in  October  of  that  year.  The  panic  of 
1837  had  ruined  it. 

440 


WILLIAM  C.  YAWKHY 


Mr.  Trowbridge  was  a  leading  citizen  and  a  man  of  spotless  integrity. 
His  manner  was  exceptionally  urbane  and  cordial,  and  it  was  said  by  a 
business  man  that  when  seeking  pecuniary  accommodations  he  would 
sooner  be  refused  by  Mr.  Trowbridge  than  have  it  granted  by  any  other 
bank  officer.  When  the  bank  suspended  business,  the  United  States 
had  a  judgment  against  it  and  its  bondsmen  for  $28,000.  In  this  seri- 
ous dilemma  the  bank  employed  James  T.  Joy  to  go  to  Washington  and 
endeavor  to  induce  the  government  to  take  the  bank  building  in  lieu  of 
the  debt.  The  United  States  court  rooms  and  offices  at  that  time  were 
in  rather  inferior  quarters  in  the  third  and  fourth  stories  of  the  John  R. 
Williams  building,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and 
Bates  street,  and  it  was  thought  probable  that  the  new  and  handsome 
stone  building,  which  had  been  erected  by  the  bank  in  1836,  might  be 
used  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Joy  went  to  Washington  and  waited  upon 
the  secretary  of  the  treasury.  He  related  the  condition  of  things  in 
Detroit,  the  difficulty  in  raising  money,  the  fact  that  all  the  real  estate 
controlled  by  the  bank  or  owned  by  the  sureties  would  not,  if  sold  on 
execution,  realize  the  indebtedness,  and  pointed  out  the  desirability  of 
the  building  as  a  United  States  court  house.  After  consultation  the 
secretary  agreed  to  the  bargain,  the  bank  building  became  the  property 
of  the  government,  and  the  sureties  were  released.  The  building  cost 
$44,000,  besides  the  cost  of  the  site.  The  affairs  of  the  bank  were 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Shubael  Conant  as  receiver,  and  were  finally 
settled  up  in  1844. 

The  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank  commenced  business  in  June, 
1830,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  which  four  years  later  was  increased  to 
$400,000.  In  1834  it  established  a  branch  at  St.  Joseph,  Berrien 
county.  John  Biddle,  a  brother  of  Nicholas  Biddle,  president  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States,  was  its  first  president,  and  Henry  H.  Sizer 
was  its  first  cashier.  Later  John  A.  Wells  was  its  cashier  and  mana- 
ger. It  came  to  an  end  in  1839,  and  was  renewed  in  1845.  But  in 
1869,  after  paying  all  its  debts,  it  went  out  of  business. 

The  Michigan  Insurance  Company  of  Detroit,  was  started  on  March 
7,  1834.  It  was  authorized  to  transact  insurance  business  only,  but  on 
March  9,  1843,  was  authorized  to  do  a  banking  business.  It  suspended 
specie  payment  in  1857  and  1861,  but  only  for  a  short  time.  Its  presi- 
dents during  its  existence  were  James  Abbott,  Douglass  Houghton  and 
John  Owen,  and  its  cashiers,  H.  H.  Brown,  H.  K.  Sanger  and  Walter 
Ingersoll.      In  1869  its  business  and  real  estate  and  personal  property 

441 


were  transferred  to  the  First  National   Bank  and  it  ceased  to  exist 
Everything  was  paid  and  a  surplus  of  about  eighty  per  cent,  divided. 

The  Detroit  City  Bank,  the  only  Detroit  institution  organized  under 
the  so  called  "  wildcat"  banking  law,  started  in  business  in  1837.  Henry 
M.  Campbell  was  president,  and  T.  H.  Harris  cashier.  Like  all  the 
rest  of  its  breed,  it  closed  its  doors  in  1839. 

The  Michigan  State  Bank  began  to  do  business  in  1835,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  $200,000.  Frederic  H.  Stevens  was  its  first  president,  and  John 
Norton,  jr.,  was  the  first  cashier.  Mr.  Norton  was  appointed  fiscal  agent 
of  the  State  and  handled  all  of  the  $5,000,000  loan  currency  that 
reached  the  State.  It  was  fairly  successful  for  a  time,  but  was  forced 
to  suspend  in  1839  and  went  into  the  hands  of  an  assignee.  It  was 
revived  during  the  same  year,  but  succumbed  in  1844,  after  paying  its 
debts  and  declaring  a  dividend  of  $5,000. 

The  Bank  of  St.  Clair  commenced  business  in  183G,  at  Palmer,  now 
St.  Clair,  but  removed  to  Detroit  in  1843.  It  went  under  in  1845,  and 
all  its  depositors  and  note-holders  lost  their  money. 

The  Detroit  Savings  Bank  was  incorporated  as  the  Detroit  Savings 
Fund  Institute  in  1849.  The  name  was  changed  to  Detroit  Savings 
Bank  in  1871.     It  is  a  prosperous  and  reliable  institution. 

The  Peninsular  Bank  commenced  business  in  1849,  when  Charles 
Howard  was  elected  president  and  H.  H.  Brown  cashier.  The  bank  did 
a  fine  business  for  several  years,  but  was  badly  crippled  by  the  panic  of 
1857.  It  recuperated,  however,  but  in  1861  had  lost  so  much  by  bad 
debts  that  it  reduced  its  stock  to  about  $100,000.  The  bank  closed  up 
in  1870,  but  was  out  of  debt. 

The  State  Bank  of  Michigan  came  into  being  in  1857,  with  L.  E. 
Clark  as  president,  and  T.  P.  Hall  cashier.  The  latter  was  succeeded 
in  1861  by  Emory  Wendell.  In  December,  1864,  the  officers  purchased 
the  First  National  Bank,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue 
and  Griswold  street,  and  both  institutions  were  merged  under  the  name 
of  the  First  National  Bank. 


442 


CHAPTER  LXI. 

The  Detroit  Metropolitan  Police  Department — Constables,  Deputy-Sheriffs  and 
Marshals  Preserved  the  Peace  of  the  Community  for  165  Years — The  Police  Depart- 
ment Has  Developed  Since  1865 — Detroit  House  of  Correction. 

Peace  and  order  were  preserved  in  Detroit  by  town  marshals  and 
constables  in  the  good  old  days  under  English  and  American  rule.  In 
troublous  times  day  constables  and  night  watchmen  were  added  to  the 
marshal's  staff,  and  too  often  the  old  maxim,  "Set  a  rogue  to  catch  a 
rogue,"  was  observed  in  making  these  appointments.  When  Detroit 
was  incorporated  in  1802  the  office  of  town  marshal  was  created  and 
this  official  acted  as  a  policeman,  fire  marshal  and  constable,  besides 
making  himself  useful  in  other  ways.  As  the  town  grew,  constables 
and  watchmen  were  added,  and  whenever  war  threatened  the  safety  of 
Detroit,  details  of  militia  or  regular  troops,  under  a  provost  marshal, 
assumed  the  functions  of  a  police  department.  Such  was  the  condition 
during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  When  the  war  was  near  its  close  and 
the  military  men  were  about  to  return  to  peaceful  avocations,  a  strife 
arose  among  the  citizens.  One  faction  wanted  to  establish  a  regular 
police  force  and  maintain  a  police  patrol  system ;  the  other  wished  to 
return  to  the  old  fashioned  regime  of  town  marshal,  constable  and 
deputy  sheriff,  and  have  these  officials  exercise  their  functions  in  the 
old  desultory  and  spasmodic  fashion.  When  the  soldiers  came  back 
from  the  front,  suddenly  released  from  the  restraint  of  military  disci- 
pline and  removed  from  the  excitement  under  which  they  had  been  liv- 
ing, it  was  perfectly  natural  that  some  of  them  should  be  too  exuberant 
in  their  spirits  and  create  disturbance  in  a  quiet  town.  Something  had 
to  be  done.  Many  of  the  citizens  opposed  the  establishing  of  a  police 
department,  because  it  would  add  to  their  taxes,  and  the  men  who  had 
formerly  done  police  duty  opposed  it  because  it  would  force  them  out 
of  office.     Advanced  ideas  prevailed. 

The  act  creating  the  Metropolitan  Police  Commission  passed  the  Leg- 
islature 'n  February,  1865,  and  Jacob  S.  Farrand,  John  J.  Bagley,  L. 
M.  Mason  and  Alexander  Lewis  were  appointed  commissioners.     They 

443 


immediately  beg-an  the  organization  of  the  department,  selecting  men 
and  officers  from  an  army  of  applicants  for  the  positions.  Their  first 
task  was  completed  and  the  first  detail  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  De- 
partment was  dispatched  to  the  public  streets  for  patrol  duty  on  May 
15,  1865.  The  police  department  was  organized  April  1,  1865,  with 
Theodore  A.  Drake  as  superintendent,  at  an  annual  salary  of  $2,000. 
Fifty  one  officers  and  patrolmen  were  sufficient  to  protect  the  city  from 
lawlessness  during  the  first  year.  Superintendent  Drake  resigned  Sep- 
tember 30,  after  six  months  of  service,  and  M.  V.  Borgman,  who  had 
started  as  a  sergeant  and  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain, 
was  made  acting  superintendent  until  August  1,  1866,  when  he  was 
made  superintendent.  He  retired  December  1,  1873,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Stephen  K.  vStanton.  Mr.  Stanton  was  succeeded  by  Andrew  J. 
Rogers  on  March  25,  1876.  Mr.  Rogers  resigned  on  January  31, 
1882,  and  the  commissioners  offered  the  office  of  superintendent  to 
Edwin  F.  Conely.  Mr.  Conely  said  he  would  accept  if  the  salary  was 
made  $4,000  a  year  instead  of  $2,000,  which  had  been  paid  to  former 
superintendents.  This  offer  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Conely  became 
superintendent  April  24,  1882,  remaining  in  that  office  f^^r  four  years. 
During  that  time  he  organized  the  department  in  admirable  fashion. 
He  planned  the  various  books  and  schedules  of  records  as  they  are  kept 
at  the  present  time.  Upon  his  resignation  on  April  30,  1885,  James 
E.  Pittman  was  appointed  superintendent,  and  at  his  request,  M.  V. 
Borgman  was  appointed  deputy  superintendent.  Deputy  Borgman 
was  succeeded  by  Captain  C.  C.  Starkweather,  April  4,  1891,  and  on 
August  8,  1892,  Mr.  Starkweather  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
police.  On  January  2,  1897,  Mr.  Starkweather  resigned,  accepting  a 
pension  of  $2,000  a  year,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Capt.  John  Martin, 
the  present  chief  of  the  department.  There  was  but  one  police  station 
in  the  city  for  several  years  after  1865,  and  that  was  in  the  Hawley 
block  on  Woodbridge  street,  adjoining  the  present  Woodbridge  street 
station.  By  1876  the  department  had  increased  to  a  force  of  121  patrol- 
men and  thirty  officers.  A  headquarters  had  been  established  in  the 
City  Hall,  and  in  addition  to  a  new  central  station  built  on  Woodbridge 
street,  stations  had  been  established  on  Trumbull  and  Gratiot  avenues. 
In  1886  the  force  had  increased  to  230  men,  174  being  patrolmen. 
Stations  had  been  established  at  Elmwood  and  Canfield  avenues  and 
on  Twentieth  street. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  512  men  on  the  police  force  and  twelve 

444 


police  stations.  All  are  connected  by  a  department  telephone  system. 
The  latest  improved  signal  boxes  give  communication  between  patrol- 
men on  duty  and  their  respective  stations.  During  the  year  ending 
July  1,  1897,  6,529  arrests  were  made,  and  the  total  amount  of  fines 
was  $22,287.  A  large  proportion  of  the  arrests  were  for  drunkenness 
and  disorderly  conduct,  the  total  number  being  2,891.  The  total 
number  of  arrests  in  the  year  1896-97  is  less  than  the  total  for  each  of 
the  eight  preceding  years,  the  number  having  reached  11,762  in  1894. 
In  connection  with  the  police  department  is  the  office  of  sealer  of 
weights  and  measures,  the  harbor  master's  office,  the  keeper  of  the 
dog  pound  and  the  sanitary  squad.  The  expense  of  maintaining  the 
department  for  the  year  ending  July  1,  1897,  was  $552,767,  of  which 
$464,139  was  paid  in  salaries. 

The  House  of  Correction  came  into  being  through  an  imperfect  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  the  city  government.  In  1860  Detroit  had  no  police 
except  a  constable  for  each  ward  and  the  city  marshal,  and  these  were 
not  efficiently  organized.  The  county  jail  was  always  overcrowded; 
the  number  made  it  impossible  to  enforce  discipline  or  cleanliness; 
and  it  was  so  weak  in  construction  that  prisoners  frequently  escaped. 
So  malodorous  had  it  become  that  some  five  grand  juries  indicted  it  as 
a  public  nuisance.  Another  prison  being  absolutely  necessary,  an  ap- 
propriation was  made  for  its  erection,  and  the  sum  actually  expended 
amounted  to  $150,000.  At  first  the  board  consisted  of  three  citizens 
and  the  mayor,  and  the  first  superintendent  was  Z.  R.  Brockway.  The 
institution  occupies  nearly  the  whole  of  the  square  bounded  by  Russell, 
Riopelle,  Alfred  and  Watson  streets,  and  the  superintendent's  residence 
and  officers'  dining  room  is  situated  on  the  adjoining  square,  bounded 
by  Alfred,  Division,  Russell  and  Riopelle  streets.  The  two  parcels  of 
land  are  about  eight  acres  in  extent.  The  institution  was  opened  on 
August  1,  1861,  and  between  that  date  and  January  1,  1898,  66,929 
prisoners  have  been  received.  The  superintendents  have  been  Z.  R. 
Brockway,  August  1,  1861,  to  December  21,  1872;  Anthony  Lederle, 
January  1,  1873,  to  November  15,  1873;  Martin  V.  Borgman,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1873,  to  February,  1879;  Joseph  Nicholson,  February,  1879. 

An  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  on  June  2,  1881,  added  one  in- 
spector, making  the  board  consist  of  four  persons,  who  were  given  the 
authority  to  appoint  the  superintendent,  officers,  guards,  etc.  From 
the  first  the  institution  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  chairs,  and  this 
is  still  the  principal  industry.  At  present  it  also  manufactures  pearl 
buttons  and  brushes. 

445 


The  House  of  Correction  is  the  only  institution  in  Detroit  that  pays 
an  annual  income  into  the  city  treasury.  In  the  report  for  1887  Super- 
intendent Borgman  showed  that  from  the  inception  of  the  prison  up  to 
that  date  the  city  had  expended  on  its  account  $189,841.36.  During  the 
incumbency  of  Superintendent  Nicholson,  it  has  paid  over  to  the  city 
the  handsome  sum  of  $514,738.30,  and  has  also  expended  out  of  its 
profits,  for  the  erection  of  new  buildings  and  repairs  and  improvements 
of  buildings  and  grounds,  the  sum  of  $121,390.81.  The  classes  of  pris- 
oners received  at  the  house  are  as  follows:  (1)  Disorderly  characters 
convicted  in  the  Detroit  Police  Court  and  the  Justice's  Courts  in  the 
counties  in  Michigan  which  have  contracts  with  the  institution  for  the 
board  of  prisoners.  (2)  First  offenders  convicted  of  criminal  offenses 
punishable  by  incarceration  in  State  prison.  (3)  Prisoners  convicted  in 
the  United  States  Court  in  this  and  other  States  and  the  Territories. 
The  Detroit  House  of  Correction  is  the  only  penal  institution  in  Mich- 
gan  that  receives  female  prisoners. 


CHAPTER    LXII. 

History  of  the  Detroit  Waterworks— The  River  Always  the  Chief  Source  of  Sup- 
ply—Delivery to  the  Consumer  First  Accomplished  in  Buckets;  then  in  Pony  Carts; 
then  in  Hollow  Tamarack  Logs,  and  Finally  in  Huge  Iron  Mains— Migrations  of  the 
Pumping  Stations. 

Although  the  residents  of  Detroit  had  a  broad  river  of  pure  water  roll- 
ing past  their  doors,  the  early  settlers  were  prejudiced  against  using  river 
water,  and  the  well-to-do  residents  generally  dug  wells  on  their  prem 
ises.  It  was  natural  that  the  wells  should  become  contaminated  and 
dangerous  to  health  as  the  population  became  more  dense.  Some  pub- 
lic wells  were  tried,  but  as  it  was  the  business  of  no  particular  person 
to  look  after  them,  their  curbs  became  rotten  and  dangerous;  domestic 
animals  occasionally  tumbled  into  them,  and  their  pumps  were  half  the 
time  out  of  repair.  So  these  wells,  which  were  located  on  the  commons 
and  open  places,  were  at  length  filled  up  and  the  people  once  more 
resorted  to  the  river.  Water  was  carried  throtigh  the  streets  in 
carts.  As  early  as  1820  the  people  began  to  discuss  the  establish- 
ing of  a  system  of  waterworks.       Several  private  individuals  offered 

446 


to  supply  the  town  with  water  if  they  could  have  the  exclusive 
right  of  furnishing  it,  but  none  of  them  had  the  backing  to  go  ahead 
and  do  it.  In  1824,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Henry  J.  Hunt,  who 
was  supposed  to  know  something  about  hydraulics  and  had  been  asked 
to  suggest  a  plan  for  supplying  the  city,  Peter  Berthelet  was  authorized 
to  build  a  wharf  out  into  the  river  from  the  foot  of  Randolph  street, 
where  there  would  be  no  likelihood  of  contamination,  and  to  construct 
a  big  pump  for  public  use.  This  system  proved  unsatisfactory.  In 
the  following  year  Bethuel  Farrand,  father  of  the  late  Jacob  S.  Farrand, 
of  New  York,  heard  through  an  acquaintance  in  Detroit  that  there  was 
an  opportunity  for  some  enterprising  man  to  get  a  valuable  hydraulic 
privilege  in  this  city.  He  laid  a  proposition  before  the  Common  Coun- 
cil and  secured  an  exclusive  franchise.  In  partnership  with  Rufus 
Wells,  he  took  a  gang  of  men  into  a  tamarack  swamp  in  Macomb  county 
and  rafted  a  large  number  of  logs  to  Detroit,  by  way  of  Clinton  River 
and  Lake  St.  Clair.  On  the  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Randolph  street  these 
logs  were  bored  by  means  of  horse  power  and  jointed  together  at  the  ends. 
Then  they  were  laid  in  shallow  trenches  along  the  principal  streets, 
and  small  service  pipes  were  carried  to  each  lot,  opening  into  a  rude 
wooden  penstock,  which  was  usually  stopped  with  a  wooden  plug. 
Then  a  pump  house  twenty  feet  square  was  constructed  on  the  river 
bank,  at  the  foot  of  Randolph  street.  Logs  of  large  bore  were  weighted 
and  sunk  in  the  river,  their  landward  ends  opening  into  a  small  basin 
made  of  tamarack  plank,  and  the  water  flowed  into  this  receptacle  from 
the  river.  A  crude  double  action  wooden  pump  was  built  above  the 
receiving  basin,  and  this  was  operated  by  horse  power  to  pump  the 
water  into  a  large  wooden  tank,  which  stood  on  a  derrick  frame  above 
the  roof,  giving  the  effect  of  a  stand  pipe  of  nearly  fifty  feet  elevation 
above  the  river,  or  about  twenty  feet  above  the  main  street  of  the  town. 
Pipes  ran  from  this  reservoir  to  the  ground  and  then  up  the  hill  to  Jef- 
ferson avenue,  where,  on  the  south  side  of  the  street,  a  stout  reservoir, 
with  a  capacity  of  about  1,000  gallons,  had  been  built  on  a  level  with 
the  tank  above  the  pump  house.  This  was  the  distributing  reservoir, 
from  which  the  pipes  of  the  system  radiated.  Patrons  paid  $10  a  year 
for  the  water  privilege,  but  while  the  quality  of  the  supply  was  good 
the  service  was  usually  defective.  Mr.  Farrand  sold  out  to  his  partner 
and  Wells  kept  looking  about  for  some  means  to  cheapen  the  cost  of 
elevating  the  water. 

In  1829  Mr.  Wells  organized  the  Detroit  Hydraulic  Company,  Lucius 

447 


Lyon,  Phineas  Davis,  jr.,  and  A,  H.  Hathon  becoming  his  partners. 
The  company  procured  a  new  ordinance  from  the  Common  Council  on 
June  3,  which  gave  the  company  an  exclusive  franchise  until  1850. 
There  had  never  been  a  time  when  the  people  did  not  complain  that 
the  quality  of  the  river  water  was  bad,  and  the  council  appointed 
Mayor  Jonathan  Kearsley  and  Alderman  Thomas  Palmer  to  look  for  a 
spring  some  distance  no  th  of  Detroit  which  could  supply  water  enough 
for  the  town  of  1,800  inhabitants.  The  Hydraulic  Company  was  also 
anxious  to  secure  an  artesian  supply,  and  were  willing  to  spend  con- 
siderable money  in  search  for  a  flowing  well  which  would  save  the  ex- 
pense of  pumping.  When  Fort  Shelby  was  demolished  two  years 
before,  the  leveling  of  the  slopes  brought  to  view  the  old  spring  hole, 
which  had  tormented  the  military  commandants  in  former  years  by 
causing  the  south  slope  of  the  embankment  to  slough  away  every 
spring.  Here  the  council  committee  decided  was  an  unfailing  supply 
of  excellent  water,  and  the  Hydraulic  Company  proceeded  to  drill  a 
four-inch  well  on  the  south  side  of  Fort  street,  between  Shelby  and 
Wayne  streets.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  drill  for  the  soil  was  a  mass 
of  quicksand,  but  it  was  almost  impossible  to  place  tubing  securely, 
because  of  the  unstable  nature  of  the  soil.  The  well  was  abandoned  at 
a  depth  of  260  feet,  and  the  company  appealed  to  the  council  for  en- 
couragement. On  June  29,  1830,  a  third  franchise  was  granted,  ex- 
tending the  term  of  the  exclusive  right  to  thirty-five  years  and  granting 
the  privilege  of  a  larger  water  rate.  A  new  pump  house  was  built  on 
Woodbridge  street,  between  Wayne  and  Cass  streets,  and  a  new  reser- 
voir was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  drilled  well.  This  had  a  capacity  of 
about  22,000  gallons,  and  the  distribution  was  through  three-inchwood- 
en  pipes  laid  on  both  sides  of  each  street.  The  horse  power  wooden 
pumps  were  discarded,  and  a  ten-horse  power  steam  engine  was  used  to 
drive  a  rotary  pump.  Next  year  a  new  reservoir  was  built  with  a 
capacity  of  120,000  gallons,  and  a  twenty-horse  power  engine  was  put 
in.  Complaints  about  the  service  and  the  quality  of  the  water  never 
ceased,  and  the  aldermen  who  constituted  the  water  committee,  and  the 
members  of  the  company,  were  constantly  harassed. 

In  1836  the  company  was  nearly  bankrupt,  having  lost  money  ever 
since  they  began  business,  and  the  growth  of  the  city  was  such  that 
the  plant,  which  had  already  been  twice  reconstructed,  was  now  totally 
inadequate.  The  people  wanted  spring  water  piped  to  the  town  from 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  but  could  not  afford  the  cost  of  the 

448 


GEORGE  H.  PAINE. 


undertaking.  In  this  dilemma  the  council  formally  forfeited  the  fran- 
chise and  purchased  the  company's  works  for  $20,500.  A  new  reser- 
voir was  built  on  a  site  at  the  foot  of  Orleans  street,  which  the  city 
purchased  of  Antoine  Dequindre.  This  was  an  expensive  work,  as  the 
elevation  was  secured  for  a  large  iron  tank  by  building  a  brick  tower 
fifty  feet  high.  When  this  was  completed  in  1838,  the  mayor  appointed 
Alderman  Peter  E.  De  Mill  and  Henry  B.  Lothrop  a  committee  on 
waterworks.  In  1840  two  committees  became  necessary,  as  two  sets 
of  waterworks  were  in  operation,  and  Henry  H.  Le  Roy  and  Chauncey 
Hurlbut  were  the  committee  for  the  Orleans  street  plant,  and  W.  F. 
Chittenden  and  Alva  Ewers  for  the  old  works  on  Woodbridge,  be- 
tween Cass  and  Wayne  streets.  In  1840  a  new  engine  house  was  built 
and  a  new  forty-five  horse  power  engine  purchased;  nine  miles  of 
tamerack  log  pipes  and  four  and  a  half  miles  of  iron  pipes  were  laid. 
Two  years  later  the  Fort  street  reservoir  was  abandoned.  In  1849  an 
engine  of  150  horse  power  was  purchased,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
1851  the  aggregate  deficit  during  the  city's  ownership  amounted  to 
$85,125.  The  people  were  discouraged  and  wanted  to  unload  the 
aqueous  elephant  upon  some  private  corporation,  but  investors  were 
wary.  The  Detroit  Water  Board  was  created  in  1852,  and  the  first 
trustees  were  Shubael  Conant,  Henry  Ledyard,  Edmund  A.  Brush, 
James  A.  Van  Dyke  and  William  R.  Noyes,  and  they  were  created  a 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  on  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1853.  The  works  were  pumping  a  million  gallons  a  day  in 
1854.  In  1856  the  city  purchased  a  pump  of  a  daily  capacity  of  3,000,- 
000  gallons  for  $50,000,  and  in  1861  another'  of  7,000,000  gallons 
capacity  was  acquired. 

In  1854  the  city  purchased  a  tract  of  ten  acres  of  the  Dequindre  farm, 
the  highest  grounds  inside  the  city  limits,  from  Antoine  Dequindre, 
and  on  this  site  built  what  was  afterward  known  as  the  Watson  street 
reservoir.  Massive  embankments  were  thrown  up,  inclosing  a  basin 
530  by  320  feet,  and  this  was  divided  by  a  partition  embankment  so 
that  the  work  was  practically  two  reservoirs.  This  gave  additional 
strength  to  the  embankments  and  in  case  either  section  broke  the  other 
would  be  left  to  do  duty  while  repairs  were  made  to  the  break.  The 
work  was  completed  in  1854  and  it  gave  an  elevation  of  about  seventy 
feet  above  the  river  level,  which  was  far  more  satisfactory  than  any  of 
the  preceding  reservoirs.  Twenty  years  later  the  city  had  outgrown 
the  capacity  of  this  basin,  and  in  1873  a  loan  of  $1,000,000  was  author- 

449 


ized  by  the  Legislature  for  beginning  a  new  system  of  waterworks. 
The  city  purchased  from  Robert  P.  Toms  thirty  five  acres,  lying  between 
the  Grosse  Pointe  road  and  the  river,  and  there  began  the  erection  of 
the  present  plant.  Three  huge  beam  pumping  engines  with  a  capacity 
of  a  million  gallons  an  hour  each,  were  put  in  the  pump  house,  one 
after  another,  and  a  triple  expansion  engine  of  the  Allistype  was  added 
in  1894.  The  present  plant  represents  a  valuation  of  $1,018,305  inside 
the  waterworks  grounds,  and  the  city  has  expended  for  water  works 
since  1836  a  total  of  $6,752,285.  The  old  wooden  pipes  have  nearly  all 
passed  out  of  use,  and  525  miles  of  iron  pipes,  ranging  from  three 
inches  to  forty-two  inches  in  diameter,  have  been  laid  at  a  cost  of 
$3, 604, 201 .  The  daily  pumping  capacity  is  100, 000, 000  gallons,  and  the 
daily  consumption  is  between  50,000,000  and  60,000,000  gallons.  In 
1885  Chauncey  Hurlbut,  for  many  years  a  water  commissioner  of  the 
city,  bequeathed  the  income  of  about  $200,000  to  the  city  to  be  used  in 
beautifying  the  grounds  at  the  waterworks  park,  and  maintaining  a 
library.  The  commissioners  have  made  it  one  of  the  most  attractive 
places  about  Detroit. 


CHAPTER   LXIII. 

Development  of  the  Gas  Industry  and  the  Municipal  Lighting  Plant — From  Pine 
Knots  and  Tallow  Dips  to  Welsbach  and  Edison  Burners — Bitter  Competition 
between  Rival  Companies  in  Gas  and  Electric  Lighting. 

In  the  earliest  days  of  Detroit's  history  the  residents  did  not  trouble 
themselves  about  public  lighting.  Their  homes  were  usually  illumin 
ated  by  the  ruddy  blaze  from  the  broad  fireplace,  and  when  this  was 
insufficient  a  torch  of  fat  pine  made  a  smoky  substitute  for  a  lamp. 
Later  they  used  shallow  dishes  half  filled  with  the  fat  of  the  wild  game 
killed  about  the  setttlement,  and  a  bit  of  rag  served  as  a  wick.  Candles 
were  introduced  very  soon  and  they  held  supremacy  for  many  a  day. 
The  sperm  oil  lamp  was  used  for  a  time,  but  was  so  smoky  that  it  never 
became  popular.  In  the  '50's  camphene  burning  fluid,  which  was  a 
compound  of  alcohol,  turpentine  and  camphor  gum,  was  much  used, 
although   it  was  very   dangerous,   and  explosions,  fires  and  accidents 

450 


were  quite  frequent.  In  the  early  'GO's  the  petroleum  industries  were 
developed,  and  the  first  shallow  wells  of  northwestern  Pennsylvania 
were  soon  furnishing  the  light  of  the  country.  It  was  a  dark  yellow, 
rank-smelling  and  very  smoky  oil  when  first  put  on  the  market.  The 
process  of  refining  was  but  little  advanced  and  the  lamps  of  the  day 
gave  but  an  imperfect  combustion. 

Detroit  has  been  lighted  by  coal  gas  since  1851.  The  Detroit  Gas 
Light  Company  was  organized  in  1849,  the  prime  movers  in  the  enter- 
prise being  the  Brown  Brothers,  a  Philadelphia  banking  firm;  G.  V.  N. 
Lothrop,  Jacob  S.  Farrand,  Theodore  H.  Eaton,  Alexander  Dey, 
Lemuel  H.  Davis  and  others.  They  erected  a  small  plant  on  Wood- 
bridge  street,  beiween  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  and  commenced  opera- 
tion in  1851.  The  company  charged  $3. 50  per  thousand  feet  of  gas,  and 
allowed  a  discount  of  five  per  cent,  for  payment  within  five  days  after 
bills  were  due.  At  this  rate  none  but  the  wealthy  citizens  could  afford 
the  luxury,  and  the  small  consumption  made  the  profits  quite  modest. 
This  scale  of  prices  continued  for  about  fifteen  years,  and  then  a 
gradual  reduction  began.  In  1872  the  rate  was  $2.50  per  thousand, 
and  the  discount  was  more  liberal  than  before.  In  this  year  the 
Mutual  Gas  Company  came  into  the  field  as  a  competitor,  and  for  seven 
years  there  was  a  bitter  war  between  the  old  and  new  companies,  the 
latter  reducing  its  general  rates.  The  old  company  had  long  before 
outgrown  its  small  central  plant,  and  in  1867  had  established  a  west 
side  gas  works  at  the  foot  of  Twenty-first  street,  and  east  side  works  at 
the  foot  of  Chene  street.  The  Mutual  Company  built  its  first  works  on 
the  river  front,  at  the  foot  of  Meldrum  avenue,  which  was  then  some 
distance  outside  the  city  limits,  in  the  township  of  Hamtramck.  The 
promoters  of  the  Mutual  were  Thomas  Dean,  William  H.  Fitch,  E.  W. 
Meddaugh  and  Frederick  E.  Driggs.  No  sooner  had  the  Mutual  Com- 
pany offered  to  supply  patrons  at  a  reduced  rate,  than  the  old  company 
went  still  lower,  and  prices  went  downward  until  private  consumers 
were  using  gas  at  fifty  cents  a  thousand  feet,  and  the  city  and  a  few 
favored  citizens  paid  but  ten  cents  a  thousand  feet.  People  complained 
of  fast  meters  and  high  rates  just  as  much  as  when  they  were  paying 
the  gilt-edged  figures,  but  gas  came  into  general  use  because  every- 
body could  afford  it.  If  people  neglected  to  pay  their  bills,  the  com- 
panies did  not  press  them  for  fear  they  would  transfer  their  patronage 
to  the  rival  company.  The  more  the  business  grew  the  heavier  were 
the  losses  of  the  rivals,  for  gas  production  had   not  been  brought  to  a 

451 


high  state  of  perfection.  At  last,  when  ruin  was  staring  the  companies 
in  the  face,  they  came  to  their  senses  and  agreed  upon  a  compromise. 

The  companies  divided  the  territory,  the  Mutual  Company  taking  the 
east  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  and  the  old  company  the  west  side.  Rates 
then  went  up  again  and  the  people  again  clamored  against  the  restora- 
tion of  high  prices.  Matters  went  on  thus  for  nearly  fifteen  years.  In 
the  mean  time  the  Ohio  oil  and  gas  fields  were  developed  and  a  coterie 
of  enterprising  Detroiters  organized  the  Detroit  Natural  Gas  Company 
on  April  30,  1886.  Among  the  incorporators  were  O.  W.  Shipman,  F. 
G.  Chidsey,  Frank  E.  Snow,  William  A.  Jackson,  John  B.  Corliss,  J. 
D.  Hawks,  F.  W.  Hayes,  Frank  J.  Hecker,  Ashley  Pond,  W.  C.  McMil- 
lan, George  Jerome  and  Henry  B.  Ledyard.  This  company  obtained 
a  franchise  from  the  city,  bought  a  right  of  way  from  Toledo  to  Detroit 
for  laying  their  supply  main,  and  for  a  number  of  years  natural  gas 
from  that  source  was  largely  used.  In  1893  it  began  to  fail,  and  the 
pumping  machinery  employed  to  accelerate  the  flow  was  found  insuf- 
ficient. 

In  1892  Mayor  Pingree  began  a  crusade  against  the  two  coal  gas 
companies,  which  were  charging  $1.50  in  spite  of  the  complaints  of 
their  patrons.  The  mayor  cited  the  ordinances  which  stipulated  that 
the  companies  were  not  to  charge  more  than  the  average  of  the  rates 
paid  in  Toledo,  Sandusky,  Cleveland,  Chicago  and  Buffalo,  and  showed 
that  Cleveland  was  paying  but  eight)^  cents  a  thousand  for  gas,  while 
the  companies  in  that  city  were  paying  a  percentage  of  their  gross 
earnings,  amounting  to  about  $20,000,  into  the  city  treasury.  Mr.  Pin- 
gree held  that  the  companies  stood  convicted  of  violation  of  the  ordi- 
nances. At  the  same  time  it  was  desirable  that  the  companies  should 
secure  extensions  of  franchises  so  that  the  bonds  could  be  floated  for 
contemplated  extensions  and  improvements.  The  struggle  lasted  three 
years,  and  then  all  the  companies  were  consolidated  and  a  new  com- 
pany bought  up  the  property  of  both  the  coal  gas  and  the  natural  gas 
companies.  A  franchise,  granted  in  1893,  stipulated  that  the  rate  was 
to  be  $1.15  a  thousand  for  lighting,  with  a  discount  of  fifteen  cents  a 
thousand,  and  ninety  cents  for  fuel  with  a  discount  of  ten  cents  a  thou- 
sand. Provision  is  made  for  further  reductions  as  the  consumption  of 
gas  increases. 

Some  new  gas  wells  which  had  been  developed  at  Kingsville,  Ont., 
were  connected  by  pipe  line  in  November,  1894,  with  Windsor,  and 
during  the  same  month  two  pipe  lines  were  laid  across  Detroit  River, 

452 


THOMAS    A.  E.  WEADOCK. 


at  the  foot  of  Orleans  street,  thus  affording  connection  with  the  natural 
gas  mains  at  Detroit.  This  gave  a  continuance  of  this  service  just  as 
it  appeared  to  have  failed  for  lack  of  supply.  The  laying  of  the  two 
pipes  across  the  river  was  accomplished  without  employing  divers,  and 
the  ingenuity  with  which  it  was  carried  out  attracted  a  great  deal  of 
attention.  On  each  side  of  the  stream  a  long  sloping  trench  was  dug, 
running  down  into  the  river.  A  section  of  the  wrought  iron  main,  200 
feet  in  length,  was  made  up  in  this  trench,  the  joints  being  strengthened 
by  heavy  jackets  of  cast  iron.  This  reinforcement  was  to  prevent  a 
short  bend  at  the  joints,  which  would  be  certain  to  break  the  couplings. 
When  a  section  was  ready  to  be  hauled  into  the  river  a  steel  cable  was 
attached  to  the  end,  and  the  other  end  of  the  cable  was  carried  across 
the  river,  where  it  was  passed  through  an  enormous  snatch  block  con- 
structed for  the  purpose.  Two  locomotives  were  hitched  to  the  Canad- 
ian end  of  the  cable  and  they  were  operated  by  signal  flags  on  the 
American  shore.  When  the  section  of  the  main  had  nearly  all  been 
hauled  into  the  river,  the  locomotives  were  signaled  to  stop  pulling, 
and  another  section  was  added  to  the  first.  The  hauling  was  then  re- 
sumed, and  this  process  went  on  until  one  end  of  the  main  was  hauled 
out  on  the  Canadian  shore.  So  heavy  was  the  mass  of  iron  that  seven 
locomotives  were  required  to  make  the  final  hauling.  The  two  mains 
were  laid  side  by  side  and  a  light  ship  was  anchored  above  them  on  the 
"middle  ground  "  in  the  river,  to  warn  vessels  from  anchoring  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  pipes. 

Detroit  was  one  of  the  first  cities  of  the  United  States  to  adopt  the 
electric  arc  lamp  for  street  lighting.  In  1879  the  electric  arc  lamp  was 
advertised  as  a  special  attraction  by  traveling  circuses,  and  Cleveland 
soon  introduced  some  arc  lamps  to  encourage  local  enterprise.  The 
Brush  Electric  Light  Company  filed  articles  of  association  at  Lansing 
on  June  22,  1880,  and  the  incorporators  were  Wells  W.  Leggett,  1,990 
shares;  George  N.  Chase,  1,990  shares  and  William  M.  Porter,  20 
shares.  They  started  in  a  very  modest  way  to  place  their  business  be- 
fore the  Detroit  public.  A  small  Brush  dynamo  was  installed  in  the 
basement  of  the  Free  Press  building,  and  a  circuit  of  fifteen  lights  was 
distributed  among  a  few  subscribers  about  the  lower  end  of  Woodward 
avenue.  In  December,  1881,  the  company  was  reorganized  on  a  larger 
scale  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Isaac  L.  Lyon  was  the  president  and 
Clarence  A.  Black,  Joseph  Black,  Frank  D.  Black,  James  L.  Edson, 
Wells  W.  Leggett,  Allan  Bourn  and  E.  M.  Lyon  were  the  stockholders. 

453 


In  January,  1883,  the  business  of  the  company  had  so  increased  that 
the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  $300,000. 

The  Detroit  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  was  organized  in 
1889  and  obtained  a  franchise  October  10.  The  incorporators  were 
William  B.  Morgan,  George  H.  Hammond,  jr.,  Joseph  B.  Moore,  An- 
drew Hair,  G.  E.  Fisher,  W.  H.  Fitzgerald,  George  M.  Vail  and 
several  others,  including  representatives  of  the  Fort  Wayne  Electrical 
Company.  Besides  these  companies,  which  were  bitter  rivals  in 
bidding  for  the  city  contract,  charters  were  issued  to  the  Edison 
Electric  Light  Company,  February  28,  1881;  to  the  Excelsior  Electric 
Light  Company  May  10,  1884;  to  the  Dorset  Underground  Service 
Company  September  23,  1885,  and  to  the  Edison  Illuminating  Company 
July  13,  1886. 

The  Brush  Electric  Light  Company  was  granted  a  franchise  for 
street  lighting  in  1882,  but  its  offer  to  light  the  city  for  fifty  cents  per 
lamp  per  night  was  rejected  by  the  Common  Council,  because  the  gas 
companies  preferred  to  continue  lighting  the  city  and  the  large  force 
of  lamp  lighters  employed  by  the  city  under  the  supervision  of  a  gas 
inspector  would  be  thrown  out  of  their  jobs.  Next  year  the  offer  was 
renewed,  but  it  was  rejected  by  a  vote  of  17  to  7  by  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  but  the  City  Council  voted  to  have  Woodward  avenue 
lighted  by  electricity  from  Adams  avenue  to  the  river,  and  Jefferson 
avenue  from  Third  to  Brush  streets.  During  that  year  twenty-four 
lights  were  installed,  displacing  116  gas  lamps,  and  the  service  was  so 
satisfactory  that  the  Brush  Electric  Light  Company  got  the  contract 
for  lighting  the  entire  city  in  1884,  the  price  being  $95,000.  The  com- 
pany erected  133  towers,  ranging  from  104  to  150  feet  in  height,  and 
300  lights  were  furnished. 

The  Detroit  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  was  organized  in 
1889,  and  in  the  following  year  it  underbid  the  Brush  Company  and 
furnished  1,031  lamps  for  $133,716,  whereas  the  Brush  Company  had 
received  $137,937  for  furnishing  719  lamps  during  the  previous  year. 

Mayor  Pingree  had  urged  the  Common  Council  since  1890  to  take 
the  necessary  steps  for  establishing  a  municipal  electric  light  plant,  and 
the  question  was  submitted  to  popular  vote  in  April,  1893.  The  people 
voted  15,282  for  it,  and  only  1,245  against  it.  The  necessary  legisla- 
tion was  secured,  and  the  city  issued  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $600,000 
to  defray  the  cost  of  erecting  the  plant.  A  site  was  obtained  on  the 
river  front,  between  Bates  and  Randolph  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $63,135, 

454 


and  on  this  site  the  necessary  buildings  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $72,  • 
248.  The  machinery  selected  was  of  the  best  available  type  at  the  time, 
and  when  the  plant  was  complete  it  had  a  capacity  of  2,000  arc  and 
3,000  incandescent  lamps.  The  total  investment  then  amounted  to 
$739,222.  In  1896  the  city  was  operating  but  1,600  arc  lamps,  the  re- 
mainder of  the  plant  being  held  in  reserve  for  emergencies  and  exten- 
sions. The  total  cost  for  operating  and  maintaining  the  plant  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1897,  was  $110,141.  Of  this  amount  about  sixty- 
eight  per  cent,  was  for  wages  to  employees  and  the  balance  for  the 
necessary  supplies.  According  to  this  showing,  the  cost  of  operating 
all  night  arc  lamps  365  nights  in  a  year,  was  $64.19  per  lamp  as  against 
$128,  the  lowest  price  paid  the  Detroit  Electric  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany, and  $183,  the  lowest  price  paid  the  Brush  Company. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

Cemeteries  of  Two  Centuries  in  Detroit— The  Heart  of  the  City  Built  on  the  Bones 
of  a  Forgotten  Population — History  of  the  Most  Notable  Graveyards — Thousands 
Lie  in  Unmarked  Graves  Beneath  Public  Streets  and  Buildings. 

Those  who  frequent  the  heart  of  the  city  of  Detroit  tread  upon  the 
dust  of  a  forgotten  population.  Three  hundred  yards  back  from  the 
river,  between  St.  Antoine  street  on  the  east  and  Cass  street  on  the 
west,  lie  the  bones  of  hundreds  of  former  residents.  The  old  cemetery 
of  St.  Anne's  church  adjoined  the  edifice,  and  the  spot  where  Griswold 
street  and  Jefferson  avenue  intersect  was  in  the  very  center  of  it. 
Nearly  all  the  Detroiters  who  died  during  the  first  century  of  the  city's 
history  are  buried  there.  A  few  of  the  graves  were  marked  with 
stones,  but  the  majority  were  not.  In  1817  the  governor  and  judges 
granted  the  parish  of  St.  Anne  a  new  plot,  bounded  by  Cadillac  square. 
Earned,  Bates  and  Randolph  streets,  on  condition  that  the  original 
site  of  the  church  and  cemetery  be  dedicated  to  the  town.  Some  of  the 
dead  were  removed  to  the  new  cemetery,  but  many  were  left  to  be  ex- 
humed by  the  workmen  who  afterward  laid  the  foundations  for  build- 
ings in  the  old  ground.  It  is  even  asserted  that  some  of  the  tomb- 
stones were  broken  up  and  used  in  the  foundations  of  buildings  now 
standing  on  Jefferson  avenue.     During  the  British  regime  in   Detroit 

455 


the  space  on  the  east  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  bounded  by  Congress, 
Bates  and  Larned  streets,  was  used  as  a  burial  place  for  the  English 
and  other  Protestant  residents.  Some  of  these  remains  were  removed 
when  the  English  cemetery  was  granted  by  the  governor  and  judges  to 
the  First  Protestant  Society  for  church  purposes,  and  the  others  were 
removed  from  their  resting  place  by  the  builders  of  the  churches,  which 
were  erected  on  that  block  between  1820  and  1830. 

To  provide  more  room  for  the  dead,  as  they  were  crowded  out  by  the 
living,  the  city  purchased  a  plat  of  two  and  one  half  acres  from  Antoine 
Beaubien  in  1827.  This  Beaubien  purchase  lay  between  Beaubien  and 
Hastings  streets.  Its  southern  boundary  was  about  on  the  present  line 
of  Clinton  street,  and  its  northern  boundary  was  perhaps  100  feet  south 
of  Gratiot  avenue.  The  ground  is  now  occupied  by  the  Municipal 
Court  building,  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine, 
the  Health  office  and  Clinton  park.  Antoine  street  was  extended 
through  the  plat.  This  cemetery  was  divided  into  two  equal  parts, 
which  were  separated  by  a  fence.  One-half  was  used  by  the  Prot- 
estant residents  and  the  other  by  the  Catholics.  This  burial  place 
w^as  kept  in  a  respectable  condition  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
city  cemeteries.  In  1859  this  cemetery  was  found  to  be  too  close  to 
the  center  of  the  town,  and  another  purchase  was  made  on  Russell 
street,  a  short  distance  north  of  Gratiot  avenue.  This  was  supposed  to 
be  sufficiently  remote  for  all  time,  but  the  Eastern  Market  and  the 
Detroit  House  of  Correction  now  occupy  the  ground.  The  bodies  w^ere 
removed  to  Elmwood  and  Mt.  Elliott  Cemeteries  on  the  bank  of  Bloody 
Run,  and  Woodmere  Cemetery  on  the  bank  of  the  River  Rouge.  In 
addition  to  the  cemeteries  already  mentioned  there  was  another  hastily 
improvised  cemetery  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward  avenue.  After 
the  battle  of  the  Thames,  as  already  stated,  a  force  of  1,100  men  were 
gathered  at  Detroit  to  prevent  any  attempt  at  recapture  on  the  part  of 
the  British.  Of  course  the  accommodations  were  inadequate  for  such 
an  army,  and  a  little  village  of  cabins  was  erected  for  the  soldiers.  It  was 
located  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  Fort  Shelby.  That  winter  a 
deadly  epidemic  attacked  the  camp  and  before  it  subsided  several  hun- 
dred soldiers  died.  As  there  was  not  room  for  them  in  the  Enghsh 
burying  ground  on  Woodward  avenue,  between  Larned  and  Congress 
streets,  the  dead  were  buried  in  the  ground  to  the  west  of  the  military 
cantonment.  Some  of  the  dead  were  removed  in  1826,  but  it  was  too 
soon  after  the  epidemic,  and  the  soil  being  saturated  with  the  germs  of 

456 


r  ' 

I  I 

^^iiif^afci 

1  % 

^m^m 

rJ 

^^^ 

^^^^H^^H 

.^' 

GEORGE    DINGWALL. 


disease,  another  epidemic  broke  out  among  the  citizens,  and  the  work 
was  stopped.  One  of  the  victims  was  Henry  J.  Hunt,  then  mayor  of 
the  city.  The  greater  part  of  these  dead  bodies  are  still  lying  beneath 
the  basements  of  the  buildings  between  Michigan  avenue  and  Fort, 
Cass  and  Griswold  streets. 

Mt.  Elliott  Cemetery  was  estabHshed  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city 
and  opened  in  the  fall  of  1841.  The  dead  were  transferred  there  from 
St.  Anne's  churchyard  and  the  Catholic  plot  in  the  city  cemetery  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  Mt.  Elliott  contains  fifty-three  acres, 
lying  between  Waterloo  and  Macomb  streets,  Mt.  Elliott  avenue  and 
Elm  wood  Cemetery,  and  in  it  are  the  remains  of  38,000  persons. 

The  Catholic  parishes  have  begun  improving  a  new  burial  ground  of 
225  acres,  situated  at  North  Detroit,  which  is  known  as  Mt.  Olivet 
Cemetery. 

When  the  Russell  street  cemetery  was  discontinued  a  number  of  citi- 
zens banded  together  and  purchased  forty- one  acres  of  land,  which  now 
fronts  on  Elmwood  avenue,  lying  along  the  banks  of  Bloody  Run.  It 
was  opened  in  1846.  A  few  of  the  bodies  in  the  old  city  cemetery  were 
removed  to  Elmwood,  as  the  new  cemetery  was  named,  but  the  city 
removed  17,000  bodies  to  a  tract  of  cheaper  land  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rouge  River  near  the  old  shipyard  of  Revolutionary  days.  The  ground 
was  afterward  called  Woodmere  Cemetery.  Later  purchases  increased 
the  Elmwood  Cemetery  tract  to  eighty  acres,  extending  from  Waterloo 
street  within  150  feet  of  Champlain  street.  In  this  cemetery  33,000 
bodies  have  been  interred  up  to  date  (1898). 

In  the  early  days  religious  distinctions  were  rigidly  observed.  If  a 
Protestant  married  a  Catholic  wife,  the  wife  would  be  buried  in  the 
consecrated  ground  of  Mt.  Elliott  and  the  husband  in  Elmwood,  but 
the  old  prejudices  are  dying  out,  although  neither  Catholic  or  Protest- 
ant have  lost  any  of  their  grace.  Occasionally  a  good  Catholic  is  laid 
beside  husband  or  wife  in  Elmwood,  and  the  officiating  priest  conse- 
crates the  grave.  Since  the  two  have  dwelt  together  during  life  under 
different  creeds  in  peace  and  happiness,  the  church,  which  has  grown 
kinder,  gentler  and  holier  than  of  old,  does  not  like  to  part  husband 
and  wife  in  the  grave.  In  connection  with  the  removal  of  the  bodies 
from  the  cemetery  on  Antoine  street,  the  persons  in  charge  met  a  sin- 
gular obstruction.  In  ground  which  is  now  occupied  by  St.  Antoine 
street,  immediately  in  front  of  St.  Mary's  hospital,  stood  a  rude  slab  of 
slate,  weather  stained,  mossgrown  and  sadly  out  of  plumb.     It  marked 

457 


a  sunken  grave  which  was  surfaced  with  cobblestones.  The  inscrip- 
tion, borrowed  from  that  on  Shakespeare's  tomb,  but  somewhat  altered, 
read: 

"  In  memory  of  Nathaniel  Hickok,  who  died  of  cholera  October  6,  1832. 
"  Good  Friend,  for  Jesus'  sake  forbear 
To  dig  the  dust  interred  here ; 
Blest  be  the  man  who  spares  these  stones, 
And  curst  be  he  that  moves  my  bones." 

The  grave  diggers  engaged  in  the  work  would  sidle  up  to  the  grave, 
spell  out  the  inscription  and  then  move  away  to  some  other  lowly 
mound  to  dig.  In  a  short  time  every  workman  on  the  job  had  read  the 
inscription  and  had  accepted  it  as  a  personal  injunction.  In  vain  the 
bosses  ordered  them  to  the  task  of  opening  the  grave;  the  men  refused 
to  disturb  either  stones  or  bones,  and  for  weeks  that  lone  grave  stood 
in  the  way  of  public  improvements.  According  to  the  traditions  of  the 
Elmwood  grave-diggers,  a  gentleman  of  the  spade  and  mattock,  who 
was  fond  of  stimulants,  was  induced  to  undertake  the  task  by  the 
promise  of  extra  rewards,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  removal  was  ob- 
tained by  keeping  the  workman  in  ignorance  of  the  inscription.  Na- 
thaniel Hickok's  bones  lay  for  thirty  years  in  the  city  cemetery,  and 
they  have  rested  peacefully  in  Elmwood  for  thirty-five. 

In  1869  Woodmere  Cemetery,  on  the  banks  of  the  Rouge  River,  was 
opened  for  interments,  and,  as  already  stated,  it  started  with  the  trans- 
fer of  17,000  bodies  from  the  city  cemetery.  The  tract  covers  202 
acres,  and  is  divided  in  halves  by  a  bayou  of  the  sluggish  river.  Since 
18G0  the  original  interments  have  numbered  30,000,  making  a  total  of 
47,000. 

Forest  Lawn  Cemetery  is  a  new  burial  plat  of  130  acres  opened  at 
North  Detroit. 

Most  recent  of  all  is  the  Woodward  Lawn  Cemetery  of  130  acres, 
located  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  beyond  the  Seven  Mile 
road.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  promoters  to  make  this  cemetery  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  spots  about  Detroit. 

The  Lutheran  Cemetery,  situated  on  a  tract  of  ten  acres  on  Mt. 
Elliott  avenue,  between  Palmer  and  Farnsworth  avenues,  was  dedi- 
cated on  Pentecost  day,  Sunday,  1868.  It  was  owned  by  Trinity  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church,  and  governed  by  a  cemetery  board.  Provision 
has  been  made  for  the  perpetual  maintenance  of  the  cemetery  after 
all  the  lots  are  filled. 

458 


The  Jewish  (orthodox)  Cemetery  is  located  on  the  north  side  of 
Smith  avenue,  west  of  Chene  street.  The  Sha'are  Zedek  congregation 
purchased  the  propert)^  consisting  of  one  and  one-half  acres,  on  June 
22,  18G2,  for  $450.  In  1881  a  tract  of  60  by  132  feet,  facing  on  Smith 
avenue,  was  sold  to  the  Casher  Shell  Barzel  Society  for  $200,  and  the 
latter  society  sold  it  to  the  Congregation  Beth  Jacob  in  1884  for  the 
same  price.  On  May  29,  1891,  the  Sha'are  Zedek  congregation  pur- 
chased 53  by  413  feet  of  adjoining  land,  facing  the  south  side  of  Harrah 
avenue,  for  $1,000. 

The  Beth  El  (reform)  congregation  commenced  a  cemetery  on  land 
adjoining  Elm  wood  in  1850.  In  1873  the  congregation  acquired  a  sec- 
tion of  Woodmere  Cemetery,  and  its  deceased  members  have  since  been 
buried  there.  The  Free  Sons  of  Israel  have  also  a  plot  in  the  same 
cemetery. 

The  Detroit  Crematorium,  for  the  incineration  of  the  dead,  was  com- 
pleted in  1887.  It  is  located  on  the  south  side  of  Lafayette  avenue, 
between  Govin  street  and  Springwells  avenue.  It  was  erected  by  the 
Michigan  Cremation  Association,  a  society  established  through  the 
efforts  of  Dr.  Hugo  Erichson,  seconded  by  Moses  W.  Field,  Dr.  James 
F.  Noyes,  Frank  Foote,  Dr.  Justin  E.  Emerson  and  others.  The  land, 
building  and  equipments  cost  nearly  $7,500,  and  since  its  inception 
about  300  bodies  have  been  cremated.  The  society  is  prosperous,  hav- 
ing over  $1,000  in  the  treasury. 


CHAPTER-  LXV. 


Parks,  Boulevards  and  Breathing  Places  Maintained  for  the  People — History  of 
Belle  Isle  and  its  Various  Owners — Palmer,  Grand  Circus,  Clark  and  Other  Valuable 
Lands  Devoted  to  Public  Use— The  Older  Parks  Were  Once  Swamp  Holes  and 
Dumping  Grounds. 

Belle  Isle,  the  chief  park  of  Detroit,  and  the  favorite  resort  of  its 
citizens,  has  had  a  checkered  history.  For  many  years  after  the  settle- 
ment was  established  the  island  was  used  as  a  public  common.  The 
cattle  and  hogs  of  early  days  were  placed  on  the  island  because  they 
were  not  likely  to  be  lost  by  straying,  and  the  Indians  could  not  drive 
them    away  into    the   wilderness.      Many   residents   looked    upon    the 

459 


island  with  covetous  eyes,  but  for  half  a  century  none  of  them  had  the 
hardihood  to  attempt  acquisition  to  the  exclusion  of  all  public  rights. 
Hogs  multiply  more  rapidly  than  cattle,  and  the  number  which  roamed 
the  island  caused  the  French  residents  to  substitute  the  name  He  au 
Cochon  (Hog  Island),  for  the  former  Indian  name,  Man-nan-be  zee 
(White  Swan).  In  1752  Douville  Dequindre  slyly  obtained  a  grant  of 
the  island  from  Governor  Longeuil  at  Quebec,  but  when  he  attempted 
to  take  possession  the  people  rose  unanimously  against  the  grant,  and 
the  land  continued  as  a  public  domain.  A  portion  of  the  island  was 
cultivated,  under  direction  of  the  various  commandants,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  garrison,  and  the  practice  was  continued  after  the  English  had 
taken  possession  of  the  country.  No  claim  of  ownership  was  made 
even  by  the  commandants,  because  the  people  always  regarded  the 
island  as  theirs  by  right. 

Lieut.  James  McDonald  was  the  first  British  resident  in  charge  of 
the  island,  and  in  1762  Lieut.  George  McDougall  succeeded  him.  He 
built  a  house  on  the  island,  lived  in  it  with  his  family  and  cleared  some 
of  the  timber  land.  When  the  Pontiac  war  commenced  McDougall  had 
given  up  his  residence  and  returned  to  the  fort,  while  James  Fisher 
lived  with  his  wife  and  four  children  in  the  house  on  the  island.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  several  of  the  soldiers  of  the  fort  were  occasion- 
ally employed  in  tilling  the  open  spaces.  During  Fisher's  absence  the 
Indians  murdered  Mrs.  Fisher  and  two  of  the  older  children,  and  carried 
away  the  two  younger  ones.  They  laid  in  wait  for  the  return  of 
Fisher,  who  had  accompanied  Sir  Robert  Devers,  Captain  Robinson 
and  others,  to  the  St.  Clair  flats  to  search  out  the  best  channel  for  navi- 
gation. The  entire  party  was  massacred  on  their  return.  Twenty- 
four  head  of  cattle  were  also  butchered  on  the  island.  Lieut.  George 
McDougall,  who  had  been  captured  through  treachery  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians  during  the  early  days  of  the  siege,  made  his  escape  and 
soon  after  the  end  of  the  war  he  married  Mary  Navarre,  daughter  of 
Robert  Navarre,  the  honored  notary  of  the  French  colony.  McDougall 
was  popular  with  the  military  men  and  his  marriage  gave  him  the 
friendship  of  the  French.  He  applied  for  a  grant  of  the  island,  and 
after  a  long  correspondence  and  a  good  deal  of  wire  pulling,  the  king, 
George  III,  granted  him  temporary  occupation,  subject  to  the  good 
will  of  the  Indians.  The  Indians  ceded  all  claims  in  consideration  of 
eight  barrels  of  rum,  three  pounds  of  vermilion  and  a  few  trinkets,  a 
total   value   of  $950,    and   McDougall   took   possession    in    1763.      The 

460 


'-'C^.^iyU^C/CC^ 


people  again  protested,  but  this  time  they  had  to  deal  with  the  king 
instead  of  the  governor,  and  McDougall  refused  to  either  surrender  his 
title  or  to  arbitrate. 

After  the  war  of  the  Revohition,  when  Great  Britain  saw  that  the 
island  must  eventually  become  an  American  possession,  the  title  was 
fully  confirmed  by  the  crown.  John  Robert  McDougall  and  George 
McDougall,  jr.,  succeeded  to  the  possession  obtained  by  their  father. 
They  sold  their  title  to  William  Macomb  for  about  $7,500  in  1794,  and 
Macomb's  three  sons,  John,  William  and  David,  inherited  it.  Their 
title  was  recognized  by  the  United  States  when  the  latter  came  into 
possession.  By  the  partition  of  his  father's  estate  David  B.  Macomb 
became  the  owner.  In  1817  he  sold  it  to  Barnabas  Campau  for 
$5,000,  During  all  these  years  of  private  possession  the  people 
assumed  certain  rights  on  Hog  Island.  They  wandered  through  the 
woods  at  will,  held  their  picnics  on  the  island,  and  quarrelsome 
gentlemen  settled  their  disputes  there  according  to  the  dueling 
code.  When  the  steamer  Henry  Clay  arrived  at  Detroit  with  a  regiment 
of  soldiers  en  route  for  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  July,  1832,  one  of 
the  soldiers  was  attacked  with  cholera,  and  thesteamer  was  sent  to  Hog 
Island  for  quarantine.  Some  of  the  passengers  died  and  were  buried 
on  the  island  while  the  boat  was  waiting  for  supplies.  Lieut,  Arthur 
Rankin,  of  Windsor,  and  Henry  Richardson,  fought  there  in  November, 
183G,  and  the  latter  was  severely  wounded.  On  July  4,  1845,  a  party  was 
organized  to  go  to  Hog  Island  and  formally  rechristen  the  popular  resort. 
Morgan  Bates,  a  printer  in  the  Tribune  office,  was  one  of  the  party. 
They  landed  at  the  foot  of  the  island  and  held  their  meeting  on  the  lawn. 
After  some  preliminary  addresses  Jacob  Wilkie  Moore  made  a  motion 
that  the  name  be  changed  to  Belle  Isle.  It  was  promptly  seconded ;  the 
question  was  put  by  Mr.  Bates,  and  the  name  was  adopted  unanimously. 
Mr.  Bates  then  raised  aloft  a  pitcher  of  water  and  pouring  it  out  on  the 
ground  declared  that  henceforth  the  island  should  be  known  as  Belle  Isle. 
The  assembly  then  joined  in  singing  "  America."  The  survivors  of  that 
steamboat  party  are  Senator  Thomas  Palmer,  who  was  a  boy  of  fifteen 
years  of  age  at  that  time,  and  John  Sabine,  The  consent  of  Barnabas 
Campau,  the  owner,  was  not  asked.  From  Barnabas  Campau  possession 
descended  to  his  children,  Mrs.  Angelique  Piquett,  Emilie  Campau, 
John  Barnabas  Campau  and  Alexander  Macomb  Campau.  They  sold 
to  the  city  in  1879  for  $200,000,  and  it  is  now  restored  to  the  people  for 
all  time.      The  name  was  officially  changed  to  Belle  Isle    Park  in  1881. 

461 


It  contains  about  720  acres  and  its  area  is  slowly  increasing  by  deposits 
of  the  river  on  the  north-east  and  west  sides.  In  addition  to  the  pur- 
chase price  of  Belle  Isle  the  park  and  boulevard  commission  has  spent 
$742,783  for  improvements  and  $513,726  for  maintenance,  making  a 
total  expenditure  up  to  1897  of  $1,456,508. 

Next  in  size  and  importance  to  Belle  Isle  is  Palmer  Park,  consisting 
of  120  acres,  part  timbered  and  part  cleared  land.  The  former  is  to 
be  known  as  Witherell  Woods,  in  honor  of  Judge  Witherell,  and  the 
latter  as  Merrill  Plaisance  in  honor  of  Charles  Merrill.  The  park  was 
donated  to  the  city  by  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Palmer,  and  the  sections  are 
named  after  the  ancestors  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer.  This  park  is 
located  six  miles  from  the  city  hall,  on  Woodward  avenue.  In  the 
course  of  time  it  will  become  the  chief  resort  of  the  people  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  city. 

Clark  Park,  a  tract  of  twenty-four  and  three  quarters  acres  of  heavily 
timbered  land,  lying  between  Clark  and  Scotten  avenues  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  city,  was  half  donated  by  John  P.  Clark  and  half 
purchased  by  the  city.  It  is  already  a  very  popular  resort.  The  other 
parks  of  the  city  are  Medbury  Park,  of  eight  and  one-fourth  acres; 
Grand  Circus  Park,  five  and  one-half  acres;  Cass  Park,  five  acres;  John 
Owen  Park,  four  acres;  Joseph  Perrien  Park,  four  and  one-half  acres; 
Adelaide  Campau  Park,  one  and  one-fifth  acres;  Clinton,  Macomb, 
West,  Stanton,  Elton,  Crawford,  Capitol  Square  and  Recreation  Parks. 
Each  of  the  last-named  parks  covers  one  acre  or  less  of  ground.  Some 
of  them  were  old  swales  or  slough  holes,  and  were  used  at  first  as 
dumping  grounds,  and  in  time,  as  they  became  filled  up,  they  were  do- 
nated to  the  city  by  their  owners.  General  Cass  donated  Cass  Park, 
but  the  Capitol  Square,  Library  Park,  Grand  Circus  Park  and  the 
Campus  Martius  were  contemplated  in  Governor  Woodward's  plan  of 
the  city.  The  Campus  Martius  was  originally  quite  a  little  hill,  de- 
scending on  the  south  to  the  sluggish  creek  called  the  Ruisseau  de 
Rurtus  by  the  French,  and  the  Savoyard  River  by  the  English,  who 
came  later.  As  the  population  grew  dense  about  this  stream,  it  became 
a  foul  smelling  open  sewer.  After  the  first  sewer  was  laid  along  its 
course,  between  1828  and  1836,  enough  earth  was  taken  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  campus  to  make  an  easy  grade  from  Fort  street  to  Earned 
across  the  bed  of  the  stream.  Previous  to  1846  Grand  Circus  Park 
was  a  forbidding  looking  place.  It  was  a  large  spring  hole,  where 
wild  fowls  sometimes  gathered  to  feed.      In  1846  the  ground  was  drained 

462 


and  then  filled  with  several  feet  of  earth.  Later,  trees  were  planted 
and  walks  were  laid  out.  The  west  side  was  first  improved.  From 
the  beginning  of  the  war  until  1875  the  park  was  surrounded  by  a  high 
board  fence  to  preserve  it  from  molestation. 

The  Grand  Boulevard,  which  encircles  the  greater  part  of  the  city, 
was  projected  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  the  first  legislation  was  se- 
cured in  1879.  Commissioners  were  appointed  from  the  townships  of 
Hamtramck,  Greenfield  and  Springwells  to  act  in  conjunction  with  the 
mayor  and  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  The  boulevard  was  surveyed 
in  1883,  and  dedicated  the  same  year.  It  encircles  the  city,  is  200  feet 
wide,  and  is  over  eleven  miles  in  length. 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

The  City  and  County  Poor  Department — Detroit  Was  Slow  in  Providing  for  the 
Poor — The  Cholera.  Epidemics  Filled  the  Town  with  Helpless  Orphans — Father 
Kundig's  Herculean  Labors — Purchase  of  the  Black  Horse  Tavern  Site — Horrors  of 
the  Old  Crazy  House. 

According  to  the  sacred  Scriptures,  the  poor  are  always  with  us,  yet 
Detroit  existed  for  127  years  before  the  people  at  large  took  steps  to- 
ward establishing  a  county  poorhouse.  Immigrants  who  came  west  at 
an  early  day  were  able  bodied  persons  and  self-supporting.  In  the 
spring  of  1828  the  people  of  Wayne  county  voted  on  the  question  of 
establishing  a  building  for  the  care  of  the  invalid  poor,  but  the  "noes" 
predominated.  Again  in  1830  the  question  came  to  a  popular  vote  and 
it  carried.  On  March  3,  1831,  the  Legislature  authorized  the  supervi- 
sors to  take  steps  toward  the  purchase  of  a  site  and  the  erection  of  a 
suitable  building.  Supervisors  H.  M.  Campbell,  Shubael  Conant  and 
D.  French  were  appointed  a  committee  to  choose  a  site,  and  they 
selected  a  plot  on  the  Lieb  farm,  fronting  on  the  south  side  of  Gratiot 
avenue.  This  was  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $200,  and  Supervisor  French 
took  the  contract  for  erecting  a  building  at  $950.  A  long  one-story 
building  was  erected  on  Gratiot  avenue,  and  the  cheapest  material  ob- 
tainable was  used.  J.  P.  Cooley  was  appointed  keeper,  and  the  insti- 
tution was  opened  in  January,  1833.  The  cholera  epidemic  of  1833  had 
just   subsided,    leaving  many   debilitated  persons  and   many  orphans. 

463 


Some  of  these  found  temporary  homes  on  the  poor  farm.  In  1834  the 
plague  returned  to  Detroit  with  redoubled  violence  and  its  ravages  were 
frightful.  Fifteen  children  and  a  number  of  adults  were  given  shelter 
in  the  county  house  because  there  was  no  other  home  for  them.  Bishop 
Rese  saw  that  there  was  a  lack  of  proper  care  for  these  charges,  and  at 
his  request  the  Sisters  of  Charity  were  placed  in  charge  of  the  insti- 
stitution. 

Rev.  Martin  Kundig,  who  had  just  been  promoted  from  the  office  of 
assistant  in  "St.  Anne's  church  to  the  pastorate  of  Holy  Trinity,  turned 
his  church  into  a  hospital  and  his  duties  carried  him  so  frequently  to 
the  poor  farm  that  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  poor  in  1834  and 
served  until  1838.  Never  was  a  more  disastrous  honor  conferred  upon 
a  worthy  man.  The  county  allowed  him  sixteen  cents  a  day  for  the 
care  and  food  of  each  inmate,  but  provisions  were  high  and  it  cost  him 
nearer  twenty-five  cents  a  day  to  keep  them  in  comfort.  As  there 
were  over  one  hundred  charges  and  sixty  of  them  confirmed  invalids, 
the  good  father's  funds  were  soon  exhausted  and  he  began  to  pile  up  a 
personal  debt.  In  1837  the  county  raised  the  per  diem  allowance 
to  twenty-two  cents  a  day,  as  the  inmates  had  increased  to  about  300 
persons,  but  the  increase  in  the  allowence  made  no  difference,  as  none 
of  it  was  paid.  Father  Kundig  assumed  the  personal  responsibility  of 
the  institution,  and  the  crash  came  in  1838.  Creditors  seized  all  his 
personal  property,  invading  the  poorhouse  and  carrying  off  everything 
portable.  It  was  a  calamity  that  tested  the  faith  of  the  priest  in  that 
providence  which  is  said  to  protect  the  widow  and  the  fatherless.  The 
State  allowed  Father  Kundig  $3,000,  but  this  was  but  a  fraction  of  his 
indebtedness.      In  later  years  he  paid  all  his  debts  from  his  salary. 

The  poor  farm,  which  consisted  of  about  twenty-five  acres,  was  lo- 
cated on  the  Lieb  farm,  on  the  north  side  of  Gratiot  avenue,  just  west 
of  Mt.  Elliott  avenue,  and  extending  northerly  from  Gratiot  avenue  to 
what  is  now  Ferry  avenue.  On  the  west  side  of  the  farm,  running 
north  and  south  was  a  roadway,  which  was  called  Kundig's  railroad. 
On  it  was  a  line  of  wooden  rails,  extending  beyond  the  poor  farm  to  a 
wood  lot,  which  was  leased  by  Father  Kundig,  the  poormaster.  Trucks 
run  on  these  rails  transported  saw  logs  to  Gratiot  avenue,  and  from 
thence  were  taken  to  a  saw  mill,  where  they  were  converted  into  boards, 
and  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  institution. 

In  1839  the  supervisors  decided  to  sell  the  Lieb  farm  property,  and 
they  purchased  in   that  year   160  acres  on  the  Chicago  road,  sixteen 

464 


DAVID  W.   BROOKS. 


miles  out  Michigan  avenue,  near  the  present  village  of  Wayne.  It  was 
known  as  the  Samuel  Torbet  farm,  and  the  owner  had  established  what 
was  known  as  the  Black  Horse  Tavern  on  the  road.  Torbet  was  a  vic- 
tim of  wildcat  banking  speculation,  and  he  was  forced  to  sell  his  land 
for  $800.  Another  farm  of  120  acres  adjoined  the  first  purchase,  and 
this  was  bought  for  $800.  The  old  log  tavern  consisted  of  two  sepa- 
rate buildings  joined  under  one  roof,  and  it  was  the  first  stopping  place 
for  the  stages  traveling  westward  from  Detroit.  Whisky  was  sold  for 
a  penny  a  glass,  and  the  convivial  consumers  often  indulged  in  wild 
orgies  and  free  fights.  This  old  tavern  was  fitted  up  for  a  poorhouse 
and  on  April  11,  1839,  the  poor  charges  were  moved  into  it.  After  six 
years  the  accommodations  were  found  inadequate,  and  the  superintend- 
ents built  a  new  house  at  a  cost  of  $4,515.  This  money  provided  a 
three  story  structure,  118  by  37  feet.  The  bricks  were  made  on  the 
land  and  the  county  supplied  most  of  the  material.  The  walls  were 
but  two  bricks  thick  and  it  was  never  a  safe  structure,  but  it  remained 
standing  until  1895,  when  the  commissioners  had  it  pulled  down  to 
make  room  for  the  present  four  story  structure.  For  many  years  the 
buildings  were  heated  by  stoves  and  lighted  by  lamps.  Considering 
the  number  of  careless  and  irresponsible  inmates  who  constantly  occu- 
pied the  building,  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  poorhouse  was  not  destroyed 
by  fire  and  half  the  inmates  burned.  The  old  Gratiot  avenue  property 
was  sold  in  1846  for  $1,124.  An  east  wing  for  the  new  county  house 
was  built  by  Stephen  Martin  1856,  and  a  northwest  wing  was  added 
three  years  latter.  Most  of  the  buildings  were  very  unsafe  in  their 
construction,  the  expenditures  being  in  all  cases  screwed  down  to  the 
limit,  and  in  1887  the  superintendent  condemned  the  buildings  and 
recommended  that  better  ones  be  built  as  soon  as  possible.  The  sug- 
gestion was  acted  upon,  and  the  erection  of  the  substantial  buildings 
which  now  occupy  the  grounds  was  commenced  very  soon. 

The  County  Insane  Asylum,  which  is  now  the  most  conspicuous 
building  on  the  county  farm,  developed  from  a  small  frame  building 
erected  in  1841,  which  was  known  as  the  "crazy  house,"  Within  this 
building  the  demented  and  incurable  insane  were  penned,  and  had  it 
been  visited  by  one  of  the  fin  de  Steele  horror-hunters,  he  would  have 
found  plenty  of  material  for  several  hair-raising  sketches.  Harmless 
idiots  and  dangerous  lunatics  were  confined  together,  and  the  number 
of  attendants  was  not  sufficient  to  keep  the  place  clean  or  to  properly 
care  for  the  tmfortunates.     They  slept  on   straw,    were  fed   through 

465 


grated  windows  like  wild  beasts,  and  their  cages  were  seldom  cleansed. 
To  add  to  the  unpleasantness  of  their  situation  the  building  was  raised 
sufficiently  off  the  ground  to  afford  lodgings  for  the  swine  of  the  farm, 
and  the  place  smelled  to  heaven.  In  vain  did  the  superintendents  ap- 
peal to  the  mercy  of  the  people.  The  taxpayers  would  not  provide 
better  accommodations  until  the  physicians  of  Detroit  went  out  in  a 
body  to  view  the  poor  farm  in  1868.  Their  report  was  so  graphic  that 
during  the  next  year  the  taxpayers  opened  their  purses  and  erected  a 
two  story  brick  building,  which,  with  its  wnngs,  made  a  frontage  of  114 
feet.  It  cost  $24,000,  and  the  insane  patients  were  transferred  to  it  in 
August,  1869.  Still  there  was  a  lack  of  attendance,  and  in  1873  a  com- 
mittee of  aldermen  made  an  inspection.  Philo  Parsons  wrote  a  scath- 
ing report  of  their  findings,  and  two  years  later  the  Board  of  Supe  - 
visors  remedied  the  existing  evils.  Inmates  are  now  classified,  and 
they  all  receive  humane  care.  The  buildings  are  supplied  with  pure 
water,  which  is  elevated  by  steam  pumps.  Bathrooms  are  provided 
on  every  floor,  and  a  system  of  water  mains  and  hydrants  connects  with 
the  pumps  and  affords  excellent  fire  protection. 

The  county  farm  now  consists  of  440  acres,  which,  without  the  build- 
ings, is  worth  about  $37,000.  The  large  insane  asylum  building  is 
appraised  at  $103,000;  the  county  house  buildings  are  valued  at  $120,- 
000;  and  the  other  buildings  are  worth  about  $30,000.  At  the  present 
time  the  insane  department  has  350  inmates,  161  of  whom  are  males. 
A  few  of  them  are  private  patients,  whose  board  is  paid  by  friends. 
There  are  408  inmates  in  the  county  house,  and  334  of  these  are  males. 
The  employees  and  attendants  number  about  100,  making  about  850 
persons  living  on  the  county  farm.  According  to  the  terms  of  the  State 
law  the  county  pays  for  the  keeping  of  insane  patients  during  the  first 
two  years  of  their  sojourn  at  the  asylum,  and  thereafter  they  become 
State  charges.  The  county  receives  nearly  $30,000  from  the  State  each 
year  under  the  provisions  of  this  law.  The  average  cost  of  supporting 
the  city  poor  who  are  not  inmates  of  the  county  house,  is  between  $55,- 
000  and  $60,000.  This  includes  temporary  assistance  to  families  whose 
bread  winners  are  out  of  employment,  widows  and  decrepit  persons 
who  are  unable  to  entirely  support  themselves,  and  families  which  are 
temporarily  in  distress  through  sickness.  The  amount  of  this  expendi- 
ture is  in  proportion  to  the  lack  of  employment  in  the  city.  In  the 
winter  of  1893,  when  there  was  little  work,  and  the  intense  cold  made 
unusual  demands  upon  the  poor  commission  for  food  and  fuel,  the  ex- 

466 


pense  was  $157,000.  In  1894  there  was  more  work  and  the  expense 
dropped  to  $115,000.  During  the  dark  days  of  1893  the  charitable  peo- 
ple of  Detroit  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  poor  commission  when  that  de- 
partment was  swamped  by  the  flood  of  applications.  Depots  of  tempo- 
rary relief  were  established  in  several  parts  of  the  city.  Clothing,  food, 
fuel  and  other  necessaries  of  life  were  called  for  and  the  response  was 
so  generous  that  stores  were  rented  and  special  relief  committees  em- 
ployed to  take  charge  of  the  distribution.  The  admirable  system  of 
inspection  and  the  carefully  kept  records  of  the  poor  commission  proved 
of  inestimable  value  in  helping  on  this  good  work.  Fraudulent  claim- 
ants were  numerous  but  were  invariably  detected.  Special  inspectors 
made  personal  investigation  in  all  cases  and  the  charity  of  the  people 
was  well  bestowed. 

The  act  creating  the  Poor  Commission  was  passed  in  1879,  and  on 
May  the  first  board  of  commissioners  was  appointed.  The  first  com- 
missioners were  Thomas  Berry,  A.  W.  Copeland,  Henry  Heames  and 
Joseph  B.  Moore.  The  present  commissioners  are  John  Naylon,  Thomas 
Barium,  Louis  H.  Beck,  and  A.  C.  Varney;  P.  H.  Dwyer  is  secretary 
and  John  F.  Martin  superintendent,  each  having  served  the  city  faith- 
fully during  a  long  term  of  office.  A  free  dispensary  and  city  physi- 
cians' office  is  connected  with  the  office  in  the  Municipal  building  on 
Clinton  street,  and  the  affairs  of  the  department  are  conducted  as 
economically  as  is  consistent  with  humanity. 

Before  1885  the  county  insane  asylum  and  poorhouse  was  under  the 
control  of  three  county  superintendents  of  the  poor,  who  are  appointed 
by  the  county  auditors.  As  Detroit  furnishes  ninety  per  cent,  of  the 
inmates,  it  was  naturally  considered  proper  that  the  Detroit  Poor  Com- 
mission should  have  a  voice  in  its  affairs.  A  bill  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  of  1885  making  the  commissioners  members  of  the  Board 
of  County  Superintendents  of  the  Poor,  and  this  was  declared  consti- 
tutional by  the  Supreme  Court.  The  four  poor  commissioners  now 
have  a  majority  on  the  County  Board  and  serve  without  compensation 
in  both  capacities.  The  three  county  superintendents  of  the  poor  each 
receive  $50  per  month,  and  they  have  no  jurisdiction  in  city  poor 
affaits. 


467 


CHAPTER   LXVII. 

History  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Department — Fierce  Rivalry  of  the  Early  Volunteer 
Companies — The  Men  of  the  Hand  Engines  Surrender  to  the  Steam  Engines— No- 
table Fires  of  the  Past  Century. 

Cities  of  the  present  day  have  little  to  fear  from  foes  without.  It  is 
the  foes  within  which  they  are  unable  to  shake  off.  Fire,  riot,  and 
pestilent  maladies  which  arise  from  unsanitary  conditions,  are  the 
enemies  most  to  be  dreaded.  American  cities,  which  are  so  largely 
made  up  of  wooden  structures,  are  in  constant  danger  from  fire  and 
millions  of  dollars  are  annually  expended  for  protection  against  the  de- 
stroying element. 

Detroit  was  completely  swept  away  by  the  fire  of  1805,  as  has  already 
been  related,  and  when  the  city  was  rebuilt  extraordinary  precautions 
were  used  to  guard  against  a  repetition  of  the  catastrophe.  To  main- 
tain a  regular  paid  fire  department  in  the  early  days  was  out  of  the 
question,  and  a  compulsory  fire  department  became  a  necessity.  All 
able  bodied  men  in  the  city,  without  respect  to  wealth  or  station,  were 
required  to  act  in  some  capacity  as  fire  fighters.  Under  English  and 
American  rule  a  detail  of  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison  had  charge  of  the 
ancient  fire  engine,  which  consisted  of  rude  tank  mounted  on  wheels, 
containing  a  double  force  pump  operated  by  brakes.  The  water  was 
projected  from  a  curious  "goose-neck,"  terminating  in  a  metallic  noz- 
zle, which  could  be  turned  in  any  direction  and  raised  or  lowered  to 
any  desired  angle.  The  suction  of  the  pumps  was  insufficient,  and  to 
make  up  this  deficiency  lines  of  bucket  men  passed  water  and  poured 
it  into  the  tank  of  the  engine.  The  first  engines  were  rickety  affairs  at 
best,  and  were  constantly  out  of  repair.  It  was  a  failure  of  the  engine 
which  gave  the  fire  of  1805  full  sweep.  Firemen  were  divided  into  sev- 
eral departments.  Axemen  were  selected  from  the  best  choppers  in 
the  settlement,  and  most  of  these  were  Frenchmen.  Bagmen  were  se- 
lected from  the  men  of  lesser  thews  and  sinews,  and  they  were  usually 
the  merchants  and  professional  men  of  mature  years.  Adventurous 
young  fellows  of  the   dare-devil   sort  were  made  laddermen,  and  they 

468 


DAYTON    PARKER,  M.  D. 


scaled  the  two  story  roofs  to  dash  water  on  blazing  thatch  or  down  the 
roaring-  chimneys.  Firehook  men  were  those  who  tore  down  blazing 
ruins,  and  the  battering  ram  men  dashed  the  old  log  houses  to 
pieces  when  there  was  no  longer  hope  of  saving  them.  When  the  old 
hydraulic  works  were  completed  wooden  hydrants  were  placed  at  con- 
venient places  along  the  streets,  to  which  leather  hose  could  be  at- 
tached for  supplying  the  fire  engine.  A  huge  steel  triangle  was  set  up 
on  a  post  for  sounding  alarms.  Rewards  were  bestowed  on  men  who 
first  reached  the  triangle  to  announce  that  a  fire  was  in  progress,  and 
the  entire  town  turned  out  to  work  with  furious  zeal  until  the  blaze 
was  extinguished. 

The  names  of  the  men  composing  the  fir.st  fire  company  have  been 
given  in  earlier  pages  of  this  work,  but  in  18-37  a  second  company  was 
added.  It  consisted  of  Robert  A.  Forsyth,  Edmund  A.  Brush,  Ralph 
Wadhams,  Darius  Lamson,  Felix  Hinchman,  Charles  C.  Trowbridge, 
Henry  S.  Cole,  Walter  L.  Newberry,  S.  E.  Mason,  John  L.  Whiting, 
David  Cooper,  Joseph  W.  Torrey,  O.  Penniman,  Marshall  Chapin,  Will- 
iam S.  Abbott,  Charles  C.  P.  Hunt,  Simon  Poupard,  Eurotas  P.  Hast- 
ings, Theodore  Williams,  James  W.  Hinchman,  Jeremiah  Van  Rens- 
selaer Ten  Eyck,  Josiah  R.  Dorr,  John  Kinzie,  Melvin  Dorr,  John  Smyth, 
John  J.  Deming,  Shubael  Conant,  Alanson  M.  Hurd,  George  F.  Porter, 
Thomas  Rowland  and  John  W.  Seymour.  This  contains  a  number  of 
historic  names.  In  fact  it  was  quite  the  proper  thing  for  young  men 
who  had  social  or  political  ambitions  to  connect  themselves  with  the 
fire  department,  for  the  firemen  of  seventy  years  age  w^as  as  much  idolized 
by  the  fair  sex  as  is  the  shaggy  and  uncouth  hero  of  the  football  field 
in  this  fin  de  siccle  period.  In  1830  there  were  more  ambitious  young 
men  yearning  to  be  idolized,  and  a  third  company  was  formed.  There 
was  soon  occasion  for  all  the  firemen  the  town  could  muster.  On  April 
26,  Ulysses  G.  Smyth,  an  intemperate  printer,  employed  in  the  Gazette 
office,  revenged  himself  upon  his  employers,  who  had  discharged  him 
for  cause,  by  setting  the  Gazette  building  on  fire.  It  was  totally  de- 
stroyed, and  in  addition  to  that  structure  the  stores  of  Major  Brooks 
and  Mr.  Griswold,  the  offices  of  John  Smith,  Thomas  Palmer  and  Dr. 
T.  B.  Clark,  and  the  homes  of  John  Smith  and  Judge  McDonnell  were 
also  consumed.  Smith  was  convicted  of  arson  and  served  five  years  in 
prison.  In  this  fire  the  water  supply  was  deficient,  and  the  Common 
Council  afterward  established  a  number  of  small  cisterns  at  the  street 
corners.     Then  the  first  hook  and  ladder  company  was  formed. 

469 


Firemen  were  generally  candidates  for  public  honors,  and  as  the  com- 
panies which  proved  most  active  and  effective  carried  off  the  lion's 
share,  a  bitter  rivalry  sprang  up  between  the  companies.  All  sorts  of 
tricks  were  played  to  forward  individual  interests  and  to  hamper  the 
movements  of  rivals.  If  a  fireman  saw  a  fire  start  he  would  pass  the 
quarters  of  his  rivals  and  avoid  giving  a  general  alarm  until  he  had 
notified  his  associates,  so  that  they  might  be  able  to  get  to  the  blaze 
ahead  of  the  other  companies.  They  would  slip  out  as  quietly  as  pos- 
sicle  and  run  at  top  speed,  dragging  their  engine  after  them.  As  the 
streets  were  not  paved  the  roadway  was  often  rough  or  muddy,  and 
although  it  was  strictly  forbidden,  the  fire  laddies  would  take  to-the 
sidewalk,  two  men  running  on  ahead  of  the  "  masheen"  to  warn  pedes- 
trians out  of  the  way.  The  first  company  to  get  a  stream  on  a  fire  was 
greeted  with  cheers  by  the  bystanders.  Ladies  rushed  to  the  vicinity 
of  the  fire,  and  in  adjacent  buildings  made  hot  coffee,  which  was  passed 
about  among  the  workers,  who  were  the  heroes  of  the  hour.  This 
rivalry  became  so  bitter  that  in  1833  Company  No  2  refused  to  work 
at  a  fire  because  they  had  been  outstripped  by  the  other  companies. 
For  this  cause  the  Common  Council  disbanded  the  company  and  new 
men  took  the  places  of  the  malcontents.  In  1844  the  fire  department 
consisted  of  four  engine  companies,  two  independent  hose  companies 
and  one  hook  and  ladder  company,  numbering  in  all  about  150  men, 
all  volunteers.  In  January,  1849,  two  more  companies  were  organized, 
Union  No.  7,  and  Mechanics  No.  8. 

The  first  steam  fire  engine  seen  at  Detroit  was  one  which  stopped  on 
its  way  to  Chicago  in  1859,  and  next  year  the  Common  Council  of  De- 
troit purchased  a  steamer  from  the  Amoskeag  Company  of  New  Hamp- 
shire at  a  cost  of  $3,150.  For  a  time  there  was  another  rivalry  between 
the  hand  engines  and  the  steamer,  the  men  of  the  old  regime  fighting 
with  might  and  main  to  outdo  the  power  of  steam;  but  in  1865  the  last 
hand  engine  went  out  of  use,  and  brawm  and  zeal  surrendered.  No 
civic  holiday  or  public  parade  was  complete  in  the  early  days  without 
a  display  of  the  fire  department,  and  the  companies  strove  to  outdo  one 
another  in  neatness  of  dress,  decoration  of  machines,  and  general  ap- 
pearance. They  assisted  in  the  parade  which  honored  President  James 
Monroe  when  he  visited  Detroit  in  August,  1817,  and  were  always  in 
evidence  on  July  4,  and  other  summer  holidays.  At  first  some  con- 
venient barn  served  as  an  engine  house.  When  the  Eagle  Engine  Com- 
pany was  organized  in  1819  the  members  met  at  the  house  of  Capt.  H. 

470 


Sanderson,  who  had  charge  of  the  engine,  and  spent  one  hour  every 
Monday  morning  in  practicing  with  the  machine.  A  Httle  later  an  en- 
gine house  was  built  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Larned  and  Bates 
streets.  In  1850  James  A.  Van  Dyke,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  de- 
partment, raised  $8,000  for  a  fireman's  hall  fund,  and  in  the  following 
year  a  hall  was  built  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and 
Randolph  street,  on  the  site  of  the  old  council  house.  When  a  paid 
fire  department  was  established  in  1867  the  old  volunteers  maintained 
their  organization  and  continued  it  until  1886.  At  that  time  the  prop- 
erty at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Randolph  was  sold  to  the  Water 
Board  for  $26,000.  A  portion  of  the  money  was  used  to  endow  beds 
for  injured  firemen  in  Harper,  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Luke's  Hospitals,  and 
another  part  was  divided  among  the  surviving  members,  but  the  greater 
part,  about  $20,000,  was  distributed  among  the  widows  and  orphans  of 
deceased  members. 

Detroit  has  had  its  share  of  disastrous  fires.  The  first  notable  fire, 
later  than  1805,  was  the  brewery  owned  by  General  Cass  and  operated 
by  Abbott  &  Converse,  which  burned  on  October  4,  1825.  All  the  fire- 
men could  do  was  to  preserve  the  other  buildings  in  the  neighborhood. 
It  was  immediately  rebuilt  but  was  burned  again  in  September,  1827. 

The  Gazette  office,  as  previously  stated,  was  burned  in  1830. 

On  April  27,  1837,  a  fire  broke  out  in  a  bakery  on  Woodbridge  street, 
near  Woodward  avenue,  and  before  it  could  be  controlled  most  of  the 
old  wooden  buildings  between  Woodbridge  and  Atwater,  Woodward 
avenue  and  Randolph  streets,  including  the  Free  Press  Building,  were 
destroyed.     The  loss  was  about  $200,000. 

On  New  Year's  day,  1842,  the  block  bounded  by  Woodward  avenue, 
Woodbridge,  Griswold  and  Atwater  streets  was  destroyed.  The  fire 
broke  out  in  an  old  tavern  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  Mariner's 
church,  and  it  destroyed  the  office  of  the  Pree  Press  for  the  second 
time  in  its  history.     The  total  damage  was  $200,000. 

On  May  9,  1848,  a  fire  began  on  the  river  front  near  Bates  street, 
and  it  destroyed  nearly  every  building  between  Bates  and  Beaubien 
streets  south  of  Jefferson  avenue.  The  damage  was  about  $200,000. 
A  number  of  historic  buildings  were  destro5'ed,  including  the  old  coun- 
cil house,  Woodworth's  Steamboat  Hotel,  Berthelet's  Market  and  the 
old  mansion  built  by  Governor  Hull,  the  first  brick  building  erected  in 
Detroit.  At  that  time  it  was  used  as  a  hotel  and  managed  by  Austin 
Wales. 

471 


November  20,  1850,  saw  the  destruction  of  the  Michigan  Central  depot 
building,  100  by  800  feet  in  size,  and  with  it  ten  cars  and  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  freight.     The  loss  was  $150,000. 

Two  years  later,  January  10,  1854,  a  fire  broke  out  in  a  boot  and 
store  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Larned  street. 
The  wind  carried  the  flames  across  Larned  to  the  old  Presbyterian 
church,  and  while  the  firemen  were  on  the  roof  trying  to  save  the 
structure  the  flames  shot  up  the  inside  of  the  tall  columns  of  the  porch. 
This  gave  such  a  draft  that  the  spire  was  soon  wrapped  in  flames  and 
the  church  was  doomed.      This  loss  was  about  $50,000. 

Fire  destroyed  several  buildings  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Wood- 
w.ird  and  Jefferson  avenues  on  the  site  of  the  present  Merrill  building, 
February  5,  1853,  inflicting  $100,000  damage. 

On  April  2,  1862,  when  the  transportation  of  troops  to  the  war  in  the 
South  was  making  excessive  demands  upon  the  railroads,  the  Michigan 
Central  round  house  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  with  it  nine  passenger 
locomotives,  valued  at  $90,000. 

Four  months  later  Wight's  mammoth  saw  mill  on  the  river  front 
was  destroyed,  involving  a  loss  of  $75,000. 

The  Michigan  Central  was  again  the  victim  of  fire  in  October,  1865. 
The  fire  caught  in  the  western  end  of  the  great  train  shed,  and  was 
swept  eastward  by  a  strong  breeze.  James  R.  Elliott,  the  present 
chief,  was  then  pipeman,  and  he  was  stationed  on  the  north  side  of  the 
fire  to  protect  a  huge  warehouse  which  stood  on  Third  street.  The 
street  was  a  mass  of  flame  and  the  embers  fell  in  such  a  heavy  shower 
that  the  boards  used  to  save  the  hose  from  burning  were  constantly 
blazing.  Citizens  warned  Elliott  and  his  four  assistants  to  leave  the 
spot,  as  they  and  the  engine  were  in  great  danger.  Even  Mayor  K.  C. 
Barker  ordered  them  away,  but  they  refused  to  go  without  orders  from 
Chief  Battle,  and  the  heroic  efforts  of  the  five  prevented  the  fire  from 
spreading.  At  this  fire  an  explosion  of  benzine  nearly  cost  Elliott  his 
life.  Engine  No.  5  was  on  the  river  bank  at  the  foot  of  Third  street, 
and  Engineers  Francis  Beaufort  and  Reilly  and  Fireman  John  Kendall, 
n<iw  assistant  chief,  remained  at  their  post  until  their  coats  were  burned 
from  their  backs  In  making  a  dash  to  escape  destruction  each  of  them 
received  many  burns  and  lost  hair,  whiskers  and  eyebrows. 

One  of  the  most  appalling  fires  in  the  history  of  the  city  was  that  of 
April  26,  1866,  which  destroyed  the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  depot  and 
much  adjoining  property.      At  ten  o'clock  that  evening  the  dock  and 

472 


the  freight  house  was  a  scene  of  bustling-  activity.  The  ferry  boat 
Windsor  was  unloading  a  cargo  of  merchandise  on  the  wharf,  and  a 
gan^  of  warehousemen  was  loading  a  freight  car  with  twenty-five  bar- 
rels of  naphtha.  Alongside  of  the  freight  train  which  was  being  loaded 
stood  a  passenger  train  full  of  people  which  was  to  pull  out  in  a  few 
minutes.  One  of  the  men  engaged  in  handling  the  naphtha  called  out: 
"  One  of  these  barrels  is  leaking  pretty  bad."  The  boss  of  the  freight 
handlers  ran  up  with  his  lantern  to  examine  the  barrel.  There  was  a 
blinding  flash  which  seemed  to  fill  the  air  all  around.  The  men  stag- 
gered back  with  singed  eyebrows  and  beards,  and  before  they  could 
realize  their  danger  the  barrel  exploded,  throwing  its  burning  contents 
over  them,  setting  both  the  car  and  all  the  other  barrels  on  fire.  Ex- 
plosions followed  thick  and  fast  as  barrel  after  barrel  blew  up.  The 
men,  the  freight  train,  the  passenger  train,  the  ferryboat  and  the  ad- 
joining buildings  were  all  swathed  in  fire.  Some  of  the  men  plunged 
into  the  river  and  made  their  escape;  others,  thirty-four  in  number, 
fled  on  board  the  ferry  boat.  The  flames  rolled  over  the  side  of  the 
boat  so  fiercely  that  they  could  not  cast  off  the  head  line,  and  by  the 
time  it  had  burned  off  the  boat  was  in  a  blaze.  The  Windsor  drifted 
helplessly  down  the  river,  and  the  panic  stricken  passengers  begged 
the  people  on  shore  to  save  them  from  destruction.  The  wind  blew  the 
burning  vessel  with  its  living  freight  toward  the  docks  at  the  foot  of 
Woodward  avenue,  and  but  for  the  prompt  action  of  tugs  several  ves- 
sels would  have  been  destroyed.  Brady's  warehouse  was  also  in  dan- 
ger. The  ferry  boat  Detroit,  in  charge  of  Captain  Innes,  fastened  a  line 
to  the  Windsor  and  dragged  her  away  from  the  dock,  while  the  crew  of 
the  U.  S.  revenue  cutter  John  Sherman  put  off  in  boats  to  rescue  the 
people,  who  were  jumping  into  the  river  to  escape  death  by  fire.  Sev- 
eral other  persons  put  off  in  row  boats  to  assist  in  the  rescue.  The 
Windsor  was  towed  near  the  marine  "boneyard,"  below  Sandwich 
Point,  on  the  Canadian  side  The  tow  line  burned  off  and  the  Detroit 
pushed  her  ashore  with  her  bow.  Captain  Clinton,  of  the  burned  boat, 
was  left  on  the  wharf,  being  unable  to  reach  his  boat,  and  it  was  left 
in  command  of  mate  William  Firby.  The  fire,  however,  advanced  so 
fast  that  the  boat  was  helpless  from  the  firsi,  and  those  who  were  down 
in  the  hold  were  unable  to  escape  to  the  deck.  Seventeen  persons  were 
lost  on  the  Windsor.  The  passenger  train  in  the  Detroit  &  Michigan 
depot  was  blocked  by  some  freight  cars  ahead  and  could  not  escape. 
Many  of  the  passengers  were  already  in  their   sleeping  berths,  and  al- 

473 


though  the  colored  porter  tore  them  out  of  their  beds  and  told  them  to 
fly  for  their  lives,  several  were  badly  burned.  D.  M.  Gardner,  of  Cas- 
cade, Kent  county,  Mich.,  was  suffocated  and  burned  in  one  of  the  cars. 
In  this  great  catastrophe  eighty  cars  were  destroyed  and  also  the  depot 
and  warehouses,  and  all  the  buildings  along  the  river  front,  between 
Brush  and  Hastings  streets.     The  loss  amounted  to  $1,000,000. 

The  Frederick  Stearns  laboratory,  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward 
avenue,  near  Larned  street,  was  twice  damaged  by  fire  in  1871.  April 
13,  1873,  saw  the  destruction  of  the  Tribune  Building,  on  the  north 
side  of  Larned  street,  between  Shelby  and  Griswold.  Besides  the 
complete  loss  of  the  Tribune  plant,  the  Calvert  Lithographing  works, 
the  offices  of  the  Michigan  Farmer  and  Commercial  Advertiser,  and 
the  book  and  job  printing  house  of  James  E.  &  William  A.  Scripps  was 
destroyed.  The  loss  was  $112,000.  The  Weber  Furniture  factory,  at 
the  corner  of  High  and  John  R.  streets,  was  burned  to  the  ground  on 
April  29,  1875.  The  main  building  was  75  by  285  feet,  and  seven 
stories  high,  with  a  wing  100  feet  long.  The  fire  raged  with  great 
fury  and  the  department  could  only  restrain  it  from  spreading  to  the 
adjoining  buildings.  The  loss  was  $225,000.  A  picturesque  fire 
occurred  March  25,  1876,  when  the  Fort  street  Presbyterian  Church 
burned.  Its  spire  was  the  tallest  in  the  city,  and  after  burning  like  a 
giant  torch  until  the  supports  gave  way,  it  fell  diagonally  across  Third 
street  without  damaging  other  buildings.  Once  more  the  Free  Press 
was  visited  by  fire  in  1878,  On  the  morning  of  April  29,  the  same 
month  in  which  its  two  form.er  fires  had  occurred,  the  building  took 
fire  just  as  the  paper  was  going  to  press.  A  gas  meter  exploded,  and 
the  pressman  hurried  the  forms  out  of  the  building  so  that  they  could 
be  printed  on  the  Tribune  presses.  While  one  fireman  was  at  work  in 
the  upper  story,  and  eight  more  on  top,  the  roof  collapsed  and  the  men 
were  supposed  to  be  lost.  Fortunately  the  upper  floor  stood  the"  shock, 
and  they  were  rescued.  A  Backus  &  Sons'  planing  mill  burned  Octo- 
ber 24,  1882,  with  a  loss  of  $168,000.  The  efficient  work  of  the  firemen 
saved  15,000,000  feet  of  lumber  in  the  adjoining  yard. 

One  of  the  most  appalling  fires  in  the  history  of  the  city  was  that  of 
January,  1886,  when  D.  M.  Ferry  &  Company's  great  seed  house 
burned.  It  was  a  huge  building  filling  the  half  square  between  Brush 
and  Champlain  streets,  Monroe  avenue  and  the  alley  east  of  Randolph 
street.  As  the  building  was  filled  with  light,  combustible  material,  it 
was  a  solid  mass  of  fire  in  a  few   minutes.      The  water  mains  in  that 

474 


localit}'  were  so  small  that  sufficient  water  could  not  be  obtained,  and 
the  fire  department  had  a  hard  task  in  restraining  the  fire  at  all.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  flames  had  crossed  the  alley  and  the  row  of  buildings 
fronting  on  Randolph  street,  including  White's  Opera  House,  were 
burning  as  fiercely  as  the  rest.  Capt.  Richard  Filban  stood  on  a  ladder 
in  front  of  the  opera  house  directing  his  company,  when  the  cornice 
against  which  the  ladder  was  leaning  gave  way  and  falling  outward 
dragged  a  part  of  the  wall  with  it.  Captain  Filban  was  thrown  to  the 
pavement  sixty  feet  below  and  was  instantly  killed.  The  loss  by  this 
fire  was  $1,000,000. 

The  High  School,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  old  capitol  building, 
was  destroyed  by  fire  January  27,  1893.  On  November  23,  1893, 
occurred  the  calamitous  fire  which  destroyed  the  wholesale  dry  goods 
house  of  Edson,  Moore  &  Co.  During  the  noon  hour  the  store  was 
nearly  empty,  part  of  the  employees  being  absent  at  lunch.  A  number 
of  the  clerks  and  the  janitor  and  elevator  boy  were  on  the  fifth  floor, 
where  a  large  quantity  of  cotton  batting  and  light  goods  were  stored. 
It  is  supposed  that  one  of  them,  in  violation  of  the  strict  rule,  was 
smoking  a  cigarette,  and  that  a  spark  fell  among  the  cotton.  Suddenly 
the  inmates  of  the  room  were  startled  to  see  fire  running  like  a  powder 
train  all  over  the  floor.  They  shouted  an  alarm  to  the  janitor,  who  was 
in  an  adjoining  room,  and  flew  about  frantically  trying  to  put  out  the 
blaze.  The  elevator  boy,  Eddie  Leach,  shouted  for  them  to  go  down 
with  him,  but  they  were  too  excited  to  heed  his  calls  and  he  let  the  ele- 
vator diop.  E.  W,  Paycheck,  another  boy,  opened  a  window  fronting 
on  Jefferson  avenue  and  throwing  out  a  rope,  of  which  several  had  been 
placed  to  serve  as  fire  escapes,  slid  to  the  stone  sidewalk  below.  The 
janitor  rushed  through  a  door  leading  to  an  iron  fire  escape  in  the  rear 
of  the  building,  but  so  swiftly  did  the  flames  follow  that  his  hat  was 
burned  off  and  his  hair  singed.  This  left  seven  young  men  in  the 
room.  They  were  crazed  with  excitement  from  groping  about  in  the 
fire,  and  when  they  thought  of  escape,  but  two  of  them,  Bradley  Dun- 
ning and  James  McKay,  were  able  to  reach  the  window.  The  fire  roll- 
ing out  of  the  windows  forced  them  to  hang  by  their  hands  to  the  hot 
window  sills,  with  a  drop  of  seventy  feet  below  them.  Both  became 
exhausted  and  dropped  to  the  ground  before  ladders  could  be  raised. 
They  were  both  fatally  injured  and  died  within  an  hour.  The  five 
others,  Edward  Genther.  Henry  Ryder,  Patrick  Markey,  Ed.  N.  Viot 
and  Daniel  Baker,  were  suffocated  and  fell  with  the  floors  to  the  base- 

475 


ment,   where  their  charred  bodies  were  found  two  da3's  later.      The 
financial  loss  was  $500,000. 

On  the  morning  of  October  5,  1894,  some  shavings  in  the  basement 
of  Keenan  &  Jahn's  furniture  store,  on  Woodward  avenue,  took  fire, 
and  the  draft  of  the  elevator  shaft  quickly  drew  the  flames  to  the  top 
of  the  building.  The  entire  store  was  on  fire  by  the  time  the  depart- 
ment reached  the  spot.  With  characteristic  hardihood  the  firemen  in- 
vaded every  floor,  fighting  the  flames  from  front  and  rear.  In  an  hour 
the  fierceness  of  the  fire  was  much  subdued,  although  the  floors  and 
joists  were  badly  charred  and  the  walls  were  giving  out  the  heat  of  a 
furnace.  A  number  of  firemen  were  stationed  in  the  alley  at  the  rear 
of  the  building,  and  those  in  front  were  ordered  into  the  windows  on 
the  second  floor  to  assist  in  drowning  the  fire.  At  this  moment,  with- 
out an  instant's  warning,  the  elevator  tank  on  the  roof,  which  had  been 
placed  there  long  after  the  building  was  built,  and  had  never  been 
given  perfect  support,  crashed  downward  through  the  five  floors  of 
the  building.  The  shock  caused  the  avails  in  front  and  rear  to  buckle 
outward,  and  they  descended  in  an  avalanche  of  red  hot  bricks  and 
mortar.  Sixteen  men  were  caught  in  the  ruins,  and  six  of  them  were 
instantly  killed.  Those  who  lost  their  lives  were  Lieut.  Michael  Dona- 
ghue,  John  W.  Pagel,  Joseph  R.  Dely,  Martin  Ball,  Julius  G.  Cum- 
mings  and  Fred  J.  Bussy.  The  latter  was  not  a  member  of  the  depart- 
ment, but  was  assisting  in  the  work.  Ten  others,  who  were  more  or 
less  injured,  recovered  in  the  city  hospitals,  but  several  were  scarred  and 
crippled  for  life. 

About  midnight,  July  10,  1895,  the  Case  livery  barn  on  Congress 
street,  near  Shelby,  took  fire  in  the  haymow.  A  number  of  the  stable 
men  were  sleeping  on  the  same  floor.  It  was  supposed  that  one  of 
them  had  been  smoking  a  cigarette.  Part  of  them  fled  to  the  roof,  and 
others  were  rescued  from  the  windows.  All  of  the  horses  in  the  base- 
ment were  saved  except  two.  When  the  ruins  were  searched  after  the 
fire  had  been  extinguished,  the  charred  bodies  of  James  R.  Shaw,  John 
Shaw,  John  Bowman,  John  H.  Webb,  Charles  Davis  and  Edward 
Hughes  were  found  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building,  where  they  had 
been  smothered  and  partially  burned. 

What  is  known  as  the  Journal  Building  disaster  occurred  about  9 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  November  6,  1895.  The  Detroit  Journal 
occupied  a  building  belonging  to  the  John  S.  Newberry  estate,  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Shelby  and  Larned  streets,  and  a  portion   of   the 

476 


building  adjoining  it  on  the  east.  Two  large  steam  boilers,  which 
furnished  power  for  several  manufacturing  concerns,  were  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  adjoining  building.  The  engineer  was  on  the  ground 
floor  of  the  building  talking  to  the  mailing  clerk  of  the  Journal,  when 
it  was  noticed  that  the  steam  was  blowing  off  very  hard  from  one  of 
the  boilers  below.  He  started  to  descend  and  see  what  the  trouble 
could  be,  when  there  was  a  report  like  a  heavy  clap  of  thunder,  and  the 
two  five  story  buildings,  45  and  47  Larned,  were  blown  to  pieces.  The 
front  walls  were  thrown  violently  across  Larned  street,  dangerously 
injuring  several  men  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  The  rear  walls 
were  thrown  into  the  alle)",  and  the  inmates  of  the  building,  forty-five 
in  number,  were  blown  in  every  direction  and  buried  in  the  ruins. 
An  immense  crowd  collected  and  the  work  of  rescue  began.  Annie 
O'Donoghue,  Arthur  D.  Lynch,  Thomas  M.  Thompson  (the  engineer), 
Cornelius  George,  Arthur  Weber,  Joseph  Vinter,  Alex.  Campbell  and 
Charles  Hergert,  were  rescued  alive  out  of  the  ruins.  All  these  were 
more  or  less  injured.  Thirty  seven  persons  lost  their  lives.  Cries  could 
be  heard  from  various  parts  of  the  ruins  and  several  persons  were  seen 
alive  where  they  were  pinned  down  among  the  debris,  but  fire  suddenly 
broke  out  in  several  places  and  the  unfortunates  who  were  not  already 
dead  were  slowly  suffocated.  The  dead  were  the  proprietor  and  em- 
ployees of  Hiller's  bookbindery,  the  employees  of  the  Journal  stereo- 
typing room  and  employees  of  John  Davis's  spice  mill.  It  took  several 
days  of  hard  work  to  recover  the  bodies  from  the  ruins.  The  financial 
loss  was  about  $75,000. 

On  the  night  of  October  7,  1897,  about  an  hour  after  a  performance 
of  "A  Lady  of  Quality"  had  closed  at  the  Detroit  Opera  House,  a  fire, 
which  had  evidently  been  smouldering  for  some  time  on  the  stage,  caused 
the  explosion  of  some  calcium  light  gas  tanks.  The  roof  above  the 
"gridiron"  was  blown  off  and  a  column  of  flame  shot  100  feet  in  the 
air.  The  opera  house  was  beyond  saving  when  the  first  alarm  was 
given,  and  the  narrow  alleys  at  the  rear  were  soon  a  rolling  mass  of 
fire,  which  communicated  to  the  adjoining  buildings.  The  H.  R, 
Leonard  ten  story  building  in  the  rear  crumbled  before  the  flames  and 
was  completely  gutted.  The  Parisian  laundry  and  two  or  three  other 
small  buildings  on  Gratiot  avenue  were  either  burned  or  crushed  by  the 
falling  walls  of  the  Leonard  building.  Weber's  big  crockery  store,  Mit- 
chell's grocery  store  and  three  other  business  houses  on  Monroe  avenue 
were  also  destroyed.      The  firemen  by  heroic  efforts  saved  the  jewelry 

477 


store  of  Wright,  Kay  &  Co.  and  the  other  building  fronting  on  Wood- 
ward avenue,  but  not  without  damage.  They  also  saved  the  row  of 
buildings  fronting  on  Farmer  street,  between  Gratiot  and  Monroe  ave- 
nues. The  only  loss  of  life  was  caused  by  a  fall  of  the  ruins  next  day, 
which  crushed  a  small  boy  to  death.     The  loss  was  about  $650,000. 

An  accidental  fire,  accompanied  by  loss  of  life,  burned  the  Tilden 
School,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Kirby  avenue  and  Seventh  street, 
on  December  19,  1889,  about  5  p.  m.  A  number  of  the  pupils  were 
attending  the  dress  rehearsal  of  a  Christmas  cantata,  and  were  gathered 
about  a  piano.  They  were  dressed  in  fancy  costumes,  composed  mostly 
of  mosquito  netting  trimmed  with  cotton  batting.  A  lighted  candle 
stood  on  the  piano.  One  of  the  girls  ventured  too  near  and  in  an  in- 
stant she  was  enveloped  in  flames.  The  others  tried  to  extinguish  it, 
and  in  a  fev/  seconds  ten  or  twelve  were  running  about  with  their 
clothing  on  fire.  Two  expired  that  evening,  and  within  a  few  weeks 
six  more  died. 

On  June  27,  1875,  a  cyclone  visited  Detroit — the  only  one  recorded  in 
its  history.  At  6:10  p.  m.  the  whirlwind  commenced  on  Nineteenth 
street,  between  Ash  and  Myrtle  streets,  and  it  cut  a  swath  of  about  200 
feet  in  width  for  a  mile  and  and  a  half,  traveling  in  an  eastern  direction, 
and  leveling  nearly  all  the  wooden  buildings  in  its  track.  Some  thirty 
houses,  mostly  residences  of  persons  of  limited  means,  were  leveled  or 
damaged,  and  about  $10,000  damage  was  done.  An  infant  was  killed, 
and  another  person  died  afterward  from  injuries,  while  about  twenty 
persons  were  slightly  hurt. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  March  26,  1867,  created  the  Detroit 
Fire  Commission  and  on  April  1,  of  the  same  year,  William  Duncan, 
T.  H.  Hinchman,  L.  H.  Cobb  and  J.  W.  Sutton  were  appointed  com- 
missioners. The  present  commissioners  are  Edwin  O.  Krentler,  Ed- 
ward H.  Parker,  Charles  Flowers  and  John  Lennane.  These  commis- 
sioners have  custody  of  public  property  valued  at  $1,528,477.  The 
annual  pay  roll  for  the  year  1896-97  aggregated  $420,000  and  the  total 
expenditure  for  1897  was  $550,000.  A  force  of  420  men  is  employed 
and  about  200  horses  are  used.  There  are  twenty-two  steam  fire  engine 
companies ;  nine  ladder  companies ;  four  chemical  engine  companies  and 
a  water  tower  company,  besides  the  force  employed  in  the  telegraph 
alarm  service  and  in  the  hydrant  and  water  inspection.  Engine  Company 
No.  16  has  charge  of  the  fireboat  Detroit,  which  is  kept  ready  for  instant 
service  on  the  river  front.      Special  service  mains  have  been  laid  on  the 

478 


principal  streets  which  terminate  on  the  river  front  for  connection  with 
the  fire-boat  pumps.  The  pumps  have  a  capacity  of  5,000  gallons  of 
water  a  minute,  which  is  ten  times  the  capacity  of  the  ordinary  steam 
fire  engine.  The  boat  has  proved  a  most  valuable  aid  to  the  department. 
During  the  past  twenty  years  ending  June  30,  1897,  there  have  been 
9,370  fires  and  alarms  in  the  city,  and  the  total  loss  of  property  has 
been  $8,226,191. 


CHAPTER    LXVIII. 

The  Public  Library  and  the  Art  Museum— The  County  Officials  Withhold  the 
Library  Funds  for  Several  Years  and  Convert  Them  to  Other  Uses— Public  Spirited 
Citizens  Contribute  Liberally  to  Establish  an  Art  Museum  in  Detroit — Present 
Status  of  the  Two  Institutions. 

Detroit  has  a  public  library  which  her  citizens  regard  with  pardon- 
able pride.  In  1842  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education.  It  authorized  the  board 
to  establish  a  library,  and  to  receive  the  primary  school  money  and  the 
fines  and  proceeds  of  bonds  forfeited  in  the  police  court,  as  the  means 
of  establishing  and  maintaining  it.  Unfortunately  the  city  treasurer 
would  not  construe  the  act  as  it  was  intended,  and  the  funds,  which 
should  have  come  to  the  library  fund,  were  diverted  to  the  payment  of 
salaries  of  police  justices,  clerks  and  other  incidental  expenses  of  the 
police  department.  In  those  days  it  would  appear  that  the  Board  of 
Education  was  a  patient  and  long-suffering  body,  for  it  was  not  until 
1859  that  it  took  steps  to  enforce  its  rights.  A  commitee,  consisting 
of  Edmund  Hall,  D.  B.  Duffield  and  H.  E.  Baker,  reported  that  be- 
tween the  years  1854  and  1859  about  $15,000  of  library  funds  had  been 
diverted  from  their  proper  channel.  The  board  obtained  a  mandamus 
from  the  Supreme  Court  ordering  the  city  treasurer  to  turn  over  the 
money  to  the  Board  of  Education.  When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke 
out  the  library  was  forgotten  or  neglected,  but  the  committee  returned 
to  the  charge  again  in  January,  1863,  and  after  a  prolonged  dispute  a 
compromise  was  effected  with  the  city  treasurer,  and  the  back  dues 
were  settled  at  $10,000.  A  large  room  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  old 
capitol  building,  then  used  as  a  high  school,  was  fitted  up,  and  a  number 

479 


of  scientific  and  practical  books  were  purchased.  In  three  years  the 
library  had  acquired  10,000  volumes,  and  had  an  annual  circulation  of 
15,000  books.  That  year  Henry  B.  Ledyard  donated  to  the  library  a 
collection  of  public  documents  and  books  of  historical  value  from  the 
library  of  the  late  General  Cass,  amounting  to  1,081  volumes.  Already 
the  library  suffered  for  lack  of  room,  arid  an  addition  was  built  upon 
the  rear  of  the  old  capitol,  in  which  rooms  were  set  apart  for  the 
library.  In  1873  the  institution  contained  25,879  volumes,  and  it  had 
115,000  circulation.  It  became  evident  that  the  city  must  build  a  pub- 
lic library  which  would  afford  ample  room. 

Center  Park,  which  lay  between  Farmer  and  Farrar  streets  and 
Gratiot  avenue,  was  selected  as  a  suitable  site,  and  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature authorized  the  raising  of  $150,000  for  the  building  of  a  public 
library  and  equipping  it  with  the  necessary  fixtures.  The  library  com- 
mittee of  the  Board  of  Education  went  to  several,  cities  to  examine 
library  buildings  and  obtain  ideas  for  a  plan.  The  Board  of  Estimates 
was  asked  to  provide  $125,000,  to  be  paid  in  three  annual  installments. 
This  the  board  refused  to  do,  but  in  1874  the  appropriation  was  granted, 
and  the  foundation  for  the  library  building  was  laid.  On  Ma)'  29,  1875, 
the  corner  stone  was  laid,  and  the  building,  which  had  a  capacity  for 
about  200,000  volumes,  was  completed  in  1876.  Then  came  the  re- 
moval from  the  capitol  building,  and  33,604  volumes  were  transferred 
and  rearranged.  The  new  fire-proof  library  was  forrrially  opened  Jan- 
uary 22,  1877.  Up  to  that  time  the  library  committee  had  spent  $216,- 
820.  In  1886  it  became  necessary  to  build  an  annex  on  the  north  side 
of  the  building,  at  an  expense  of  $40,000,  and  in  1896  another  extension 
was  made  to  the  annex  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  The  main  building  con- 
tains the  library  proper.  In  the  annex  is  a  large  reading  room ;  a  refer- 
ence library,  which  is  admirably  arranged  and  managed;  the  ofifice  of 
the  librarian  and  his  assistants;  a  large  storage  room  for  cataloguing 
and  classifying  books;  a  juvenile  library  and  reading  room  ;  a  file  room, 
containing  complete  files  of  several  Detroit  newspapers,  and  other  de- 
partments. At  the  present  time  the  institution  contains  about  150,000 
volumes  and  its  yearly  circulation  is  about  891,000. 

What  might  be  termed  the  greatest  impetus  to  art  in  Detroit  was  the 
art  loan  exhibition  of  1883.  From  that  enterprise  the  idea  of  establish- 
ing an  dn  museum  was  developed.  This  exhibition  was  the  happy 
conception  of  W.  H.  Brearley,  and  he  worked  up  public  sentiment 
through  a  series  of  articles  in  the  columns  of  the  Evening  News.      The 

480 


WILLIAM  C.  SPRAGUE. 


first  meeting-  was  held  at  the  residence  of  James  F.  Joy  on  December 
6,  1882,  and  at  the  third  meeting-  on  March  7,  1883,  the  projectors  suc- 
ceeded in  financing  the  enterprise  by  means  of  a  joint  bond,  which  was 
signed  by  fifty-e'ght  of  the  solid  citizens  of  Detroit.  A  lot  adjoining 
St.  Anne's  church,  on  Larned  street,  was  leased  from  the  Bagley  estate, 
and  in  seventy-six  days  a  building-  135  by  157  feet  was  erected.  The 
exhibition  opened  September  1,  and  closed  November  12.  Works  of 
art  to  the  value  of  $822,477  were  loaned  by  528  persons,  and  the  entire 
attendance  was  134,924  persons.  The  receipts  were  $44,260,  and  the 
expenditures  were  $41,817,  leaving  a  satisfactory  margin.  Hon. 
Thomas  W.  Palmer  offered  donations  from  several  individuals,  amount- 
ing to  $10,000,  to  help  establish  a  permanent  art  gallery,  provided 
$40,000  could  be  raised  from  other  sources.  By  January  26,  1884,  Mr. 
Brearley  had  secured  the  signatures  of  the  following  persons  who 
pledged  contributions  of  $1,000  each:  R.  A.  Alger,  H.  P.  Baldwin, 
Joseph  Black,  W.  H.  Brearley,  C.  H.  Buhl,  James  L.  Edson,  Charles 
Endicott,  Fred  E.  Farnsworth,  D.  M.  Ferry,  George  H.  Hammond, 
*John  L.  Harper,  *Mrs.  E  G.  Holden,  Bela  Hubbard,  Collins  B.  Hub- 
bard, *L.  T.  Ives,  Geo.  V.  N.  Lothrop,  C.  R.  Mabley,  James  McMil- 
lan, George  F.  Moore,  Wm.  A.  Moore,  Samuel  R.  Mumford,  C.  A. 
Newcomb,  *  Thomas  W.  Palmer,  Francis  Palms,  James  E.  Scripps, 
George  H.  Scripps,  Allan  Sheldon,  *Mrs.  E.  C.  Skinner,  *Mrs.  H.  H. 
H.  Crapo  Smith,  M.  S.  Smith,  Frederick  Stearns,  *Mrs.  J.  T.  Sterling", 
*Mrs.  Morse  Stewart,  Mrs.  Robert  P.  Toms,  E.  W.  Voigt,  Hiram 
Walker,  E.  Chandler  Walker,  Willis  E.  Walker,  *John  L.  Warren, 
*  Mrs.  R.  Storrs  Willis.  (Those  marked  *  were  named  by  Hon.  Thomas 
W.  Palmer  under  his  $10,000  contribution). 

The  above  named  public  spirited  citizens  became  the  original  in- 
corporators of  the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art.  William  A.  Moore,  Charles 
Endicott,  W.  H.  Brearley,  George  V.  N.  Lothrop  and  L.  T.  Ives  were 
appointed  an  executive  committee  at  a  meeting  held  February  27. 
George  V.  N.  Lothrop,  James  E.  Scripps  and  William  A.  Moore  were 
appointed  a  judiciary  committee  to  draft  a  suitable  law  and  procure  its 
passage  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature.  This  law  was  drafted 
and  passed,  and  it  became  operative  February  16,  1885.  Articles  of 
incorporation  were  filed  under  this  law  March  25,  1885.  W.  H.  Brear- 
ley, George  V.  N.  Lothrop,  William  A.  Moore,  L.  T.  Ives,  Thomas  W. 
Palmer  and  James  E.  Scripps  were  elected  the  first  Board  of  Trustees. 
On  July   21  the  trustees  authorized   Mr.  Brearley  to  increase  by  sub- 

481 


scriptions  the  original  fund  of  $40,000  to  $100,000,  and  he  accomplished 
the  task  by  March  20,  1886.  There  were  1,939  subscriptions,  ranging 
from  one  cent  to  $10,000.  On  July  11,  1885,  the  Art  Loan  Association 
disbanded,  and  turned  over  all  its  property  and  money,  valued  at  $5,021, 
to  the  present  Detroit  Museum  of  Art.  An  art  exhibition  was  held  in 
Merrill  Hall,  which  opened  May  29,  1886,  and  continued  for  twenty- 
three  days.  It  netted  $853.  On  October  13,  after  considering  the 
purchase  of  several  eligible  sites,  the  trustees  received  a  proposition 
from  a  committee  of  citizens,  offering  as  a  free  gift  what  was  known  as 
the  General  Brady  property,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Hastings  street,  a  plat  of  20,000  square  feet,  valued  at  $25,- 
000.  The  gift  was  accepted  at  the  hands  of  the  following  donors:  De- 
troit City  Railway  Co.,  James  McMillan,  George  Hendrie,  William  B. 
Moran,  S.  D.  Miller,  Francis  Palms,  C.  C.  Blodgett,  D.  M.  Cooper, 
T.  Ferguson,  Alex.  Lewis,  John  P.  Fleitz,  C.  H.  Wetmore,  E.  Wendell, 
Morse  Stewart,  T.  A.  Parker,  George  McMillan,  O.  Goldsmith,  F.  H.' 
Canfield,  M.  W.  Field,  Henry  Russell,  A.  M.  Campau,  T.  S.  Anderson, 
A.  C.  McGraw,  J.  E.  Owen,  W.  B.  Wesson,  Mrs.  R.  McClelland,  Berry 
Bros.,  H.  M.  Duffield,  McKinstry  estate,  D.  F.  Dwight,  Thomas  F. 
Griffin,  G.  B.  Hill,  John  Pettie,  L.  S.  Trowbridge,  S.  B.  Grummond, 
Francis  E.  Sibley,  H.  B.  Brown,  J.  A.  Wier,  T.  Schmidt,  W.  K.  Muir, 
George  S.  Davis,  J.  E.  Pitman,  William  Wreford,  Sarah  A.  Sibley,  J. 
Dwyer. 

In  the  competition  for  designs  for  the  museum  building  fifty-two 
sketches  were  submitted,  and  the  award  went  to  James  Balfour,  of 
Hamilton,  Ont.  A  contract  was  made  with  Dawson  &  Anderson,  of 
Toledo,  to  erect  the   building  for  $43,870.      It  was  completed  in  July, 

1888,  and  was  formally  opened  September  1,  with  a  loan  exhibition, 
containing  among  other  attractions  a  collection  of  paintings  owned  by 
George  L.  Seney  of  New  York,  valued  at  $250,000,  and  the  best  pic- 
tures, statuary,  etc.,  in  the  city.  This  exhibition  was  a  financial  fail- 
ure, the  loss  being  $1,842.14.  Miss  Clara  A.  Avery,  one  of  the  board 
of  trustees,  offered  $1,500  toward  the  salary  of  a  director  for  the  art 
school,  and  upon  her  nomination  John  Ward  Dunsmore  was  appointed 
at  a  salary  of  $1,800.  Another  loan   exhibition  was  held  in  January, 

1889,  and  an  exhibition  of  water  colors  in  March  of  the  same  year,  at 
which  time  the  collection  of  casts  of  antique  statuary,  which  had  been 
purchased  at  a  cost  of  $2,078,  and  the  first  installment  of  the  Frederick 
Stearns  collection  of  Corean  and  Japanese  curios,  were  exhibited.     An 

48.2 


art  school  was  opened  in  a  barn  adjoining  the  building-  on  March  IS, 
the  same  year,  and  sixty-eight  pupils  were  in  attendance.  Pupils  of 
the  "life"  class  were  charged  $25  per  term  of  three  months  for  day 
instruction,  and  $15  for  night  instruction.  Those  who  studied  antique 
designing  and  modeling  were  charged  $15  for  day,  and  $10  for  night 
instruction.  Children's  classes  were  opened  at  a  fee  of  $10.  The  re- 
ceipts of  the  first  term  were  $1,038.  In  October,  1889,  James  E.  Scripps 
donated  a  collection  of  eighty  works  of  the  old  masters,  which  he  had 
spent  four  years  in  collecting,  and  for  which  he  had  paid  $70,950.84, 
not  counting  the  cost  of  collecting  and  transporting.  Most  notable 
among  this  collection  is  a  large  work  by  Rubens,  which  cost  $23,520, 
and  "The  Immaculate  Conception,"  by  Murillo,  valued  at  $20,000. 
A  valuable  collection  of  works  of  art  were  loaned  and  donated  by  gen- 
erous citizens.  Bela  Hubbard  donated  a  picture,  "Evangeline,"  by 
Samuel  Richards,  valued  at  $6,000.  "  The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  " 
was  presented  by  his  Holiness  Pope  Leo  XIII;  and  a  large  number  of 
other  pictures  and  pieces  of  statuary  donated  bear  witness  to  the  public 
spirit  of  the  wealthy  and  cultured  people  of  Detroit.  One  of  the  most 
notable  collections  is  that  donated  by  Frederick  Stearns.  It  contains 
a  large  number  of  works  of  art  and  interesting  curios  collected  in  China, 
Japan,  Corea,  the  Indies  and  the  remote  islands  of  the  Pacific.  The 
heroic  group,  representing  a  wrestling  match  between  a  Japanese  cham- 
pion and  a  black  giant,  is  a  remarkable  piece  of  artistic  sculpture.  In 
January,  1891,  Armond  Hardd  Griffith  was  appointed  secretary,  and 
he  was  subsequently  made  director. 

In  1893  the  trustees  applied  to  the  Common  Council  for  an  annual 
appropriation  for  the  support  of  the  institution.  The  council  granted 
the  request,  and  in  1896  the  appropriation  was  increased  to  $8,000  a 
year.  In  January,  1894,  James  McMillan,  T.  W.  Palmer,  D.  M.  Ferry, 
Charles  L.  Freer,  Bela  Hubbard,  C.  H.  Buhl,  James  E.  Scripps,  George 
S.  Davis,  John  N.  Bagley  and  George  W.  Hopkins  subscribed  $23,065 
toward  building  a  much  needed  extension  of  the  building,  and  a  con- 
tract was  let  to  Chandler  &  Goddard  for  $29,340.  This  addition  con- 
sisted of  an  east  wing  of  stone,  eighty  five  feet  long,  fronting  on  Hast- 
ings street,  and  a  west  wing  of  brick,  each  four  stories  high.  Between 
the  two  wings  is  a  large  glass  covered  hall  of  statuary.  The  first  floors 
are  used  for  school  rooms.  The  total  cost  of  this  addition  was  $32,587, 
and  it  was  opened  to  the  public  on  November  9,  1894.  In  1895  the 
valuable  collection  of  natural  history  belonging  to  the  Detroit  Scientific 

483 


Association  was  given  a  permanent  home  in  the  Museum  of  Art.  The 
association  was  given  the  use  of  the  upper  and  lower  corridors  of  the 
west  wing,  on  condition  that  it  would  cause  them  to  be  finished  after 
the  style  of  the  east  wing.  This  was  done,  and  the  collection  now 
forms  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  institution.  On  Sunday,  November 
18,  1895,  a  regular  series  of  Sunday  lectures  on  history  and  art  was 
begun  in  the  building,  and  were  made  so  entertaining  and  instructive 
by  Director  A.  H.  Griffith,  that  the  attendance  averaged  between  1,000 
and  1,500.  In  1896  the  library  of  the  late  Gen.  O.  M.  Poe  was  given 
as  a  permanent  loan  to  the  Art  Museum,  and  Gen.  R.  A.  Alger  and 
George  N.  Brady  fitted  up  an  apartment,  which  is  known  as  the  O.  M. 
Poe  library  room.  In  the  same  year  James  E.  Scripps  completed  and 
furnished,  at  his  own  expense,  the  gallery  of  the  west  wing  of  the 
building.  In  this  gallery  was  placed  the  collection  of  the  old  masters 
which  he  had  donated.  Theodore  D.  Buhl  bore  the  expense  of  finish- 
ing and  fitting  up  the  second  floor  corridor  of  the  west  wing,  and  this 
has  been  named  the  C.  H.  Buhl  room.  Medals,  designed  by  Lewis  T. 
Ives,  were  presented  to  James  E.  Scripps  and  Frederick  Stearns  on 
June  25,  1896,  Gen.  R.  A.  Alger  making  the  presentation  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  members  of  the  corporation.  Each  year  a  large  addition  is 
made  to  the  collection  in  the  museum.  Membership  is  limited  to  forty, 
and  vacancies  caused  by  death  or  removal  from  the  city  are  filled  by 
the  membership  at  the  annual  meetings,  on  the  first  Monday  in  July. 
The  officers  at  the  present  time  (1897)  are:  President,  Don  M.  Dick-, 
inson;  vice-president,  Charles  Buncher;  secretary,  Fred  E.  Earns  worth; 
treasurer,  Collins  B.  Hubbard;  director,  A.  H.  Griffith;  assistant  di- 
rector, W.  K.  Bradish. 

The  Detroit  Cyclorama  building  was  erected  on  the  north  side  of 
Earned  street,  just  east  of  Bates  street,  its  site  occupying  a  part  of  old 
St.  Anne's  church,  and  opened  on  Saturday,  February  26,  1887.  The 
attraction  was  a  mammoth  circular  picture,  representing  the  Battle  of 
Atlanta,  modeled  on  Paul  Phillippoteaux's  famous  picture,  "The 
Siege  of  Paris."  This  was  afterward  changed  for  another  picture, 
"Custer's  Last  Battle."  During  a  portion  of  its  existence  Gilbert  R. 
Osmun  was  the  manager.  The  cyclorama  closed  on  September  1,  1891, 
and  was  shortly  afterward  torn  down,  and  the  site  used  for  business 
purposes. 


484 


ARMOND  H.  GRIFFITH. 


CHAPTER  LXIX. 

Public  Sewers  and  Pavements — Developed  from  Open  Ditches  and  Corduroy 
Roads — There  are  Now  512  Miles  of  Paved  Streets  and  Nearly  as  Many  Miles  of 
Sewers. 

The  first  sewer  was  built  in  1836.  Before  that  time,  and  for  many 
years,  the  River  Savoyard,  or  Ruisseau  de  Rurtns,  was  used  as  an  open 
drain  and  into  it  was  thrown  so  much  filth  that  it  became  a  menace  to 
public  health.  A  stone  circular  sewer,  four  feet  in  diameter,  was  built  in 
that  year,  generally  along  the  course  of  the  stream  from  the  corner  of 
Fort  and  Beaubien  streets,  along  Fort  to  Randolph,  along  Randolph  to 
Cadillac  square,  across  Cadillac  square  diagonally  to  Bates  street,  down 
Bates  to  Congress  Street,  west  on  Congress,  north  side,  to  Woodward 
avenue,  crosses  Woodward  avenue  to  Congress  street,  thence  westerly 
along  Congress  street  to  Griswold  street,  thence  diagonally  across  Gris- 
wold  street,  going  through  the  southeasterly  corner  of  the  present  Buhl 
block,  to  the  alley,  thence  westerly  down  the  alley,  north  of  the  old 
Federal  building,  the  Free  Press  job  office,  and  the  Evening  News  office 
to  First  street  and  down  First  street  to  the  river.  This  was  called  the 
grand  sewer,  and  was  considered  a  work  of  great  magnitude  in  its  day. 
In  1859  it  was  extended  at  its  upper  end  along  Bates  street  to  Farmer 
street  and  north  on  Farmer  to  the  alley  between  Monroe  and  Gratiot 
avenues.  In  1883  a  change  was  made  in  its  lower  part.  The  portion 
between  Cass  and  Shelby  streets  was  rebuilt,  and,  as  other  sewers 
drained  the  territory,  the  new  part  was  two  feet  eight  inches  in  height 
and  two  feet  wide,  and  was  built  of  brick,  egg  shaped.  It  was  then  ex- 
tended down  Cass  street  to  the  river.  The  portion  beyond  Cass  street 
was  untouched,  and  remains  an  independent  sewer.  The  care  and  con- 
struction of  sewers  was  in  charge  of  a  committee  of  the  Common  Coun- 
cil until  1857,  when  a  Sewer  Commission  was  appointed,  the  first  mem- 
bers being  Chauncey  Hurlbut,  Alex.  Chapoton  and  James  Shearer. 
The  commission  went  out  of  existence  when  the  Board  of  Public 
Works  was  established  in  1874:.  Up  to  January  1,  1898,  there  were  160 
miles  of  main  or  public  brick  sewers  in  the  streets,  and  297  miles  of 

485 


lateral  sewers  in  the  alleys.  Of  the  latter,  147  miles  are  of  brick,  and 
150  miles  are  of  vitrified  crock  pipes.  The  public  sewers  are  paid  for  by 
the  city  and  are  generally  placed  in  streets  running  north  and  south 
and  terminating  at  the  river;  while  the  lateral  sewers  are  constructed 
at  the  expense  of  the  abutting  property  owners,  and  generally  run 
through  alleys.  There  are  about  9,000  receiving  basins,  with  300  miles 
of  pipe  connecting  them  with  the  public  sewers.  The  public  sewers 
are  of  brick  and  in  size  from  three  to  nine  feet  in  diameter  for  cylin- 
ders; from  fifteen  by  twenty  inches  to  six  by  eight  feet  in  diameter  for 
old  form  ovals ;  and  from  two  by  three  feet  to  four  feet  eight  inches  by 
seven  feet  for  the  present  oval  or  egg  shaped.  Lateral  sewers  were 
first  made  of  brick,  but  of  late  years  vitrified  glazed  pipe  has  been  sub- 
stituted, which  is  a  great  improvement  from  a  sanitary  point  of  view. 
Brick  sewers  are  always  porous  and  are  permeated  by  the  filth  of  their 
contents;  while  vitrified  pipe  retain  no  offensive  matter  or  odor. 
Owing  to  the  gradual  incline  of  the  land  from  north  to  south,  in  the 
direction  of  the  river,  Detroit  has  unusually  favorable  facilities  for 
drainage,  and  its  sewer  system  is  not  excelled  by  that  of  any  other  city 
on  the  American  continent.  But  in  the  future,  when  the  city  is  en- 
larged toward  the  north,  new  problems  in  drainage  will  confront  the 
engineer,  as  the  land  slopes  downward  from  its  present  northerly  city 
limits,  and  lower  outlets  must  be  found  on  the  east  or  west,  probably 
both. 

There  was  no  street  paving  in  old  Detroit  under  French  and  English 
rule,  and  the  few  sidewalks  in  those  days  were  logs  generally  only  one 
foot  wide,  and  of  the  same  depth  in  order  to  afford  a  foundation  in 
the  mud.  Even  under  American  rule  the  streets  were  bare  of  any  cover- 
ing for  many  years,  and  were  impassable  in  the  spring  and  the  fall,  and 
after  every  heavy  shower  of  rain.  The  only  work  done  on  the  thor- 
oughfares up  to  1825  consisted  in  leveling  the  broken  surface  and 
rounding  it  up  in  the  center.  On  and  after  1825  a  number  of  mer- 
chants and  others  paved  the  roadway  in  front  of  their  property  with 
cobblestones.  The  first  two  city  squares  paved  was  in  1835,  when  the 
roadway  on  At  water  street  between  Woodward  avenue  and  Randolph 
street  was  covered  with  cobblestones.  Between  1835  and  1839  about 
seventeen  city  squares  were  paved  with  cobblestones  in  the  business 
district,  and  in  1845  Julius  Eldred  paved  the  front  of  his  store  on  the 
north  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  between  Woodward  avenue  and  Gris- 
wold  street,  with  hexagonal  blocks  of  wood.      After  1850  the  paving 

486 


done  consisted  altogether  of  cobblestones.  After  the  war  of  the  Rebell- 
ion the  popular  preference  was  for  wood,  and  a  large  number  of  pat- 
ented pavements  of  that  material  were  laid.  After  trying  all  kinds  of 
wood  pavement  Detroit  has  generally  adopted  cedar  blocks,  which  was 
considered  the  best  and  most  economical  material.  This  preference 
has  lasted  until  the  present  time,  and  at  present  about  four- fifths  of 
Detroit's  pavements  consist  of  cedar  blocks. 

In  1874  the  various  boards  that  performed  the  public  work  of  the  city 
were  superseded  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  the  first  members  be- 
ing, Alex.  Chapoton,  Harvey  King  and  Nicol  Mitchell.  No  perceptible 
change  in  the  manner  or  material  of  paving  was  caused  by  the  creation 
of  the  board,  but  better  work  and  material  dated  from  that  year.  One 
of  the  first  recommendations  of  the  new  board  was  the  placing  of  stone 
foundations  under  the  cedar  blocks.  But  the  laying  of  blocks  in  sand 
was  generally  preferred  at  first.  A  considerable  number  of  streets 
were  paved  with  cobblestones,  but  in  1876  that  material  was  almost  en- 
tirely discarded  except  for  paving  alleys.  In  a  few  years,  however, 
cobblestones  were  again  extensively  used  for  paving  on  the  outside  of 
the  cedar  blocks,  both  being  laid  on  sand.  On  January  1,  1898,  there 
were  about  512  miles  of  streets,  including  the  boulevard,  within  the 
city  limits,  of  which  258.77  miles  are  paved  with  the  following  material : 
Cedar  on  concrete,  62.68;  cedar  on  sand,  plank,  boards,  etc;,  including 
cedar  blocks  with  cobble  sides  or  gutters,  138.50;  brick  on  concrete, 
19.39;  asphalt  on  concrete,  20.14;  granite  on  concrete,  1.73;  selected 
cobble  on  concrete,  1.31;  Medina  blocks  on  concrete,  1.10;  stone  on 
sand,  2.95;  silica  barytic  (artificial  stone),  0.20;  macadam  (boulevard), 
10.78.  The  width  of  Detroit's  pavements  range  from  twenty-six  to 
eighty  feet ;  the  total  number  of  square  yards  of  pavement  is  about 
4,500,000,  There  are  about  350  miles  of  alleys  in  the  city,  seventeen 
of  which  are  paved,  mostly  with  cobblestones. 

Of  late  years  there  have  been  many  attacks  on  cedar  blocks  as  unfit 
for  paving  material,  and  physicians  have  denounced  this  covering  as 
disease  breeding.  Concerning  this  matter  John  McVicar,  member  of 
the  Detroit  Board  of  Public  Works,  remarks  that  such  statements  do 
not  seem  to  be  based  on  reliable  grounds,  and  that  the  death  rate  in 
wood  paved  cities  is  lower  than  that  of  stone  covered  cities.  In  New 
York,  Buffalo  and  Boston,  cedar  blocks  have  never  been  used,  but  the 
death  rate  per  1,000  is  21.54,  17.37  and  22.53  respectively,  an  average  of 
of  20.48.     The  per  centage  of  mileage  of  cedar  blocks  in  Chicago  is  63 ; 

487 


of  Milwaukee  81,  and  Detroit  68,  but  the  percentage  of  deaths  are  re- 
spectively 14. 30,  15.00  and  15.08,  an  average  of  14.81.  There  are 
about  800  miles  of  sidewalks,  by  far  the  largest  portion  being  of  wood, 
although  the  business  district,  and  the  streets  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
City  Hall,  are  generally  paved  with  stone  and  artifical  stone,  while  the 
principal  streets,  Woodward  and  Jefferson  avenues,  are  paved  for 
miles  with  asphalt. 

Whenever  a  city  attains  a  population  of  about  100,000  the  garbage 
problem  presents  itself  for  solution.  Previous  to  1887  the  gathering  of 
animal  and  vegetable  refuse  in  Detroit  was  performed  in  a  very  inade- 
quate and  unsanitary  manner,  but  in  that  year  a  commendable  effort  was 
made  to  remedy  the  growing  evil.  Alex.  L.  Patrick,  a  local  sanitary 
engineer,  and  head  of  the  Detroit  Odorless  Excavating  Company,  was 
about  to  visit  Europe,  and  the  Board  of  Health  commissioned  him  to 
examine  and  report  on  the  methods  of  garbage  disposition  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Continent,  Mr.  Patrick  visited 
several  cities,  and  became  satisfied  that  the  Glasgow  system  of  cre- 
mating the  refuse  was  the  best.  He  reported  to  that  effect,  and  was 
given  a  contract  to  gather  and  dispose  of  all  garbage,  dead  animals  and 
other  rubbish  within  the  city  limits.  He  erected  a  furnace  on  the 
small  pox  hospital  grounds  on  Crawford  street,  and  it  commenced  oper- 
ation in  July,  1888.  The  plant  was  burned  down  in  the  spring  of 
1890. 

On  September  4,  1889,  the  city  gave  a  three  year  contract  for  the 
collection  and  disposal  of  garbage  to  the  Detroit  Sanitary  Works,  which 
operated  under  the  Merz  system.  The  process  of  this  system,  briefly 
described,  consisted  of  treating  the  garbage  by  heat  and  chemicals,  and 
thereby  utilizing  the  solids  and  converting  them  into  grease  and  fertil- 
izing materials.  The  contract  price  was  $35,000  per  year,  and  it  was 
stipulated  that  collections  should  be  made  six  times  per  week  within 
the  two  mile  circle,  and  three  times  a  week  outside  of  that  limit,  and 
that  the  company  should  pay  a  rebate  of  eighty  cents  per  ton  on  all 
garbage  gathered  over  7,500  tons.  A  plant  was  erected  at  the  foot  of 
Twenty- fourth  street  and  its  operations  were  satisfactory  for  a  time. 
But  the  amount  of  garbage  collected  soon  exceeded  all  expectations 
and  the  plant  was  so  overburdened  that  the  process  of  deodorizing  the 
gases  and  noxious  odors  became  inadequate. 

The  complaints  finally  resulted  in  an  action,  and  the  Circuit  Court 
enjoined  the  works  in   1892.     The  company  immediately  removed  its 

488 


FRANK   E.  SNOW. 


works  to  French  Landing,  on  the  Wabash  Raih'oad,  twenty-two  miles 
west  of  Detroit,  and  recommenced  operations  in  November,  1892. 

The  second  contract  for  three  years,  at  $52,500  a  year,  was  awarded 
the  company  on  June  21,  1892.  It  contained  the  same  stipulations  and 
gave  a  rebate  of  eighty  cents  per  ton  on  all  garbage  collected  in  excess 
of  1U,000  tons.  The  third  contract  for  three  years  was  awarded  in  1895 
at  $50,000  per  year,  with  a  rebate  of  eighty  cents  per  ton  on  all  gar- 
bage collected  in  excess  of  the  total  number  of  tons  collected  in  the 
fiscal  year  of  1894-95.  The  company  collects  from  22,000  to  25,000 
tons  of  garbage  per  year,  in  wagons  with  steel  bodies  and  closed  covers, 
and  delivers  it  to  the  Wabash  Railroad,  at  the  Sanitary  Company's 
depot  at  the  foot  of  Twenty  fourth  street.  The  bodies  of  the  wagons 
are  lifted  from  the  wheels  and  placed  on  flat  cars  and  taken  to  French 
Landing.  In  1895  the  company  adopted  the  process  of  the  Detroit 
Liquid  vSeparating  Company,  which  separates  the  solids  in  a  more 
economical  manner,  and  now  manufactures  a  superior  quality  of  fertil- 
izers. The  rebates  paid  to  the  city  up  to  the  close  of  1897  aggregate 
$16,632.05.  The  complaints  for  non- collection  of  garbage  average  only 
eight  daily,  and  the  company  claims  that  its  collection  system  is  prac- 
tically perfect,  extending  as  it  does  over  twenty-nine  square  miles  of 
territory. 


CHAPTER    LXX. 


Freemasonry  and  Other  Secret  Benevolent  Societies  —  Military  Lodges  in  the 
Early  Days  of  British  Rule — The  Morgan  Excitement— Odd  Fellowship  in   Detroit. 

The  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  was  introduced  in  Detroit 
as  early  as  1764,  or  within  thirty  one  years  after  it  had  been  transplanted 
from  England  to  the  colonies  of  America.  When  General  Bradstreet 
came  to  relieve  Major  Gladwin  as  commandant  of  the  fort  at  Detroit 
he  brought  with  him  the  60th,  or  Royal  American  Regiment.  The 
soldiers  of  that  time  were  generally  of  British  birth,  but  the  Royal 
American  Regiment  was  recruited  along  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  be- 
tween Albany  and  New  York.  The  order  of  Masonry  had  been  insti- 
tuted in  New  York  June  9,  1753,  by  the  appointment  of  George  Harri- 
son as  provincial  grand  master,  and  he  had  authorized  lodges  in  Con- 


necticut  and  New  York,  the  latter  at  Poughkeepsie  and  Alban3\  Quite 
a  number  of  soldiers  of  the  60th  were  members  of  the  order,  and  when 
they  were  settled  in  Detroit  they  petitioned  Grand  Master  Harrison  for 
authority  to  form  a  lodge  and  confer  degrees.  A  dispensation  was 
granted  them  April  27,  1764,  and  Lieut.  John  Christie  was  chosen  as 
the  master  of  the  lodge.  Sampson  Fleming  was  senior  warden  and 
Josias  Harper  was  junior  warden.  This  lodge  continued  work  for  about 
thirty  years,  but  much  of  it  was  probably  irregular,  as  it  left  no  records. 
In  179-4  a  new  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Canada 
at  Quebec,  at  which  time  James  Donaldson  was  master,  Edward  Bryan 
senior  warden  and  Findly  Campbell  junior  warden.  The  lodge  met  at 
Donaldson's  house,  where  a  room  was  fitted  up  for  it  on  the  upper  floor. 
This  lodge  was  known  as  Zion  No,  10.  The  first  records  show  that 
Israel  Ruland  received  the  first  degree  on  the  night  of  December  19, 
1794,  and  that  Joseph  Douglass  and  John  Monroe  applied  for  member- 
ship. All  these  were  members  of  the  Royal  Artillery  Company,  then 
stationed  at  Detroit. 

In  1803,  seven  years  after  the  Americans  came  into  possession  of 
Detroit,  the  Detroit  Masons  applied  for  a  charter  from  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  New  York,  which  had  authority  over  all  Masons  in  the 
United  States.  In  1804  John  Dodemead  became  master,  and  the 
lodge  was  transferred  to  his  house  on  Jefferson  avenue  between  Shelby 
and  Griswold  streets.  The  members  of  this  lodge  were  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  the  town.  James  May,  Dr.  Herman  Eberts, 
Oliver  and  John  R.  Williams,  Robert  Abbott,  William  McDowell  Scott, 
Robert  Abbott,  Charles  Jouet,  Philip  Lecuyer,  Richard  Smythe, 
Solomon  Sibley,  Gen.  Wm.  Hull,  George  McDougall  (who  was  secre- 
tary for  several  years),  Jean  Baptiste  Comparet,  John  Conner,  Jonathan 
Scheiffelin,  and  many  other  historic  names  are  found  on  the  records. 
When  the  lodge  was  in  session  the  master  wore  a  prodigious  cocked 
hat  and  conducted  himself  with  becoming  dignity.  Members  who  ab- 
sented themselves  from  lodge  were  fined  heavily,  and  if  any  brother 
conducted  himself  in  an  unseemly  manner  or  defrauded  his  brethren,  he 
was  dealt  with  in  summary  fashion.  Isaac  Moses  was  tried  for  crooked 
dealing  and  suspended  shortly  before  the  great  fire  of  1805.  A  warrant 
arrived  from  New  York  in  July,  1807,  and  the  Canadian  charter  was 
surrendered.  Zion  Lodge  No.  1  was  first  opened  for  business  in  the 
house  of  John  Palmer,  and  after  the  exercises  were  over  Governor 
Hull,  who  was  in  attendance,  invited  the  members  to  his  home,  where 

490 


a  banquet  had  been  spread  for  their  refreshment.  After  the  surrender 
of  1812,  the  Masons  ceased  work  for  four  years,  and  allowed  their 
charter  to  lapse.  Zion  lodge  was  chartered  again  March  14,  1810,  and 
General  Cass,  Solomon  Sibley,  Oliver  Williams  and  Mr.  Gratiot  were 
among  those  present  at  the  first  meeting.  In  1817  the  lodge  was  too 
large  to  find  accommodations  in  a  private  house,  and  it  was  removed 
to  Brother  Ben.  Woodworth's  hotel  on  Woodbridge  street.  In  1821 
there  were  Masons  enough  in  Detroit  for  two  lodges,  and  as  another 
lodge  woiild  afford  an  opportunity  for  honoring  those  who  wanted 
office,  Detroit  lodge  No.  31  was  chartered  from  New  York  that  year. 
A  number  of  Chapter  Masons  lived  in  Detroit  in  1818,  and  upon  pe- 
tition of  John  Anderson,  Harry  Conant,  Charles  Noble  and  others,  a 
charter  was  granted  in  that  year  for  the  conferring  of  capitular  degrees. 
The  chapter  was  named  Monroe.  In  June,  1826,  the  Masons  obtained 
permission  to  build  a  wooden  story  upon  the  stone  walls  of  the  old 
council  house,  and  the  three  Masonic  bodies  used  it  as  a  lodge  room.  A 
Grand  Lodge  was  also  instituted  that  year  with  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  as 
grand  master. 

In  1826  came  the  Morgan  abduction  in  western  New  York,  which 
threw  the  whole  country  into  a  state  of  excitement.  William  Morgan, 
a  printer,  of  Batavia,  N.  Y. ,  in  violation  of  his  Masonic  obligation, 
printed  and  published  the  ritual  of  the  order  and  a  general  exposure 
of  its  mysteries,  which  greatly  incensed  some  foolish  and  hot-headed 
Free  Masons.  He  was  arrested  for  debt  and  locked  in  jail  at  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  Y.  One  night  he  was  taken  from  the  jail  by  a  number  of 
persons,  some  of  whom  were  Masons,  and  driven  away  in  a  carriage. 
It  is  known  that  he  was  confined  for  several  days  in  an  old  fort  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Niagara  River,  but  from  that  time  nothing  was  heard  or 
seen  of  him.  Several  of  his  kidnapers  were  arrested  and  tried  for 
murder,  but  nothing  more  than  kidnaping  could  be  proved.  The  lead- 
ers were  punished  by  imprisonment.  At  that  time  the  Masons  had 
become  a  power  in  politics  and  were  generally  influential,  and  the 
Morgan  excitement  was  agitated  by  the  Anti-Masons  for  political  pur- 
poses. Such  eminent  men  as  Thurlow  Weed  and  John  Quincy  Adams 
took  part  in  the  crusade  against  the  order.  Masonic  work  was  sus- 
pended everywhere  in  the  United  States  for  a  number  of  years.  It 
was  resumed  in  1841  in  Michigan,  when  a  second  Graad  Lodge  was 
organized  in  this  State,  and  the  progress  of  the  order  has  been  uninter- 
rupted since  that  time.     A   Grand  Chapter  was  organized    March   9, 

491 


1848,  and  a  Grand  Commandery  February  12,  1857.  The  various  Con- 
sistory bodies  of  the  Scottish  rite  were  organized  between  1856  and  1869. 
In  1831  the  Masons  built  a  hall  on  the  north  side  of  Jefferson  avenue, 
between  Griswold  and  Shelby  streets.  They  removed  to  more  com- 
modious quarters  in  the  Wayne  County  Bank  building  in  1876,  and  in 
1893  they  built  a  Masonic  temple  on  Lafayette  avenue,  at  the  corner  of 
First  street.  This  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  buildings  in  the  city 
It  is  seven  stories  high,  and  is  used  for  Masonic  purposes  exclusively. 
It  cost  about  $250,000. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  about  35,000  Masons  in  the  State  of 
Michigan  and  about  400  lodges  engaged  in  conferring  degrees.  The 
Detroit  lodges  at  the  present  time  are  Zion  No.  1;  Detroit  No.  2; 
Union  No.  3;  Ashler  No.  91;  Oriental  No.  240;  Corinthian  No.  241; 
Schiller  No.  263;  Kilwinning  No.  297;  Palestine  No.  357;  and  Friend- 
ship No.  417.  There  are  three  Royal  Arch  Chapters,  Monroe  No.  1 ; 
Peninsular  No.  16,  and  King  Cyrus  No.  133.  Detroit  and  Damascus 
Commanderies  of  Knights  Templar  have  a  large  membership,  and  the 
former  has  won  many  prizes  in  competitive  drills  at  the  Triennial  con- 
claves. Five  chapters  of  the  Eastern  Star  are  working  in  Detroit : 
Hay  ward  No.  37;  Keystone  No.  52;  Palestine  No.  80;  Detroit  No.  116 
and  Wayne  No.  136. 

The  colored  citizens  of  Detroit  have  Eureka  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templar,  Detroit  Chapter,  and  Hiram,  Mt.  Payan  and  Pythagoras 
Lodges,  all  working  under  dispensations  from  the  grand  Masonic  bodies 
of  Ontario. 

Next  to  the  Masons  the  Odd  Fellows  are  the  strongest  secret  benevo- 
lent society  in  Michigan.  There  are  in  Detroit  fifteen  lodges  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  four  Encampments  of  Patriarchs 
Militant,  and  four  lodges  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah. 


492 


SAMUEL    P.  DUFFIELD,  M.  D. 


CHAPTER  LXXI. 

Medical  Colleges  and  Hospitals — Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  Harper  Hospital 
Developed  Together — Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Emergency  Hospital — 
Charitable  Gifts  of  Walter  Harper  and  Ann,  "  Nancy,"  Martin — Grace  Hospital 
Founded  and  Endowed  by  John  S.  Newberry  and  James  McMillan. 

During  the  last  years  of  the  war  there  was  a  dearth  of  clinical  mate- 
rial at  Ann  Arbor,  although  the  medical  classes  were  very  large 
Wounded  soldiers  were  being  sent  from  the  seat  of  war  to  Harper  Hos- 
pital, where  the  government  had  erected  buildings  for  their  treatment, 
and  Drs.  Edward  Jenks,  T.  A.  McGraw,  D.  O.  Farrand,  George  P.  An- 
drews and  S.  P.  Duffield  organized  a  preparatory  medical  school.  They 
began  their  school  in  Harper  Hospital  in  the  summer  of  1864,  and  H. 
O.  Walker  was  the  first  student  enrolled.  This  school  was  so  success- 
ful that  in  1869  the  founders  decided  to  develop  it  into  a  regular  medical 
college.  A  stock  company  was  formed  and  the  incorporators  who 
founded  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  were:  President,  James  F. 
Joy;  vice-president,  A.  C.  McGraw;  secretary,  Philo  Parsons;  treas- 
urer, William  A.  Butler;  directors,  Buckminster  Wight,  Allan  Shel- 
don, C.  H.  Buhl,  M.  I.  Mills,  Caleb  Van  Husan,  John  Owen,  George  S. 
Frost,  Hiram  Walker,  H.  P.  Baldwin,  William  B.  Wesson,  Edward 
Jenks,  Theo.  A.  McGraw,  George  P.  Andrews,  S.  P.  Duffield  and 
Frederick  Stearns.  The  College  Board  bought  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  build- 
ing on  Farmer  street,  between  Gratiot  and  Monroe  avenues.  This 
building  had  originally  been  the  barn  of  the  old  Railroad  Hotel  and 
later  had  been  fitted  up  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

An  institution  known  as  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  was  or- 
ganized in  1879,  and  it  occupied  a  building  on  St.  Antoine  street, 
between  Gratiot  avenue  and  St.  Mary's  Hospital.  A  rivalry  sprang  up 
between  the  two  institutions,  which  boded  disaster  to  both,  and  in  1882 
they  amalgamated  under  the  name  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine. 
The  building  on  Farmer  street  was  then  sold;  the  college  building  on 
Antoine  street  was  enlarged,  and  in  1883  the  new  institution  took 
possession.      Since  that  time  the  building  has   been  several  times  en- 

493 


larged.  In  1893  departments  of  dental  surgery  and  pharmacy  were 
added,  and,  still  later,  a  veterinary  department.  The  average  attend- 
ance is  about  400  students,  and  the  standard  of  the  school  is  very  high. 
Dr.  Theo.  A.  McGraw  is  president  of  the  faculty  and  Dr.  H.  O.  Walker 
is  the  secretary. 

The  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  was  founded  in  1888 
by  Dr.  Hal  C.  Wyman,  L.  E.  Maire,  Dayton  Parker,  Willard  Chaney, 
W.  J.  Hammond  and  a  number  of  others.  The  association  purchased 
a  site  on  Porter  street,  near  Michigan  avenue,  and  fitted  up  buildings 
for  the  college  class  rooms,  and  a^so  established  the  Emergency  Hospi- 
tal in  the  same  building.  The  hospital  affords  clinical  material  for  the 
benefit  of  the  college,  and  special  attention  is  devoted  to  emergency  work. 
An  ambulance  answers  calls,  and  brings  accident  cases  to  the  hospital 
for  immediate  treatment.  ■  The  institution  has  prospered  in  every  way, 
is  entirely  free  of  debt,  and  has  an  average  of  115  students  in  attend- 
ance. This  property  is  valued  at  $60,000.  Dr.  Wyman  is  the  dean  of 
the  college  and  Dr.  L.  E.  Maire  is  the  secretary.  The  faculty  includes 
many  of  the  leading  practitioners  of  the  city. 

Harper  Hospital  is  the  largest  institution  of  its  kind  in  Detroit,  and 
it  is  the  only  hospital  which  receives  patients  with  contagious  diseases. 
It  was  named  in  honor  of  Walter  Harper,  and  aged  and  somewhat  ob- 
scure citizen,  who  in  1859  deeded  to  the  city  a  tract  of  1,000  acres  of 
western  lands  and  some  realty  in  Detroit  and  Philadelphia,  his  former 
home,  the  proceeds  to  be  used  for  building  and  maintaining  a  hospital. 
At  about  the  same  time  Ann  Martin,  better  known  as  Nancy  Martin,  a 
vegetable  dealer  in  the  City  Market,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Har- 
per, deeded  to  the  city  fifteen  acres  of  land  in  the  suburbs,  and  eight  acres 
within  the  city  limits,  to  be  applied  to  the  same  use.  At  this  time  the 
two  bequests  were  worth  nearly  $50,000.  A  hospital  association  was 
organized,  and  another  strip  of  land  was  purchased,  which  gave  the  orig- 
inal Martin  grant  a  frontage  on  Woodward  avenue.  During  the  war 
wounded  soldiers  and  those  on  sick  leave  began  to  come  back  from  the 
front.  The  hospital  authorities  offered  the  government  the  use  of  the 
site  for  a  Federal  hospital  if  the  government  would  erect  the  necessary 
buildings.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  one  large  wooden  building  and 
ten  cottages  were  erected  along  the  Woodward  avenue  front.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  the  government  turned  over  the  hospital  buildings  to  the 
city  on  condition  that  the  wounded  soldiers  would  thereafter  be  treated 
at  the  city's  expense.     The  hospital  association  thus  acquired  several 

494 


thousand  dollars'  worth  of  buildings  at  a  nominal  cost.  The  first  build- 
ings were  far  from  ornamental.  Woodward  avenue  property  had  be- 
come very  valuable,  and  the  hospital  association  had  more  land  than  it 
could  ever  hope  to  use.  The  Woodward  avenue  frontage  was  sold,  a 
street  was  cut  through  to  John  R.  street,  and  named  Martin  Place,  in 
honor  of  Ann  Martin,  and  the  buildings  were  disposed  of.  In  1884  the 
main  building  of  the  present  hospital  was  erected  on  John  R.  street  at 
a  ccst  of  $115,000,  and  the  patients  were  removed  from  the  old  build- 
ings. Additions  since  made,  principally  through  the  benevolence  of 
wealthy  citizens,  has  brought  up  the  value  of  the  buildings  to  nearly 
$300,000.  The  Farrand  Training  School  for  nurses  in  this  institution  is 
named  in  honor  of  Dr.  D.  O.  Farrand,  a  physician  of  blessed  memory. 
Mrs.  Eleanor  J.  Swain  endowed  a  free  bed  in  the  hospital  and  be- 
queathed $20,000  to  build  a  home  for  the  nurses  of  the  training  school. 
The  Duffield  family  built  a  home  for  the  nurses  of  the  contagious  hos- 
pital, affording  them  all  the  comforts  of  life,  and  at  the  same  time  com- 
plete isolation.  During  1896  Capt.  Gilbert  Hart  erected  a  power  plant 
for  the  building  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  and  the  equipment  was  furnished 
by  the  management  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  In  the  power  building  is  a 
steam  disinfecting  apparatus  similar  to  that  used  on  the  quarantine 
ship  at  New  York.  The  institution  has  received  many  other  endow- 
ments, the  total  income  from  which  amounts  to  about  $8,000  a  year. 
During  1896,  1,560  persons  were  treated  at  the  hospital,  and  about 
10,000  prescriptions  were  given  at  the  free  dispensary, 

Grace  Hospital  (Homeopathic)  was  founded  in  1886.  James  McMil- 
lan and  John  S.  Newberry  had  at  that  time  decided  to  erect  and  equip 
the  hospital,  and  Amos  Chaffee,  learning  of  their  intention,  donated  a 
site  at  the  corner  of  Willis  avenue  and  John  R.  street.  This  gift  rep- 
resents a  value  of  about  $30,000.  Upon  this  location  the  founders 
erected  a  six  story  building  at  a  cost  of  $191,860  and  added  a  gift  of 
$200,000  as  an  endowment  fund.  Still  later  Mr.  McMillan  and  the 
heirs  of  Mr.  Newberry  made  other  donations,  which,  with  the  contri- 
butions of  ten  other  citizens,  brought  the  endowment  up  to  $300,000. 
The  hospital  is  splendidly  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences.  A 
free  dispensary  is  maintained  in  connection  with  the  institution,  and 
the  worthy  poor  are  treated  free  or  at  reduced  rates,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances. In  connection  with  the  hospital  is  a  training  school  for 
nurses  and  an  ambulance  is  ready  to  answer  calls  at  any  hour,  day  or 
night. 

495 


The  Children's  Free  Hospital  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Farnsworth 
and  St.  Antoine  streets.  It  was  established  for  the  benefit  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  poor  by  an  organization  of  charitable  ladies  in  1886.  In 
1895  Hiram  Walker  donated  a  site  for  a  hospital  and  erected  the  present 
building-  at  a  cost  of  about  $150,000.  In  memory  of  a  beloved  daughter 
it  was  named  the  Jennie  Walker  Children's  Free  Hospital.  This  build- 
ing is  one  of  the  best  equipped  institutions  of  its  kind  in  the  country, 
and  it  is  still  maintained  without  expense  to  the  public.  Forty  beds 
have  been  endowed  at  a  cost  of  $156  each,  and  the  hospital  can  care 
for  about  100  children.  Everything  is  absolutely  free,  although  dona- 
tions are  received  from  those  who  can  afford  to  pay  for  treatment.  The 
income  of  the  institution  permits  the  lady  manager  to  care  for  about 
sixty  children  at  the  present  time,  but  there  is  already  a  demand  for 
nearly  the  full  capacity.  A  training  school  for  nursery  maids  is  main- 
tained in  connection  with  the  other  work.  All  the  attending  physicians 
donate  their  services. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital  is  the  oldest  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  city. 
For  the  first  five  years  of  its  existence  it  was  located  in  a  building  at 
the  corner  of  Randolph  and  Larned  streets,  and  was  known  as  St.  Vin- 
cent's Hospital.  In  1850  a  building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of 
Antoine  and  Clinton  streets,  one  block  north  of  St.  Mary's  church,  and 
the  name  was  changed  to  St.  Mary's.  The  present  building  was 
erected  in  1879.  The  hospital  is  managed  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity, 
and  Sister  Frances  is  the  superior.  A  free  eye  and  ear  hospital  is 
maintained  in  connection. 

St.  Joseph's  Retreat  is  located  at  Dearborn,  eight  miles  from  De- 
troit, and  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  It  was 
established  at  first  as  a  home  for  convalescent  patients  from  St.  Mary's 
Hospital.  In  1870,  ten  years  after  the  founding,  a  building  was  erected 
on  Michigan  avenue,  west  of  Twenty-fourth  street.  In  1883  the  institu- 
tion was  incorporated  and  a  site  was  purchased  at  Dearborn,  where  the 
present  building  was  erected. 

Among  the  other  charitable  institutions  of  Detroit  are:  Christ 
Church  Home  at  242  Woodbridge  street;  Detroit  Deaconess'  Home  at 
53  Elizabeth  street  west,  maintained  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
churches. 

St.  Luke's  Hospital,  at  the  corner  of  West  Fort  street  and  Campbell' 
avenue,  which  was  founded  in  1861  by  members  of  St.  Paul's  parish. 

The  Protestant  Orphan  Asylum,  first  established  in  1836  by  the  ladies 

496 


of  the  city,  was  reorganized  in  1852.  In  1893  a  fine  building-  was 
erected  at  999  Jefferson  avenue,  and  the  institution  now  gives  a  home 
to  more  than  100  children. 

St.  Vincent's  Female  Orphan  Asylum  was  founded  by  Rev.  Martin 
Kundig,  of  blessed  memory.  This  priest  during  the  great  cholera 
epidemic  undertook  the  duties  of  county  poormaster,  and  paid  a  good 
part  of  the  expense  of  caring  for  the  poor  out  of  his  own  pocket. 
Cholera  patients  who  died  left  many  orphans,  and  to  give  food  and 
shelter  to  these  Father  Kundig  bought  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  the 
poorhouse  property  on  Gratiot  road,  where  a  cheap  building  was  erected 
and  a  school  was  established  for  the  education  of  the  orphans.  The 
drain  upon  his  limited  resources  ruined  him  financially,  but  he  never 
complained,  and  eventually  paid  up  the  last  dollar  of  indebtedness. 
The  Sisters  of  Charity  subsequently  lost  the  Gratiot  avenue  property, 
when  the  rapacious  creditors  of  the  founder  came  on  and  seized  it,  to- 
gether with  everything  in  the  place  which  could  be  converted  into 
money.  The  home  was  re  established  on  Larned  street  east,  in  the 
old  Episcopal  residence.  In  1876  the  present  asylum  on  McDougall 
avenue  was  started,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $90,000. 

The  McGregor  Helping  Hand  Mission  is  a  home  which  gives  tempo- 
rary shelter  and  employment  for  the  unfortunate  and  unemployed.  It 
was  organized  April  3,  1891,  and  is  supported  by  donations  from  the 
citizens,  and  by  the  sale  of  the  articles  manufactured  by  the  inmates. 

The  Thompson  Home  for  Old  Ladies  was  founded  by  Mrs.  Mary 
Thompson,  who  lived  for  many  years  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Fort 
and  Shelby  streets.  It  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Cass  and  Hancock 
avenues  and  was  endowed  by  the  founder  at  her  death. 

The  United  States  Marine  Hospital,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Mr.  Elliott  avenues,  affords  free  treatment  for  sick  and  disabled 
seaman.      It  was  opened  by  the  government  in  November,  1857. 

The  St.  Mary's  Home  for  young  women  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
Cass  avenue  and  Henry  street  and  is  supported  by  the  Catholic  churches 
of  the  city. 

The  Young  Woman's  Home  Association  has  an  excellent  home  for 
young  working  women  ;  it  was  established  by  charitable  ladies.  Room 
and  board  are  to  be  had  at  remarkably  cheap  rates  and  the  institution 
is  well  managed.  The  home  is  at  the  corner  of  Clifford  street  and 
Adams  avenue. 

The  Woman's  Hospital  and  Foundling's  Home,  at  the  corner  of  Beau- 

497 


bien  street  and  Forest  avenue,  was  incorporated  in  1860.  The  property 
is  worth  about  $75,000,  and  the  institution  is  maintained  by  an  associa- 
tion of  charitable  ladies.  A  free  dispensary  for  women  and  children 
is  maintained  at  the  corner  of  Forest  avenue  and  Beaubien  street  in 
connection  with  the  Woman's  Hospital  and  Foundling's  Home. 

The  Industrial  School  for  poor  children  is  located  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Grand  River  avenue  and  Washington  boulevard.  It  was 
founded  by  the  ladies  of  the  First  Congregational  church  in  1857. 
The  present  building  represents  a  value  of  about  $18,000,  and  the  site 
is  valuable. 

The  Detroit  Sanitarium  at  250  Fort  street  west  was  established  in 
1884  and  has  a  capital  of  $50,000. 

The  Florence  Crittenden  Rescue  Home  for  Women  is  located  at  124 
and  126  Miami  avenue. 

The  Detroit  Seaman's  Home  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Griswold  and 
Atwater  streets. 

The  German  Protestant  Home  for  Orphans  is  located  at  248-256 
Harvey  avenue. 

The  Hollister  Y's  maintain  an  institution  for  the  help  of  the  children 
of  the  poor  at  28  Warren  avenue. 

The  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor  support  220  old  people  of  both  sexes 
in  their  home  at  the  corner  of  Scott  and  Dequindre  streets. 

The  Home  of  Industry,  at  259  Willis  avenue,  is  a  temporary  home  for 
discharged  prisoners,  where  they  may  live  while  they  seek  for  an  hon- 
est livelihood.     It  was  founded  by  Mrs.  A.  L.  d'Archambal. 

The  Home  of  the  Friendless,  on  Warren  avenue  west,  gives  shelter, 
food  and  instruction  to  a  large  number  of  poor  children  and  orphans. 

The  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  at  792  Fort  street  west,  is  a  res- 
cue home  for  unfortunate  girls.  It  was  founded  in  1884  and  it  has  345 
inmates  under  control  of  thirty-two  Sisters  of  Charity. 

The  House  of  Providence,  at  the  corner  of  St.  Antoine  and  Eliza- 
beth streets,  is  a  lying-in  hospital  and  an  infant  asylum.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  1868  and  is  maintained  by  Sisters  of  Charity. 

The  Lutherans  of  the  city  maintain  an  asylum  for  the  education  of 
deaf  mutes  at  North  Detroit. 


498 


CHAPTER    LXXII. 

The  Era  of  Railroad  Building  in  Michigan— How  Detroit  Obtained  Communica- 
tion with  the  Other  Centers  of  Population — The  Campus  Martins  was  Once  the 
Railway  Terminal — Advent  of  Canadian  and  Ohio  Lines  Opening  the  Way  to  the 
Atlantic  Seaboard — James  F.  Joy  a  Leading  Spirit. 

Michigan  was  unable  to  keep  pace  with  her  neighboring  Territories 
in  attracting  settlers,  but  the  people  who  did  establish  themselves 
within  her  borders  were  not  lacking  in  enterprise.  One  of  their  first 
steps  toward  commercial  prosperity  was  to  encourage  the  building  of 
railroads.  Water  power  was  then  considered  the  best  power  and  water- 
ways were  considered  the  ideal  means  of  transportation.  The  idea  that 
steam  railways  would  one  day  be  organized  and  combined  into  great 
systems  reaching  across  the  continent,  did  not  occur  to  the  average 
American  in  1830.  The  first  railroad  chartered  in  the  United  States 
was  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  River  Company,  which  was  intended  to 
connect  the  transportation  facilities  afforded  by  these  two  streams. 
The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  was  intended  to  connect  the  headwaters  of  the 
Ohio  River  with  the  seaboard.  Ideas  developed  to  a  greater  magni- 
tude, and  the  scheme  to  connect  the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  River  by 
rail  expanded  to  the  connection  of  the  Hudson  with  Lake  Erie.  From 
this  beginning  grew  the  New  York  Central,  the  greatest  railroad  system 
in  America. 

When  the  railroad  building  spirit  took  hold  of  Michigan  people,  their 
idea  was  to  build  parallel  lines  across  the  State  from  Detroit  to  St. 
Joseph  on  Lake  Michigan;  from  Port  Huron,  or  some  other  point  north 
of  Detroit  to  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River,  and  from  Monroe  to  New 
Buffalo  or  the  southernmost  part  of  Michigan  on  Lake  Michigan.  It 
merely  meant  the  connecting  of  waterways,  and  when  men  of  farther 
sight  disturbed  this  purpose,  and  centered  all  of  the  early  railroad  lines 
at  Chicago,  the  people  of  Michigan  were  indignant,  deeming  it  an  un- 
just robbery  that  the  millions  they  had  spent  in  fostering  the  railroads 
should  become  a  benefit  to  the  great  port  of  Illinois.  While  several  of 
the  Michigan  railroads  were  planned  at  about  the  same  time,  the  first 

499 


attempt  at  building  was  made  between  Detroit  and  Pontiac.  This  road 
received  its  charter  in  1830,  and  was  called  the  Pontiac  and  Detroit 
railroad. 

As  has  been  shown  in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  work,  some  of  the 
wealthy  citizens  of  Detroit  started  the  village  of  Pontiac  in  1819.  It 
was  what  would  be  termed  at  the  present  time  a  "boom  town."  Be- 
tween Detroit  and  Pontiac  the  greater  part  of  the  way  was  swamp, 
covered  with  an  almost  impenetrable  growth  of  brush.  During  the 
rainy  season  the  wagon  road  was  almost  impassable,  because  the  cord- 
uroys of  logs  and  brush  which  had  been  used  to  make  a  foundation  for 
a  driveway  would  sink  out  of  sight  in  the  bog  holes  Through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  promoters  of  the  railroad  a  State  loan  of  $100,000  was 
obtained.  The  task  of  making  a  solid  roadbed  was  most  discouraging. 
Birmingham  was  not  reached  until  1839,  and  Pontiac  was  reached  four 
years  later. 

The  Michigan  Central,  which  had  been  chartered  nearly  two  years 
later  than  the  Pontiac  and  Detroit  road,  had  by  this  time  reached  with- 
in five  miles  of  Albion.  The  Detroit  end  of  the  Pontiacline  came  down 
Dequindre  street  as  at  the  present  time.  The  first  depot  was  located 
at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Dequindre  street,  but  this  was 
considered  a  long  way  out,  and  later  the  railroad  was  turned  into  the 
Gratiot  road  and  followed  that  thoroughfare  down  to  a  terminus  on  the 
Campus  Martius,  just  east  of  the  present  site  of  Detroit  Opera  House. 
After  protesting  against  the  use  of  the  street  by  the  railroad,  because 
of  the  constant  danger  to  dwellings  and  business  houses  from  the  sparks 
which  flew  in  showers  from  the  locomotive  smokestacks,  the  people  be- 
gan a  campaign  of  harassment  to  compel  the  company  to  abandon  the 
Gratiot  route.  ,A  posse  of  citizens  would  meet  at  night  and  tear  up 
several  lengths  of  track,  but  the  company's  men  would  lay  it  next  day. 
The  company  employed  watchmen  and  detected  the  midnight  marau- 
ders, and  some  of  them  were  arrested  for  tampering  with  the  company's 
property.  In  1852  the  company  gave  it  up,  bought  a  new  terminal  site 
at  the  foot  of  Brush  street,  and  built  their  tracks  down  Dequindre 
street  to  the  river  front.  While  this  war  of  interests  was  going  on  the 
Oakland  and  Ottawa  road  was  building  between  Pontiac  and  Grand 
Haven.  The  two  lines  united  in  1855  as  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad,  and  the  road  was  completed  across  the  State  three  years  later. 
By  this  time  the  consolidated  roads  were  buried  under  a  mountain  of 
debt.     The  profits  of  the  line  would  not  pay  the  interest  on  the  mort- 

500 


gages,  which  amounted  to  nearly  $6,000,000,  so  the  Great  Western  road 
of  Canada,  which  was  the  largest  single  creditor,  foreclosed.  When 
the  sale  of  the  road  took  place  September  4,  1878,  the  mortgagee  bought 
it  for  $1,800,000.  Two  months  later  the  road  underwent  a  reorganiza- 
tion, and  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  road  was  renamed  the  Detroit, 
Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee.  It  operates  a  line  of  steamers  between 
Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee.  In  the  course  of  time  the  railroads  of 
Canada,  like  those  of  the  United  States,  underwent  a  process  of  con- 
solidation and  organization  into  large  systems,  and  when  the  Great 
Western  was  absorbed  by  the  Grand  Trunk  in  this  process,  the  D.,  G. 
H.  &  M,  went  with  it.  It  is  now  a  part  of  the  Grand  Trunk  system  in 
the  United  States. 

The  Michigan  Central  Railroad  developed  from  the  Detroit  and  St. 
Joseph  Railroad,  which  was  chartered  June  29,  1832.  Detroit  citizens 
contributed  liberally  toward  the  building  of  the  line,  and  so  did  the 
people  of  the  counties  through  which  it  passes.  Contributions  were 
made  by  municipal  bodies  and  by  private  individuals  who  were  zealous 
in  building  up  the  State  and  developing  its  resources.  As  it  was  in- 
tended to  run  parallel  lines  both  north  and  south  of  this  road,  the  name 
was  changed  to  the  Michigan  Central  in  1837.  In  February,  1838,  the 
first  train  between  Detroit  and  Ypsilanti  was  run  over  the  road.  Gov- 
ernor Mason,  most  of  the  State  officials,  and  many  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  State,  were  on  the  train  and  attended  a  celebration  of  the 
event  at  Ypsilanti.  Step  by  step  the  road  was  pushed  westward  by  the 
State  until  it  reached  Kalamazoo  in  1846.  The  financing  of  the  road 
through  the  Morris  Canal  and  Banking  Company,  which  has  been  de- 
scribed in  another  place  in  this  history,  had  proved  a  disastrous  atfair. 
The  zeal  of  the  new  State  had  been  great,  but  reckless  financiering  had 
injured  its  credit  and  its  bonds  had  declined  to  eighteen  cents  on  a  dol- 
lar. Although  the  road  showed  a  steady  increase  of  business  and  al- 
ready promised  to  be  profitable,  the  people  decided  to  sell  it  to  a  cor- 
poration made  up  of  eastern  capitalists,  and  the  sale  was  effected  for 
$2,000,000  in  the  fall  of  1846.  The  new  company  proceeded  with  the 
construction  and  the  line  was  completed  to  New  Buffalo  in  the  spring 
of  1849.  It  was  the  first  railroad  to  cross  the  State.  Then,  in  spite  of 
the  protests  of  the  people,  the  company  extended  the  line  around  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan  and  reached  Chicago  May  21,  1852. 

vSo  anxious  were  the  people  of  Detroit  to  encourage  railroad  building 
that  they  gave  up  their  main  thoroughfares  as  right  of   way,   and  the 

501 


Detroit  end  of  the  Michig-an  Central  came  down  the  old  Chicago  road, 
or  Michigan  avenue,  to  the  Campus  Martius,  where  its  depot  was  lo- 
cated. To  facilitate  the  transfer  of  freight  from  steamboats  to  the 
cars,  the  road  was  shunted  into  Woodward  avenue,  near  Congress 
street,  and  continued  down  the  river  front.  This  was  done  in  1838, 
but  the  use  of  Woodward  avenue  for  sidetrack  purposes  was  discon- 
tinued in  1844.  For  a  short  time  the  railroad  center  of  Detroit  was  on 
the  Campus  Martius,  the  Michigan  Central  depot  being  located  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Michigan  and  Woodward  avenues,  and  the  Detroit 
and  Milwaukee  depot  being  located  on  the  Campus  Martius,  in  the  rear 
of  the  Detroit  Opera  House;  but  the  people  awoke  to  the  impropriety 
of  this  condition,  and  after  considerable  trouble  between  citizens  and 
companies,  the  latter  removed  their  terminals  to  the  river  front.  The 
Michigan  Central  purchased  a  depot  site  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
River  street  in  1847,  and  the  route  down  Michigan  avenue  was  aban- 
doned for  the  valley  of  May's  Creek,  which  had  been  known  in  earlier 
days  as  Cabacier's  Creek,  an  old  watercourse  long  since  drained  by  the 
sewers  in  the  western  part  of  the  city.  Purchases  of  lands  for  yards 
and  transfer  purposes  were  made  as  the  demand  for  more  room  arose, 
and  at  the  present  time  the  company  owns  a  large  territory  along  the 
river  front,  and  also  at  West  Detroit.  The  Michigan  Central  has 
the  largest  railway  system  in  the  State,  embracing  the  Detroit  and 
Bay  City  line  to  Alpena,  the  line  to  Mackinaw,  the  Grand  River  Valley 
branch  to  Grand  Rapids  and  several  others. 

What  is  now  known  as  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Rail- 
road had  its  beginning  with  the  Erie  and  Kalamazoo  Railroad,  which 
obtained  a  charter  April  22,  1833.  Three  years  and  a  half  later  a  line 
was  completed  from  Toledo  to  Adrian,  which  was  operated  for  the  first 
four  months  of  its  existence  by  horses,  which  hauled  the  cars  over  a 
strap-rail  tramway  until  the  first  locomotive  arrived.  Of  course  such  a 
road  was  far  short  of  what  the  people  of  Michigan  wanted.  A  law 
was  passed  establishing  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  which  was 
intended  to  be  fostered  by  the  State,  and  a  perpetual  lease  of  the  Toledo 
and  Adrian  line  was  obtained.  Another  line  was  built  from  Monroe  to 
Adrian  with  the  idea  of  making  the  road  a  connecting  link  between  the 
two  most  southerly  Michigan  ports,  Monroe  on  Lake  Erie,  and  New 
Buffalo  on  Lake  Michigan.  After  spending  about  $1,000,000  on  the 
construction  of  the  line  the  State  debt  became  burdensome,  and  the 
credit  of  the  Commonwealth  being  at  a  very  low  ebb,  the  road  was  sold  in 

502 


1846  to  a  corporation  for  $500,000.  The  purchasing  company  concluded 
to  make  the  western  terminus  at  Chicago,  instead  of  at  New  Buffalo,  or 
some  other  Michigan  port.  The  people  of  the  State  held  mass  meetings 
to  express  their  indignation  at  this  action,  for  they  had  aimed  to  make 
the  road  a  benefit  to  Michigan  alone,  and  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  boom- 
ing Chicago  with  Michigan  money.  Fortunately  wisdom  prevailed,  and 
the  Michigan  Southern  and  Michigan  Central  companies  began  a  break- 
neck race  to  reach  Chicago.  The  Southern  reached  White  Pigeon  in 
1851,  and  built  from  there  to  South  Bend  and  Anderson.  To  get  from 
Anderson  to  Chicago  they  leased  a  right  of  way  over  the  Northern 
Indiana  Railroad.  But  in  spite  of  its  extraordinary  efforts,  the  Michi- 
gan Southern  arrived  in  Chicago  one  day  later  than  the  Michigan 
Central,  the  latter  reaching  there  on  May  21,  1852.  Four  years  later 
the  Detroit  and  Toledo  branch  was  finished,  giving  Detroit  a  convenient 
connection  with  the  Lake  Shore  road,  which  was  completed  between 
Toledo  and  Buffalo  in  1855.  A  third  branch  running  from  Detroit  to 
Hillsdale  was  purchased  later,  and  the  consolidated  Lake  Shore  and 
Michigan  Southern  system  has  now  numerous  branches  in  the  State. 
Its  Detroit  terminus  has  always  been  at  the  foot  of  Brush  street, 
which  it  reaches  by  crossing  the  northern  part  of  the  city  until  it 
reaches  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  tracks. 

While  Michigan  was  projecting  railroads  on  paper  and  building  a 
few  of  them,  a  line  was  planned  to  cross  the  province  of  Ontario  from 
Niagara  Falls  to  Detroit.  The  first  project  contemplated  a  route  from 
Hamilton  to  Detroit,  to  afford  a  connecting  link  between  Lake  Ontario 
and  the  Detroit  River.  A  charter  was  issued  for  this  line  in  1834,  but 
eleven  years  later  a  new  charter  was  obtained,  which  extended  the  line 
from  Hamilton  to  Niagara  Falls.  By  the  time  the  Great  Western  was 
started  the  panic  of  1837  came  on  and  it  was  impossible  to  get  the 
necessary  capital  to  carry  on  the  work.  Finally,  on  January  17,  1844, 
the  first  Great  Western  train  from  Niagara  rolled  into  Windsor  amid 
general  rejoicing  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Everybody  turned  out  to 
march  in  a  great  procession,  a  banquet  was  served  and  both  towns  were 
alive  with  enthusiasm.  Six  weeks  later  the  car  ferry  service  was  insti- 
tuted for  transferring  trains  across  the  river.  When  the  Roebling  sus- 
pension bridge  was  completed,  in  1855,  the  Great  Western  road  furnished 
the  shortest  line  to  the  seaboard.  The  old  supension  bridge,  at  which 
the  engineers  of  Europe  shook  their  heads,  continued  in  constant  ser- 
vice until  1896  when  it  was  removed  and  a  giant  steel  arch  viaduct  sub- 

503 


stituted.  A  branch  road  was  built  from  London  to  Port  Huron  and  it 
was  in  operation  at  the  beginning  of  1860.  Cars  were  ferried  between 
Port  Huron  and  Sarnia  until  1889,  when  the  tunnel  under  the  river 
was  completed.  The  direct  service  of  the  Grand  Trunk  system  between 
Portland,  Me.,  Quebec,  Montreal  and  Chicago  now  uses  the  Port  Huron 
route. 

The  Detroit,  Grand  Rapids  &  Western  road  was  begun  in  1870, 
and  when  first  completed  the  line  ran  by  way  of  Howell,  Lansing,  and 
Greenville  to  Howard  City,  where  it  made  connection  with  the  Grand 
Rapids  and  Indiana  road,  A  line  was  subsequently  built  to  Grand 
Rapids  and  Muskegon,  affording  connection  with  its  lake  shore  line, 
the  Chicago  and  West  Michigan,  which  extends  from  New  Buffalo  to 
the  straits  of  Mackinaw.  The  road  has  never  done  a  profitable  busi- 
ness because  much  of  its  route  lies  in  sparsely  settled  territory.  When 
the  abandoned  pineries  of  the  west  shore  have  developed  into  profitable 
farms  and  fruit  orchards  the  road  will  no  doubt  reap  the  reward  of  en- 
terprise. 

The  Flint  and  Pere  Marquette  road  runs  diagonally  across  the  lower 
peninsula  between  Detroit  and  Ludington,  and  has  its  midway  station 
at  Saginaw.  This  line  was  projected  in  1863.  At  first  it  was  a  mere 
spur  of  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  road,  running  from  Flint  to  Holly. 
In  the  fall  of  1871  the  line  was  extended  southward,  by  way  of  North- 
ville,  to  Wayne,  and  soon  after  a  track  lease  and  depot  privileges  were 
secured  from  the  Michigan  Central,  and  the  D.  &  M.  route  was  then 
abandoned.  In  1893  the  contract  with  the  Michigan  Central  termi- 
nated, and  since  that  time  the  F.  &  P.  M.  trains  enter  the  city  on  the 
Wabash  tracks  and  the  terminal  is  the  Fort  Street  Union  Depot. 

The  Detroit  and  Lima  Northern  made  its  entry  into  Detroit  in  Janu- 
ary, 1897.  The  main  line  extends  from  Wellston,  Ohio,  via  Springfield, 
Adrian,  Napoleon  to  Grand  Haven. 

Among  all  the  citizens  of  Detroit  who  aided  in  the  development  and 
natural  prosperity  of  the  city  and  State,  James  F.  Joy  stands  pre-emi- 
nent. He  was  born  at  Durham,  N.  H.,  December  20,  1810,  of  re- 
spectable, God-fearing  parents.  He  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1835  and  was  afterward  Latin  instructor  in  his  alma  mater. 
In  September,  1836,  he  came  to  Detroit,  where  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Augustus  S.  Porter,  and  in  1837  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at 
the  Detroit  bar.  His  striking  ability  as  a  lawyer  soon  gained  him  a 
large  practice  and  he  was  early  identified  with  the  railroad  interests  of 

504 


CARLOS    E.  WARNER. 


the  new  State.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  furthering  the  sale  of 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  to  Boston  capitalists  and  became  counsel 
for  the  road.  His  next  work  was  the  organization  and  building  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad.  In  1857  he  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  constructing  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Canal,  for  which  the  govern- 
ment had  granted  750,000  acres  of  Michigan  land,  and  in  1859  the 
work  v/as  completed.  In  1865  he  became  president  of  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  and  ably  administered  its  affairs  until  the  spring  of 
1877,  when  it  became  a  part  of  the  Vanderbilt  system.  During  his 
presidency  he  was  the  main  factor  in  acquiring  and  building  the  Jack- 
son, Lansing  and  Saginaw  road,  the  Grand  River  Valley  road  from 
Jackson  to  Grand  Rapids,  the  Detroit  and  Bay  City,  and  the  Detroit, 
Lansing  and  Saginaw,  all  of  which  roads  were  of  immense  advantage 
to  Detroit  and  to  the  interests  of  the  State.  After  he  relinquished  the 
management  of  the  Michigan  Central  he  bent  his  energies  toward 
securing  a  new  road  connecting  with  the  Wabash  system.  He  was  en- 
tirely successful.  A  bonus  of  $200,000  was  raised  by  the  city  of 
Detroit  and  the  line  between  Detroit  and  Butler,  Ind.,  was  completed 
in  the  summer  of  1881.  In  the  spring  of  1897  the  Wabash  secured 
track  privileges  from  the  Grand  Trunk  and  since  that  time  the  road 
has  been  running  through  trains  from  Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis  to 
Buffalo,  by  way  of  Detroit. 

In  1889  James  F.  Joy,  with  admirable  foresight,  planned  to  secure 
better  terminal  facilities  for  some  of  the  railroads  which  had  come  to 
Detroit  after  it  had  become  a  large  city.  Previous  to  this  time  the 
Wabash  and  Canadian  Pacific  roads  had  a  station  near  the  river  front 
at  the  foot  of  Twelfth  street,  but  its  location  was  unsatisfactory.  The 
Detroit,  Lansing  and  Northern  and  the  Flint  and  Pere  Marquette  came 
in  over  leased  tracks  to  the  Michigan  Central  depot.  Mr.  Joy's  plan  was 
to  provide  these  roads  with  a  centrally  located  terminus  for  passenger 
and  freight  traffic,  and  a  company,  known  as  the  Fort  Street  Union  Depot 
Company,  was  formed.  This  organization  was  effected  in  secret  for 
obvious  reasons,  but  before  the  promoters  could  effect  half  their  pur- 
pose, the  secret  leaked  out  and  the  exposure  cost  the  company  more 
than  $400,000.  Options  had  been  obtained  on  about  half  the  land  re- 
quired for  a  right  of  way  at  prevailing  prices,  but  as  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  the  new  railway  was  coming  in  on  the  west  side,  property 
holders  who  had  not  already  given  options  doubled  the  prices  on  their 
real  estate.      One  piece  which  had  been  considered  at  $40,000  went  up 

505 


to  $85,000  in  the  mind  of  the  owner.  Lawyers  fattened  on  the  fees 
which  grew  out  of  the  necessary  litigation.  Those  whose  clients  had 
no  land-;  in  the  line  of  the  railway,  demanded  heavy  damages  for  in- 
jury to  abutting  property.  The  Michigan  Central  Railroad  also  op- 
posed the  plan  because  it  would  take  away  good  tenants  from  its 
station.  The  Fort  Street  Union  Depot  Company's  plans  included  the 
elevation  of  their  tracks  on  trestles.  This  required  the  closing  of 
Fourth  and  Fifth  streets  and  the  occupation  of  a  part  of  River  street, 
and  of  course  the  company  had  to  settle  with  the  Common  Council. 
Property  owners  in  the  vicinity  of  the  closed  streets  demanded  heavy 
damages,  and  the  right  of  way  cost  the  company  about  $1,000,000.  A 
fine  new  depot  building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Fort  and  Third 
streets.  The  first  train  ran  into  this  station  January  21,  1893,  and  the 
station  was  formally  opened  by  all  the  officials  of  the  four  roads  and 
the  officers  of  the  Depot  Company.  The  building  is  an  ornament  to 
the  city  and  a  great  accommodation  to  the  public.  This  station  is  used 
at  the  present  time  by  the  Detroit,  Grand  Rapids  and  Western  (re- 
organized from  the  Detroit,  Lansing  and  Northern),  the  Wabash,  the 
Canadian  Pacific,  the  Flint  and  Pere  Marquette,  and  the  Detroit  and 
Lima  Northern  Railroads. 


CHAPTER  LXXin. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  its  Early  Struggles  for  Existence — Founding  of  the  Board  ot 
Trade — The  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  its  Troublous  Career. 

In  18G4  the  present  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  organ- 
ized, but  that  organization  was  not  the  first  attempt  to  found  a  branch 
in  Detroit.  In  the  fall  of  1852  members  of  the  leading  Protestant 
churches  of  the  city  conferred  together  and  aroused  sufficient  interest 
to  found  an  association.  Rooms  were  rented  in  the  second  story  of  a 
block  on  Jefferson  avenue,  between  Woodward  avenue  and  Griswold 
street,  but  the  revenue  was  insufficient,  and  the  association  died  after 
two  years  of  sickly  existence.  In  1858  another  organization  was  effected, 
but  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  made  such  demands  upon  all  the  spare 
cash  in  the  city  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  ceased  to  exist  in  1861.     In  1864 

506 


a  number  of  citizens  resolved  to  effect  a  permanent  organization,  and 
the  prime  movers  were  Silas  Farmer,  F.  D.  Ta5'lor  and  H,  K.  Clarke. 
They  secured  contributions  to  the  enterprise  and  rented  some  rooms  in 
the  Merrill  building,  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  and  Jefferson  avenues. 
In  1867  the  society  was  incorporated,  and  seven  years  later  there  was 
a  demand  for  larger  quarters.  A  vacant  building  on  Farmer  street,  be- 
tween Monroe  and  Gratiot  avenues,  was  purchased  for  about  $15,000. 
Such  rooms  as  were  needed  for  the  accommodation  of  the  association 
were  fitted  up,  a  more  attractive  front  was  put  on  the  building,  and  the 
stores  were  rented  to  other  tenants.  This  property  was  finally  sold, 
and  the  association  rented  rooms  over  250  Woodward  avenne.  From 
there  it  moved  to  the  Casino,  an  old  skating  rink,  which  afterward  became 
the  Griswold  Street  Theatre,  and  later  the  Capitol  Square  Theatre. 
The  association  removed  to  several  other  places,  and  in  1887  moved 
into  its  permanent  home  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Grand  River  avenue 
and  Griswold  street.  The  building,  as  it  now  stands,  represents  an 
investment  of  $125,000. 

An  eastern  branch  was  established  in  1892,  and  it  now  occupies  the 
old  quarters  of  the  Michigan  Athletic  Association  at  the  corner  of  Con- 
gress street  and  Elmwood  avenue.  A  railroad  branch  was  established 
in  1875,  and  this  branch  has  a  home  at  West  Detroit.  The  total  mem- 
bership is  about  2,400.  A  board  of  twenty-five  business  men  serve  as 
directors  of  the  institution.  During  the  five  years  preceding  1887, 
while  the  building  enterprise  was  in  progress,  Sullivan  M.  Cutcheon 
was  president  and  L.  F.  Newman  secretary.  The  success  of  the  build- 
ing scheme  is  largely  due  to  their  individual  efforts.  The  institution 
has  a  fine  gymnasium  and  a  boating  and  bathing  headquarters  on  the 
river  just  above  Belle  Isle  bridge.  Courses  of  lectures  and  profitable 
entertainments  are  given  during  the  winter  season.  George  R.  Angell 
retired  in  May,  1897,  after  a  service  of  six  years  as  president,  and 
George  T.  Moody  was  his  successor.  A.  L.  Parker,  the  present  sec- 
retary, has  occupied  the  position  for  the  past  nine  years. 

In  September,  1891,  W.  H.  Brearley,  then  proprietor  of  the  Detroit 
Journal,  began  advocating  the  formation  of  a  Detroit  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. He  circulated  a  subscription  paper  and  procured  many  signa- 
tures to  the  enterprise.  On  January  5,  1892,  the  first  meeting  was  held 
in  Philharmonic  Hall.  Thomas  W.  Palmer  presided,  and  a  constitu- 
tion, prepared  by  Don  M.  Dickinson  and  Alfred  Russell,  was  adopted. 
The  officers  elected  were:   President,  George   H.    Barbour;  first  vice- 

507 


president,  Rufiis  W.  Gillett;  second  vice-president,  Hazen  S.  Pingree; 
secretar}',  Alexander  A.  Boutell;  treasurer,  M.  W.  O'Brien.  A  board 
of  directors,  a  committee  on  arbitration,  a  committee  on  appeals,  a 
committee  on  manufactures  and  three  trustees  were  appointed.  The 
trustees  were  Russell  A,  Alger,  Simon  J.  Murphy  and  David  Whitney, 
jr.  During  the  first  years  of  its  existence  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
occupied  the  basement  of  the  Campau  building-  on  Griswold  street,  but 
a  project  was  immediately  formed  for  the  erection  of  a  fine  commercial 
building.  The  Finney  property,  having  a  frontage  of  eighty-eight  feet 
on  Griswold  and  one  hundred  feet  on  State  street,  was  purchased  for 
$100,000,  and  the  property  owners  in  the  vicinity,  whose  interests  would 
be  advanced  by  the  erection  of  the  building,  contributed  $33,000  toward 
the  fund.  A  splendid  thirteen-story  office  building  was  constructed, 
and  it  included  a  fine  hall  for  the  Board  of  Trade.  The  cost  of  build- 
ing and  site  was  $500,000.  It  was  formally  opened  on  May  3,  1895, 
and  many  distinguished  visitors  were  present.  Unfortunately  a  large 
proportion  of  the  members  of  the  institution  became  apathetic  regard- 
ing its  prosperity.  The  building  was  heavily  mortgaged,  and  after  a 
heroic  struggle  on  the  part  of  a  few  of  the  most  interested  members, 
the  mortgage  was  foreclosed  and  the  building  was  sold  in  November, 
1897.  The  present  officers  are:  President,  William  S.  Crane;  first 
vice-president,  J.  R.  McLaughlin;  second  vice  president,  Charles  E. 
Warner;  treasurer,  A.  E.  F.  White;  secretary,  John  A.  Russell. 

The  Detroit  Board  of  Trade  was  organized  July  15,  1856,  incorpor- 
ated June  23,  1863,  and  reincorporated  in  August,  1882,  It  is,  there- 
fore, the  oldest  commercial  organization  in  Michigan.  On  July  10,  1856, 
a  meeting  was  held  in  the  office  of  E.  G.  Merrick  &  Co.  to  prepare  for 
organization,  which  was  effected  five  days  later.  Henry  P.  Bridge  was 
elected  president;  Duncan  Stewart,  vice  president;  M.  W.  Hamilton, 
secretary;  H.  K.  Sanger,  treasurer;  Joseph  Aspinwall,  J.  P.  Mans- 
field, W.  H,  Craig,  J.  W.  Strong,  George  W.  Bissell,  A.  E.  Bissell, 
James  E.  Pittraan,  Robert  McChesney  and  J.  B.  Palmer,  directors.  In 
the  summer  of  1865  a  general  commercial  convention  was  held  in  De- 
troit, at  which  representatives  from  over  fifty  boards  of  trade  were 
present.  When  the  city  was  raising  a  bonus  of  $200,000  to  encourage 
the  building  of  the  Wabash  line  to  Butler,  Ind.,  the  Board  of  Trade 
contributed  $13,000,  and  individual  members  contributed  also  toward 
the  fund.  It  has  also  encouraged  the  building  of  other  lines,  and  in 
securing   a    better  transportation   facilities    generally.       For   fourteen 

508 


JOEL    S.  BLACKBURN,  M.  D. 


years  the  board  occupied  a  building  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Wood- 
bridge  and  Shelby  streets.  A  new  building  was  erected  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Griswold  street,  and  was  occupied 
on  February22,  1865.  When  the  new  Chamber  of  Commerce  building 
was  completed,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  State  and  Griswold  streets, 
the  board  took  possession  of  the  elegant  quarters  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  it,  on  May  4,  1895. 


CHAPTER  LXXIV. 

The  University  of  Michigan— The  Pedantry  of  Judge  Woodward — How  its  Rich 
Endowment  was  Wasted — The  Early  Schools  of  Detroit — The  Board  of  Education. 

On  August  26,  1817,  an  act  was  passed  to  incorporate  a  university.  Of 
course  Judge  Woodward  was  the  sole  framer  of  the  act,  and  he  dubbed  the 
proposed  institution  the  '  'Catholepistemiad  or  University  of  Michigania. " 
This  institution,  which  is  identical  in  law  with  the  present  university,  con- 
tained thirteen  professorships,  which  were  thus  defined:  (1)  Cathole- 
pistejnia,  or  universal  science,  the  incumbent  of  this  chair  being  presi- 
dent; (2)  Antkropoglossica,ov  \Singnd,ge,  embracing  all  sciences  relating 
thereto;  (3)  mathematics;  (4)  physiogiiostica,  or  natural  philosophy; 
{b)  pliysiosopJiica.  or  natural  philosophy;  (6)  astronomy;  (7)  chemistry ; 
(8)  iatrica  or  medical  sciences;  (9)  oeconomia,  or  economical  sciences; 
(10)  ethics;  {\\) polemitactica^  or  military  sciences;  (\%)  diegetica^  or 
historical  sciences;  (13)  ennolica  or  intellectual  sciences,  embracing  all 
the  epistemum  or  sciences  relative  to  the  minds  of  animals,  to  the  hu- 
man mind,  to  spiritual  existence,  to  the  Deity,  and  to  religion — the 
didactor,  or  professor  of  this  being  vice-president.  The  didactors  or 
professors  were  to  be  appointed  and  commissioned  by  the  g-overnor; 
each  might  hold  more  than  one  chair,  and  their  salaries  were  payable 
out  of  the  public  treasury,  the  taxes  being  increased  fifteen  per  cent, 
for  that  purpose.  The  united  faculty  formed  the  corporation  with 
power  not  only  to  regulate  its  own  concerns,  but  to  establish  colleges, 
academies,  schools,  libraries,  museums,  atheneums,  botanic  gardens, 
laboratories  and  other  useful  literary  and  scientific  institutions  in  the 
territory,  and  to  appoint  teachers.      Four  lotteries   were   authorized  to 

509 


raise  funds,  and  there  were  man}^  other  provisions  in  the  act  respecting 
fees  and  salaries. 

Rev.  John  Monteith,  the  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  Rev.  Gabriel 
Richard,  the  priest  of  wSt.  Anne's,  were  appointed  to  the  thirteen  pro- 
fessorships, one  being  given  six  and  the  other  seven.  They  established 
primary  schools  at  Detroit,  Monroe  and  Mackinaw,  and  classical  acad- 
emies and  colleges  in  Detroit.  The  absurd  and  stilted  pedantry  of  the 
act  was  ridiculed  considerably  but  Woodward  could  see  nothing  wrong 
in  his  nomenclature.  It  was,  however,  intended  to  promote  a  great 
cause,  and  it  was  enacted  and  carried  out.  The  territorial  statutes  were 
revised  in  1820-21,  and  the  act  was  replaced  by  a  more  sensibly  worded 
measure.  The  new  institution  received  an  endowment  from  the  Indians 
on  September  29,  1817.  At  that  date  a  treaty  was  signed  by  the  Chip- 
pewas,  Ottawas  and  Potawatomies,  at  Fort  Meigs,  giving  to  St.  Anne's 
church,  Detroit,  and  to  the  college  at  Detroit,  each  an  undivided  half 
of  the  six  sections  reserved  to  these  nations  by  Hull's  treaty  of  1807 — 
three  of  the  sections  being  on  the  Macon  reserve  on  the  River  Raisin, 
and  the  remainder  to  be  selected  thereafter. 

At  this  time  (1817)  the  entire  Territory  of  Michigan  contained  less 
than  7,000  people.  In  1826  Congress  granted  two  townships  of  land  to 
the  Territory  for  establishing  and  endowing  the  university.  These 
lands  were  located  near  and  partly  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city 
of  Toledo.  This  grant  was  for  the  most  part  frittered  away  in  trading 
between  the  University  Board  and  the  real  estate  .speculators.  One 
tract  of  401|-  acres,  which  now  lies  in  the  heart  of  Toledo,  was  sold  to 
Major  William  Oliver  and  others  for  $5,000.  The  entire  land  grant, 
which  was  soon  destined  to  be  worth  millions,  was  disposed  of  for 
$17,000.  Thus  Michigan  University,  which  would  have  been  one  of 
the  richest  endowed  institutions  of  learning  in  the  world,  became  a 
State  charge,  and  every  two  years  the  Legislature  and  the  Board  of 
Regents  are  compelled  to  haggle  over  the  necessary  appropriations. 
On  September  9,  1817,  Rev.  John  Monteith  was  tendered  the  presi- 
dency of  the  university,  and  he  accepted  it.  A  few  days  later  James 
McCloskey  was  appointed  superintendent  of  buildings.  Mr.  McCloskey 
prepared  a  plan  for  a  plain  building,  two  stories  in  height,  and  he  laid 
out  the  lower  floor  for  a  preparatory  English  school.  On  the  second 
floor  was  a  room  for  a  classical  school  and  one  for  the  university  library 
— the  first  library  established  in  Detroit.  A  site  was  selected  by  the 
university   corporation   on  the  west  side  of  Bates  street,  between  Con- 

510 


gress  and  Larned  streets.  While  this  very  plain  and  unpretentious 
building  was  being  constructed  three  primary  schools  were  established 
in  the  town  under  supervision  of  the  University  Board,  and  several  acts 
of  the  governors  and  judges  were  passed  relative  to  the  establishing  of 
primary  schools.  As  the  sounding  title  of  the  institution  appeared 
rather  ridiculous,  cons  dering  its  very  modest  dimensions,  an  act 
was  passed  April  30,  1821,  to  establish  in  Detroit  "The  University 
of  Michigan,"  which  was  signed  by  Governor  Cass,  Judge  John  Griffin 
and  James  Witherell,  secretary  of  the  territory.  Whether  Judge 
Woodward  did  not  sign  because  he  was  offended  at  the  changing  of  the 
name,  or  for  some  other  reason,  does  not  appear. 

Educational  work  went  forward  in  Detroit,  and  in  connection  with 
the  university  a  Lancasterian  school  was  established.  On  recommend- 
ation of  Hon.  Isaac  E.  Crary,  first  congressman  from  Michigan,  Rev. 
John  D.  Pierce,  of  Marshall,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  July  26,  1836.  By  an  act  of  March  21,  1837,  the  superin- 
tendent was  authorized  to  dispose  of  enough  of  the  State  seminary 
lands,  which  consisted  of  section  16  of  every  township,  at  $20  an  acre 
or  more,  in  order  to  raise  a  fund  of  $500,000.  This  money  was  to  be 
loaned  to  counties  in  sums  not  exceeding  $15,000  to  each  county,  nor 
for  more  than  ten  years.  That  year  $150,447  was  realized  from  such 
sales  and  the  average  price  of  the  public  lands  was  $22.85  and  acre.  A 
State  law  for  the  organization  of  the  University  was  passed  March  18, 
1837,  and  two  days  later  the  university  was  located  upon  a  forty-acre 
tract  in  Ann  Arbor,  then  a  village  of  2,800  inhabitants.  Gov.  Stevens 
T.  Mason  appointed  Isaac  E.  Crary,  Zina  Pitcher,  Lucius  Lyon,  Thomas 
Fitzgerald,  John  J.  Adam,  Robert  McClelland,  Samuel  Denton,  Seba 
Murphy,  John  Norvell,  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  Ross  Wilkins,  Michael 
Hoffman  and  Gideon  O.  Whittemore  as  members  of  the  Board  of  Re- 
gents. Mr.  Fitzgerald  resigned,  and  John  F.  Porter  was  appointed  to 
fill  the  vacancy.  Governor  Mason,  Lieut. -Gov.  Edward  Mundy,  and 
the  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  William  A.  Fletcher,  George  Morell, 
Epaphroditus  Ransom  and  Charles  W.  Whipple,  and  Chancellor  Elon 
Farnsworth  were  ex-officio  members  of  the  board.  In  the  summer  of 
1841  the  first  university  buildings,  consisting  of  four  dwelling  houses 
and  one  dormitory,  110  by  40  feet,  were  completed.  That  fall  the  uni- 
versity opened  its  doors  to  students,  and  the  first  young  man  w^ho 
matriculated  was  Lyman  D.  Norris,  who  afterward  went  to  Yale  Col- 
lege and  returned  with  his  diploma  of  graduation  to  attend  the  first 

511 


graduating-  exercises  at  Ann  Arbor.  The  first  steps  toward  establishing 
medical  and  law  departments  were  taken  in  1847,  and  the  medical 
school  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1850.  In  those  days  it  was  customary 
to  choose  college  presidents  from  the  ministry,  and  Edward  Thompson, 
of  Ohio,  a  Methodist  minister,  was  the  first  choice  of  the  Regents,  but 
he  declined  the  honor.  Andrew  Ten  Brook,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Detroit,  was  chosen.  In  April,  1851,  President  Ten  Brook 
resigned  and  Professor  Boise,  of  Brown  University,  was  elected.  Dr. 
Henry  P.  Tappan  was  elected  president  August  12,  1852,  and  Professor 
Boise  was  made  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek.  The  law  school  was  in- 
stituted in  1859,  and  James  V.  Campbell,  Charles  I.  Walker  and 
Thomas  M.  Cooley  were  appointed  professors  of  that  department.  In 
June,  1863,  after  a  long  disagreement  with  his  associates,  Dr.  Tappan 
was  removed  from  his  office  by  the  Regents,  and  Rev.  Erastus  O. 
Haven,  D.D.,  was  elected  president  and  professor  of  mental  and  moral 
philosophy. 

In  1871  the  Legislature  made  an  appropriation  of  $75,000  for  the 
erection  of  the  central  university  building,  which  was  dedicated  in  1873. 
The  building  has  a  frontage  of  347  feet.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Pres- 
ident Haven  in  1871,  Dr.  James  B.  Angell  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency, and  his  administration  has  been  one  of  marvelous  prosperity 
and  development.  In  the  year  1896-97,  2,878  students  attended  the 
various  departments  of  the  university,  and  1,747  of  these  were  from 
the  State.  There  are  2O0  professors,  lecturers  and  instructors  in  the 
faculty  of  the  institution.  The  library  contains  105,047  volumes.  A 
four  years'  course  at  the  university  costs  the  average  Michigan  student 
$290,  and  the  student  from  outside  the  State,  $345.  The  univer- 
sity comprises  the  department  of  literature,  science  and  the  arts 
(including  the  graduate  school  and  the  summer  school),  the  department 
of  engineering,  the  department  of  medicine  and  surgery,  the  depart- 
ment of  law,  the  school  of  pharmacy,  the  homeopathic  medical  college, 
and  the  college  of  dental  surgery.  Each  department  is  provided  with 
a  special  faculty.  In  the  department  of  literature,  science  and  the  arts, 
the  various  lines  of  study  entitle  graduates  to  the  degrees  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  Bachelor  of  Philosophy,  Bachelor  of  Science,  Bachelor  of  Let- 
ters, the  corresponding  masters'  degrees,  and  the  degrees  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy  and  Doctor  of  Science.  In  the  professional  schools  the  fol- 
lowing degrees  are  conferred:  Department  of  Engineering — Bachelor 
of  Science,   Master  of  Science,  Civil    Engineer,  Mechanical  Engineer 

512 


ALBERT   H.    WILKINSON. 


and  Electrical  Engineer;  Department  of  Medicine  and  Surgery — Doctor 
of  Medicine;  Department  of  Law — Bachelor  of  Laws  and  Master  of 
Laws ;  School  of  Pharmacy — Pharmaceutical  Chemist  and  Bachelor  of 
Science;  Homeopathic  Medical  College — Doctor  of  Medicine;  College 
of  Dental  Surgery — Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery  and  Doctor  of  Dental 
Science. 

Michigan  University  was  one  of  the  very  first  to  open  its  doors  for 
the  coeducation  of  women.  It  is  the  university  which  offers  the  widest 
range  of  study  for  a  very  small  tuition  fee  to  young  men  who  are  strug- 
gling to  make  their  way  in  the  world.  President  James  Burrell  Angell 
was  born  in  Scituate,  R.  L,  on  January  7,  1829,  and  he  graduated  from 
Brown  University  at  Providence.  He  became  a  professor  of  modern 
languages  in  his  alma  mater  in  1853.  In  1859  he  resigned  and  became 
editor  of  the  Providence  Journal.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  president 
of  the  University  of  Vermont  at  Burlington,  and  served  in  that  position 
until  he  became  president  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  on  June 
24,  1871.  His  career  as  a  scholar  and  an'educator  has  been  exception- 
ally successful.  He  has  also  distinguished  himself  as  a  publicist  and  a 
man  of  affairs.  In  1880-82  he  was  minister  to  China.  F>  ur  years  later 
he  was  United  States  commissioner  with  Secretary  of  State  Bayard  and 
Judge  Putnam  to  negotiate  and  settle  the  fishery  question  on  the  north- 
western border  with  the  British  commissioners.  Later  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  International  Deep  Waterway  Commission.  His  ap- 
pointment as  minister  to  Turkey  came  from  President  McKinley  in  the 
spring  of  1897.  He  is  now  serving  in  that  capacity,  with  leave  of 
absence  from  the  Regents,  and  Prof.  Harry  B.  Hutchins,  of  the  law  de- 
partment, is  serving  as  president /r^  tern. 

Detroit's  early  schools  were  not  organized  into  a  system  like  those  of 
the  present  day.  When  the  university  was  founded  in  1817  a  number 
of  primary  or  preparatory  schools  were  started  in  connection  with  it. 
but  the  best  schools  of  the  town  were  the  private  seminaries.  A  num- 
ber of  the  leading  citizens  banded  together  in  1830  and  incorporated  as 
the  Board  of  the  Detroit  Female  Seminary.  Among  them  were  Gen- 
eral Cass,  Major  Kearsley,  E.  A.  Brush,  De  Garmo  Jones,  Eurotas  P. 
Hastings,  Charles  Earned,  C.  C.  Trowbridge  and  James  Abbott.  The 
governor  being  on  the  board,  there  was  no  difficulty  about  getting  a 
desirable  site,  and  the  seminary  building  was  erected  upon  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  City  Hall,  and  fronting  on  Griswold  street.  It 
was  a  three-story  building  of  cream  colored  brick  with  the  conventional 

513 


green  window  blinds  of  the  period,  William  Kirkland  and  his  wife  had 
charge  of  this  hall  of  learning  for  a  number  of  years,  and  they  left 
pleasant  memories  behind  them  when  they  went  away  from  Detroit. 
The  seminary  had  other  instructors  in  the  succeeding  years,  and  finally, 
in  1874,  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Prof.  J.  M.  B.  Sill,  who  became  the 
proprietor  and  principal.  The  building  was  torn  down  to  make  room 
for  the  City  Hall,  and  the  seminary  was  removed  to  new  quarters  on 
Fort  street  west. 

The  old  council  house,  which  stood  at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue 
and  Randolph  street,  was  occupied  in  1834  by  a  classical  school. 
One  of  the  best  known  of  the  early  educators  of  early  days  was  Washing- 
ton A.  Bacon.  He  first  had  a  school  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  St.  Antoine  street,  and  later  he  removed  to  a  building  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Russell  and  Larned  streets.  Mr.  Bacon  was  a 
a  pedagogue  of  the  old  school.  His  discipline  was  strict,  and  disor- 
derly boys  were  given  the  choice  of  two  instruments  of  punishment, 
called  respectively  "old  hickory"  and  "old  rattle-t-bang." 

Detroit's  Board  of  Education  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, passed  February  18,  1842.  It  provided  that  the  board  should 
consist  of  twelve  inspectors,  two  for  each  ward.  At  first  the  school 
system  was  divided  into  two  departments,  the  primary  and  inter- 
mediate, each  having  a  four  years'  course.  There  were  six  schools  in 
each  department,  and  twelve  teachers  instructed  an  average  attend- 
ance of  about  1,000  pupils.  When  the  High  School  was  created  an- 
other four  years'  course  was  added  to  the  school  curriculum,  making  a 
total  of  twelve  years  free  schooling. 

In  1873  the  three  classifications  were  designated  as  Primary  Schools, 
Grammar  Schools  and  the  High  School.  Since  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion was  created  the  schools  have  multiplied  in  proportion  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  city,  and  at  the  present  time  there  are  sixty-eight 
school  buildings.  Their  value  and  that  of  the  real  estate  amounts  to 
$2,700,000,  and  the  school  census  shows  78,700  persons  of  school  age  in 
Detroit.  Of  these,  34,756  are  enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  During 
the  year  189G-97  the  teachers'  salaries  amounted  to  $449,026,  and  the 
total  cost  of  maintaining  the  schools  w^as  $559,408.  The  number  of 
teachers  has  increased  even  more  rapidly  than  the  pupils,  and  at  the 
present  time  the  number  is  745.  The  Board  of  Education  now  consists 
of  one  inspector  for  each  of  the  seventeen  wards.  The  officers  of  the 
schools  are:     President,  Thomas  G.  Craig;  president  pro  tern.,  Ed.   F. 

514 


WALES    C.  MARTINDALE. 


Marschner;  secretary,  Lewis  H.  Chamberlain;  treasurer,  George  R. 
Ang-ell;  superintendent  of  schools,  Wales  C.  Martindale;  supervisor  of 
property,  Horatio  Barr. 

The  office  -of  superintendent  of  schools  was  created  in  1855.  J.  F. 
Nichols  was  the  first  superintendent,  but  the  salary  of  $900  a  year  was 
not  tempting,  and  he  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  year.  It  was  not  until 
the  board  had  doubled  the  salary  that  another  regular  superintendent 
was  appointed.  J.  M.  B.  Sill  served  from  1863  to  1865.  Duane  Doty 
succeeded  him,  and  remained  in  office  until  the  summer  of  1871.  In 
the  mean  time  the  salary  had  been  raised  to  $2,000.  Prof.  J.  M.  B. 
Sill  was  reappointed  in  1871  at  a  salary  of  $2,500,  which  was  subse- 
quently increased  to  $3,500.  Prof.  Sill  resigned  1886,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  William  E.  Robinson.  The  salary  was  raised  to  $-4,000, 
and  Mr.  Robinson  remained  in  office  until  the  summer  of  1897.  Wales 
C.  Martindale  was  then  elected  to  the  office  of  superintendent,  and  he  is 
the  present  incumbent. 

In  addition  to  the  public  schools  maintained  by  the  public,  there  are 
fifty-three  private,  select  and  parochial  schools.  These  are  attended 
by  14,371  pupils,  and  they  employ  290  teachers,  of  whom  seventy- seven 
are  males. 

Detroit's  first  High  School  was  founded  by  the  newly  created  Board  of 
Education  in  1844  and  opened  on  May  13;  but  the  board  really  had 
little  to  do  with  the  management.  The  Regents  of  the  University 
granted  the  use  of  the  old  academy,  or  first  university  building,  on 
Bates  street,  near  Darned,  appointed  the  teachers  and  selected  the  text 
books  for  use  in  the  High  School.  The  number  of  pupils  was  limited 
to  twenty-five,  and  only  boys  above  eleven  years  of  age  were  entitled 
to  admission.  The  school  soon  died  out  for  lack  of  patrons,  and  the 
pupils  who  received  more  than  a  primary  education  resorted  to  the 
private  schools. 

In  1855  the  popular  opinion  demanded  a  public  high  school  for  free 
education,  and  an  act  of  the  Degislature  was  passed  in  that  year,  author- 
izing the  raising  of  funds  for  building  and  maintaining  such  an  institu- 
tion, On  February  20,  1856,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  Board 
of  Education  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  high  school,  and  on  April  30, 
1858,  the  first  session  was  held  in  the  old  primary  school  building  on 
Miami  avenue,  which  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Board  of  Educa- 
tion offices.  High  school  opened  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  building  and 
twenty-three  pupils  were  in  attendance  the  first  day.      During  the  fol- 

515 


lowing  year  a  building  of  very  modest  pretensions  was  erected  in  the 
rear  of  the  primary  school  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  and  the  number  of  pupils 
increased  to  eighty-five.  Next  year,  1860,  a  resolution  was  passed 
admitting  girls  to  the  High  School  and  the  increase  of  pupils 
crowded  out  the  primary  school.  When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke 
out  in  April,  1861,  the  pupils  of  the  High  School  were  as  enthusiastic 
as  the  most  rabid  patriots,  and  they  raised  a  flagstaff  on  the  gable  of 
the  school  and  hoisted  a  flag  which  the  girls  had  made.  Jared  W.  Finney, 
the  first  graduate  of  the  Detroit  High  School,  was  one  of  those  who 
took  part  in  the  flag  raising.  In  two  years  the  school  became  over- 
crowded, and  in  September,  1863,  it  was  removed  to  the  old  capitol 
building  on  Capitol  square.  During  that  year  a  fund  of  $1,000  was 
subscribed  by  citizens  for  the  purchase  of  apparatus  for  the  chemical 
and  physical  laboratory,  and  in  1866  French  and  German  were  added 
to  the  course.  In  1875  the  old  capitol  building  was  enlarged  and  re- 
modeled. The  tower  was  removed  and  the  old  portico  as  well,  making 
room  for  an  extension  of  the  front  toward  State  street.  Four  grades 
were  then  taught  under  the  one  roof.  A  year  or  two  later  another  ad- 
dition was  built  upon  the  rear  to  make  room  for  the  public  library, 
which  was  crowded  out  of  a  room  on  the  main  corridor.  In  1871  a 
diploma  from  the  High  School  was  a  license  to  teach,  and  in  1878  the 
Regents  admitted  graduates  to  the  university  without  examination.  In 
1874  military  drill  was  established  for  the  boys,  and  instructors  and 
arms  were  provided  from  Fort  Wayne  at  the  expense  of  the  government. 
This  practice  was  followed  but  two  years  and  then  dropped.  The 
students  organized  a  military  company  of  their  own  in  1882.  This 
building,  which  was  used  for  high  school  purposes  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  morning  of  January  27,  1893.  The 
first  principal  of  the  High  School  was  Prof.  Henry  Chaney,  who  con- 
tinued at  the  head  of  the  school  until  1871.  Prof.  I.  M.  Wellington 
was  the  principal  during  the  next  ten  years,  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
Prof.  L.  C.  Hull.  Prof.  Hull  resigned  in  1886  and  was  succeeded  by 
Frederick  Bliss. 

On  July  9,  1858,  ex-Gov.  William  Woodbridge  deeded  to  the  Board 
of  Education  a  portion  of  his  farm  for  educational  purposes.  It  was  a 
parcel  of  land  fronting  200  feet  on  the  south  side  of  Church  street,  be- 
tween Trumbull  avenue  and  Dudle}^  street,  with  a  depth  of  130  feet  to 
the  alley.  The  conditions  were  that  the  board  should  erect  on  the  land, 
within   six  years  from   January  1,    1858,    a  building,    three  stories   in 

516 


height,  for  an  academy,  union  or  high  school,  with  seating  accom- 
modations for  600  scholars.  At  that  time  Levi  Bishop  was  presi- 
dent of  the  board,  and  its  members  comprised  a  majority  of  educated 
men,  but  the' proffer  was  not  accepted,  and  the  land  reverted  to  Wood- 
bridge's  heirs. 


CHAPTER  LXXV. 

Churches  and  Religious  Societies  in  Detroit — Ste.  Anne's  Was  the  Only  Church 
During  the  First  Century  of  the  City's  History — The  Moravians  in  1781-82 — Prot- 
estant Missionaries  Visit  Detroit  in  1800 — Founding  of  the  Early  Churches — Edifices 
of  the  Various  Churches. 

CATHOLIC. 

In  the  earlier  pages  of  this  history  is  the  story  of  Ste.  Anne's  church 
in  the  fall  of  1701 ;  its  destruction  by  fire  at  the  hands  of  the  Indians  in 
1703  and  its  immediate  reconstruction;  its  destruction  in  1712  by  Com- 
mandant Dubuisson  for  fear  it  would  give  shelter  to  the  hostile  Fox 
Indians,  who  were  besieging  the  town;  its  re-erection  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  Ives  &  Sons'  Bank,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Griswold  street.  In  the  graveyard  on  three  sides  of  the 
church  were  buried  those  who  died  in  the  early  years  of  the  settle- 
ment; and  beneath  the  floor  inside,  the  remains  of  Father  I'Halle, 
the  children  of  the  several  commandants,  and  other  people  of  conse- 
quence in  the  community,  were  interred,  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  day.  The  church  was  again  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  1805, 
and  services  were  held,  for  a  time,  in  McDougall's  storehouse,  on  the 
river  front,  just  east  of  the  foot  of  Woodward  avenue,  and  in  a  building 
belonging  to  Lasalle,  near  the  present  Eighteenth  street.  It  was  de- 
termined to  erect  another  church  on  the  site  of  the  burned  building, 
and  a  foundation  was  laid,  but  the  project  was  never  carried  out.  The 
site  had  become  valuable  for  business  purposes  in  1817,  and  the  governor 
and  judges  induced  the  parish  to  give  it  up.  The  fourth  church  erected 
by  the  parish  of  Ste,  Anne  was  a  limestone  building  much  more  pre- 
tentious than  its  predecessors.  It  was  built  upon  a  site  bounded  by 
Bates,  Larned,  Randolph  and  Congress  streets,  which  had  been  granted 

517 


in  lieu  of  the  old  site  on  Jefferson  avenue  west  of  Griswold  street.  It 
was  begun  in  1818,  but  it  was  ten  years  before  it  was  completed.  This 
church  had  two  quaint  spires  at  the  front  corners,  two  small  turrets  at 
the  rear  corners  and  a  fancifully  ornamented  dome  in  the  middle  of 
the  roof.  This  structure  stood  until  1886,  when  the  parish  sold  out 
the  property  for  $330,000,  and  erected  a  chapel  upon  a  new  purchase 
at  the  corner  of  Howard  and  Nineteenth  streets.  Beneath  the  porch 
of  the  old  church  was  a  crypt  in  which  lay  the  remains  of  Father 
Gabriel  Richard,  the  beloved  priest,  who  died  in  1832  while  minister- 
ing to  the  cholera  patients.  It  is  said  that  when  the  vault  was  opened 
and  the  coffin  lid  removed,  some  of  the  old  residents  claimed  to  rec- 
ognize in  the  frail  shell  of  human  anatomy  some  resemblance  to  the 
man  who  had  died  half  a  century  before.  It  is  also  said  that  some  of 
Father  Richard's  bones  were  seized  as  relics  by  morbid  curio  hunters. 
The  property  of  the  parish  was  divided  among  those  who  continued  to 
adhere  to  the  church  and  those  who  lived  on  the  east  side,  the  latter 
forming  the  parish  of  St.  Joachim.  Within  a  year  after  the  destruction 
of  the  old  church  the  fine  new  church  on  the  corner  of  Nineteenth  and 
Howard  streets,  which  perpetuates  the  name,  was  ready  for  occupation. 
It  is  surrounded  by  other  buildings,  among  which  are  the  parochial 
school  and  the  rector's  residence. 

Ste.  Anne's  became  the  cathedral  church  when  Bishop  Frederick 
Rese  came  to  Detroit  in  1833.  He  was  the  first  bishop  of  the  Detroit 
diocese  and  was  consecrated  in  Cincinnati  on  October  6,  1833.  Soon 
afterward  he  attended  a  council  of  bishops  in  Baltimore,  and  arrived  in 
Detroit  before  the  end  of  the  year.  He  succeeded  Father  Badin,  who 
had  charge  of  the  church  in  Detroit  as  vicar  general.  Bishop  R^se  re- 
mained as  bishop  here  until  he  attended  a  provincial  council  of  the 
church  at  Cincinnati  in  1837.  While  there  he  resigned  his  office,  the 
letter  submitted  being  dated  April  15,  1837.  The  council  accepted  his 
resignation,  and  Father  Odin  was  nominated  to  succeed  him.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  council  were  then  forwarded  to  Rome  for  approval,  but 
the  College  of  the  Propaganda  refused  to  ratify  the  proceedings,  and 
Bishop  Rese  was  requested  to  come  to  Rome  and  make  an  explanation. 
He  did  so  and  remained  in  the  Eternal  City  for  eleven  years,  still  hold- 
ing the  title  of  bishop  of  Detroit,  and  enjoying  a  revenue  from  his  dio- 
cese. During  the  revolution  of  1848  he  was  forced  to  retire  to  Han- 
over, his  native  country,  but  died  in  Hildershein,  Prussia,  on  December 
27,    1871.      The    causes   impelling   his    resignation    have    never    been 

518 


authentically  known  to  the  laity  of  his  diocese.  The  bishops  of  the 
council  probably  knew,  but  so  carefully  did  they  keep  the  secret  that  it 
descended  to  the  tomb  with  them.  Bishop  John  B.  Purcell,  the  late 
archbishop  of  Cincinnati,  was  the  last  survivor  of  that  council.  Bishop 
Rese  was  a  brilliant  scholar,  a  great  linguist,  an  eloquent  pulpit  orator 
and  a  most  accomplished  gentleman. 

Father  Francois  Vincent  Badin  and  Father  Johannes  De  Bruyn  were 
appointed  joint  administrators  of  the  diocese,  and  they  occupied  the 
episcopal  residence  on  Ste.  Anne's  church  grounds,  on  the  Randolph 
street  side.  De  Bruyn  died  in  1838,  and  Father  Badin  was  sole  adminis- 
trator for  about  three  years.  The  next  bishop  was  Peter  Paul  Lefevre, 
who  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Zeln,  in  partibus  infideliinn^  on  Novem- 
ber, 23,  1841.  He  arrived  in  Detroit  during  the  same  month,  and  ad- 
ministered the  affairs  of  the  diocese  until  his  death  on  March  4,  1869. 
During  his  incumbency  he  built  the  cathedral  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  St.  Antoine  street,  which 
was  consecrated  on  June  29,  1848.  He  was  succeeded  by  Caspar  H. 
Borgess,  who  had  been  consecrated  as  Bishop  of  Amazonia,  in  partibus 
infidelium,  on  April  24,  1870.  During  Bishop  Burgess's  administration 
he  abandoned  the  cathedral  and  the  episcopal  residence  adjoining,  and 
transferred  the  former  to  St.  Aloysius  church  on  Washington  avenue, 
which  was  consecrated  August  24,  1873.  The  bishop  also  built  his 
episcopal  residence  directly  opposite.  When  Bishop  Rese  died  in  1871 
he  succeeded  to  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Detroit.  He  resigned  on  April 
16,  1887,  and  died  May  3,  1890. 

John  S.  Foley,  the  present  incumbent,  was  consecrated  November  4, 
1888,  and  came  here  from  Baltimore  during  the  same  month.  Rev. 
Charles  O.  Reilly,  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  on  Adelaide  street, 
was  given  leave  of  absence  on  account  of  bad  health,  and  Bishop  Foley 
assumed  charge  of  the  latter  church.  In  1890  he  changed  its  name  to 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  made  it  his  cathedral  church.  The  former 
cathedral  on  Jefferson  avenue,  however,  still  bears  the  same  name. 
Grounds  for  a  site  for  a  fine  cathedral  have  been  secured  on  the  north 
side  of  Parsons  street,  near  Woodward  avenue,  but  as  yet  the  diocese 
has  only  erected  an  excellent  cathedral  school  on  the  property. 

St.  Aloysius  became  again  a  parish  church.  Its  present  pastor  is 
Rev.  Ernest  Van  Dyke,  audits  congregation  numbers  about  300  fam- 
ilies. 

Holy  Trinity  was  the  second  Catholic  church  organized  in   Detroit, 

519 


and  the  first  edifice  used  by  this  parish  was  the  old  Presbyterian  church, 
which  was  moved  from  the  rear  of  the  church  on  the  corner  of  Wood- 
ward avenue  and  Larned  street,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Cadillac 
square  and  Bates  street.  The  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  Central  meat 
market.  This  was  accomplished  just  as  the  terrible  cholera  epidemic 
of  1834  visited  Detroit.  Nearly  1,000  people  died  during  that  awful 
year,  and  Father  Martin  Kundig,  pastor  of  Holy  Trinity,  toiled  night 
and  day  among  the  sick  and  dying.  He  had  been  a  curate  of  Ste.  Anne's 
previous  to  his  appointment  to  Holy  Trinity  by  Bishop  Rese,  and  he 
emulated  the  example  of  Father  Richard.  He  converted  his  church 
into  a  cholera  hospital ;  obtained  a  horse  and  wagon  for  an  ambulance, 
and  went  about  gathering  up  the  sick  for  treatment,  and  carting  the 
dead  to  the  cemetery  for  burial,  even  burying  them  himself  when  it 
became  necessary.  In  the  course  of  his  labors  he  became  the  guardian 
of  many  orphans,  who  were  committed  to  his  care  by  the  dying  parents. 
When  the  epidemic  subsided  he  was  bankrupt  in  purse,  apparently  be- 
yond recovery,  but  he  never  repudiated  his  debts.  In  1840  he  organized 
the  parish  of  St.  Mary  for  German  residents,  and  the  next  year  the  corner 
stone  of  the  first  church  of  that  name  was  laid  at  the  corner  of  St. 
Antoine  street  and  Monroe  avenue.  Later  Father  Kundig  became 
vicar-general  of  Wisconsin,  at  Milwaukee,  a  position  which  enabled 
him  to  discharge  all  his  former  obligations.  Holy  Trinity  church  was 
moved  to  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Porter  streets  in  1849,  and  in  1856 
the  old  church  was  demolished  to  make  way  for  the  present  brick 
church  of  that  name. 

The  church  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Jeffer- 
son avenue  and  St.  Antoine  streets,  was  consecrated  in  1848  by  Bishop 
Kendrick,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Archbishop  Eccleston,  of  Baltimore.  It 
was  the  cathedral  church  until  1873,  and  afterward  became  the  church 
of  the  Jesuits. 

Father  Martin  Kundig  was  the  founder  of  St.  Mary's  church,  which 
stands  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Monroe  avenue  and  St.  Antoine 
street.  He  was  a  German  by  birth  and  a  number  of  his  countrymen 
arrived  in  Detroit  during  the  '30's,  so  he  decided  to  establish  a  church 
for  them.  He  raised  the  money  for  a  site  and  the  corner  stone  of  the 
church  was  laid  in  1841.  This  church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $15,000 
and  it  served  the  congregation  until  1884.  During  that  year  the  old 
St.  Mary's  was  torn  down  and  a  new  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$65,000."    In  1895  the  interior  was  improved  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.     A 

520 


large  parish  school  owned  by  the  church  stands  on  the  opposite  corner 
of  Monroe  avenue  and  St.  Antoine  street. 

St.  Joseph's,  at  Orleans  and  Jay  streets,  was  organized  in  185G,  and 
has  1,200  families  in  its  membership. 

St.  Anthony's,  at  Gratiot  and  Field  avenues,  was  organized  in  1857, 
and  has  260  families. 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  on  Fourteenth,  near  Dalzelle,  was  founded  in 
1864,  and  has  1,000  families. 

St.  Boniface,  at  Thirteenth  and  High  streets,  was  founded  in  1869, 
and  has  400  families. 

SS  Peter  and  Paul,  at  Adelaide  and  John  R.  streets,  was  organized 
in  1862  as  St.  Patrick's,  but  was  made  the  cathedral  church  in  1890; 
the  parish  has  800  families. 

St.  Albertus  (Polish),  at  Canfield  and  St.  Aubin  avenues,  was  organ- 
ized in  1872,  and  has  2,500  families. 

Sacred  Heart,  at  Rivard  street  and  Mt.  Elliott  avenue,  was  founded 
in  1875,  and  has  500  families. 

St.  Joachim's,  at  Fort  and  Dubois  streets,  was  founded  in  1875;  it 
has  500  families. 

St.  Wenceslaus  (Bohemian)  was  organized  in  1876;  it  is  located  near 
the  corner  of  Leland  and  Beaubien  streets,  and  has  120  families. 

St.  Casimir's  (Polish),  at  Twenty-third  and  Myrtle,  has  800  families 
and  was  founded  in  1882.  Holy  Redeemer,  Junction  and  Dix  avenues, 
was  founded  in  1880,  and  has  450  families. 

St.  Leo's,  at  Grand  River  avenue  and  Fifteenth  street,  was  organ- 
ized in  1889. 

Sacred  Heart  of  Mary,  at  Canfield  avenue  and  Russell  street,  was 
was  founded  in  1889,  and  its  congregation  of  4,250  familes  erected  the 
finest  Catholic  church  in  the  city. 

In  addition  to  the  Roman  Catholic  churches  already  named  are  the 
following:  Our  Lady  of  Help,  Congress  and  Elmwood  avenues;  Our 
Lady  of  Sorrows,  Catherine  street,  near  Gratiot  avenue;  Our  Lady 
of  Lourdes,  Dearborn  road  and  Division  street;  Our  Ladj^  of  the 
Rosary,  Harper  avenue  near  Woodward;  St.  Francis,  Buchanan 
street  and  Campbell  avenue;  St.  Charles,  Townsend  avenue;  St.  Eliza- 
beth's, McDougall  and  Canfield  avenues;  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
Boulevard  and  Sargent;  St.  Joseph's  (Polish),  Canfield  and  St.  Antoine; 
St.  Michael's  (Italian),  St.  Joseph  street,  and  Bonaventure's  Capuchin 
Monastery  at  Mt.  Elliott  and  St.  Paul  avenues. 

521 


For  more  than  a  century  the  only  permanent  church  in  Detroit  was 
the  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Ste.  Anne. 

EARLY    PROTESTANT    MISSIONARIES. 

As  related  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  Moravian  missionaries  came  to 
Detroit  in  1781  and  1782,  and  occasionally  preached  in  these  and  suc- 
ceeding years,  during  their  residence  at  Mt.  Clemens,  to  the  French 
and  British  citizens,  but  they  never  built  a  church,  and  from  various 
causes  their  ministrations  were  productive  of  little  spiritual  benefit. 
Religious  services  in  Detroit  during  the  British  occupation  were  mainly 
performed  by  the  Catholic  priests  at  St.  Anne's,  and  the  regimental 
chaplains  at  the  garrison  chapel,  the  latter  being  clergymen  of  the 
Church  of  England.  In  1818  the  Presbyterians  planted  the  first 
Protestant  society  in  the  town.  Previous  to  that  date  Methodist 
circuit  riders  paid  occasional  visits  and  held  services.  Traveling  min- 
isters of  other  denominations  also  made  evangelical  visits.  Dr. 
William  McDowell  Scott  had  occasionally  officiated  as  a  lay  reader 
of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  about  1800  the  Rev.  Richard  Pollard,  of 
Sandwich,  began  to  perform  occasional  clerical  duties  in  Detroit.  It 
was  during  the  decade,  1820  to  1830,  that  most  of  the  older  Protestant 
religious  societies  were  planted  in  this  city.  Previous  to  that  time  the 
Catholic  residents  had  never  been  without  spiritual  guidance,  but  the 
Protestants,  who  struggled  into  the  town  year  after  year,  grew  up  with 
an  utter  indifference  to  religion,  and  it  took  years  of  patient  toil  on  the 
part  of  the  missionaries  to  awaken  them  to  an  interest  in  their  spiritual 
welfare.  In  1800  the  Congregational  Society  of  Hartford,  Conn. ,  having 
heard  of  the  situation  in  Detroit,  sent  Rev.  David  Bacon  to  establish  a 
mission  for  both  whites  and  Indians  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Bacon  tramped 
to  Buffalo,  with  his  earthly  possessions  tied  in  a  small  bundle  and  sus- 
pended from  a  stick  over  his  shoulder.  He  slept  when  he  could  in  the 
cabins  of  hospitable  pioneers,  but  often  in  the  lonely  forest.  From  Buf- 
falo he  came  to  Detroit  by  boat,  arriving  early  in  September.  It  was 
late  in  the  season,  and  he  was  anxious  to  reach  Mackinaw  and  establish 
a  mission  before  navigation  closed,  but  a  heavy  gale  was  blowing  on 
Lake  Huron,  and  he  remained  at  Detroit.  Here  he  preached  to  the 
whites  and  Indians,  the  former  showing  little  respect  for  his  words, 
while  the  latter  gave  him  grave  attention.  In  November  he  went  back 
home  and  returned  next  summer  with  a  bride.  In  the  fall  of  1801  Rev. 
Thomas  Badger  came  from  Hartford  to  assist  Mr.  Bacon  in  missionary 

522 


PERMISSION   OF    EATON    4    MAINS 


/^.^^^^ 


work.  Their  task  bore  little  fruit,  for  after  the  first  curiosity  of  the 
adults  was  satisfied,  they  came  no  more  to  the  Sunday  meetings  in  the 
old  council  house,  and  only  children  attended  services.  In  the  winter 
of  1802  a  son  was  born  to  the  Bacons,  who  afterward  became  the  noted 
divine.  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  of  Hartford,  Conn. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL, 

It  did  not  take  the  Methodist  circuit  riders  long  to  penetrate  the 
western  wilds.  A  number  of  them  who  traveled  the  wilderness  held 
occasional  services  in  Detroit  before  the  great  fire  of  1805.  Representa- 
tives of  other  denominations  made  occasional  visits.  They  appeared  to 
be  unable  to  awaken  the  people.  In  1817  the  Rev.  Gideon  Lanning,  a 
zealous  young  Methodist  from  Western  New  York,  came  to  Detroit  and 
organized  the  first  Methodist  society.  He  was  a  man  of  magnetic 
presence,  and  his  powerful,  high-pitched  voice  commanded  attention. 
When  he  preached  in  the  council  house  people  gathered  to  see  what 
manner  of  man  it  was  who  could  make  such  an  uproar,  and  they  re- 
mained to  listen,  filling  the  street  outside.  Even  he  failed  to  accom- 
plish much  in  Detroit,  although  he  built  a  log  church  on  the  banks  of 
the  River  Rouge,  and  formed  an  embryo  church.  When  he  went  away 
his  people  scattered.  The  church  was  used  for  a  school  house,  and 
later  it  became  an  evil  resort.  But  Mr.  Lanning's  labors  were  not  lost. 
Within  thirty  days  after  his  arrival  at  Detroit  the  more  enlightened 
Protestants  of  the  town  organized  what  was  known  as  the  First  Protest- 
ant Society  of  Detroit,  and  the  organization,  which  was  formed  on  Sep- 
tember 15,  1817,  took  steps  to  maintain  regular  religious  services. 
Some  of  the  citizens  corresponded  with  the  American  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  in  the  East,  and  Rev.  John  Monteith  was  sent  to  Detroit. 
Governor  Cass,  Henry  J.  Hunt,  James  Abbott  and  a  few  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  town  pledged  themselves  to  raise  $800  for  the  support  of 
a  pastor.  Mr.  Monteith  remained  in  the  town,  preaching  three  Sun- 
days of  the  month  in  the  council  house,  and  one  at  an  outside  mission, 
while  on  the  fourth  Sunday  of  each  month  services  were  held  at  the  old 
council  house  by  Methodist  circuit  riders.  There  was  a  sort  of  rivalry 
between  the  Methodists  and  the  Presbyterians  to  see  which  should 
establish  the  first  denominational  church  in  Detroit.  In  1823  the 
Methodists  asked  the  governor  and  judges  for  a  grant  of  land  for  a 
church  site,  and  they  were  given  a  site  at  what  is  now  the  southeast 
corner  of  Gratiot  avenue  and  Farrar  street.      They  were  pledged   to 

523 


build  a  church  on  the  site  within  three  years,  and  they  barely  accom- 
plished the  task.  The  church  was  a  rude  affair  with  bare  walls  and 
plank  benches.  It  was  so  far  from  the  center  of  population,  and  there 
was  so  much  bad  road  to  be  traversed  in  reaching  it,  that  the  church 
did  not  thrive  as  it  would  have  done  in  a  better  location. 

In  1834  when  the  Methodists  became  satisfied  of  the  unwisdom  of 
their  first  location,  they  sold  out  and  obtained  a  site  on  the  northeast 
corner  of  Congress  street  and  Woodward  avenue.  The  Methodists 
erected  a  church  at  this  place,  but  sold  it  after  occupying  it  fifteen 
years,  and  built  a  third  church  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Woodward 
avenue  and  State  street.  This  was  a  very  comfortable  but  unpreten- 
tious brick  church,  which  was  occupied  until  18G7,  when  the  society 
moved  into  the  Central  Methodist  church,  just  completed,  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Adams  and  Woodward  avenues.  For  years  the  Metho- 
dists had  a  hard  struggle  to  build  up  a  strong  church  in  Detroit. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  had  no  associate  until  1840, 
when  the  Bethel  African  M.  E.  church  was  established.  This  congre- 
gation now  has  a  church  at  Napoleon  and  Hastings  streets,  where  the 
membership  is  260. 

The  First  German  Methodist  church  was  established  in  1847.  It  is 
now  located  at  Joseph  Campau  avenue  and  Heidelberg  street. 

Tabernacle  M.  E.  church,  at  Howard  and  Fourth  streets,  was  estab- 
lished in  1849  and  has  a  membership  of  410. 

The  Second  German  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1858;  it  is 
located  on  Sixteenth  street  near  Michigan  avenue,  and  has  240  mem- 
bers. 

Simpson  M.  E.  church,  at  the  corner  of  Grand  River  and  Sixth 
streets,  was  established  in  1869,  and  its  membership  exceeds  900. 

Haven  M.  E.  church,  at  Sixteenth  and  Bagg  streets,  was  organized 
in  1871,  and  has  280  members. 

Delray  M.  E.  church,  which  has  over  100  members,  was  established 
in  1882. 

Thirty-second  Street  church  was  established  in  1882. 

Cass  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Selden  and  Cass  avenues,  was 
organized  in  1883,  and  has  a  membership  of  412. 

The  Mary  W.  Palmer  Memorial  church,  at  McDougall  and  Cham- 
plain  streets,  was  established  in  1884  and  has  438  members. 

Lincoln  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Lincoln  avenue  and  Putnam 
street,  was  established  in  1885. 

524 


Ninde  church  was  org-anized  in  1886;  it  is  located  at  Visger  and 
Twenty-sixth  streets,  and  has  ninety  members. 

Preston  church,  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-third  street  and  Lambie 
place,  was  established  in  1886,  and  has  330  members. 

Woodward  Avenue  church  was  established  in  1886.  If  is  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Harper  and  Woodward  avenues  and  has  302  members. 

Asbury  M.  E.  church,  at  Ferry  and  Dubois  streets,  was  established 
in  1883;  it  has  100  members. 

Arnold  church,  at  Seventeenth  and  Buchanan  streets,  was  established 
in  1887  and  has  100  members. 

Ebenezer  church,  on  Erskine  street,  near  Beaubien,  has  a  member- 
ship of  225. 

Gratiot  Avenue  church,  corner  of  Gratiot  and  Beaufait  avenues,  has  a 
membership  of  seventy-eight. 

Brown's  African  M.  E.  church,  at  Thirtieth  and  Jackson  streets,  was 
organized  in  1891. 

Campbell  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Campbell  avenue  and  Mc- 
Millan street,  was  organized  in  1892  and  has  125  members. 

Baldwin  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Baldwin  avenue  and  Cham- 
plain  street,  has  eighty  members. 

Hudson  Avenue  church  has  165  members. 

In  addition  to  those  already  named  are  Kenwood  church,  at  Kenwood 
Station;  Leesville  church,  at  Leesville,  and  Zion  church,  at217Rowena 
street,  making  a  total  of  twenty-seven  Methodist  Episcopal  churches  in 
Detroit. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

The  First  Protestant  Society  was  merged  into  the  First  Presbyterian 
Society  in  the  winter  of  1824.  In  the  following  spring  the  Presbyte- 
rians, who  must  have  had  great  influence  with  the  governor  and  judges, 
were  given  a  large  site  on  very  valuable  ground.  It  was  the  block  on 
the  east  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  between  Congress  and  Earned 
streets.  The  grant  was  really  made  to  the  First  Protestant  Society, 
which  gave  other  Protestant  denominations  a  claim  to  the  ground. 
Denominations  were  crowding  each  other  so  that  the  council  house  and 
the  old  university  building  were  not  sufficient  for  the  Sunday  services. 
The  ground  granted  for  church  purposes  had  been  known  as  the  Eng- 
lish burying  ground ;  and  the  dead  were  disturbed  to  make  room  for 
the  temples  of  the  quick.     A  small  church  of  plain  exterior,  ornamented 

525 


with  a  modest  spire,  was  erected  in  the  middle  of  the  grant.  In  1834 
the  Presbyterians  of  Detroit  decided  that  the  church  they  had  first 
erected  was  too  small,  and  its  architecture  was  hardly  worthy  of  so 
wealthy  a  cong-regaiion.  They  sold  the  old  building  to  the  Catholic 
parish  of  Holy  Trinity,  and  it  was  removed  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
Cadillac  square  and  Bates  street.  A  handsome  new  church  was  erected 
on  the  vacated  site.  It  had  a  Grecian  portico  with  a  row  of  six  Doric 
columns,  twenty-four  feet  high,  and  a  heaven-soaring  spire  which  looked 
down  on  the  other  denominations  with  an  air  of  condescension.  It  was 
built  by  Alanson  Sheley,  and  was  dedicated  in  1835.  In  1838  Rev. 
George  Duflfield  became  the  pastor  of  this  church,  and  he  remained  in 
charge  until  he  was  stricken  down  while  addressing  an  assembly  from 
his  own  pulpit  thirty  years  later.  The  influence  of  this  highly  cultivated 
and  godly  man  was  powerful  for  good  and  his  descendants  are  people 
of  consequence  in  this  community. 

A  great  fire  devastated  a  section  of  Woodward  avenue,  near  the  cor- 
ner of  Lamed  street,  on  January  10,  1854,  and  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  was  totally  destroyed.  The  society  sold  the  old  site  and  pur- 
chased a  new  one  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Gratiot  avenue  and  Farmer 
street.  This  church  was  built  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Hudson 
store,  and  it  was  first  occupied  in  1855.  For  thirty  five  years  its  tall 
spire  was  the  most  conspicuous  object  in  the  center  of  the  city.  As  in 
the  case  of  some  of  the  other  churches,  the  First  Presbyterian  was  soon 
surrounded  by  business  houses,  audits  membership  gradually  removed 
farther  up  town  as  the  commercial  center  expanded.  In  1890  a  new 
site  was  purchased  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and 
Edmund  place,  and  during  the  following  year  a  splendid  new  church  was 
erected,  the  total  cost  being  about  $200,000  This  church  has  a  member- 
ship of  nearly  1,000.    There  are  fifteen  Presbyterian  churches  in  Detroit. 

The  Scotch  or  Central  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  November 
10,  1842,  and  within  a  year  the  people  were  worshiping  in  a  wooden 
edifice  at  the  corner  of  Farmer  and  Bates  street.  At  first  the  society 
associated  with  the  Church  of  Scotland.  A  brick  church  was  built  in 
1871,  and  eight  years  later  the  congregation  united  with  the  American 
Presbyterian  church.     This  church  has  510  members. 

Fort  Street  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  February  21,  1849, 
and  a  brick  church  built  at  the  corner  of  Wayne  street  and  Lafayette 
avenue.  The  society  sold  this  property  and  erected  a  fine  Gothic 
church  at  the  corner  of  Fort  and  Third  streets  in  1855. 

526 


RT.  REV.  THOMAS  F.  DAVIES. 


Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian,  founded  in  1854,  is  located  at  the 
corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Rivard  street,  and  has  285  members. 

Westminster  church,  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Parsons 
street,  was  founded  in  1857,  and  has  800  members. 

Calvary  church,  on  Michigan  avenue,  opposite  Maybury  avenue,  was 
founded  in  1872,  and  has  337  members. 

Convent  church,  at  Russell  and  Napoleon  streets,  was  founded  in 
1874,  and  has  210  members. 

Memorial  church,  erected  by  David  M.  Cooper,  at  the  corner  of  Clin- 
ton and  Joseph  avenues,  was  founded  in  1881. 

Trumbull  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Trumbull  avenue  and 
Brainard  street,  was  founded  in  1881,  and  has  1,115  members. 

Second  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in  1853,  and  its 
first  home  was  at  the  corner  of  Wayne  street  and  Lafayette  avenue.  It 
was  then  known  as  the  United  Presbyterian  church.,  In  1887  the  gov- 
ernment purchased  a  site  for  a  new  government  building,  which  in- 
cluded the  site  of  the  church,  and  it  was  removed  to  a  new  edifice  at  the 
corner  of  Second  avenue  and  Gillman  street.  The  congregation  num- 
bers about  400. 

Bethany  church,  at  Champlain  and  Seyburn  streets,  was  founded  in 
1883,  and  has  285  members. 

Forest  Avenue  church,  at  the  corner  of  Forest  avenue  and  Second 
street,  was  founded  in  1886  and  has  428  members, 

Immanuel  church,  at  Porter  street  and  the  Boulevard,  was  founded 
in  1888,  and  has  250  members. 

The  United  Presbyterian  church,  at  744  Grand  River  avenue,  with  a 
membership  of  about  300,  and  the  Grand  River  Avenue  mission  com- 
plete the  list. 

PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL. 

When  the  Episcopalians  saw  the  erection  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  they  were  stirred  with  zeal.  They  had  been  holding  occasional 
services  in  the  council  house  since  1824,  and  had  formed  a  society  in 
the  following  year,  incorporating  as  the  parish  of  St.  Paul.  In  1826  they 
claimed  the  right  to  build  on  a  part  of  the  site  granted  to  the  First 
Protestant  Society,  and  the  Presbyterians  acquiesced,  upon  condition 
that  the  Episcopalians  should  pay  the  expense  of  moving  their  church 
to  the  corner  of  Earned  street.  The  Episcopalians  then  built  a  brick 
church  in  the  center  of  the  plot.      It  was  finished  in  1828.      Rev.  Samuel 

527 


A.  McCoskry  came  from  Philadelphia  in  1828  to  become  rector  of  St. 
Paul's.  He  was  a  tall,  slender,  scholarly  man,  and  a  gentleman  of 
elegant  bearing.  In  1836  he  was  elected  a  bishop.  At  times  during 
his  residence  in  Detroit  the  tongue  of  scandal  wagged  concerning  him, 
but  in  1878  certain  irregularities  unbecoming  a  clergyman  caused  him 
to  retire  from  Detroit  in  disgrace.  He  died  a  few  years  later  in  New 
York  city.  The  parish  of  St.  Paul  sold  its  Woodward  avenue  property 
in  1852,  and  erected  a  church  at  the  corner  of  Shelby  and  Congress 
streets,  which  still  stands,  although  the  parish  has  planned  to  erect  an 
uptown  church  on  Hancock  avenue,  near  Woodward.  The  church  now 
has  730  communicants. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  twenty  four  Episcopal  churches  and 
chapels  in  Detroit.  The  second  society  formed  was  Christ's  church, 
organized  in  1845;  the  present  church  is  located  on  Jefferson  avenue 
between  Hastings  and  Rivard  streets,  and  the  communicants  num- 
ber 740. 

The  Mariners'  church  was  founded  in  1848.  This  venerable  looking 
church  edifice  stands  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Wood- 
bridge  street,  and  it  has  seventy  five  communicants. 

St.  John's  church,  the  largest  Episcopal  society  in  Detroit,  was  or- 
ganized in  1858.  The  church  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Woodward 
avenue  and  High  street  and  has  1,400  communicants. 

St.  Peters'  was  organized  in  1858.  It  is  located  at  the  corner  of 
Trumbull  avenue  and  Church  street  and  has  about  400  communicants. 

In  1SG5  a  branch  of  St.  Paul's  church  was  established  in  Greenfield 
township  and  the  chapel  has  fourteen  communicants. 

Grace  church,  which  stands  at  the  corner  of  Fort  and  Second  streets, 
was  organized  in  1867;  it  has  410  communicants. 

St.  James  church,  at  the  corner  of  Bagg  and  Seventh  streets,  was 
established  1868;  it  has  about  400  communicants. 

St.  Stephen's,  corner  of  MuUett  street  and  St.  Aubin  avenue,  was  or- 
ganized in  1869;  it  has  225  communicants. 

All  Saint's  chapel,  on  Livernois  avenue,  near  Michigan  avenue,  was 
organized  in  1875. 

The  Church  of  Our  Saviour  at  Leesville  was  organized  in  1875,  and 
has  forty-two  communicants. 

Emanuel  church,  on  Alexandrine  avenue,  near  Woodward  avenue, 
was  established  in  1875;  it  has  340  communicants.  This  property  was 
sold  to  the  First  Church  of  Christ  (scientists)  on  January  25,  1898. 

528 


St.  George's  church,  at  Howard  and  Fourteenth  street,  was  organized 
in  1876,  and  has  285  communicants. 

St.  Mary's  mission,  at  St.  Antoine  and  Benton  streets,  was  organized 
in  1874,  andhas  187  communicants. 

The  Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd  was  organized  in  1879;  is  located 
on  Vinewood  avenue,  near  Michigan,  and  has  sixty  communicants. 

The  Church  of  the  Messiah,  at  Mt.  Elliott  avenue  and  Fort  street, 
was  organized  in  1880  and  has  300  communicants. 

St.  Matthew's  (colored)  was  established  in  1880;  it  is  located  at  the 
corner  of  St.  Antoine  and  Elizabeth  streets,  and  has  a  membership 
of  156. 

St.  Thomas  church,  at  the  corner  of  Boulevard  and  Shady  lane,  was 
established  in  1883,  and  it  has  265  members. 

St.  Barnabas  mission,  on  Fourteenth  street,  near  Grand  River,  was 
established  in  1883,  and  has  fifty  nine  communicants. 

St.  Andrew's,  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Putnam  avenues,  was 
established  in  1885,  and  has  275  communicants. 

St.  Joseph's  Memorial  church,  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  and  Med- 
bury  avenues,  was  organized  in  1884,  and  has  250  communicants. 

In  addition  to  those  already  named  are  St.  Philip's  Mission,  on  Mc- 
Dougall  avenue  near  Gratiot,  and  St.  Luke's  chapel,  connected  with 
St.  Luke's  Hospital. 

BAPTIST. 

The  Baptists  organized  a  society  in  Detroit  in  1827,  and  two  years 
later  they  built  a  temporary  chapel  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Fort  and 
Griswold  streets.  This  was  sold  in  1833,  and  a  small  brick  church  was 
erected  on  the  site.  It  was  replaced  in  1849  by  a  larger  building, 
which  still  stands  on  the  ground,  but  the  society  sold  the  property  in 
1870  and  built  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Cass  avenue  and  Bagg  street. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  sixteen  Baptist  churches  and  missions 
in  Detroit.     They  are  the  following: 

First  Baptist,  organized  October  20,  1827;  membership  G44;  located 
at  the  corner  of  Cass  avenue  and  Bagg  street. 

Second  Baptist,  organized  in  1839;  membership  400;  located  on  Mon- 
roe avenue,  between  Brush  and  Beaubien  streets. 

French  Baptist,  organized  in  1857;  membership  163;  located  on 
Sherman  street  near  Rivard. 

German-American  Baptist,  organized  in  1864;  membership  432;  lo- 
cation corner  of  Joseph  Campau  and  Arndt  streets. 

529 
67 


First  German  Baptist,  located  at  the  corner  of  Grandy  and  Trombley 
avenues. 

Woodward  Avenue  Baptist,  organized  in  1860;  membership  1,007; 
location  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Winder  street. 

Grand  River  Avenue  Baptist,  organized  1879;  membership  340;  lo- 
cated corner  Thirteenth  street. 

Clinton  Avenue  Baptist,  organized  1880;  membership  312;  located 
corner  of  Joseph  Campau  avenue  and  Clinton  avenue. 

Eighteenth  Street  Baptist,  organized  1880;  located  between  Baker 
and  Porter  streets. 

Second  German  Baptist,  organized  188-1;  membership  131;  located 
corner  of  Linden  and  Eighteenth  streets. 

Shiloh  Baptist  (colored),  organized  1881;  located  at  302  Columbia 
street  east. 

Warren  Avenue  Baptist,  organized  1887;  membership  260;  located 
at  Warren  and  Third  streets. 

North  Baptist,  organized  1890;  membership  159;  located  on  Wood- 
ward avenue  and  the  Boulevard. 

Immanuel  Baptist,  organized  1891 ;  located  at  the  corner  of  Fort 
street  and  Dragoon  avenue. 

Scotten  Avenue  Baptist,  organized  1892;  located  at  Scotten  and  Vis- 
ger  avenues. 

River  Rouge  Mission,  a  branch  of  Woodward  Avenue  church,  corner 
of  James  and  Brownlee  streets. 

CONGREGATIONAL. 

The  society  of  the  First  Congregational  church,  of  Detroit,  was  or- 
ganized in  1841,  and  purchased  a  lot  at  the  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue 
and  Beaubien  street.  For  two  years  the  society  held  services  in  the 
council  house,  in  the  State  Capitol,  and  in  the  Circuit  Court  room,  but 
the  church  was  completed  in  1846  at  a  total  cost  of  $7,700,  and  was  im- 
mediately occupied.  In  seven  years  the  congregation  had  outgrown 
the  church,  and  the  society  paid  $10,000  for  a  lot  at  the  corner  of  West 
Fort  and  Wayne  streets,  on  which  a  church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$46,000.  When  the  new  edifice  was  dedicated  in  1854  the  sermon  was 
preached  by  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  He  was  born 
in  Detroit  in  1802,  and  was  the  son  of  Rev.  David  Bacon,  the  first 
Protestant  missionary  to  Detroit.  The  members  of  the  church  mostly 
removed   to  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  and  a  new  church  site  was 

530 


purchased  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  and  Forest  avenues  for  $20,075. 
On  this  a  new  building  of  Portage  Entry  stone  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$144,245.     The  church  has  about  800  members. 

The  Woodward  Avenue  Congregational  church  was  organized  in 
186G.  Its  present  location  is  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and 
Sibley  street  and  the  membership  is  800. 

Plymouth  Tabernacle  was  organized  in  1881,  and  a  large  church  was 
erected  at  the  corner  of  Trumbull  avenue  and  Baker  street.  Under 
the  leadership  of  Rev.  Morgan  Wood  a  very  large  congregation  was 
attracted  to  the  services,  and  people  of  many  creeds  united  to  support 
the  church.  Mr.  Wood  was  a  man  of  remarkable  energy  and  origmal- 
ity,  who  cared  little  for  the  criticisms  of  his  associate  pastors  of  his  de- 
nomination. He  did  his  best  to  advertise  and  draw  people  to  it.  He 
founded  an  institutional  church,  tocomibine  secular  education  and  social 
culture  with  his  religious  teachings.  Night  schools  were  held,  and  lec- 
tures were  given  by  learned  citizens  of  the  town,  but  the  church  was 
unable  to  keep  up  the  expense.  The  pastor  toiled  diligently  in  the 
lecture  field  to  raise  money  for  carrying  on  his  chosen  enterprise.  The 
church  was  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  his  congregation,  so  he 
held  summer  services  at  the  Detroit  Opera  House,  and  later  at  the 
Auditorium,  but  the  collections  were  not  sufficient  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses, and  the  ambitious  young  pastor  was  compelled  to  drop  back 
into  the  old  groove.  He  was  called  to  Toronto  in  1897,  to  receive  a 
much  larger  salary  than  he  ever  received  in  Detroit.  The  membership 
of  Plymouth  Tabernacle  was  650,  but  the  congregation  divided  in  1895, 
and  the  Peoples'  church,  undenominational,  was  formed.  The  more 
conservative  members  went  to  other  churches  and  those  of  more  liberal 
ideas  remained. 

The  Fort  Street  Congregational  church  was  founded  in  1881,  and  a 
building  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Fort  street  and  Summit  avenue. 
The  present  membership  is  201. 

Mt.  Hope  chapel  was  organized  in  1889,  and  a  church  was  built  on 
Twenty-fifth  street  near  Michigan  avenue. 

The  Brewster  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1894.  The 
church  stands  at  the  corner  of  Warren  and  Trumbull  avenues ;  the  mem- 
bership is  160. 

In  1891  the  First  Congregational  church  established  a  branch  at  the 
corner  of  Canfield  avenue  and  Hastings  street,  and  the  little  church  has 
forty-  six  members  at  the  present  time. 

531 


The  German  Evangelical  church,  at  the  corner  of  Antoineand  Penton 
streets,  is  associated  with  the  Congregational  societies. 

JEWISH. 

The  Jews  of  Detroit  have  four  synagogues  of  divine  worship.  Tem- 
ple Bethel  (Reform),  at  the  corner  of  Washington  Boulevard  and  Clif- 
ford street,  was  founded  in  1850. 

Scha'are  Zedek  temple,  at  Congress  and  An toine  streets,  was  founded 
in  1863. 

The  B'nai  Israel  congregation,  at  55  Mullett  street,  was  established 
in  1871. 

Beth  Jacob,  at  Montcalm  and  Hastings  streets,  was  organized  in  1884. 


There  are  five  reformed  churches  of  various  creeds. 

The  Church  of  the  Redeemer  at  Holden  avenue  and  Fifth  street,  is 
Reformed  Episcopal,  and  was  founded  in  1888. 

Bethany  Evangelical  Reformed  church,  at  St.  Paul  and  Shipherd 
avenues,  was  founded  in  1893,  and  has  a  membership  of  117. 

The  First  Holland  Reformed  church,  at  312  Catherine  street,  was 
founded  in  1872,  and  has  240  members. 

The  First  German  Reformed  Church  of  Zion,  at  Chene  and  Jay 
streets,  was  founded  in  1842,  and  has  350  members. 

Grace  Reformed  church,  on  Leuschner  avenue,  was  founded  in  1895. 

GERMAN    LUTHERAN. 

The  German  Protestants  of  Detroit,  as  early  as  1833,  established  St. 
John's  Evangelical  church,  which  now  has  an  edifice  at  Antietam  and 
Chestnut  streets. 

Christ's  church  at  Twenty-sixth  and  Myrtle,  established  in  1887,  has 
seventy-one  families. 

Immanuel  chapel  is  located  on  Livernois  avenue  near  Michigan. 

The  second  St.  John's,  at  Delray,  was  established  in  1885  St. 
Marcus,  at  Dix  and  Military  avenues,  has  250  families  in  its  congrega- 
tion. 

St.  Matthew's  church  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Concord  and  Stewart 
avenues,  and  St.  Paul's,  organized  in  1872,  has  a  membership  of  840 
families.     It  is  located  at  Seventeeth  and  Rose  streets. 

The  German   Lutherans  have   twenty-one  churches  in  Detroit  and 

532 


three  synods  are  represented  in  their  control.  Under  the  control  of  the 
Missouri  synod  are  Bethania  church,  organized  in  1889,  located  at  Mel- 
drum  and  Pulford  avenues,  has  ninety-six  families  in  its  membership. 

Trinity,  at. Gratiot  and  Rivard  street,  was  organized  in  1851  has  210 
families, 

Immanuel,  at  Seventeenth  and  Pine  streets,  was  organized  in  18G5 
and  has  a  membership  of  1,286. 

Bethel,  at  Dubois  street  and  Medbury  avenue,  has  fifty-three  families. 

Bethlehem,  on  McKinstry  avenue  between  Fort  street  and  Dix  ave- 
nue, was  organized  in  1887  and  has  607  members. 

Emmaus,  at  Twelfth  and  Lysander  streets,  was  organized  in  1889  and 
has  174  families.  Gethsemane,  at  Twenty-eighth  street,  near  Buchanan, 
has  648  members.  St.  Peter's,  at  Pierce  and  Chene  streets,  was  or- 
ganized in  1878  and  has  600  families.  St.  John's,  at  Maybury  ave- 
nue and  Poplar  street,  was  organized  in  1879;  has  500  families. 
Stephanus,  on  Chamberlain  street,  between  Lawndale  and  Englewood 
avenues,  was  organized  in  1890  and  has  180  families. 

Zion  church,  located  at  555  Welch  avenue,  has  1,378  families. 

Six  of  the  Lutheran  churches  are  under  control  of  the  Ohio  synod. 

Christ's,  at  Scotten  and  Wolil  avenues,  was  founded  in  1887.  It  has 
175  families  who  subscribe  to  the  original  Augsburg  Confession. 

Good  Hope,  in  Springwells,  was  organized  in  1889  and  has  twenty- 
eight  families. 

St.  James,  at  Poplar  and  Humboldt  streets,  was  founded  in  1890  and 
has  250  families. 

St.  Paul's,  at  Joseph  Campau  and  Jay  streets,  was  organized  in  1874 
and  has  800  members, 

Salem,  at  Chene  street  and  Mack  avenue,  has  1,500  members. 

St,  Luke's  is  a  small  church  at  Field  and  Kercheval  avenues. 

St.  Matthew's  Lutheran,  established  in  1845,  located  at  the  corner 
of  Congress  and  Rivard  streets,  is  under  control  of  the  Buffalo  synod. 

Holy  Cross  church,  at  Joseph  Campau  avenue  and  Illinois  street,  has 
a  membership  of  350  families,  and  is  under  control  of  the  Iowa  synod. 

The  Church  of  Jehovah,  at  Thompson  street  and  Forest  avenue,  was 
established  in  1894,  and  is  an  independent  church. 

St.  Peter's  church,  on  Catherine  street  near  St.  Aubin,  was  founded 
in  1880.  Its  congregation  is  composed  of  Norwegians.  It  is  inde- 
pendent. 

The  First  Unitarian  church  was  founded  in  1850  and  the  congrega- 

533 


tion  owns  a  fine  cluirch  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Edmund 
place. 

The  Church  of  Our  Father  (Universalist),  at  the  corner  of  Park 
street  and  Bagley  avenue,  was  founded  in  1883,  and  there  are  350 
members. 

The  Catholic  Apostolic  church,  at  201  Columbia  street  east,  was 
founded  in  1892,  and  has  sixty  members. 

The  church  of  the  Christian  Missionary  Alliance,  founded  in  1889, 
has  seventy  members,  who  worship  at  the  Central  Christian  church 
Simday  afternoon. 

The  Church  of  Christ  (Christian  Science),  founded  in  1893,  held 
Sunday  services  in  Schwankovsky's  Hall  until  February,  1898,  when 
the  society  purchased  the  edifice  of  Emmanual  church  on  Alexandrine 
avenue,  near  Woodward.     There  are  240  members, 

Mizpah  church  (Undenominational),  on  Calumet  avenue,  has  seventy 
members.     It  was  organized  in  1882. 

New  Jerusalem  church  (Swedenborgian),  at  Cass  avenue  and  High 
street,  was  founded  in  1872. 

The  Seventh  Day  Adventist  Mission,  at  426  Trumbull  avenue,  was 
founded  in  1890,  and  has  200  members. 

The  Salvation  Army  (Michigan  division)  and  a  branch  of  the  south- 
ern Michigan  division,  is  established  in  Detroit. 

The  reorganized  church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  Monag- 
amous  (Mormons),  hold  services  in  Chene  Hall.  They  organized  in 
Detroit  in  1891,  and  have  100  members. 

Detroit  Bethel  Mission  is  established  at  Seaman's  Home. 

There  are  two  Christian  churches  in  Detroit;  the  Central,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Second  avenue  and  Ledyard  street,  was  organized  in  1842. 
It  has  a  membership  of  300.  The  Church  of  the  Disciples  of  Christ, 
located  at  Fourth  avenue  and  Plum  streets,  has  a  membership  of  500. 

The  Evangelical  Association  has  two  churches  in  Detroit.  The  First 
Evangelical,  established  in  1890,  is  at  the  corner  of  Catherine  and  Du- 
bois streets,  and  has  a  membership  of  160;  and  Salem  church,  on 
Waterman  avenue  near  Fort,  has  fifty  members.  The  latter  was  es- 
tablished in  1894. 

The  Flying  Roll,  or  the  Latter  Day  House  of  Israel,  is  a  religious 
society  which  was  founded  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  in  the 
south  of  England.  A  British  soldier  named  James  J.  White,  who  had 
served  several  years  in  India  and  had  associated  with  several  orders  of 

534 


native  priests,  announced  himself  as  a  messenger  of  wisdom  inspired 
by  the  ruler  of  all  things.  He  took  the  name  of  James  J.  Jezreel,  and, 
in  common  with  a  number  of  eccentric  persons,  promulgated  a  call  to 
the  lost  people  of  Israel.  Taking  such  passages  of  scripture  as  suited 
their  purpose,  they  combined  them  with  the.  ancient  mosaic  law  and 
adopted  some  of  the  rules  of  the  Nazarites  and  other  Hebrew  sects  for 
those  who  might  follow  them.  They  announced  that  the  end  of  the 
world  was  near  and  that  when  the  day  of  destruction  came,  in  accord- 
ance with  Revelations,  144,000  of  the  elect  would  be  caught  up  to 
heaven,  while  all  other  creatures  on  the  earth  would  perish  by  fire. 
White  claimed  that  those  who  responded  to  his  call  would  be  children 
of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  A  missionary  visited  the  United  States  in 
1884  and  made  a  number  of  converts.  Colonies  were  established  at 
Detroit  and  at  Grand  Rapids.  The  Detroit  colony  was  most  prosper- 
ous because  it  had  for  its  head  a  man  of  peculiar  qualities,  Michael  J. 
Mills.  Mills  called  himself  a  prince  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  was 
known  as  Prince  Michael.  His  wife  saw  practices  which  she  could  not 
tolerate,  and  she  abandoned  the  colony,  and  a  woman  named  Eliza 
Courts  became  princess  and  queen.  In  1891  rumors  of  immoral  prac- 
tices became  common,  and  after  an  investigation  Prince  Michael  was 
arrested  and  tried  for  crimes  committed  upon  little  girls  in  the  colony. 
He  was  examined  in  the  police  court  and  held  for  trial.  His  attorneys 
procured  a  change  of  venue  to  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  was  tried  and  con- 
victed. He  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the  State  prison  at 
Jackson  for  five  years  on  June  17,  1892.  Princess  Eliza  kept  the  colony 
together  during  his  incarceration  and  taught  his  followers  to  consider 
him  as  a  martyr.  At  the  expiration  of  his  sentence  the  prince  and 
princess  were  married,  Mrs.  Mills  having  obtained  a  divorce.  Up  to 
this  time  the  colony  had  its  headquarters  on  Hamlin  avenue,  although 
many  of  the  members  lived  in  distant  parts  of  the  city.  The  men  wear 
their  hair  long  and  beards  in  unrestrained  freedom,  after  the  rule  of  the 
Nazarites,  and  the  women  allowed  their  hair  to  hang  down  their  backs. 
They  do  no  labor  except  such  as  is  necessary  to  supply  their  daily 
needs,  believing  that  the  world  is  near  an  end,  and  lived  on  the  means 
which  new  converts  brought  into  the  community.  The  order  has  fallen 
into  disrepute  and  most  of  the  members  have  removed  from  Hamlin 
avenue  to  Windsor,  Ont.,  across  the  Detroit  River.  In  the  early  part 
of  1897  Princess  Eliza  gathered  the  women  of  the  colony  into  an  aux- 
iliary congregation,  which  was  called  "The  New  Eve  of  the  House  of 
Israel." 

535 


CHAPTER    LXXVI. 

The  Modern  Newspapers  of  Detroit — The  Tribune  and  the  Detroit  Free  Press 
Rival  Claimants  for  the  Honors  of  Seniority — Beginnings  of  the  Four  Dailies  Now  in 
Existence — The  Gazette  and  Other  Journals  of  the  Past — List  of  the  Papers  and 
Periodicals  now  Published  in  the  City. 

The  Detroit  Tribune  is  the  lineal  successor  of  a  great  many  news- 
papers, the  earlier  ones  being  generally  of  Whig  proclivities.  The  first 
was  the  Northwestern  Journal,  first  issued  in  1829.  The  name  was 
afterward  changed  to  Detroit  Journal  and  Michigan  Advertiser,  and 
subsequently  to  Detroit  Journal  and  Courier,  and  its  first  daily  edition, 
under  the  title  of  Detroit  Daily  Advertiser,  was  published  on  June  11, 
1836.  It  was  afterward  consolidated  with  the  Democrat  and  Enquirer 
in  1855;  and  with  the  Detroit  Daily  Tribune  in  1862,  and  was  then  re- 
christened  the  Advertiser  and  Tribune.  Henry  Barnes,  of  the  Tribune, 
was  the  editor,  and  James  E.  Scripps  of  the  Advertiser,  was  the  busi- 
ness manager.  The  Detroit  Daily  Post,  was  commenced  as  a  daily 
Republican  paper,  on  March  27,  1866,  by  a  stock  company,  in  which 
Zachariah  Chandler  was  interested.  It  was  started  as  an  opposition 
paper  to  the  Tribune,  which  has  been  recognized  as  the  leading  Repub- 
lican paper  of  Michigan.  It  was  consolidated  with  the  Advertiser  and 
Tribune  in  1877,  and  on  October  14,  appeared  as  the  Post  and  Tribune. 
On  August  1,  1884,  J.  L.  Stickney  assumed  control  of  the  paper,  which 
he  named  the  Daily  Post.  It  was  purchased  by  Charles  and  Walter  A. 
Nimock  of  Minneapolis,  on  November  1,  1885.  They  organized  the 
Detroit  Tribune  Printing  Company,  and  named  the  paper  Detroit 
Tribune.  On  October  1,  1886,  James  A.  Stone,  James  W.  Hines, 
James  S.  Barstow  and  others  purchased  the  stock,  and  published  the 
paper  until  January  1,  1891,  when  James  E.  Scripps,  George  H. 
Scripps,  George  G.  Booth  and  M.  J.  Dee  became  proprietors.  It  is 
now  published  by  the  Evening  News  Association. 

After  the  burning  of  the  Gazette  in  1880,  a  new  Democrat  paper, 
under  the  auspices  of  influential  citizens  of  that  faith,  was  started  on 
May  5,  1831.     John   P.    Sheldon   was  the  editor,  who  resigned  shortly 

536 


WILLIAM   E.   QUINBY. 


afterward.  The  new  paper  was  styled  the  Democratic  Free  Press  and 
Michigan  Intelligencer,  and  Sheldon  McKnight  was  the  editor  and 
manager  from  1833  to  1836,  when  he  sold  the  paper  and  material  to 
John  S.  Bagg  and  S.  L.  Morse.  The  office  was  burned  in  1837,  and 
after  the  fire,  John  S.  Bagg,  S.  A.  Bagg  and  Henry  Barnes,  acquired 
the  paper,  which  was  published  as  a  semi-weekly.  On  June  5,  1837, 
a  daily  edition  was  published  as  Vol.  I,  No.  1.  On  January  1,  1842, 
the  office  was  again  burned.  Shortly  afterward  the  paper  passed  into 
the  hands  of  A.  S.  Bagg  and  John  Harmon.  In  1847  John  S.  Bagg 
became  the  editor  once  more,  and  shortly  afterward  A.  S.  Bagg  retired, 
and  the  principal  partners  were  John  S.  Bagg  and  John  Harmon.  Sev- 
eral changes  of  ownership  took  place  between  this  time  and  1853,  when 
Wilbur  T.  Storey,  who  had  been  editing  a  paper  in  Jackson,  became 
sole  proprietor.  He  sold  it  to  Henry  N.  Walker,  who  admitted  F.  L. 
Seitz  to  partnership  in  1861.  In  the  same  year  C.  H.  Taylor,  Jacob 
Barnes  and  Wm.  E.  Quinby  became  partners.  In  1875  the  last  named 
became  the  principal  proprietor.  In  1878  the  office  was  again  burned 
out,  but  the  paper  was  published  without  interruption.  In  1880,  the 
London  Free  Press,  a  weekly  literary  paper,  was  published  in  London, 
England,  and  is  continued  to  the  present  time.  It  is  made  up  in  De- 
troit, stereotyped,  and  the  papier  mache  matrices  sent  to  London,  where 
it  is  again  stere'jtyped,  and  published.  The  Free  Press  has  always  been 
recognized  as  the  leading  Democratic  daily  in  Michigan. 

A  dispute  as  to  the  oldest  daily  paper  published  in  Detroit  or  Michi- 
gan has  been  contested  ever  since  the  '50's,  the  rival  claimants  being 
the  Free  Press  and  Tribune.  The  points  of  the  controversy  are  as  fol- 
lows: The  Free  Press  claims  to  be  the  oldest,  because  the  first  daily 
edition  was  issued  on  September  27,  1835.  The  Tribune  admits  that  a 
daily  paper  was  published  under  that  name  at  the  time  given,  but  says 
that  after  the  Free  Press  was  burned,  January  11,  1837,  anew  company 
was  organized,  which  did  not  commence  to  publish  a  daily  paper  until 
June  5,  1837,  seven  months  afterward.  Also,  that  the  first  daily  edition 
of  the  Detroit  Daily  Advertiser,  of  which  the  Tribune  is  the  lineal  suc- 
cessor, was  published  on  June  11,  1836,  and  has  been  published  contin- 
uously ever  since.  The  Free  Press  counters  by  stating  that  it  was  not 
a  new  firm  that  reissued  the  publication  of  its  daily  after  an  interregnum 
of  seven  months;  that  John  S.  Bagg,  who  was  one  of  the  owners  before 
the  fire  in  1837,  was  one  of  the  owners  after  the  fire,  and  that  the  firm 
was  substantially  the  same,  and  therefore  continuous.     The  Tribune 

537 


rejoins  that  even  if  such  was  the  case,  it  does  not  prove  that  the  Daily 
Free  Press  had  a  continuous  existence,  because  the  second  Daily  Free 
Press  was  numbered,  Vol.  1,  No.  1,  showing  that  the  proprietors  re- 
garded it  as  a  new  venture. 

The  Detroit  Daily  Union  was  started  by  journeyman  printers  after  a 
strike  in  1865.  Its  original  owners  were  John  Drew,  Wm.  F.  Moore, 
James  B.  Spinning,  M.  H.  Marsh,  Robert  Bichan  and  Beecher  Skinner. 
It  was  sold  in  June,  1872,  to  John  Atkinson,  Thomas  D.  Hawley,  Rich- 
ard Hawley,  Alex.  D.  Fowler  and  others.  It  was  discontinued  in  1874, 
and  its  circulation  was  absorbed  by  the  Evening  News. 

The  Evening  News,  an  afternoon  daily,  was  founded  by  James  E. 
vScripps  on  August  23,  1873.  A  few  months  later  he  took  into  partner- 
ship his  brother,  George  H.  Scripps,  and  on  the  day  the  paper  was 
four  years  old,  admitted  also  to  participation,  Edward  W.  Scripps,  a 
younger  brother,  and  John  S.  Sweeney.  In  November,  1878,  a  branch 
paper  called  the  Press  was  established  in  Cleveland;  in  1880  one  in  St. 
Louis  called  the  Chronicle;  and  in  1881  a  fourth  in  Cincinnati  named 
the  Post.  This  quartette  of  publishers  was  later  increased  to  a  sex- 
tette by  the  addition  of  Milton  A.  McRae  and  George  G.  Booth.  Since 
then  the  members  have  severally  or  collectively  in  various  proportions 
acquired  the  following  list  of  successful  newspapers,  and  are  now,  prob- 
ably, the  largest  newspaper  publishing  interest  in  the  United  States : 
The  Evening  News;  The  Detroit  Tribune;  The  Cleveland  Press;  The 
St.  Louis  Chronicle;  The  Cincinnati  Post ;  The  Chicago  Journal;  The 
Covington  (Ky.)  Post;  The  Grand  Rapids  Press;  The  Kansas  City 
World;  The  Indianapolis  Sun;  The  Baltimore  World;  The  Los  Ange- 
les Record  ;  The  San  Diego  Sun. 

Of  the  thirteen  papers  James  E.  Scripps  is  interested  in  seven,  George 
H.  Scripps  in  seven,  E.  W.  Scripps  in  eight,  J.  S.  Sweeney  in  three, 
G.  G.  Booth  in  three,  and  M.  A.  McRae  in  three.  The  Evening  News 
started  a  Sunday  edition,  under  the  title  of  the  Sunday  News,  on 
November  30,  1884.  It  was  amalgamated  with  the  Sunday  Tribune  on 
October  15,  1893,  and  the  paper  was  styled  the  Sunday  News-Tribune. 

The  Detroit  Evening  Journal  was  started  on  September  1,  1883,  by 
J.  Lloyd  Brezee  and  C.  C.  Packard.  A  stock  company  was  afterward 
formed,  with  John  B.  Corliss,  J.  Lloyd  Brezee,  Jesse  H.  Farwell  and 
others  as  stockholders.  In  October,  1884,  S.  J.  Tomlinson  succeeded 
Brezee  as  manager.  In  1887  the  Journal  was  purchased  by  W.  H. 
Brearley.     The  concern  was  not  successful,  and  it  passed  into  the  posses- 

538 


'  bjr  J-.K.  Camp  a  ell.  ^^' 


„.  iTa^'Vori^- 


JCa^L^^^^-^^      C     J  0\y->-^/'-^ 


WILLIAM  LIVINGSTONE.  Jr. 


sion  of  Thomas  W.  Palmer  and  William  Livingstone,  and  was  sold 
under  sheriff's  sale  on  February  20,  1892,  to  perfect  the  title.  Since 
that  time  it  has  been  managed  by  iVilliam  Livingstone.  It  is  Repub 
lican  in  politics. 

The  Detroit  Times,  a  morning  paper,  commenced  publication  on 
December  4,  1883,  the  owners  being  Frank  E.  Robinson,  Charles  M. 
Parker,  D.  J.  McDonald  and  Charles  Moore.  It  was  sold  to  J.  Lloyd 
Brezee  on  November  22,  1884,  who  transformed  it  into  an  evening 
paper.      It  was  suspended  about  nine  months  afterward. 

The  Detroit  Times  was  started  as  a  one  cent  afternoon  paper  in 
August,  1890,  by  the  Times  Publishing  Company,  of  which  the  direct- 
ors were  Gilbert  R.  Osmun,  Wm.  E.  Brownlee  and  C.  vS.  McDonald. 
It  was  an  experiment  to  determine  whether  a  paper  published  at  that 
price  could  achieve  success.  After  running  about  two  years  it  sus- 
pended publication,  and  its  circulation  was  absorbed  by  the  Evening 
News. 

The  Sunday  vSun  was  founded  by  David  Pryse  Mackay  in  May,  1883. 
In  1889  an  evening  daily  edition,  called  the  Evening  Sun,  was  com- 
menced, and  was  continued  for  three  years.  In  1892  it  was  changed  to 
a  morning  edition,  called  the  Morning  Sun.  At  the  end  of  six  months 
it  was  discontinued.  The  Sunday  Sun  has  been  issued  regularly. 
Edward  B.  Winter  is  manager. 

The  German  newspapers  of  Detroit  date  from  1844.  The  first  paper 
in  that  language  was  the  Allgemeine-Zeitung,  a  Democratic  weekly, 
started  by  Dr.  Anton  Kaminsky  on  September  21,  1844.  Subse- 
quently the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  Michigan  Staats-Zei- 
tung.  After  the  death  of  Dr.  Kaminsky,  in  1850,  the  paper  came  into 
the  possession  of  Butz  &  Schimmel,  who  christened  it  the  Michigan 
Tribune. 

The  Michigan  Democrat  was  started  in  1853,  and  the  Michigan  Trib- 
une was  consolidated  with  it  during  the  following  year.  The  paper 
was  owned  by  a  stock  company  and  was  sold  in  May,  1856,  to  Dr. 
Peter  Klein,  who  soon  afterward  sold  it  to  Domedian  &  Kramer. 

Meanwhile,  on  May  1,  1853,  the  Michigan  Volksblatt  had  been  es- 
tablished by  F.  &  W.  Schimmel,  its  first  editor  being  Rudolf  Diepen- 
beck.  In  1856  it  was  sold  to  Domedian  &  Kramer,  who  consolidated 
it  with  the  Democrat,  and  the  paper  was  rechristened  as  Michigan 
Democrat  and  Volksblatt.  In  1858  Domedian  sold  it  to  Philipp 
Kramer,  and   from   that  time  until  1891   the  proprietors  of  the  paper 

539 


were  the  brothers,  Mathias  and  Philipp  Kramer.  In  18G0  they  issued  a 
daily  edition,  which  was  named  Michigan  Volksblatt.  In  1862  the 
Michigan  Staats-Zeitung,  established  in  1858  by  Chas.  D.  Haas,  was 
consolidated  with  the  Volksblatt.  In  December,  1891,  the  paper 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  stock  company  which  owns  it  at  the  pres- 
ent time.     It  is  Democrat  in  politics. 

The  Michigan  Journal,  the  first  German  daily  paper  published  in 
Detroit  or  Michigan,  was  first  issued  on  April  15,  1853,  by  August  and 
Conrad  Marxhausen.  In  186G  August  retired  to  found  the  Familien- 
Blaetter  a  German  weekly,  and  Conrad  remained  as  sole  proprietor 
until  1872,  when  it  was  transferred  to  four  printers  named  Fred  Cor- 
nehl,  F.  Pope.  Jacob  Pope  and  George  Goettman,  who  published  it 
until  April  26,  1875,  when  it  died  a  natural  death. 

The  Familien-Blaetter,  a  German  Republican  weekly,  was  first  pub- 
lished by  August  Marxhausen  on  July  1,  1866.  On  September  5,  1868, 
Mr.  Marxhausen  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Detroit  Abend- 
Post,  an  evening  daily.  The  Familien-Blaetter  was  thereafter  con- 
tinued as  its  weekly  edition.  Mr.  Marxhausen  is  still  the  active 
superintendant  of  both  papers,  which  have  always  been  Republican  in 
politics. 

The  Michigan  Volks-Zeitung,  a  weekly,  was  first  issued  by  Conrad 
Marxhausen  in  1876.  It  passed  through  several  hands,  was  renamed 
the  Michigan  Volks-Zeitung,  and  died  in  1884. 

Der  Arme  Teufel  (The  Poor  Devil),  a  weekly  German  paper,  was 
started  by  Robert  Reitzel  on  December  1,  1881. 

The  Sonntags-Herold,  a  German  Sunday  newspaper,  was  started  by 
Adolph  Kauffman  on  September  14,  1884.  On  October  5,  1885,  a  daily 
evening  edition,  named  the  Herold,  was  commenced,  and  continued 
until  June  2,  1886.  The  Sonntags-Herold  was  purchased  in  1891  by 
Charles  Vollbracht,  who  continued  it  until  May  1,  1893,  when  it  was 
sold  to  Raymond  Dopp  and  Henry  Mueller,  who  sold  it  to  the  present 
proprietor,  Frederick  A.  Draeger,  on  May  19,  1893. 

A  German  evening  daily,  named  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung,  was  started 
in  May,  1888,  by  the  German  Publishing  Association.  The  paper, 
which  advocated  labor  interests  and  was  independent  in  politics,  was 
published  until  July  14,  1889.  It  was  then  converted  into  a  weekly,  by 
the  same  management,  under  the  name  of  the  Michigan  Arbeiter-Zei- 
tung  and  continued  imtil  April  12,  1890.  A  dail)^  called  the  Detroit 
Tageblatt  was  then  started, and  the  weekly  Michigan  Arbeiter  was  con- 

540 


AUGUST  MARXHAUSEN. 


tinned  for  about  a  year,  and  was  then  discontinued.  The  Detroit 
Tageblatt  then  commenced  publishing  a  paper  seven  days  a  week,  which 
continued  until  February,  1892,  when  it  suspended  publication. 

Der  Kicker  is  published  weekly  by  Eugene  Newald. 

Die  Stimme  der  Wahrheit,  a  Catholic  weekly,  is  published  weekly  by 
E.   Andries. 

Other  existing  newspapers  and  periodicals  published  in  Detroit  are 
as  follows : 


American  Tyler  (Masonic),  semi- 
monthly, established  m  1887. 

Angelus  (Catholic), weekly.   Illustrated. 

Angelus  Bell  (Sunday  School),  illus- 
trated weekly. 

Bookkeeper,  monthly. 

Budget. 

Bulletin  of  Pharmac3\  monthly. 

Business  World,  tri-monthly. 

Catholic  Witness,  weekly. 

Christian  Herald  (Baptist),  established 
1870,  weekly. 

Collector  and  Commercial  Lawyer, 
monthly. 

Concert-Goer,  successor  to  the  Song 
Journal,  established  1885. 

Crown  Monthly,  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Delray  and  Springwells  Times,  week- 
ly, Delray. 

Detroit  Advertiser,  weekly. 

Detroit  Churchman  (Episcopal)  month- 

ly- 

Detroit  Courier  (formerly  Wayne 
County  Courier),  weekly. 

Detroit  Daily  Market  Report,  suc- 
cessor to  the  Board  of  Trade  Market  Re- 
port. 

Detroit  Herald  of  Commerce,  pub- 
lished by  Evening  News  Association, 
weekly. 

Detroit  Legal  News,  daily  and  weekly. 

Detroit  National  Independent  (Repub- 
lican), weekl3^ 

Detroit  Press,  weekly. 

Detroit  Republican. 


Foundry,  devoted  to  foundry  interests 
monthly. 

Fraternal      Index      (secret      society), 
weekly. 

Gwiazda  Polska  (Polish  Star),  weekly. 

Harper  Hospital  Bulletin,    devoted  to 
hospital  work. 

Illustrated  Sun  (independent),  weekly. 

Indicator  (insurance),  semi-monthly. 

Israel's  Free   Press  of  the   New   Eve, 
monthly. 

Justice  (single  tax),  weekly. 

Lampa,  monthly. 

Law  Students'  Helper. 

Legal  News,  daily  and  weekly. 

Leonard's  Illustrated  Medical  Journal, 
established  1879,  quarterly. 

Medical  Age,  monthly, 

Michigan   Catholic,    established    1872, 
weekly. 

Michigan  Christian  Advocate  (Metho- 
dist Episcopal),  established  1874,  week- 
ly- 
Michigan  Farmer  and  State  Journal  of 
Agriculture,  established  1843,  weekly. 

Michigan  Law  Journal,  monthly. 

Michigan  Presbyterian,  weekly. 

Niedziela  (Polish),  weekly. 

North     Side     Gazette    (independent), 
weekly. 

Patriotic       American      (independent), 
weekly. 

People  (Populist),  weekly. 

Physician  and  Surgeon  (medicine  and 
surgery),  founded  1879. 

Plymouth,  weekly  (Congregational). 


541 


Public  Leader  (devoted  to  the  interests  Therapeutic  Gazette,  estabhshed  1877^ 

of  the  liquor  trade)  weekly.  monthly. 

Red  Cross  Gazette,  monthly.  Truth  (independent),  weekly. 

School  Record,  monthly.  Visitors'     Gazette,     established    1885, 

Retail  Druggist,  monthly.  weekly. 

Sporting  Record,  weekly.  Western  Newspaper  Union,  weekly. 

Swoboda  (Polish),  weekly. 


CHAPTER   LXXVII. 

History  of  Detroit's  Street  Railways — First  Franchise  Granted  in  1862 — Short 
Lines  Prove  Losing  Ventures — Gradual  Combination  of  Lines  and  Extensions  of 
Service — The  Citizens  Company's  Claims  of  Monopolistic  Rights — The  Contest  be- 
tween Mayor  Hazen  S.  Pingree  and  the  Street  Railway  Companies. 

Detroit's  first  street  railway  was  projected  in  1862,  during  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion.  Eben  N.  Willcox  was  the  father  of  the  scheme  and  his 
associates  were  H.  K.  Sanger  and  R.  N.  Rice.  This  trio  associated 
themselves  with  a  number  of  other  citizens  and  asked  the  Common 
Council  for  an  ordinance  authorizing  them  to  construct  and  operate  a 
street  railway.  The  ordinance  was  granted  May  24,  1862,  but  the 
company  of  grantees  was  in  such  an  embryotic  state  that  the  ordinance 
was  worded:  "To  permit  certain  persons  to  establish  and  operate 
street  railways  in  Detroit."  Even  at  that  early  day  the  council  had  its 
eye  teeth  cut.  To  prevent  any  speculative  franchise  grabbing,  and  to 
insure  good  faith  on  the  part  of  the  grantees,  a  deposit  of  $5,000  with 
the  city  controller  was  required.  This  proviso  took  all  the  zeal  out  of 
the  promoters,  for  they  entertained  divers  misgivings  as  to  the  financial 
success  of  the  enterprise.  They  refused  to  accept  the  ordinance  with 
that  condition,  and  on  August  26,  1862,  the  first  franchise  was  forfeited. 
Then  the  council  authorized  the  city  controller  to  advertise  for  bids 
and  proposals  for  building  a  street  railway  in  Detroit.  The  original 
ordinance  was  the  basis  upon  which  the  bidders  were  to  figure,  but  no- 
body cared  to  take  the  risk.  In  November  Controller  D.  C.  Whitwood 
reported  that  Mr.  Willcox  and  C.  S.  Bushnell  had  suggested  certain  al- 
terations in  the  original  ordinance  which  might  open  the  way  to  a 
proposition.  The  council  heard  Mr.  Willcox,  and  passed  a  new  ordi- 
nance on  November  2-i,  1862. 

542 


Among  other  changes  from  the  ordinance  of  May  24,  1862,  was  one 
giving  the  grantees  the  exclusive  privilege  of  constructing  street  rail- 
ways on  certain  named  streets,  and  the  first  right  or  option  on  all  other 
streets.  The  prior  ordinance  gave  the  first  right  or  option,  but  did  not 
use  the  "  exclusively, "  as  it  is  found  in  the  ordinance  of  November 
24,  1862. 

This  ordinance  granted  to  C.  S.  Bushnell,  John  A.  Griswold,  Nehe- 
miah  D.  Sperry  and  Eben  N.  Willcox,  their  associates,  successors  and 
assigns,  the  privilege  of  building  and  operating  a  street  railway  system. 
The  ordinance  was  granted  under  the  act  to  provide  for  the  construction 
of  train  railways,  passed  in  1855.  Construction  and  operation  were 
authorized  on  Jefferson,  Michigan  and  Woodward  avenues  and  on  With- 
erell,  Grand  River  and  Gratiot  streets.  It  also  provided  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  line  reaching  from  the  western  city  limits  on  Fort  street  as  far 
east  as  Third  street,  down  Third  to  Woodbridge  street  and  through 
Woodbridge  as  far  as  Woodward  avenue.  The  lines  on  Michigan  ave- 
nue and  Grand  River  and  Gratiot  streets  were  to  operate  cars  on  Wood- 
ward avenue  from  the  point  of  their  several  intersections  with  Wood- 
ward to  Jefferson  avenue.  The  Jefferson  avenue  line  was  to  extend 
to  the  eastern  limits  of  the  city;  the  Gratiot  street  was  to  be  completed 
as  far  east  as  the  line  of  B.  Chapoton's  farm;  the  Michigan  avenue  line 
as  far  west  as  Thompson  (now  Twelfth)  street,  and  the  Grand  River 
line  as  far  as  the  easterly  line  of  the  Woodbridge  farm,  by  March  30, 
1863.  Cars  were  to  be  drawn  by  animals  only,  and  at  a  speed  not  exceed- 
ing six  miles  an  hour.  They  were  to  run  as  often  as  public  convenience 
might  require,  but  in  no  case  oftener  than  once  in  twenty  minutes.  Fares 
were  fixed  at  five  cents  and  the  company  was  to  pay  the  city  a  revenue 
of  $15  a  year  for  each  car  operated. 

Mr.  Willcox  went  to  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and  secured  the  assistance  of 
several  capitalists,  who  became  a  part  of  the  company  and  furnished 
most  of  the  money  for  building  the  first  lines.  They  were  Thomas  T. 
Davis,  Austin  Myers,  James  J.  Belden,  Nathan  Randall,  L.  Harris 
Hiscock  and  Frank  Hiscock.  A  deposit  of  $5,000  was  made  with  the 
city  controller  on  January  10,  1863,  and  the  grantees  filed  articles  of 
association  as  the  Detroit  City  Railway  Company.  At  first  the  capital 
stock  was  fixed  at  $100,000  and  bonds  to  that  amount  were  floated  in 
Syracuse. 

The  Detroit  City  Company  constructed  a  single  track  railway  on  Jef- 
ferson avenue,   extending  from  the  bridge  over    the    Detroit,  Grand 

543 


Haven  and  Milwaukee  tracks,  to  the  Michigan  Central  depot  at  the 
foot  of  Third  street.  It  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length  and  it 
was  used  almost  exclusively  for  transferring  railroad  passengers  from 
between  the  two  depots.  Travel  was  light  and  trains  were  not  fre- 
quent. Cars  run  over  the  route  once  in  half  an  hour,  and  after  the 
citizens  had  patronized  the  street  cars  for  a  short  time,  because  of  the 
novelty,  the  cars  often  ran  very  light,  if  not  empty.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances the  road  could  not  pay  operating  expenses,  much  less  pay 
interest  and  profit  on  the  investment.  The  business  of  the  company 
had  either  to  be  increased  or  the  road  abandoned.  In  1864  George  V. 
N.  Lothrop  was  made  president  and  D.  Bethune  Duffield  secretary. 
The  capital  stock  was  increased  $21,000  and  the  money  was  used  to 
build  a  line  up  Woodward  avenue  to  a  point  a  short  distance  above 
Grand  Circus  Park.  All  the  construction  was  of  the  cheapest  class, 
light  strap  rails  being  laid  on  wooden  stringers  and  the  cars  were  cheap 
one  horse  affairs.  George  Hendrie,  who  held  a  contract  for  the  truck- 
ing and  transfer  business  between  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Mil- 
waukee and  the  Michigan  Central  depots  was  induced  to  undertake  the 
operation  of  the  street  railway.  He  always  kept  plenty  of  surplus 
teams;  his  business  was  principally  between  the  two  depots,  and  he 
could  operate  the  cars  of  the  street  railway  more  economically  than  any 
other  man  in  the  city.  Four  years  of  experiment  showed  that  the  De- 
troit Street  Railway  was  a  financial  failure  unless  a  larger  patronage 
could  be  obtained.  The  city  contained  50,000  people,  but  the  street 
cars  were  not  available  for  communication  between  the  residence  por- 
tion and  the  business  center,  and  so  few  people  rode. 

In  1867  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  $500,000,  new  stockholders 
were  taken  into  the  company,  and  preparations  were  made  to  extend 
the  existing  lines  and  build  others  which  would  afford  a  convenient 
means  of  travel  for  the  greater  proportion  of  the  citizens.  Among 
those  who  came  into  the  company  at  this  period  were  Sidney  D.'  Miller, 
E.  W.  Meddaugh  and  F.  E.  Driggs.  Each  one  of  them  took  five  $100 
shares,  and  James  McMillan  and  George  Hendrie  came  in  as  trustees 
for  1,123  shares.  Thus  reinforced  the  company  was  able  to  go  ahead 
with  extensions.  Woodward  Avenue  line  was  extended  far  up  town  and 
car  barns  were  established  on  Erskine  street.  Jefferson  Aveuue  line 
was  also  extended  eastward.  The  Fort  Street  line  had  been  forfeited 
because  the  company  had  failed  to  build  it  within  the  specified  time, 
and    on    January    31,    1865,   a   new    company    obtained    an    ordinance 

544 


JOHN    A.  DICK. 


through  Fort  street  from  the  western  limits  of  the  city  to  Elmwood 
avenue.     It  was  known  as  the  Fort  Street  and  Elmwood  Company. 

As  the  Grand  River  Street  franchise  had  been  forfeited  through  the 
failure  of  the  Detroit  City  Railway  Company  to  build  the  road  within 
the  specified  time,  a  number  of  citizens  who  had  considerable  real 
estate  in  that  territory  asked  for  a  franchise.  It  was  granted  on  May 
1,  1868,  to  Nathaniel  Prouty,  Moses  F.  Dickinson,  William  B.  Wesson, 
Harvey  King  and  James  P.  Mansfield,  who  incorporated  as  the  Grand 
River  Street  Railway  Company.  They  operated  the  line  for  three 
years,  but  did  not  make  it  pay,  so  in  the  spring  of  1871  a  controlling 
interest  was  sold  to  Charles  M.  Dailey,  James  W.  Dailey  and  J.  Dailey. 
Street  railway  accommodations  developed  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
city  and  the  line  began  to  pay.  In  1888  it  became  a  valuable  property 
and  the  tracks  were  exended  northward  from  the  railroad  crossing  to 
the  city  limits.  The  cars  ran  down  Woodward  avenue  to  Jefferson 
avenue,  and  the  Detroit  City  Railway  planned  to  secure  possession  of 
it.  Sidney  D.  Miller,  acting  as  agent  for  Hugh  McMillan  and  other 
parties,  purchased  the  Grand  River  line  in  the  summer  of  1888.  The 
price  paid  was  $275,000,  and  soon  after  it  was  combined  with  the 
system  of  the  Detroit  City  Railway. 

On  June  13,  1873,  the  Detroit  and  Grand  Trunk  Junction  Railway 
Company  obtained  a  franchise  on  Larned  street,  from  Woodward 
avenue  to  Mt.  Elliott  avenue,  crossing  over  Congress  street  on  Joseph 
Campau  avenue  and  through  Congress  westward  as  far  as  Seventh 
street,  up  Seventh  street  to  Baker  street  and  through  Baker  street, 
Twenty-fourth  street  and  the  Dix  road  to  the  western  limits  of  the  city. 

This  road  was  soon  ready  for  operation  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward 
avenue,  and  the  original  grantees  sold  out  to  a  new  company  known  as 
the  Congress  and  Baker  Street  Railway  Company.  In  1882  the  Detroit 
City  Railway  Company  purchased  it  and  added  it  to  their  system.  On 
June  16,  1875,  an  ordinance  was  granted  to  the  Central  Market,  Cass 
Avenue  and  Third  Street  Railway  Company  to  construct  a  line  from 
Jefferson  avenue  through  Bates,  Farmer,  Gratiot,  State,  Cass,  Ledyard 
and  Third  streets  to  the  Holden  road.  Competition  now  threatened 
the  interests  of  the  Detroit  City  Railway  Company,  and  Sidney  D.  Mil- 
ler, who  was  president  of  the  old  company,  sent  a  communication  to 
the  Common  Council,  November  11,  1875,  calling  attention  to  the  terms 
of  the  ordinance  which  gave  the  original  company  the  first  right  to 
build  street  railways  in  Detroit.     He  added  that  his  company  was  pre 

545 


pared  to  go  ahead  with  any  needed  extensions,  or  to  build  such  lines  as 
might  be  considered  a  public  necessity.  After  some  deliberation  the 
council  decided  that  should  the  Detroit  City  Railway  insist  upon  creat- 
ing a  monopoly  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  the  question  would  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  courts  for  a  settlement.  The  company  obtained  a 
franchise  on  Third  street  from  Grand  River  to  Larned,  and  through 
Larned  street  to  Griswold  street.  The  old  company  was  disposed  to 
resist  this  construction.  The  promoters  were  apprehensive  that  the 
City  Railway  managers  would  secure  an  injunction  to  delay  or  defeat 
their  enterprise,  so  on  Saturday  night,  October  28,  1876,  several  hun- 
dred laborers  from  the  Polish  settlement  were  brought  together  in  the 
vicinity  on  Larned  street.  As  soon  as  the  city  clocks  had  sounded  the 
midnight  hour  all  danger  of  an  injunction  was  over  until  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  the  gang  of  laborers  fell  to  work  with  a  will.  They  laid  the 
six  blocks  of  Larned  street  between  Griswold  and  Third  streets,  while 
a  crowd  of  spectators  cheered  them  on.  This  Third  and  Larned  Street 
line  never  paid  expenses,  and  it  was  sold  under  foreclosure  to  the  Cass 
Avenue  Company.  In  1879  the  Cass  Avenue  sold  out  to  the  Detroit 
City  Railway  Company. 

On  November  14,  1879,  a  new  ordinance  was  passed,  embracing  all  the 
lines  then  owned  by  the  Detroit  City  Railroad  Company,  and  extended 
the  franchises  to  the  year  1909.  At  the  same  time  a  tax  of  one  per 
cent,  was  laid  on  the  gross  earnings  of  the  road,  and  the  company  was 
required  to  pave  between  its  tracks  after  that  date.  All  the  railway 
lines  in  the  city,  except  the  Fort  Street  and  Elmwoodline,  were  at  this 
time  under  the  control  of  the  old  company.  An  ordinance  for  a  double 
track  on  Griswold  street,  between  State  and  Larned  streets,  was  passed 
July  8,  1882.  On  March  29,  1884,  an  ordinance  was  granted  for  the 
doubling  of  the  single  track  on  Woodbridge  street  to  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral depot.  A  third  track  across  the  Campus  Martins  was  authorized 
in  July  of  the  same  year.  On  January  5,  1885,  what  is  known  as  the 
Brush  street  line,  running  through  Monroe  avenue,  Gratiot  avenue, 
Brush,  Ohio,  St.  Antoine,  Farnsworth,  Russell  streets  and  Ferry  ave- 
nue to  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  Junction,  was  authorized  by  the 
Common  Council.  The  Trumbull  Avenue  line  was  built  between 
Michigan  and  Warren  avenues  in  1885.  The  Myrtle  Street  line  was 
built  during  the  same  year.  The  Cass  Avenue  line  was  extended  up 
Third  street  to  the  railroad  tracks  in  1887,  and  the  Trumbull  Avenue 
lin3  was  built  as  far  as  the  railroad  in  1888. 

540 


In  1887  a  new  tax  system  was  substituted  for  the  old  regulation.  It 
provided  that  the  gross  earnings  of  the  street  railways  should  be  re- 
ported to  the  Common  Council  semi-annually,  and  bear  a  tax  of  one 
and  a  half  per  cent,  until  January  1,  1897,  after  which  date  the  ordi- 
nance provided  for  a  two  per  cent.  rate.  The  real  estate  of  the  com- 
panies was  also  made  subject  to  tax.  Michigan  avenue  was  built  to 
the  western  city  limits  in  1889,  and  that  year  the  Chene  Street,  Mack 
Avenue  and  East  Fort  Street  lines  were  built.  In  1885  the  charter  of 
the  Grand  River  line  was  extended  to  January  1,  1916. 

The  Detroit  street  railway  controversy,  which  has  become  famous 
all  over  the  American  continent,  was  initiated  and  sustained  by  Mayor 
Hazen  S.  Pingree,  backed  by  the  Common  Council,  and  at  this  date 
(1897),  is  not  ended.  No  complete  history  of  this  exciting  episode  in 
Detroit's  history  can  be  written  at  the  present  time,  but  an  impartial 
resume  of  the  leading  incidents  and  the  attitude  of  the  respective  con- 
testants will  be  here  attempted.  Mr.  Pingree  took  his  seat  as  mayor  in 
1890.  Before  he  had  been  in  office  three  weeks  he  declared  in  favor  of 
municipal  ownership  of  street  railways.  At  this  time  the  employees  of 
the  Detroit  City  Railway  claimed  that  they  were  required  to  work  too 
many  hours  daily,  and  for  insufficient  wages.  This  feeling  culminated 
in  a  strike  on  April  21,  1891,  and  a  riot  ensued.  Mayor  Pingree  would 
not  comply  with  the  requests  of  prominent  citizens  to  call  out  the 
State  troops,  and  on  April  24  he  addressed  the  rioters  on  Woodward 
avenue  and  advocated  arbitration  with  their  employers.  He  also  sent 
a  note  to  the  managers  of  the  company,  suggesting  terms  of  arbitra- 
tion, which  were  accepted,  and  this  method  of  adjusting  differences  be- 
tween the  street  railroad  managers  and  their  employees  is  still  practiced. 

The  company  presented  to  the  council  a  new  ordinance,  which  gave 
it  a  new  franchise  for  thirty  years',  with  fares  fixed  at  six  tickets  for 
twenty-five  cents.  The  council  passed  it,  but  themayor  refused  to  sign 
the  ordinance,  and  called  for  a  meeting  of  citizens  at  the  Auditorium  to 
get  an  expression  of  the  popular  opinion.  This  meeting,  which  was 
held  July  7,  1891,  was  attended  by  4,000  citizens,  who  almost  unan- 
imously endorsed  the  mayor's  position.  On  July  9  the  council  sus- 
tained the  mayor's  veto.  Two  weeks  later,  July  23,  the  Detroit  City 
Railway  Company  sold  out  to  a  new  company  known  as  the  Detroit 
Citizens'  Railway  Company,  composed  of  leading  citizens  and  men  in- 
fluential in  business  and  politics.  The  new  owners  announced  that 
electricity  w^ould  soon  be  installed  as  the  motive  power  of  the  roads. 

547 


Mayor  Pingree  was  re  elected  in  November,  1891,  receiving  a  larger 
vote  than  his  two  opponents,  William  G.  Thompson  and  John  Miner, 
combined.  Suit  was  commenced  to  forfeit  the  new  franchise  of  the 
Citizens'  Company,  which  had  been  granted  in  1879  for  a  term  of  thirty 
years.  The  franchise  granted  in  1863  would  expire  in  1893,  and  it  was 
asserted  that  to  extend  the  franchise  before  the  expiration  of  its  legal 
term  was  illegal  and  against  public  policy.  This  suit  was  tried  in  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court.  Judge  Taft  decided  in  favor  of  the  city, 
while  Judge  Swan,  the  district  judge,  dissented.  It  was  appealed  by 
the  Citizens'  Company  to  the  United  States  Court  of  Appeals,  which  in 
January,  1895,  decided  that  the  franchise  in  dispute  was  valid  until  1909. 
During  1892  there  were  two  large  public  meetings,  which  endorsed 
the  course  of  the  mayor  in  contesting  the  franchise,  and  the  latter 
continued  to  advocate  municipal  owmership  of  street  railways.  He  was 
antagonized  by  numerous  prominent  citizens.  The  Preston  National 
Bank,  of  which  he  was  a  director,  did  not  re  elect  him  at  its  annual 
meeting  in  1893.  On  January  16  of  that  year  the  Citizens'  Company 
announced  that  it  would  no  longer  sell  six  tickets  for  twenty  five  cents, 
but  would  demand  a  straight  five  cent  fare.  On  January  23  the  mayor 
announced  that  he  had  been  offered  $100,000  and  the  governorship  of 
thfe  State,  if  he  would  abandon  the  street  railway  fight.  Claiming  the 
right  to  purchase  six  tickets  for  twenty-five  cents  and  being  refused, 
he  rode  free  February  16.  The  company  made  a  proposition  to  grant 
universal  transfers  if  the  city  would  grant  a  new  ordinance  authorizing 
the  collection  of  five  cent  fares  for  thirty  years,  but  the  proposition  was 
denounced  by  the  mayor  and  was  refused  by  the  council.      In  October, 

1893,  the  mayor  went  to  New  York  to  make  arrangements  with  a  street 
railway  syndicate  that  would  grant   three   cent  fares.     On  January  10 

1894,  he  proposed  to  grant  a  new  franchise  for  thirty  years  to  the  Cit- 
izens' Company  conditioned  upon  a  three  cent  fare  and  universal  trans- 
fers. An  ordinance  to  that  effect  was  passed  by  the  council,  but  the 
company  refused  to  accept  it. 

In  September,  1894,  the  Citizens'  Company  sold  its  property  and 
franchise  to  R.  T.  Wilson  &  Company  of  New  York,  at  a  rate  stated  to  be 
seventy- five  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  Tom  L.  Johnson  became  gen- 
eral manager.  On  November  21,  1894,  the  mayor  announced  that  he 
had  perfected  arrangements  for  the  advent  of  a  new  company,  to  be 
known  as  the  Detroit  Railway  Company,  which  would  give  three  cent 
fares  and  universal  transfers.      On  December  5,  1894,  the  Detroit  rail- 

548 


JAMES  GRAHAM. 


way  ordinance  was  passed  and  was  signed  by  the  mayor.  The  grantees 
were  Albert  Pack,  Greene  Pack,  H.  A.  Everett  and  others.  Mayor 
Pingree  and  the  Common  Council  were  unable  to  secure  what  the  for- 
mer had  long  been  fighting  for — a  straight  three  cent  fare  and  universal 
transfers — but  a  compromise  was  effected  which  was  regarded  as  a 
signal  triumph  for  the  mayor.  The  new  company  was  granted  the 
right  to  construct  and  operate  street  railway  lines  in  certain  streets  on 
a  condition  of  selling  eight  tickets  for  twenty- five  cents  between  the 
hours  of  5:45  in  the  morning  and  8  in  the  evening,  and  six  tickets  for 
25  cents  between  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  and  5:45  in  the  morning. 
Single  fares  were  to  be  five  cents  and  universal  transfers  were  to  be 
given.  The  city  agreed  to  concrete  and  pave  between  the  tracks  of  the 
Detroit  Railway  on  all  unpaved  streets,  while  the  company  was  to  re- 
pair all  pavements  disturbed  in  the  laying  of  its  lines. 

On  August  25,  1895,  the  mayor  decided  to  appeal  the  city's  case 
for  forfeiture  of  franchise  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
but  on  November  12  the  Supreme  Court  refused  to  review  the  case, 
claiming  that  the  Court  of  Appeals  had  ultimate  jurisdiction  in  such 
cases.  Upon  this  the  Citizens'  Company  abandoned  the  selling  of  six 
tickets  for  twenty-five  cents,  charged  a  straight  five  cent  fare  and  gave 
no  transfers.  This  action  aroused  popular  feeling  still  more,  and  the 
natural  patrons  of  the  Citizens'  system  preferred  to  walk  several  squares 
out  of  their  way  in  order  to  board  a  Detroit  Railway  car,  thus  saving 
nearly  two  cents  on  their  fare  and  showing  their  resentment  against 
the  Citizens'  Company.  The  mayor  issued  a  proclamation,  declaring 
that  he  would  agree  to  no  compromise  except  on  a  basis  of  eight  tickets 
for  twenty-five  cents  and  universal  transfers.  On  December  14,  1895, 
the  mayor,  riding  on  the  Citizens'  Company  car,  demanded  six  tickets 
for  twenty-five  cents  and  refused  to  pay  five  cent  fare,  whereupon  he 
was  ejected  from  the  car.  He  then  commenced  a  suit  to  compel  the 
company  to  sell  six  tickets  for  twenty-five  cents,  but  the  Railway  Com- 
pany resumed  the  sale  of  tickets  at  that  rate  and  the  suit  was  dropped. 
On  December  30  the  Citizens'  Company  offered  to  compromise  by  sell- 
ing eight  tickets  for  twenty- five  cents  and  to  allow  transfer  privileges 
on  payment  of  five  cent  fares.  An  ordinance  was  framed  and  passed 
by  the  council  granting  the  above  terms,  on  January  7,  189G,  but  it  was 
vetoed  by  the  mayor.  The  veto  was  sustained  by  a  vote  of  25  to  (3. 
Next  day  numerous  citizens  called  at  the  city  hall  to  congratulate  the 
the  mayor  upon  his  action. 

549 


Another  experiment  was  tried  for  sixty  clays,  in  which  the  Citizens' 
Company  granted  the  same  rates  as  the  Detroit  Railway,  and  in  this 
way  the  efifects  of  the  boycott  were  in  part  overcome.  The  Fort 
Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Company,  which  had  always  been  on  good  terms 
with  the  mayor  and  the  people,  also  tried  the  cheap  fare  rate  in  1896, 
preparatory  to  a  petition  for  a  new  ordinance  giving  a  thirty  years'  ex- 
tension of  its  franchise.  Although  the  line  extended  from  the  River 
Rouge  to  Belle  Isle  and  also  nearly  to  the  eastern  limits  of  the  city,  the 
cheap  fare  proved  unsatisfactory  to  the  company. 

As  the  State  law  forbade  the  consolidation  of  street  railway  lines  for 
the  purpose  of  destroying  competition,  and  as  the  Detroit  Railway  was 
so  constructed  as  to  give  communication  between  the  center  of  the  city 
and  all  the  thickly  populated  portions  of  the  town,  it  appeared  for  a 
time  that  the  competition  would  force  the  Detroit  Citizens'  Company 
to  reduce  its  fares. 

On  December  14,  1894,  the  mayor  turned  the  first  spadeful  of  earth 
for  the  excavation  for  the  Detroit  Railway  tracks. 

On  June  5,  1895,  another  franchise  was  passed  for  the  Citizens'  Com- 
pany by  the  Common  Council,  but  as  it  did  not  provide  for  three  cent 
fares  and  universal  transfers,  the  mayor  vetoed  it  and  his  veto  was 
sustained.  On  July  7,  a  portion  of  the  Detroit  Railway  system  was 
ready  for  operation  and  Mayor  Pingree  acted  as  motorman  on  the  first 
car  over  the  route.  On  July  1,  1896,  a  new  ordinance  was  passed  for 
the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Company  on  the  basis  of  three  cent 
fares  and  universal  transfers,  but  the  company  refused  to  accept  it. 
Mayor  Pingree  was  nominated  for  governor  by  the  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Grand  Rapids,  August  6,  1896. 

The  Detroit  Railway  franchise  was  granted  on  December  4,  1894, 
and  on  the  13th  of  the  same  month  the  Citizen's  Company  filed  a  bill 
in  chancery  against  the  City  of  Detroit  and  the  Detroit  Railway,  and 
prayed  for  an  injunction  restraining  the  construction  of  the  road,  upon 
the  ground  that  the  original  ordinance  of  1862  gave  it  the  exclusive 
right  to  operate  street  railways  upon  all  the  streets  of  the  city.  The 
Circuit  Court  for  the  county  of  Wayne  refused  to  grant  a  preliminary 
injunction,  and  the  new  road  was  built  while  the  suit  was  pending.  On 
March  2,  1896,  the  Circuit  Court,  upon  the  final  hearing,  entered  a  de- 
cree against  the  Citizens'  Company,  holding  the  exclusive  provision  in 
the  ordinance  of  ]  862  invalid.  That  company  appealed  the  case  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  and  on  July  28,  1896,  the  decree  of  the 

550 


Circuit  Court  was  affirmed.  The  case  was  then  appealed  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States,  where  it  is  now  pending. 

While  this  cause  was  pending  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State, 
the  owners  of  the  Detroit  Railway,  fearing  an  adverse  decision,  en- 
tered into  a  contract  with  the  Citizens'  Company,  which  was  in  effect 
an  agreement  of  consolidation,  by  which  both  roads  are  now  operated 
under  one  management.  It  was  claimed  by  Mayor  Pingree  that  such 
an  agreement  was  in  violation  of  the  constitution  of  the  State  and 
against  public  policy,  for  the  reason  that  the  operation  of  the  Detroit 
Railway  by  the  managers  of  the  Citizens'  Company  would  necessarily 
be  in  the  interest  of  the  higher  priced  road;  and  in  his  last  annual  mes- 
sage, of  January,  1897,  he  urged  the  Common  Council  to  authorize  the 
commencement  of  legal  proceeding  to  test  such  consolidation.  Such 
proceedings  were  authorized,  and  are  now  pending  in  the  Chancery 
Court. 

To  further  protect  the  interests  of  the  people,  the  Common  Council 
in  February,  1897,  adopted  an  ordinance  fixing  a  schedule  for  the 
running  of  the  cars  of  the  Detroit  Railway  This  ordinance  has  been 
ignored  by  the  company,  and  a  suit  was  brought  to  test  its  validity, 
which  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  city. 

On  January  1,  1897,  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Company  per- 
fected a  traffic  arrangement  with  the  Citizens'  Company  to  the  follow- 
ing effect:  The  receipts  of  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  line  are 
returned  to  the  company,  which  still  retains  its  organization  and  is 
managed  by  a  board  of  directors.  The  operating  expenses  are  paid 
from  a  fund  common  to  both  companies,  which  is  determined  by  the 
car  mileage  of  each.  The  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Company  then 
pa5^s  its  proportion  of  operating  expenses  and  the  balance  remains  in 
its  treasury. 

On  January  1,  1897,  Mr.  Pingree  took  his  seat  at  Lansing  as  Gov- 
ernor of  Michigan. 

Such  is  the  history  of  the  street  railway  business  in  Detroit.  The 
controversy  between  the  rival  companies  to  determine  whether  the 
Detroit  Citizens'  Company  has  the  sole  rights  in  the  streets,  or  what 
amounts  to  an  exclusive  franchise,  is  yet  to  be  decided  by  the  courts. 
The  question  as  to  whether  the  present  system  of  operation  amounts 
to  a  consolidation  and  is  therefore  a  violation  of  the  State  law,  is  also 
referred  to  the  courts.  While  these  questions  are  awaiting  judg- 
ment,  comment  from  the  compilers  of  this  work  would  be  improper 

551 


and  impertinent,  but  the  respective  attitudes  of  the  contesting  parties 
will  prove  of  interest.  The  attitude  of  the  city  of  Detroit  is  thus  set 
forth  by  one  in  authority : 

"This  history  of  the  street  railways  of  Detroit  shows  how  persistent  the  railway 
managers  have  been  to  secure  a  monopoly,  and  how  earnest  have  been  the  city 
authorities  to  curb  and  control  a  growing  power.  The  results  have  been  of  a  char- 
acter greatly  beneficial  to  the  people,  and  it  is  notable  that  with  a  single  exception 
the  courts  have  decided  in  their  favor. 

"  The  net  results  of  the  great  controversy  are  the  following :  Forty  per  cent,  of  the 
inhabitants  can  ride  for  three  and  one-eighth  cents  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
and  patrons  of  all  lines  receive  free  transfers.  The  arrogant  claim  of  exclusive  right 
has  been  denied  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  if  the  power  of  municipal 
control  now  being  urged  is  confirmed  by  law,  the  city  of  Detroit  can  by  ordinances 
neutralize  all  evil  effects  of  combinations  and  consolidations. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  securing  an  expression  of  the  people,  the  Common  Council, 
lipon  the  recommendation  of  Mayor  Pingree,  at  the  fall  election  of  1894,  submitted 
to  the  voters  the  question  of  municipal  ownership  of  railway  tracks.  The  vote  in 
favor  of  the  proposition  was  three  to  one.  The  contention  of  the  mayor  and  his 
supporters  has  been  that  such  ownership  will  give  the  city  power  to  lease  to  the  low- 
est bidder,  and  thus  secure  a  rate  as  low  as  ten  tickets  for  twenty-five  cents.  If 
such  authority  could  be  granted  the  city,  a  street  railway  could  be  operated  upon  a 
cash  basis.  There  would  be  no  over-stocking  or  over-bonding,  and  thus  one  of  the 
great  obstacles  to  genuine  municipal  reforms  in  reference  to  public  franchises  would 
be  removed." 

The  attitude  of  the  street  railway  company  in  this  dispute  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

There  are  some  aspects  of  the  war  inaugurated  by  Mayor  Pingree  against  the  De- 
troit City  Railway  and  its  successors  that  are  very  favorable  to  that  company.  At 
the  time  the  war  commenced  in  1891,  it  was  universally  conceded  that  the  city  of  De- 
troit had  one  of  the  best  horse  car  systems  in  the  whole  country.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  a  superior  system  or  a  better  equipment  existed  in  any  city  in  the  Union. 
It  had  been  built  up  and  improved  under  the  careful  management  of  George 
Hendrie  and  Sidney  D.  Miller,  until  it  rendered  as  adequate  service  to  the  public  as 
was  possible  with  cars  drawn  by  horses.  Messrs.  Hendrie,  Miller  and  their  asso- 
ciates had  refused  to  absorb  the  earnings  of  the  company  in  high  salaries  and  divi- 
dends, and  had  used  the  earnings  of  the  roads  for  the  improvement  of  them.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1890  and  the  fore  part  of  1891  the  public  became  desirous  of  having 
electricity  or  a  cable  system  established  in  place  of  the  horse  car  system,  but  as  the 
existing  grants  held  by  the  company  would  expire  in  1909  the  company  thought, 
very  naturally,  that  if  it  made  the  expenditure  necessary  to  put  in  electricity,  that 
there  should  be  an  extension  of  the  grant  sufficient  to  justify  the  employment  of  the 
large  amount  of  capital  which  would  be  necessary  for  that  purpose.  An  ordinance 
was  passed  by  the  Common  Council  providing  for  electricity  and  making  the  de- 
sired extension,  but  Mayor  Pingree  called  a  citizens'  meeting  and  after  securing  the 
the  approval  of  that  meeting,  he  vetoed  the  ordinance  and  commenced  a  crusade 

552 


WILLIAM    L  HAMLEN,  M.  D. 


against  the  company.  Prof.  Charles  A.  Kent,  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar, 
attended  themeeting  and  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  existing  grants  under  which 
the  Detroit  City  Railway  occupied  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Detroit  expired  in  May, 
1893,  instead  of  1909,  and  he  was  subsequently  employed  by  the  city  to  maintain 
this  position  in  the  courts,  and  Mr.  Benton  Hanchett,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Saginaw  bar,  was  associated  with  him.  In  the  litigation  which  followed,  the  com- 
pany succeeded  in  establishing  its  right  to  the  streets  until  1909.  The  city  of  De- 
troit insists  that  at  that  time  the  Street  Railroad  Company  will  be  at  the  mercy  of 
the  city,  and  that  if  the  city  insists  upon  it  the  company  will  have  to  remove  all  its 
tracks  from  the  streets  and  overhead  superstructure  and  dismantle  its  power  houses 
and  other  equipment,  or  sell  the  same  to  the  city  or  some  other  company  favored  by 
the  city,  upon  such  terms  as  the  city  may  see  fit  to  dictate.  Upon  the  facts  dis- 
closed by  this  controversy  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  any  public  utility  in  what 
are  called  short  term  franchises,  if  such  grants  are  construed  to  mean  that  at  their 
termination  the  entire  plant  and  property  of  the  company  is  liable  to  be  rendered 
valueless.  It  would  be  financially  impossible  for  any  ordinary  street  car  line  within 
the  period  of  thirty  years  to  earn  interest  upon  the  investment,  and  also  to  earn 
enough  to  create  a  sinking  fund  to  protect  the  company  against  loss  in  case  the 
value  of  its  property  should  be  annihilated  by  the  refusal  of  the  city  to  extend  the 
grant  upon  reasonable  terms.  It  is  plain  that  the  city  in  making  any  such  grant,  and 
the  company  in  accepting  it,  did  not  contemplate  anythingof  the  kind;  that  the  com- 
pany expects  an  extension  upon  reasonable  terms,  and  the  city  expects  to  grant  it.  It 
is  a  very  serious  question  whether,  upon  the  termination  of  one  of  these  short  time  fran- 
chises, the  courts  would  not  protect  the  company  in  the  right  to  continue  the  operation 
of  its  lines  upon  reasonable  terms  and  conditions,  and  it  is  said  that  R.  T.  Wilson  and 
Tom  L.  Johnson,  the  principal  owners  of  the  Detroit  Citizens'  Railroad,  have  been 
so  advised  by  their  counsel.  This  much  is  certain,  that  the  public  does  not  contem- 
plate that  the  street  car  lines  shall  cease  to  exist  and  be  destroyed  at  the  expiration 
of  each  grant,  and  it  would  seem  to  be  quite  clear  that  extensions  should  be  granted 
upon  reasonable  terms  and  conditions,  and  that  the  lines  themselves  should  be  treated 
as  perpetuities.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  j^ublic  could  profit  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  stocks  and  securities  that  is  necessarily  involved  in  the  contrary  view.  If 
street  railway  property  is  of  such  a  precarious  nature  that  it  can  be  destroyed  by 
public  and  political  movements  in  the  municipalities,  it  is  certainly  entitled  to  higher 
rewards  for  the  risk  so  run,  than  is  accorded  to  investments  of  a  more  substantial 
and  permanent  character.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether  there  has  been  anything  in 
the  attitude  of  the  Detroit  City  Railway  and  its  successors,  that  has  not  been  en- 
tirely just  and  reasonable  under  all  the  facts  and  circumstances.  When  the  final 
results  are  summed  up,  and  an  unbiased  review  of  the  whole  controversy  can  be 
had,  the  verdict  will  probably  be  that  Mayor  Pingree's  warfare  against  the  street 
car  company  was  as  unjustifiable  as  it  has  been  fruitless. 

At  the  present  time  Detroit  has  nearly  200  miles  of  double-track 
electric  street  railway  lines  within  the  city  limits.  The  Citizens'  Com- 
pany has  101  miles  of  double  track ;  the  Detroit  has  65  miles  of  double 
track,  and  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Company  has  about  15  miles. 

553 


In  connection  with  the  various  city  lines  are  several  thriving  suburban 
electric  lines.  The  Wyandotte  and  Detroit  River  Road  was  granted 
the  right  of  way  in  1892,  and  it  has  since  that  time  operated  between 
the  Rouge  River  and  Trenton.  The  Detroit  and  Pontiac  road  extends 
as  far  as  Pontiac,  where  it  connects  with  the  local  road,  and  it  is  also 
intended  to  communicate  with  projected  lines  to  Orchard  Lake  and  a 
number  of  lakeside  resorts  in  Oakland  county.  The  line  was  begun  in 
1895,  and  was  completed  to  Pontiac  during  1897. 

The  Rapid  Railway  on  Gratiot  avenue  does  a  good  paying  business 
between  Detroit  and  the  city  of  Mt.  Clemens. 

Another  line  is  nearing  completion  which  will  connect  Detroit  with 
Mt.  Clemens  and  the  towns  along  the  shore  of  Lake  St.  Clair  and  the 
St.  Clair  River. 

A  line  out  Jefferson  avenue  to  the  village  of  Grosse  Pointe  was  built 
in  1892  and  it  is  a  part  of  the  general  system. 

A  line  out  Michigan  avenue  to  Dearborn,  Wayne,  Ypsilanti  and  Ann 
Arbor,  has  been  finished  as  far  as  Wayne,  eighteen  miles  from  Detroit. 

Another  line  running  out  Grand  River  avenue  is  projected  by  Detroit 
capitalists,  which  is  intended  to  reach  as  far  as  Howell  or  possibly 
Lansing,  and  it  is  to  be  provided  with  branches  which  will  bring  it  pat- 
ronage from  a  broad  belt  of  territory. 

Another  company  of  promoters  promises  to  have  a  line  of  electric 
cars  running  between  Detroit  and  Toledo  by  July  1,  1898,  and  this  will 
pass  through  the  towns  of  Ecorse,  Wyandotte,  Trenton,  Gibraltar, 
North  Rockwood,  South  Rockwood,  Berlin,  Brest,  Monroe,  La  Salle, 
State  Line,  Manchester,  West  Toledo  and  Toledo.  It  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  the  suburban  and  rural  electric  railways  are  to  be  com- 
petitors or  allies  of  the  steam  railroads.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the 
dawn  of  the  twentieth  century  will  see  each  large  city  of  the  country 
connected  with  all  the  smaller  towns  lying  within  a  radius  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  miles  from  its  limits,  and  that  these  lines  will  not  only 
afford  passenger  service  but  will  bring  in  much  of  the  farm  produce  to 
the  markets  of  the  city.  Steam  railways  are  pretty  sure  to  hold  their 
own  against  all  kinds  of  competition  in  long  distance  trafHc,  because  of 
certain  difficulties  which  beset  the  way  of  the  electric  railways.  Where 
an  electric  line  is  operated  over  a  route  more  than  twenty-five  or  thirty 
miles  long,  there  is  a  serious  loss  of  power  resulting  from  leakage  of  the 
current  to  the  ground  and  by  the  unavoidable  resistance  of  the  line. 
The  losses  are  so  heavy  on  a  long  circuit  that  the  cars  may  be  operated 

554 


much  cheaper  by  steam  locomotives.  The  only  way  in  which  long 
routes  can  be  operated  by  electricity  is  by  installing  independent  power 
plants  every  twenty  five  or  thirty  miles,  and  the  expense  would  prob- 
ably be  much. greater  than  operation  by  locomotives  driven  by  steam 
power  direct. 

On  March  1,  1898,  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Railway  underwent 
another  transfer.  In  the  transfer  of  January  4,  1897,  a  controlling  in 
terest  was  sold  to  Albert  Pack  and  Tom  L.  Johnson.  They  purchased 
4,000  shares  at  $175  a  share,  or  a  little  less  than  $700,000  for  the  prop- 
erty. They  paid  $80,000  down  in  the  bonds  of  the  Detroit  Railway 
and  the  Citizens'  Railway,  reckoned  at  seventy-five  cents  on  the  dollar. 
The  balance  of  the  price  was  due  March  1,  1898,  and  on  that  date 
Albert  Pack,  Charles  L.  Pack,  Henry  A.  Everett,  representing  the  De- 
troit Railway  interest,  and  J.  C.  Hutchins  representing  the  Citizens' 
Railway  interest,  met  the  former  stockholders  of  the  Fort  Wayne  and 
Belle  Isle  road  and  completed  the  purchase.  The  road  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  Detroit,  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Railway.  The  capital 
stock  was  increased  from  $400,000  to  $1,200,000  and  the  following  offi- 
cers were  elected:  A.  B.  Du  Pont,  president;  Henry  B.  Catlin,  treasurer; 
Wm.  C.  Hopper,  secretary,  and  the  above  with  George  L.  Maltz, 
Thomas  T.  Leete,  jr.,  F.  W.  Brooke  and  Michael  Brennan,  directors. 


CHAPTER    LXXVIII. 

Telegraph  and  Telephone  Communication — How  the  Numerous  Short  Telegraph 
Lines  were  Combined  into  Two  Great  Systems,  Affording  Communication  with  All 
Parts  of  the  World— Telephone  Lines  Developed  into  General  Communication. 

Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  constructed  his  first  telegraph  sending  instru- 
ment and  relay  in  1835,  but  it  took  nine  years  of  hard  work  on  his  part, 
and  all  his  capital,  to  convince  the  world  that  his  system  was  of  the 
slightest  practical  value.  On  May  24,  1844,  the  first  telegraph  line  in 
America  was  completed  between  Baltimore  and  the  first  message, 
"What  God  hath  wrought,"  was  sent  from  the  Baltimore  office  and 
was  recorded  on  a  slip  of  paper  in  the  Supreme  Court  room  of  the 
United   States.     Still  the   world   was   unconvinced   of  its   utility,   and 

555 


when  Mr.  Morse  offered  to  transfer  all  his  patent  rights  to  the  govern- 
ment for  $100,000,  he  was  laughed  at  by  the  politicians.  A  number  of 
experimenters  traveled  about  the  country  giving  exhibitions  in  public 
halls,  and  crowds  of  people  paid  entrance  money  to  see  the  operator 
click  out  a  message  at  one  end  of  the  hall,  and  see  the  message  written 
in  dots  and  dashes  by  the  receiving  instrument  at  the  other  end.  When 
told  that  a  message  could  be  sent  across  a  continent  or  across  the  ocean 
by  this  agency,  they  listened  in  doubt. 

When  the  utility  of  the  telegraph  began  to  strike  the  popular  mind, 
a  lot  of  sharpers  and  unprincipled  fellows  tried  to  deprive  Mr.  Morse 
of  all  benefits  of  his  discovery,  and  they  v/ould  have  succeeded  had  not 
Ezra  Cornell,  a  wealthy  New  Yorker,  come  to  his  assistance  and  fought 
the  tricksters  off,  A  company  was  formed  in  1846,  of  which  Mr.  Cor- 
nell and  John  J.  Speed,  jr.,  the  father  ex-Judge  John  J.  Speed,  of  De- 
troit, to  construct  a  telegraph  line  between  Buffalo  and  Milwaukee. 
It  ^vas  called  the  Speed  line.  The  route  chosen  included  the  cities  of 
Erie,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Ypsilanti,  Ann  Arbor,  and  across  the  State 
to  Chicago,  and  thence  to  the  terminus  at  Milwaukee.  At  first  it  was 
but  a  single  wire,  strung  on  poles  along  the  side  of  the  railroad  tracks. 
Mr.  Speed  was  actively  engaged  in  superintending  the  work  of  the 
superintendents  of  the  several  divisions.  There  was  considerable 
rivalry  between  the  superintendents  of  the  Monroe  and  Detroit,  and 
the  Detroit  and  Ypsilanti  divisions,  but  the  latter  was  the  first  to  com- 
plete his  portion  of  the  line.  The  Detroit  Free  Press  of  November  30, 
1847,  tells  of  the  first  telegraphic  message  sent  out  of  Detroit,  which 
was  on  the  previous  forenoon.  A  member  of  the  staff  of  that  paper 
and  the  telegraph  operator  at  Ypsilanti  held  a  colloquy  over  the  wire, 
in  which  the  conversation  ranged  over  the  price  of  wheat  and  putty, 
the  Mexican  war,  military  reputations  and  other  topics.  It  concluded 
as  follows;  Detroit — "  What  time  is  it?"  Ypsilanti — "Ten  minutes 
to  twelve."     Detroit — "  Let  us  go  to  dinner. "     Ypsilanti — "Aye,  aye." 

Another  company,  of  which  Henry  O'Reilly  was  president,  and  styled 
the  O'Reilly  line,  came  to  Detroit  four  months  later,  and  this  was  the 
first  time  that  a  telegraphic  message  was  received  in  Detroit  from  the 
seaboard.  A  number  of  operators  were  brought  from  the  East,  and 
among  them  was  Edwin  D.  Benedict,  of  Buffalo,  who  afterward  be- 
came manager  of  the  Detroit  office,  and  still  later  manager  of  the  first 
office  opened  in  Grand  Rapids.  Mr.  Benedict  died  in  Grand  Rapids  in 
1891. 

556 


JERE   C.  HUTCHINS. 


John  Bailey  and  John  Burt,  the  latter  being  the  inventor  of  the  solar 
compass,  were  in  Detroit  in  1847.  They  were  both  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing Burt's  invention  and  other  surveying  instruments.  When 
Mr.  Speed  came  here  in  1847  he  engaged  Bailey  to  inake  telegraphic 
instruments,  and  the  latter  also  invented  and  made  a  machine  for  in- 
sulating telegraphic  magnet  wire  with  silk  or  cotton. 

The  Speed  line  was  completed  to  Chicago  in  1848.  No  sooner  had 
the  value  of  telegraphic  communication  become  manifest  than  the  coun- 
try was  filled  with  rival  companies,  each  operating  short  lines.  The 
competition  become  so  sharp  that  they  generally  lost  money,  and  a 
period  of  amalgamation  set  in.  The  most  important  lines  changed 
hands,  and  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  was  organized  in 
1856.  It  finally  absorbed  the  Speed  line,  the  American  Union,  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio,  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  the  Montreal  Union,  the 
American  Rapid  Telegraph  Company  and  other  lines.  Among  the 
principal  stockholders  of  the  Western  Union  in  1856  were  Isaac  R. 
Elwood,  uncle  of  S.  Dow  Elwood,  of  Detroit,  Hiram  T.  Sibley  and 
Samuel  Sheldon,  all  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

In  1858  the  first  cable  was  laid  across  the  Atlantic  ocean,  but  it  was 
unsuccessful,  the  cable  parting  some  300  miles  from  shore.  This  enter- 
prise, however,  was  made  permantly  successful  after  several  failures, 
on  July  27,  1866. 

At  the  present  time  the  Western  Union  has  about  22,000  offices,  and 
during  the  year  1897  it  sent  over  58,000,000  messages.  Its  assets 
amount  to  $128,410,498  making  it  by  far  the  richest  telegraphic  cor- 
poration in  the  world.  Concerning  the  telegraphic  business  in  general, 
it  may  be  said  that  there  are  now  5,000,000  miles  of  telegraphic  wire 
in  operation  in  the  world,  and  2,600,000  of  this  is  in  America.  Europe 
has  1,750,000,  Asia  has  310,000,  Africa  has  100,000  and  Australia  220,- 
000.  The  Detroit  office  has  60  branch  offices  in  Detroit,  employs  150 
persons,  and  handles  about  15,000  messa.es  daily.  M.  S.  Corbett  is 
the  local  manager. 

The  Postal  Telegraph-Cable  company  was  organized  in  New  York 
in  1886,  with  a  capital  of  $5,000,000,' which  has  been  increased  from 
time  to  time  until  the  capital  stock  at  the  present  time  is  $30,000,000, 
An  office  was  opened  in  Detroit  in  1887,  with  half  a  dozen  employees, 
and  quarters  were  secured  in  the  rear  of  Ives  &  Sons'  bdnk  on  Gris- 
wold  street.  In  1892  the  office  was  removed  to  the  basement  of  the 
McGraw  building,    at  the  corner  of  Griswold  and   Lafayette  streets. 

557 


At  present  there  are  seventeen  branch  offices  in  Detroit,  and  the  com- 
pany employs  about  fifty  persons.  All  its  lines  within  the  mile  circle 
are  laid  in  underground  conduits.  In  place  of  the  iron  wire  com- 
monly used,  the  Postal  lines  are  of  hard  drawn  copper,  and  instead  of 
using  the  old-fashioned  gravity  batteries,  the  electricity  is  supplied  by 
fifteen  dynamos  of  graduated  voltage,  so  that  the  currents  are  applica- 
ble for  circuits  of  any  desired  length.  This  method  is  doubly  con- 
venient, because  a  generator,  which  occupies  about  one  cubic  foot  of 
space,  will  do  the  work  that  requires  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  gallon 
cells  of  battery.  The  output  of  the  generators  is  uniform  and  there 
is  no  trouble  about  cleaning  batteries.  The  Postal  Company's  lines 
reach  every  State  in  the  Union  and  all  the  principal  cities  in  the  United 
vStates  and  Canada.  It  has  three  cables  to  Europe,  one  to  the  Ber- 
mudas and  another  to  the  West  Indies.  The  Detroit  office  is  in  charge 
of  H.  J.  Kinnucan,  and  it  handles  about  3,500  messages  a  day. 

In  the  winter  of  1875-76  the  American  District  Telegraph  was  or- 
ganized in  Detroit,  and  in  the  following  spring  the  company  strung 
wire  and  put  in  many  signal  boxes.  Its  business  grew  rapidly  for  four 
years,  and  then  reached  its  climax  of  prosperity.  When  the  telephone 
began  to  be  put  into  practical  use  few  believed  that  the  business  would 
develop  to  its  present  proportions,  or  that  the  instrument  would  be  an 
indispensable  adjunct  of  every  business  house.  In  the  summer  of  1877 
Manager  J.  U.  McKenzie,  of  the  District  Telegraph  Company,  put  a 
line  in  operation  between  his  offi.ce  and  his  residence.  Some  public  ex- 
hibitions of  the  capabilities  of  the  telephone  were  given  later,  and  when 
the  public  became  acquainted  with  the  instrument  there  sprang  up  a 
limited  demand  for  telephone  service.  A  few  luxurious  citizens  w^ere 
supplied  with  telephones  in  the  summer  of  1878,  and  their  friends,  see- 
ing that  the  service  was  a  great  convenience,  asked  that  it  be  extended. 
In  a  comparatively  short  time  the  business  became  so  large  that  a  large 
central  exchange  and  switchboard  were  placed  in  the  upper  story  of  the 
Newberry  building.  The  original  station  was  in  the  basement  with 
the  District  Telegraph  office.  The  telephone  companies  underwent 
the  same  process  of  combination  and  amalgamation  as  the  telegraph 
companies  had  done  a  short  time  before,  and  presently  all  the  offices 
in  Michigan  were  controlled  by  the  Michigan  Bell  Telephone  Company. 
In  1893  the  company  completed  a  new  building  at  the  corner  of  Clifford 
street  and  Washington  boulevard,  and  the  exchange  was  removed  there 
from  the  Newberry  building.     State  service  was  inaugurated  in  No- 

558 


vember,  1881,  and  Detroit  is  now  in  direct  communication  with  467 
towns.  In  January,  1893,  the  long  distance  service  was  inaugurated 
in  Detroit,  putting  the  city  in  communication  with  Chicago  and  all  the 
great  cities  of  the  East. 

Mayor  Pingree  began  a  crusade  against  high  telephone  rates  charged 
by  the  Michigan  Bell  Telephone  Company,  and  threatened  to  bring  a 
competing  company  to  Detroit  which  would  offer  service  at  half  the 
prevailing  rates  of  the  Bell  Company.  After  considerable  agitation, 
in  which  the  original  company  refused  to  be  coerced  into  a  reduction  of 
rates,  steps  were  taken  for  the  formation  of  a  new  company.  The 
Detroit  Telephone  Company  was  organized  in  February,  189G,  and 
the  prime  movers  in  the  enterprise  were  William  L.  Holmes,  Edward 
H.  Parker,  Charles  Flowers,  Charles  P.  Collins,  Frank  A.  Vernor,  Julius 
Stroh  and  Alex.  I.  McLeod.  The  new  company  obtained  a  franchise 
and  began  laying  conduit  work  April  20,  1896.  A- few  telephones  were 
installed  in  the  month  of  May,  1897,  and  on  July  1,  1897,  regular  ser- 
vice was  instituted,  beginning  with  2,200  subscribers.  By  December 
1  the  subscribers  had  increased  to  4,000  and  the  company  had  seventy- 
five  miles  of  underground  conduits  in  service.  The  conduits  laid  have 
a  capacity  for  10,000  telephones,  and  the  switchboard  has  a  capacity 
for  6,000.  Rates  to  business  houses  are  |40  a  year  and  for  residences 
$25,  anywhere  inside  the  city  limits.  The  managers  say  that  had 
they  seen  fit  to  close  up  business  on  New  Year's  day,  1897,  they  would 
have  paid  all  the  expenses  of  installation  and  still  declared  a  satisfactory 
dividend. 


559 


CHAPTER   LXXIX. 

Detroit's  Marine  Interests  on  the  Great  Lakes — How  the  Great  Fleet  of  Lake  Car- 
riers Succeeded  the  Birch  Bark  Canoes  of  the  Voyageurs  and  Fur  Traders — It  Was 
the  Three  Small  Vessels,  Beaver,  Gladwin  and  Bear,  Which  Saved  Detroiters  from 
Starvation  During  the  Siege  of  1763. 

Navigation  on  the  upper  lakes  was  inaugurated  when  La  Salle 
launched  the  Griffon  at  the  mouth  of  Cayuga  Creek,  Niagara  River, 
and  sailed  to  Green  Bay.  That  fated  bark  of  sixty  tons  was  the  first  to 
find  the  passage  through  the  straits.  She  was  lost  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Michigan  in  September,  1679,  and  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  lapsed 
before  a  second  vessel  was  built  on  these  waters.  Lake  Ontario  had 
vessels  plying  between  Fort  Frontenac  (Kingston)  and  the  mouth  of 
Niagara  River  long  before  the  launching  of  the  Griffon,  and  navigation 
was  never  interrupted.  Cadillac  built  a  sloop  of  ten  tons  to  ply  be- 
tween Detroit  and  Niagara,  and  it  is  probable  that  his  journey  to  Que- 
bec in  the  fall  of  1705  and  his  return  after  his  trial  in  the  following 
year  was  made  in  this  vessel. 

Birch  bark  canoes,  however,  were  the  vehicles  for  most  of  the  com- 
merce of  the  French  regime,  but  the  British  colonists  soon  built  vessels. 
In  1763,  three  years  after  they  had  superseded  the  French,  there  was  a 
small  schooner  named  the  Gladwin,  in  honor  of  Henry  Gladwin,  the 
commandant  of  Detroit,  and  the  sloops  Beaver  and  Bear,  all  belonging 
at  Detroit.  But  for  these  vessels  the  siege  of  Pontiac  would  have  been 
successful  and  the  British  residents  would  have  been  massacred  to  a 
man.  This  experience  showed  the  necessity  of  lake  vessels  to  the 
Briti.sh  government.  Supremacy  on  the  upper  lakes  and  the  holding 
of  Detroit  depended  upon  the  building  of  more  vessels  and  arming 
them.  Detroit  commandants  were  instructed  by  the  governor-general 
at  Quebec  to  permit  no  other  nation  to  build  craft  on  the  lakes.  When 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out  one  or  two  vessels  were  hurriedly 
built  in  front  of  the  fort,  and  a  ship5'ard,  which  had  been  established 
on  the  River  Rouge,  near  the  crossing  of  Fort  street,  was  particularly 
active. 

560 


STEPHEN   H.   KNIGHT,   M.   D. 


During  the  Revolution  a  fleet  of  a  dozen  vessels  had  headquarters  at 
Detroit  and  it  was  their  office  to  keep  Detroit  supplied  with  munitions 
of  war,  to  act  as  common  carriers  between  Detroit  and  Niagara,  Presqu' 
He  (Erie),  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  aud  the  ports  of  Sandusky  and 
the  Maumee.  The  larger  vessels  plied  between  Detroit  and  Mackinac. 
In  the  earlier  pages  of  this  work  is  a  list  of  these  vessels.  The  General 
Gage,  the  Angelica,  the  Faith,  Hope,  Charity,  Felicity,  Welcome,  Ad- 
venture and  the  Lord  Dunmore  were  among  them. 

These  small  vessels  appear  to  have  been  short  lived,  and  the  reason 
may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  they  were  all  built  of  green  timbers 
which  were  felled,  hewed  and  bent  on  the  frames  within  a  few  days. 
There  is  no  record  of  these  vessels  after  1796,  when  Detroit  became 
American  territory,  and  when  Governor  Hull  surrendered  Detroit  in 
1812  all  the  vessels  of  this  fleet  had  disappeared.  The  British  had  a 
shipyard  at  Amherstburg  and  the  Detroiters  had  then  a  large  vessel 
nearly  ready  for  launching.  This  craft  was  completed  by  the  British, 
taken  to  Amherstburg  and  renamed  the  Detroit,  It  became  the  flag- 
ship of  the  British  squadron  which  confronted  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  at 
Put-in  Bay.  Two  vessels  were  built  on  Lake  Superior  previous  to  1812. 
One  of  them,  the  Fur  Trader,  was  ruined  in  an  attempt  to  run  the 
Sault  rapids;  the  other,  a  vessel  of  150  tons  named  the  Recovery,  made 
the  passage  of  the  rapids  in  safety,  and  after  carrying  lumber  for  a 
number  of  years  laid  her  bones  on  the  bank  of  Niagara  River.  The 
Mink  and  the  William  Brewster  afterward  ran  the  same  rapids  in  safety, 
the  former  in  1817,  the  latter  in  1842. 

At  the  close  the  war  of  1812-15  the  lake  fleet  had  increased  to  thirty 
vessels,  the  largest  of  which  was  the  schooner  Michigan  of  132  tons, 
the  average  of  them  being  under  fifty  tons.  A  new  era  dawned  in  1818 
when  the  keel  of  the  Walk-in-the-Water  was  laid  at  Black  Rock  on  the 
Niagara  River.  This  was  the  first  steam  vessel  launched  on  the  lakes, 
and  she  was  named  after  a  famous  chief  of  the  Wyandotte  tribe,  who 
lived  near  Trenton.  The  Walk-in-the  Water  steamed  up  the  river  to 
Detroit,  arriving  August  23,  1818,  and  all  the  people  of  the  vicinity 
were  out  to  see  the  new  wonder.  She  was  a  queer  looking  craft  when 
compared  with  modern  standards,  her  model  being  like  that  of  the 
ancient  brigs,  with  a  high  bow  and  stern  and  a  low  waist.  She  measured 
342  tons  displacement,  and  her  engine  could  drive  her  about  six  miles  an 
hour  in  slack  water.  On  the  second  trip  up  the  lakes  she  carried  the 
Earl  of  Selkirk  and  his  suite,  who  were  on  a  tour  of  exploration  toward 

561 


the  northwest.  Her  first  captain  was  Job  Fish,  and  he  was  succeeded 
by  Jedediah  Rogers.  She  foundered  near  Buffalo  on  the  night  of  No- 
vember ],  1821,  but  her  passengers  and  crew  were  saved. 

The  Superior  was  the  second  steamer  on  the  lakes.  She  was  built  at 
BufTalo  in  1822  by  the  former  owners  of  the  Walk-in- the-Water.  She 
was  of  346  tons  burden,  had  an  engine  of  sixty  horse  power,  and  on  her 
first  trip  up  the  lakes  she  carried  ninety  passengers,  arriving  at  Detroit 
April  2-4,  1822.  She  was  sailed  by  Captain  Rogers,  survivor  of  the 
wreck  of  the  first  steamer.  The  Superior  was  outclassed  as  a  steamer 
in  1842,  and  was  converted  into  a  full  rigged  ship.  She  was  lost  the 
following  year. 

The  Chippewa,  a  steamer  of  100  tons,  was  launched  in  1824,  but  she 
was  unfit  for  regular  service  and  became  a  sort  of  ferry  boat  between 
Sandusky  and  Toledo. 

The  steamer  Caroline  made  her  appearance  on  the  upper  lakes  in 
1824,  and  her  history  is  peculiar.  She  was  built  at  Charleston,  S.  C. 
At  first  she  navigated  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  then  she  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Hudson  River.  As  she  was  only  forty-six  tons  displace- 
ment, she  was  towed  through  the  Erie  Canal,  and  for  nearly  fourteen 
years  she  plied  between  Buffalo  and  the  Welland  Canal.  In  1837  she 
was  used  by  the  Canadian  rebels  in  carrying  passengers  and  supplies 
from  Schlosser  to  Navy  Island,  in  Niagara  River.  She  was  captured  by 
the  British,  set  on  fire  and  sent  over  Niagara  Falls  in  December,  1837. 

The  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal  in  1825  gave  a  great  impetus  to 
western  immigration,  and  steamers  were  built  very  rapidly  to  handle 
the  growing  traffic.  Each  was  made  more  expensive  than  its  prede- 
cessors, until  they  became  truly  elegant  crafts.  In  the  early  '30's  the 
steamers  sometimes  landed  a  thousand  passengers  a  day  at  the  port  of 
Detroit.  Among  the  early  craft  was  the  Henry  Clay,  launched  in 
1826.  It  was  this  vessel  which  started  for  Chicago  with  a  detachment 
of  troops  for  the  Black  Hawk  war,  but  was  detained  by  the  breaking 
out  of  the  cholera  on  board.  She  was  turned  away  from  the  dock  at  De- 
troit and  sent  to  Belle  Isle  to  wait  for  supplies,  but  the  epidemic 
fastened  upon  the  city,  and  about  100  people  died  in  and  about  De- 
troit. The  William  Penn,  of  200  tons,  was  launched  at  Erie  in  1826, 
and  was  soon  making  money  for  her  owners. 

Oliver  Newberry,  a  furniture  dealer  of  Detroit,  saw  the  opportunities 
for  profit  in  lake  navigation  and  he  became  a  vessel  owner  and  agent 
in  1827.      For  a  number  of  years  he  was  the  leading  steamboat  owner 

562 


at  Detroit  and  was  called  the  "  Commodore  of  the  Lakes."  Among 
the  vessels  which  were  most  active  during  the  early  days  of  steam 
navigation  were  the  Niagara,  the  Enterprise  and  the  William  Peacock. 
The  latter  vessel  furnished  the  first  boiler  explosion  on  the  lakes,  kill- 
ing fifteen  people.  The  accident  occurred  near  Buffalo  in  September, 
1830.  Other  vessels  were  the  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Sheldon  Thompson, 
Pioneer,  Adelaide,  and  the  North  American,  the  Michigan,  Daniel 
Webster,  Oliver  Newberry,  Governor  Marcy,  Uncle  Sam,  New  York, 
and  the  Victory.  The  Michigan  of  472  tons,  was  the  largest  of  all  up 
to  1836. 

With  the  increase  of  the  number  of  vessels  the  tonnage  was  gradu- 
ally increased.  The  Hendrik  Hudson,  built  in  1846,  was  a  record 
breaker  as  to  size,  with  a  displacement  of  750  tons.  In  November, 
1847,  the  steamer  Phoenix  was  burned  off  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin,  and 
190  passengers  were  lost,  most  of  them  being  Holland  immigrants.  In 
1849  there  were  914  vessels  sailing  the  upper  lakes,  including  95  side- 
wheel  steamers,  with  a  total  of  38,492  tons;  45  propellers,  aggregating 
14,435  tons;  15  barques,  1,645  tons;  93  brigs,  21,330  tons;  548  schoon- 
ers, 71,618  tons;  128  sloops  and  scows,  5,484  tons;  total  valuation 
$7,868,000.  In  1854  the  tonnage  had  materially  increased  to  an  aggre- 
gate of  237,830,  and  the  total  value  of  the  shipping  was  $10,185,000. 

In  April,  1855,  the  boiler  of  the  propeller  Oregon  exploded  as  the 
vessel  was  passing  Belle  Isle,  Nine  men  were  instantly  killed  and 
Captain  Stewart  was  blown  so  high  in  the  air  that  one  of  his  legs  drove 
the  deck  as  he  descended.  In  1856  the  tonnage  had  increased  to  339- 
736  and  the  valuation  of  shipping  to  $12,944,350.  In  1858  it  was  1,442 
vessels  of  387,740  total  tonnage  and  $15,211,000  valuation.  The  war 
of  the  Rebellion  gave  a  temporary  check  to  the  increase  of  lake  com- 
merce but  since  the  war  it  has  steadily  increased.  The  building  of  the 
government  locks  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  their  recent  enlargement  has 
opened  the  way  for  vessels  of  great  size.  The  development  of  the  iron 
mines  and  the  grain  fields  of  the  Northwest  supply  an  enormous 
amount  of  freight  for  the  lake  carriers,  while  the  coal  of  the  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  mines  affords  much  freight  for  return  trips.  During  the 
season  of  navigation  the  shipping  of  the  lakes  carries  a  large  amount 
of  package  freight,  and  the  projected  deep  waterway  from  the  lakes  to 
the  seaboard  promises  an  increase  of  business  for  the  lake  navigators. 

Detroit  is  a  midway  station  on  the  great  lakes.  As  a  strategic  loca- 
tion it   is   the  most  important  of  all  because  it  commands  the  straits. 

563 


As  a  commercial  port  it  is  secondar}'  to  the  terminal  cities,  Chicago  and 
Buffalo,  and  even  to  Duluth,  the  gateway  of  the  Northwest  Cleveland 
surpasses  it  in  commercial  importance  because  the  railway  lines  make 
that  city  the  natural  outlet  of  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  coal  fields. 
Much  of  the  iron  ore  from  the  upper  peninsula  is  delivered  at  Cleveland 
and  other  Ohio  ports,  because  the  proximity  of  the  coal  fields  makes 
this  region  the  most  convenient  point  of  reduction.  At  the  present 
time  the  iron  goes  to  the  coal.  In  1850  the  smelting  of  copper  ore  was 
begun  at  Detroit  and  it  continued  for  more  than  thirty  years,  but  now 
the  coal  goes  to  the  copper  and  the  smelting  is  done  near  the  mines 
in  Lake  Superior.  Whether  the  iron  manufactures  will  be  transferred 
to  the  upper  peninsula  at  some  future  time  it  is  impossible  to  foretell. 
The  iron  and  steel  manufacturers  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  are  per- 
fecting their  systems  of  transportation  to  such  a  degree  that  it  will  be 
a  difficult  matter  to  disturb  the  present  course  of  production.  In 
addition  to  unsurpassed  transportation  facilities  the  producers  have 
acquired  the  ownership  or  control  of  the  greater  part  of  the  mines. 

Detroit  enjoyed  exceptional  advantages  for  the  manufacture  of  mild 
steel,  and  the  Eureka  Iron  and  Steel  works  at  Wyandotte  promised  to 
be  a  permanent  industry  which  would  grow  with  the  increasing  demand. 
For  some  reason  the  transition  from  the  production  of  iron  to  Bessemer 
steel  was  delayed  until  hard  times  and  a  depressed  iron  market  con- 
fronted the  company.  Other  plants  under  less  conservative  manage- 
ment made  the  change  and  got  the  trade.  They  weathered  the  period 
of  financial  depression  and  when  the  big  demand  for  structural  steel 
began  in  the  summer  of  1895  they  were  in  a  position  to  meet  the  demand, 
and  they  had  effected  a  combination  which  gave  them  control  of  the 
American  market.  It  was  too  late  for  the  Eureka  company  to  get  in 
line  for  a  complete  reconstruction  of  their  plant,  as  a  cost  of  about 
$300,000  was  necessary,  so  the  works  were  allowed  to  fall  into  ruins. 

Detroit  has  its  share  of  the  lake  carrying  trade.  The  finest  line  of 
passenger  steamers  on  the  lakes  has  its  headquarters  in  this  city  and 
247  lake  carriers  are  owned  here.  There  are  111  sailing  vessels  having 
an  aggregate  gross  tonnage  of  42,507  tons,  170  steam  vessels  with  an 
aggregate  of  131,331  gross  tons,  and  five  barges.  The  total  gross  ton- 
nage is  174,630  tons  and  the  total  number  of  vessels  registered  at  the 
government  custom  office  in  Detroit  is  286. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  3,297  vessels  on  the  great  lakes,  and 
the  total  tonnage  has  increased  from  720,000  in  1883  to  1,410,000  in  1897. 

564 


OSCAR  LE  SEURE,  M.  D. 


At  the  present  time  the  shipyards  of  the  great  lakes  are  busier  than 
they  have  been  for  four  years,  and  the  size  and  class  of  the  vessels  un- 
der construction  exceed  those  of  the  past.  The  enlargement  of  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  canal  from  seventeen  to  twenty- one  feet  in  depth  in 
189G  was  immediately  felt.  The  tonnage  of  1897  passing  through  the 
locks  exceeded  18,000,000  tons,  which  is  more  than  double  the  volume 
of  freights  passing  through  the  Suez  Canal.  The  bulk  of  this  freight 
consisted  of  iron  ore,  wheat  and  coal,  but  while  the  volume  is  greater, 
the  value  of  freights  passing  through  the  Suez  Canal,  being  package 
freight,  amounts  to  $360,000,000,  while  that  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie  was 
valued  at  about  $200,000,000.  The  tonnage  passing  through  Detroit 
River  now  exceeds  30,000,000  annually.  In  1883  the  lake  tonnage  was 
but  one-sixth  of  the  American  merchant  marine;  at  the  close  of  1897 
it  was  two-sevenths  of  the  total. 

It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  compute  the  aggregate  first  cost  of 
all  the  shipping  owned  in  Detroit.  Much  of  it,  and  particularly  the 
more  valuable  portion  of  recent  construction,  has  a  high  insurance  rating, 
showing  that  the  original  value  is  but  little  impaired.  The  old,  wooden 
craft,  which  have  sailed  the  lakes  for  years,  undergo  constant  impair- 
ment because  their  timbers  deteriorate  much  more  rapidly  in  fresh 
water  than  they  would  in  salt  waters.  Their  owners  counteract  this 
trouble  to  some  extent  by  "salting"  them  liberally  each  season,  or 
pouring  tons  of  refuse  salt  into  their  holds.  In  spite  of  this  caution 
many  vessels,  whose  original  cost  may  have  been  $20,000  or  $30,000, 
are  presently  rated  at  one-fourth  or  even  a  smaller  fraction  of  that 
amount.  An  insurance  rating  of  a  vessel  is  therefore  a  very  conserva- 
tive estimate  of  its  present  valuation,  regardless  of  original  cost,  and 
according  to  the  rating  of  the  Inland  Lloyd's  the  aggregate  valuation 
of  the  shipping  owned  in  Detroit  is  $7,605,005.  The  original  cost  of 
the  shipping  may  be  fairly  estimated  at  about  $10,000,000. 

The  shipbuilding  and  dry  dock  industry  in  Detroit  was  established 
before  the  war,  the  principal  business  being  carried  on  by  Jacob  Wol- 
verton,  then  by  Campbell  &  Owen,  and  after  January  1,  1867,  by 
Campbell,  Owen  &  Co  ,  the  firm  consisting  of  Capt.  Gordon  Campbell, 
Hon.  John  Owen,  Elbridge  G.  Merick,  John  N.  Fowler  and  Henry 
Esselstyn.  In  1870  Captain  Campbell  sold  one  half  his  interest  to 
Capt.  Stephen  R.  Kirby.  In  1872  the  partnership  was  ended  by  the 
organization  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co.,  the  members  of  the  firm  of 
Campbell,  Owen  &  Co.,   with  Alex.    McVittie,   constituting  the  list  of 

565 


stockholders.  John  Owen  was  the  first  president;  E.  Gillenck,  vice- 
president;  Alex.  McVittie,  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager.  Previous 
to  1867  there  had  been  but  a  very  few  vessels  built,  the  largest  one 
being  the  bark  Sunnyside,  capacity  about  35,000  bushels  of  wheat. 
From  1867  to  the  present  time  125  vessels,  of  all  descriptions,  have  been 
built,  twenty-two  by  the  firm  of  Campbell,  Owen  &  Co.,  and  the  re- 
mainder by  their  successors,  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co.  The  value  of 
the  twenty  two  vessels  was  a  trifle  under  $1,000,000.  The  value  of  the 
103  built  by  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co. ,  together  with  the  three  additional 
vessels  now  under  construction,  is  over  $14,000,000.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  the  average  cost  of  ships  built  since  1872  is  $135,000,  while  the 
previous  five  years  the  average  cost  was  only  one-third  that  amount. 
It  was  more  difficult  thirty  years  ago  to  secure  an  order  for  a  canal 
schooner  costing  $25,000,  ready  for  sea,  than  it  is  now  to  find  buyers 
for  a  steamship  costing  ten  times  that  amount,  notwithstanding  such 
schooners  have  been  known  to  earn  their  entire  cost  in  two  seasons. 

A  marine  disaster,  which  caused  great  mourning  in  Detroit,  was  the 
collision  of  the  steam  yacht  Mamie  with  the  ferry  steamer  Garland,  on 
the  Detroit  River,  on  the  evening  of  July  22,  1880.  The  Garland  was 
going  down  stream  with  an  excursion  party,  members  and  acolytes  of 
Trinity  Catholic  church,  who  had  been  enjoying  their  annual  excursion 
with  Rev.  Father  Bleyenburgh.  The  collision  occurred  near  Fighting 
Island.  The  Mamie  was  sunk,  and  seventeen  persons  on  board  were 
drowned,  thirteen  of  whom  were  acolytes. 


CHAPTER  LXXX. 

Detroit's  Public  Buildings,  Commercial  Houses  and  Private  Residences — The 
City  Hall— The  New  County  Building— The  Federal  Building  and  Other  Costly 
Structures. 

The  first  building  erected  for  public  purposes  was  by  Cadillac.  He 
erected  a  large  log  house  for  the  Indians  where  the  foot  of  Fourth  street 
is  now  situated.  The  next  was  a  building  on  an  alley  which  ran  from 
what  is  now  Earned  street  to  the  south  side  of  Jefferson  avenue,  a 
little  west   of  Woodward  avenue.      During  the  British   occupation    a 

566 


ALEXANDER  McVITTlE. 


stone  council  house  was  erected  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Randolph  street,  which  was  also  used  for  offices  by  the  In- 
dian department.  After  Detroit  became  an  American  city  it  was  also 
used  by  the  Indian  department,  with  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  as  the  gov- 
ernment agent.  The  third  council  house  was  originally  within  the  in- 
closure  of  Fort  Shelby  and  was  removed  in  1827  to  the  rear  of  the  lot 
of  the  First  Protestant  Society,  and  stood  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Larned  and  Bates  streets.  It  was  afterward  removed  to  Congress 
street,  north  side,  about  eighty  feet  east  of  Woodward  avenue,  where 
it  was  used  for  meetings  of  the  Common  Council. 

Judge  Woodward  planned  to  have  the  capitol  building  erected  in 
Grand  Circus  Park,  but  as  the  site  was  half  a  mile  from  the  nearest 
house  and  nothing  more  than  a  swamphole,  the  building  was  located 
on  what  is  now  known  as  Capitol  square,  a  triangular  piece  of  land 
bounded  by  State,  Griswold  and  Rowland  streets.  The  capitol  build- 
ing was  planned  by  Obed  Wait  and  built  by  Thomas  Palmer,  De  Garmo 
Jones  and  Col.  David  C.  McKinstry.  It  cost  the  Territory  $24, 500,  which 
was  just  double  the  estimated  cost.  It  was  paid  for  by  the  10,000  acre 
tract,  on  the  northern  limit  of  Detroit,  and  a  number  of  the  city  lots. 
On  September  22,  1823,  the  corner  stone  was  laid  with  the  ancient  Ma- 
sonic ritual.  Members  of  Zion,  Detroit  and  Oakland  Lodges  partici- 
pated. William  A.  Fletcher  made  the  address  of  the  day,  and  Contrac- 
tor McKinstry  gave  a  banquet  to  the  officials  of  the  Territory,  and  the 
Masonic  brethren  who  were  present.  Money  was  a  scarce  article  in 
those  days,  and  to  enable  the  contractors  to  buy  the  necessary  material 
and  pay  for  the  labor,  the  governor  and  judges  issued  scrip  to  the 
amount  of  $22,000.  This  passed  current  in  the  Territory,  because  the 
bills  were  secured  by  the  land  of  the  10,000  acre  tract,  and  the  Terri- 
torial Council  guaranteed  any  deficiency  which  might  arise.  The 
building  had  a  Greek  portico  across  the  entire  front,  six  Doric  pillars 
supported  the  plain  pediment,  and  a  spire  of  the  pepperbox  pattern, 
which  rose  to  the  height  of  140  feet.  This  spire  or  tower  was  an  object 
of  general  admiration  and  residents  and  visitors  often  climbed  to  its 
upper  staging  to  enjoy  the  fine  prospect  of  woodland,  town  and  river 
which  lay  out  around  it.  For  many  years  it  was  the  loftiest  point  of 
view  in  the  town.  In  1847  the  State  capital  was  removed  to  Lansing, 
and  in  the  course  of  time  the  capitol  was  utilized  as  the  high  school  and 
library  building.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  January  27,  1893,  and 
the  city  converted  the  site  into  a  very  pretty  park. 

567 


The  first  building  used  exclusively  for  county  offices  and  courts  was 
erected  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Griswold  and  Congress  streets,  and 
was  first  occupied  in  1845.  After  the  new  City  Hall  was  occupied,  in 
1871,  it  was  sold,  and  was  afterward  demolished. 

As  the  city  developed  under  the  rapid  immigration  of  the  early  '30's, 
the  council  decided  to  erect  a  city  hall.  It  was  erected  in  the  middle 
of  Cadillac  square,  just  east  of  Woodward  avenue,  and  completed  in 
1835  at  a  cost  of  $15,000.  Lots  in  the  military  reserve,  which  had  been 
donated  to  the  city  several  years  before,  were  sold  to  raise  the  money. 
For  about  twenty  years  the  lower  part  of  the  building  was  used  by  the 
owners  of  market  stalls,  but  the  market  was  driven  out  to  make  room 
for  city  offices,  courts  and  other  city  departments.  The  site  of  the 
present  City  Hall  was  secured  piecemeal  from  various  owners.  The 
female  seminary  property  was  purchased  for  $18,000  in  1854,  and  the 
old  depot  site  was  secured  by  another  purchase.  In  1859  an  appropri- 
ation of  $250,000  was  made  for  the  building  of  a  city  hall,  but  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  stopped  all  municipal  enterprises  and  the  city 
hall  project  lay  dormant  until  1866.  In  that  year  N.  Osborne  &  Son, 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  secured  the  contract  for  building  a  city  hall  at  an 
expense  of  $380,000.  The  ground  was  graded,  old  buildings  were  re- 
moved and  the  corner  stone  was  laid  in  1868.  The  formal  opening  took 
place  July  4,  1871.  The  cost  was  $508,000.  The  superstructure  is  of 
Amherst,  O.,  sandstone,  and  the  foundation  and  basement  are  of  Am- 
herstburg,  Ont.,  limestone.  The  building  is  fireproof,  three  stories  in 
height,  with  a  basement  and  attic,  and  was  built  by  N.  Osborne  &  Co., 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y.  It  is  a  beautiful  structure  of  the  Roman  style  of 
architecture,  with  a  mansard  roof,  and  a  tower  in  the  center.  The 
architect  was  James  Anderson.  The  building  fronts  on  the  campus 
204  feet,  with  a  depth  of  90  feet.  The  apex  of  the  tower  is  170  feet 
above  the  pavement.  On  each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  tower  are  four 
stone  statues,  each  13  feet  in  height,  representing  Art,  Commerce, 
Justice  and  Industry,  In  1884  Bela  Hubbard  donated  four  statues  rep- 
resenting Cadillac,  La  Salle,  Richard  and  Marquette,  which  were  placed 
on  niches  on  the  Griswold  and  Campus  Martins  fronts. .  At  the  time 
the  City  Hall  was  built  it  was  intended  that  the  city  would  be  erected 
into  a  county  by  itself,  but  this  project  did  not  materialize,  and  the 
larger  portion  of  the  building  was  rented  to  the  county  for  offices.  This 
arrangement  is  still  in  force,  and  will  be  continued  until  the  new  county 
building,  now  being  erected,  is  completed. 

568 


In  1892  it  became  apparent  that  the  building  would  either  have  to 
be  enlarged  or  that  the  county  would  be  compelled  to  erect  a  building 
of  its  own.  The  proposition  to  raise  the  City  Hall  three  stories  did  not 
meet  with  public  approval,  so  the  county  purchased  a  site  at  the  east 
end  of  Cadillac  square.  On  this  spot  a  splendid  building  is  now  being 
erected  and  when  completed  and  furnished  it  will  probably  cost  $2,000,- 
000.  This  building  will  fill  the  square  bounded  by  Congress,  Randolph, 
East  Fort  and  Brush  streets.  Its  main  tower  will  reach  an  altitude  of 
246  feet. 

The  new  County  Building  is  now  (January,  1898)  in  course  of  con- 
struction. The  ground  is  296  feet  on  Brush,  270  feet  on  Congress,  250 
feet  on  Fort  street,  and  299.6  feet  on  Randolph.  At  first  about  one  half 
of  this  site  was  purchased  and  subsequently  the  remainder,  the  total  cost 
being  $550,000.  After  a  public  competition  the  plans  of  John  Scott  & 
Co.,  of  Detroit,  were  accepted  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  on  March  17, 
1896,  and  John  Scott  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  work.  The 
contract  price  for  the  exterior  of  the  building  was  $636,569,  and  Rob- 
ert Robertson  &  Co.  were  awarded  the  contract.  The  work  was  com- 
menced on  May  8,  1897,  and  the  corner  stone  was  laid  with  appropriate 
ceremonies  on  October  20,  1897. 

The  building  is  designed  in  the  Roman  classic  style  of  architecture, 
and  is  a  stately  and  imposing  stone  structure,  five  stories  in  height. 
The  main  entrance  faces  Randolph  street,  and  fronts  255  feet  on  that 
thoroughfare,  by  176  feet  in  depth.  The  basement  is  devoted  to 
machinery,  heating  and  lighting  plants.  The  ground  floor  is  arranged 
for  the  offices  and  court  rooms  of  justices  of  the  peace,  circuit  court 
commissioners  and  coroners.  On  the  first  floor  are  located  the  offices 
of  the  county  auditor,  county  treasurer,  county  clerk  and  register  of 
deeds.  The  Probate  Court,  prosecuting  attorney,  sheriff  and  Circuit 
Court  offices  are  on  the  second  floor.  The  Circuit  Court's  and  Board  of 
Supervisors'  I'ooms  are  located  on  the  third  floor.  The  upper  floor  is 
left  for  the  future  needs  of  the  county.  The  original  specifications 
provided  for  North  Jay,  Me.,  granite  for  the  first  two  stories,  and  Berea 
stone  for  the  three  upper  floors.  The  cost  of  the  inside  work  and 
furnishings  will  be  about  $600,000. 

The  old  Federal  building,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Larned  and 
Griswold  streets,  was  finished  and  opened  on  January  30,  1860.  It 
was  occupied  by  the  post-office,  custom  house,  Federal  courts  and  other 
offices  until  November  27,   1897,   when  the  post-office  was  removed  to 

569 


the  new  building"  hereafter  described.  The  other  courts  and  offices  fol- 
lowed in  the  first  part  of  1898. 

The  accommodations  becoming  insufficient,  a  movement  for  a  new 
Federal  building  was  commenced  about  1880,  and  resulted  in  Congress 
passing  an  act  on  August  7,  1882,  appropriating  $250,000  to  purchase 
additional  land  and  for  an  addition  to  the  building.  Adjoining  land 
was  purchased,  and  an  excavation  for  the  basement  made,  at  a  total  ex- 
pense of  $100,304.29.  Considerable  dissatisfaction  was  expressed  over 
erecting  the  structure  on  the  old  site,  which  led  to  the  appointment  of 
a  commission,  consisting  of  William  A.  Moore,  Alexander  C.  McGraw, 
William  C.  Colburn,  Rufus  W.  Gillett,  James  L.  Edson  and  Samuel 
Hannaford,  to  choose  another  location.  In  April,  1885,  the  commis- 
sion selected  the  south  half  of  the  square  bounded  by  Lafayette 
avenue,  Shelby,  Fort,  and  Wayne  streets,  which  is  substantially  the 
site  of  Fort  Lernoult,  which  was  constructed  in  1778-79,  and  after- 
ward named  Fort  Shelby.  Afterward  the  whole  square  was  acquired. 
The  land  is  280  feet  on  Wayne  and  Shelby  streets,  and  288  feet  on  Fort 
street  and  Lafayette  avenue.  Excavation  for  the  basement  was  com- 
menced on  June  29,  1890,  and  the  first  floor  was  occupied  by  the  post- 
office  department  on  November  27,  1897.  The  Federal  courts  and 
other  government  departments  moved  into  the  new  building  in  the  first 
part  of  1898.  The  total  appropriation  for  the  building,  including  the 
$100,364.29  expended  on  the  old  site,  was  $1,500,000.  The  old  site 
will  be  sold  and  the  proceeds  returned  to  the  United  States  treasury, 
unless  other  dispositions  are  made.  The  amount  expended  for  acquir- 
ing the  new  site  was  $401,258.38,  which  included  the  price  of  the  land 
and  incidental  expenses.  Up  to  September  30,  1897,  the  total  expenses 
for  site  and  building  were  $1,303,290.63.  It  is  probable  that  the  whole 
appropriation  will  be  expended. 

The  exterior  of  the  building  is  in  the  so-called  American  style  of 
architecture;  the  interior  is  finished  in  the  Romanesque  style.  The 
extreme  length  is  200  feet,  and  the  extreme  depth  152  feet.  It  is  four 
stories  in  height,  with  a  basement  and  loft.  The  basement  will  be 
occupied  by  the  custom  house  appraisers,  heating  apparatus,  etc.  The 
first  floor  is  occupied  exclusively  by  the  post-office  department;  the 
second  floor  by  the  custom  house ;  the  third  floor  by  the  United  States 
courts,  district  attorney,  marshal,  etc.  ;  and  the  fourth  by  the  Light- 
house Board,  Civil  Service  Commission,  Marine  Hospital  service,  grand 
jury  rooms,  railway  mail  clerks'  offices  and  dormitory.      The  loft  will 

570 


be  used  for  storing  the  files  and  records  of  the  various  departments 
occupying  the  building. 

The  basement  is  of  granite  and  the  superstructure  of  Bedford  lime- 
stone. The  tower  soars  243  feet  above  the  pavement.  The  roof  is 
covered  with  Spanish  tile  and  copper.  The  floors  of  all  the  corridors 
are  laid  in  marble  squares,  and  the  wainscoting  is  of  American,  Italian 
and  French  marbles.  The  arches  and  columns  of  the  staircases,  and 
vestibule  of  the  main  entrance  on  Fort  street  are  of  fine  imported  mar- 
bles, and  the  latter  has  a  dome  ceiling  of  marble  mosaic.  The  Circuit 
Court  room  is  finished  in  elaborately  carved  marbles,  and  the  District 
Court  in  East  India  mahogany. 

The  Municipal  building,  which  is  situated  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Clinton  avenue  and  Raynor  street,  was  first  occupied  by  the  Police 
Court  in  September,  1890;  a  few  weeks  afterward  by  the  Poor  Commis- 
sion, and  by  the  Recorder's  Court  on  October  18,  1890.  It  was  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $54,000,  the  site  belonging  to  the  city.  In  it  are  the  Re- 
corder's and  Police  Justices'  Courts,  the  Poor  Commission,  the  offices  of 
the  city  physician  and  dispensary,  and  the  boiler  inspector. 

The  Health  Department  building,  which  adjoins  the  Municipal  build- 
ing, was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,787,  and  was  first  occupied  in  May,  1894. 

A  new  county  jail  and  sheriff's  residence  was  ordered  on  the  same 
site,  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  the  contracts  were  awarded  in 
March,  1896.  The  contract  price  for  the  stone  work  was  $74,271  and 
the  material  in  the  old  building,  and  the  cell  work  $75,000.  A  tempo- 
rary jail  was  fitted  up  in  a  building  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Fort 
and  Randolph  streets,  and  the  prisoners  removed  into  it  on  May  1, 
1896.  The  jail  and  residence  cost  $179,072  and  the  old  material.  The 
prisoners  were  removed  to  the  new  jail  on  June  12,  1897,  and  the 
sheriff,  Harry  A.  Chipman,  moved  into  his  official  residence  on  October 
1,  1897. 

Detroit  has  a  large  amount  of  capital  invested  in  municipal  prop- 
erty. It  is  distributed  as  follows:  Public  building,  exclusive  of  the 
county  building,  $2,202,330;  County  building  (in  construction)  $1,800,- 
000;  House  of  Correction,  $245,000;  Public  Library  and  contents, 
$531,000;  Belle  Isle  Park  and  bridge,  $3,375,000;  Grand  Circus,  Pal- 
mer, Clark,  Cass  and  other  parks,  $3,255,000;  Beard  of  Education 
property,  $2,618,000;  Police  Department  property,  $296,250;  Fire  De- 
partment property,  $1,528,500;  lighting  plant,  $729,250;  Water  Com- 
mission property,  $5,228,250,  other  property,  $130,000.  Total,  $19,- 
936,830 

571 


During  the  eight  years  commencing  January  1,  1890,  the  following 
buildings,  each  costing  $50,000  and  more,  have  been  erected: 

First  Congregational  church $  105,000 

A.  L.  Stephens's  residence 51,000 

David  Whitney's  residence 100,000 

Cadillac  Hotel  (addition) 200,000 

J.  L.  Hudson  &  Co.'s  store 200,000 

Sacred  Heart  of  Mary  church 125,000 

Daniel  Scotten  &  Co.'s  factory... 80,000 

Daniel  Scotten  &  Co.'s  factory 60,000 

Fort  Street  Union  Depot 200,000 

D.  M.  Ferry  &  Co.'s  storehouse 70,000 

Women's  Hospital  and  Foundling's  Home 50,000 

Michigan  Telepone  Co 100,000 

Ste.  Claire  Hotel 125.000 

Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church 60, 000 

Detroit  Club. 70,000 

Pingree  &  Smith's  shoe  factory 85,000 

Block  of  buildings,  Bagley  estate 100,000 

SS.  Peter  and  Paul  Academy 50,000 

Oren  Scotten's  residence 60,000 

United  Depot  freight  house 50,000 

Building  on  Congress  street,  Bagley  estate 80, 000 

Home  Bank  building. 125,000 

Public  Lighting  Commission  building 67,000 

Chamber  of  Commerce 450,000 

Edson  Moore  &  Co.'s  building.  Palms  estate.. 80,000 

R.  H.  Elliott's  store 60,000 

United  States  Barracks  at  Fort  Wayne 80,000 

Apartment  building,  H.  W.  Holcomb. 55,000 

Masonic  Temple 210,000 

Apartment  building,  C.  H.  Colwell 55,000 

High   School 350, 000 

Valpey  building... 77,000 

Apartment  building,   R.  J.  Wilson 78,000 

Union  Trust  Company 450,000 

Children's  Free  Hospital 125,000 

Majestic  building....    750,000 

Goebel  &  Co.,  brewery 50,000 

Ferguson  building 70,000 

County  Jail  and  Sheriff's  residence 150,000 

Church  on  Junction  avenue 50,000 

County   Building 1,250,000 

Armory,  Light   Guard... 50,000 

Richmond-Backus  building 50,000 

572 


JOHN    MCGREGOR. 


This  makes  an  aggregate  of  $6,558,000  expended  on  first  class  build- 
ings during  the  eight  years. 

The  following  list  shows  the  cost  of  buildings,  repairs  and  additions 
during  the  years  named  : 

1890- ---- - §  5,374,480 

1891 - - 5,667,225 

1892 5,727,300 

1893 -■-  4,392,925 

1894 4, 361 .055 

1895 -- - 5,338,570 

1896 --.- ---  3,166,500 

1897 -- --  4,356,885 

$43,384,940 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  notwithstanding  the  disastrous  panic  of 
1893  and  subsequent  years,  the  confidence  in  the  future  of  Detroit  real 
estate  has  been  but  little  impaired,  and  that  a  substantial  advance  towards 
the  average  of  investments  has  already  begun. 

Detroit's  death  rate,  calculated  on  a  basis  of  population  of  275,000, 
is  14.32. 

The  city  of  Detroit  comprises  28.54  square  miles  of  surface,  or  about 
18,560  acres.  It  extends  seven  and  one-third  miles  along  the  Detroit 
River,  and  is  five  miles  wide  at  its  greatest  breadth. 


CHAPTER  LXXXI. 

History  of  the  Small-Pox  Epidemics  Which  Have  Visited  the  City — Struggle  of 
the  Vaccination  Against  Popular  Prejudice — Ravages  of  the  Disease  at  Various 
Times  Among  the  Poor  in  Densely  Populated  Portions  of  the  City. 

Small-pox  made  its  appearance  in  Detroit  as  early  as  1703,  and  be- 
fore that  time  it  had  ravaged  the  settlement  at  Mackinac  and  decimated 
the  Indians  of  that  region.  There  are  no  records  of  the  extent  of  the 
disease  in  Detroit  at  that  date,  but  a  letter  sent  by  Cadillac  to  Mackinac 
shows  that  he  knew  the  disease  was  prevalent  at  the  latter  place.  He 
whimsically  adds  that  if  the  Indians  there  delayed  coming  to  Detroit 
much  longer,  he  would  send  a  worse  plague  among  them.     This  was 

673 


probably  intended  as  a  joke,  as  it  carried  the  assumption  that  he  caused 
the  disease  at  Mackinac. 

In  all  the  white  settlements  of  America,  and  also  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  small -pox  was  a  recurring  scourge,  and  hundreds  of  thousands 
are  known  to  have  died  of  the  disease  during  the  seventeenth  and  eight- 
eenth centuries.  Vaccination,  the  great  preventive  and  ameliorative, 
was  not  discovered  until  1796,  by  Dr.  Edward  Jenner,  and  several  years 
elapsed  before  it  was  introduced  into  the  western  hemisphere.  Under 
early  American  rule  small-pox  was  prevalent  in  Detroit,  its  spread 
being  greatly  aided  by  the  popular  prejudice  against  inoculation  with 
diseased  matter  from  a  cow's  udder.  It  was  not  until  the  early  '30's 
that  vaccination  was  freely  practiced,  and  in  1836,  when  the  prospect 
of  the  Territory  being  admitted  to  the  Union  attracted  educated  emi- 
grants and  physicians  from  the  older  States,  the  new  treatment  became 
general.  Dr.  George  B.  Russel,  who  came  to  Detroit  in  1836,  and  is 
still  living,  was  very  successful  in  treating  the  loathsome  affliction.  He 
never  used  the  bovine  virus,  but  treated  the  disease  exclusively  by  human 
virus  obtained  from  pustules  of  infants.  In  October,  1837,  he  learned 
that  a  tribe  of  Indians  from  the  Saginaw  countr}',  who  had  come  to 
Detroit  to  receive  their  annual  presents,  had  camped  on  Connor's 
Creek,  on  the  Connor  farm,  near  Gratiot  avenue,  a  few  miles  from  De- 
troit, and  that  small-pox  had  broken  out  among  them.  He  provided 
himself  with  a  quantity  of  vaccine  matter  and  went  there.  About  a 
dozen  of  the  Indians,  in  five  tents,  were  in  the  early  stage  of  the  dis- 
ease. He  at  once  commenced  operation,  working  continuously  through 
the  night  and  the  forenoon  of  the  following  day,  and  vaccinated  the 
whole  tribe,  about  750  persons.      None  of  the  patients  died. 

Five  years  afterward  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  famous  Indian  eth- 
nologist and  historian,  learned  of  this  episode  from  his  daughter  at 
Albany,  and  at  once  took  steps  to  reward  it.  Making  the  proper  rep- 
resentations to  the  Indian  Bureau,  he  procured  an  appropriation,  and 
in  1842  Dr.  Russel  received  $700  for  his  humane  services.  Later  in 
the  same  year  Dr.  Russel  caused  to  be  built  a  small-pox  hospital,  which 
was  probably  the  first  of  its  kind  in  Detroit  or  the  West.  It  was  a 
cheap  one  story  shed,  about  by  20  by  50  feet,  with  doors  and  windows, 
and  was  located  where  the  House  of  Correction  now  stands,  in  rear  of 
the  old  city  cemetery  on  Russell  street.  This  hospital  was  intended 
for  homeless  and  destitute  patients,  principally  colored  people  and  white 
emigrants.      It  was  used  from  1837  to  1839,  a  period  of  over  two  years, 

574 


and  about  200  cases  were  treated  during  that  time.  The  patients  were 
generally  exposed  for  some  time  before  being  admitted  to  the  hospital, 
and  about  one-half  of  them  died.  Dr.  Russel  says  that  the  confidence 
in  the  curative  powers  of  vaccination  was  so  general  at  that  time,  that 
many  families  of  limited  means  were  glad  to  receive  small-pox  patients 
in  their  homes,  in  order  to  secure  the  money  for  boarding  and  nursing 
them.  Dr.  Zina  Pitcher  had  a  small  pox  patient,  and  not  finding  suit- 
able accommodations  for  him  at  the  National  Hotel  (now  Russell  House) 
took  him  to  his  own  home.  Dr.  Peter  Klien,  who  was  county  physician 
in  184<S-18ol  and  in  1854-55,  says  that  a  small  house  on  the  Antoine 
Beaubien  farm,  on  what  is  now  Elizabeth  street,  between  Antoine  and 
Beaubien  streets,  was  used  as  a  small-pox  hospital  during  part  of  the 
time  of  his  first  incumbency  of  that  office.  It  consisted  of  two  log 
cabins  close  together,  and  was  used  by  the  city  for  patients. 

St.  Mary's  Hospital,  which,  under  the  name  of  St.  Vincent's,  was 
first  opened  in  1845  and  removed  to  its  present  site  in  1850,  received 
small- pox  patients  up  to  1861.  The  hospital  was  in  charge  of  the  order 
of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  The  patients  were  lodged  in  a  frame  house 
on  Clinton  street,  on  the  east  side  of  the  present  hospital  building.  In 
1861,  after  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  commenced,  a  small-pox  hospital, 
intended  principally  for  soldiers,  went  into  commission  on  the  east  side 
of  St.  Aubin  avenue,  on  the  commons,  about  one  hundred  feet  south  of 
Kirby  avenue.  The  land  was  owned  by  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  that 
corporation  erected  a  building,  which  was  a  two-story  frame  house  with 
an  L.  Sister  Mary  Clair,  who  has  been  in  charge  of  the  small-pox 
cases  as  nurse  since  1858,  assumed  the  task  in  the  new  hospital.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  the  disease  abated,  but  indigent  patients  continued 
to  be  treated  there.  In  1870  the  city  purchased  an  old  frame  building, 
removed  it  to  the  lot  and  joined  it  to  the  existing  structure.  It  then 
became  a  city  hospital  under  the  control  of  Poor  Director  Willard. 

The  prevalence  of  small-pox  during  the  early  '70's  caused  a  demand 
for  a  hospital  outside  of  the  city.  On  October  18,  1872,  the  city  pur- 
chased from  Frederick  Reuhle  a  parcel  of  land  in  Grosse  Pointe  town- 
ship, north  of  the  mouth  of  Connor's  Creek.  It  was  intended  as  a  site 
for  a  permanent  small-pox  hospital,  but  owing  to  the  opposition  of  resi- 
dents in  that  township,  no  building  was  erected,  and  the  land  has  since 
been  leased  by  the  city  for  farming  purposes. 

In  November,  1876,  small-pox  was  prevalent  throughout  the  city. 
Dr.  J.  P.  Corcoran,  then  one  of  the  city  physicians,  and  later  one  of  the 

575 


Board  of  Health,  was  given  charge  of  these  cases.  Sisters  Jene  Rose 
and  Agnes,  of  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  were  the  nurses.  Up  to  July,  1877, 
there  was  an  average  of  twenty  cases  per  week  at  this  hospital.  Dur- 
ing the  same  time  there  were  about  1,000  cases  on  Hale  street,  between 
Riopelle  and  Dubois  streets,  and  adjacent  thoroughfares,  principally 
among  Polish  families.  In  the  same  month  the  Board  of  Health  en- 
forced a  general  vaccination  in  Albertus's  Church  school.  This  practi- 
cally stamped  out  the  disease,  and  there  were  very  few  cases  during 
the  following  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1878  the  hospital  was  burned 
by  order  of  the  city. 

In  1880  small-pox  again  broke  out  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
city,  and  Controller  H.  P.  Bridge  went  out  on  St,  Aubin  avenue  to  see 
about  re-establishing  another  hospital  in  that  locality.  His  errand  being 
discovered,  he  was  nearly  mobbed  by  the  Polish  residents,  and  he  then 
consulted  with  the  authorities  in  regard  to  the  exigency.  As  a  result 
another  hospital  was  fitted  up  on  Twelfth  street,  north  of  the  city  limits, 
in  the  township  of  Greenfield,  which  was  in  use  some  three  months 
during  that  year,  with  Sisters  Pacifica  and  Justa  as  nurses.  Dr.  Morse 
Stewart  was  the  physician  in  charge. 

Owing  to  these  recurring  outbreaks  of  the  disease,  it  was  deemed  de- 
sirable to  place  the  health  department  of  the  city  on  a  better  footing, 
the  Board  of  Health  not  having  the  necessary  authority  to  enforce 
sanitary  measures.  The  requisite  authority  being  procured  by  a  legis- 
lative enactment.  Dr.  O.  W.  Wight  was  appointed  health  officer  in 
1881,  with  enlarged  powers.  A  small  pox  hospital  was  established  on 
the  north  side  of  Farnsworth  street,  east  of  Russell  street,  in  the  fall 
of  1883.  It  was  used  for  about  two  years,  and  was  then  burned  down. 
Meanwhile  Dr.  Wight  designed  the  plans  for  an  octagon-shaped  hos- 
pital on  the  west  side  of  Crawford  street,  just  north  of  Gilbert  avenue. 
This  was  first  occupied  in  the  fall  of  1885,  and  the  nurses  were  Sister 
Superior  Frances  and  Sisters  Mary  Claire  and  Magdalene  of  St.  Mary's 
Hospital.      It  was  burned  down  in  1892,  presumably  by  an  incendiary. 

A  case  of  small-pox  was  found  in  a  two  story  frame  building  on  the 
corner  of  Marion  and  Hastings  streets,  used  as  a  saloon  and  dwelling, 
on  May  28,  1894.  The  four  rooms  in  the  house  were  then  used  as  a 
hospital,  and  fifteen  cases  were  treated  successfully.  It  was  discon- 
tinued on  July  1,  1894. 

At  the  time  the  last  named  hospital  was  discontinued  preparations 
were  being  made  to  erect  a  new  building  on  Crawford  street,  on  the 

576 


HAMILTON    E.  SMITH,  M.  D. 


site  of  the  burned  hospital.  A  temporary  hospital,  consisting  of  can- 
vas tents,  was  erected,  and  some  twenty-five  patients  taken  there  in 
July,  1894.  During  the  first  night  a  storm  prostrated  all  the  tents,  the 
patients  were  drenched  by  the  rain,  and  several  died  from  exposure. 
This  caused  great  excitement  throughout  the  city,  and  the  Board  of 
Health  was  directed  to  build  a  permanent  structure  on  the  same 
grounds  forthwith.  The  new  building  was  completed  a  month  later, 
and  was  immediately  occupied  by  about  fifty  patients.  During  the 
small-pox  epidemic  of  that  year.  Health  Officer  Duncan  McLeod  was 
removed  on  July  20,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Schulte  appointed  as  acting 
health  officer.  Dr.  Schulte  served  until  November  5,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  N.  W.  Webber.  On  January  8,  1895,  Dr.  Duncan 
McLeod  was  reappointed.  Mayor  Pingree  called  a  public  meeting  to 
protest  against  the  passage  of  a  bill  pending  in  the  Legislature,  giving 
the  appointment  of  the  Health  Board  to  the  governor  and  Senate.  The 
meeting,  which  was  held  on  January  27,  1895,  was  stormy  and  indeter- 
minate in  results.  The  bill  passed  the  Legislature,  and  the  new  board 
appointed  Dr.  S.  P.  Duffield,  and  Dr.  McLeod  stepped  down  and  out 
on  March  4,  1895. 

In  all  the  small-pox  hospitals  from  1876  to  the  erection  of  the  present 
building  on  Crawford  street  in  1894,  except  the  one  on  Twelfth  street. 
Dr.  J.  P.  Corcoran  was  the  physician  in  charge,  and  was  extremely 
successful  in  his  management  and  treatment. 


CHAPTER    LXXXII. 

Hotels  and  Taverns  of  the  Past  and  Present — The  Old  Mansion  House — Ben. 
Woodworth's  Steamboat  Hotel— The  Michigan  Exchange,  and  Many  Others — Per- 
sonality of  the  Old-Time  Proprietors. 

The  first  tavern  in  Detroit,  of  which  there  is  any  information,  was 
kept  by  William  Forsyth,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  in  the  British  army, 
and  who  was  discharged  in  Detroit  about  1770.  He  married  the  Widow 
Kinzie,  and  had  several  children. 

There  must  necessarily  have  been  places  of  public  entertainment  in 
Detroit  during  all  its  history,  but  early  records   of  the  town  during 

577 


French  and  English  rule  do  not  show  it.  One  of  the  earliest  taverns 
under  American  rule  was  the  Dodemead  House,  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Shelby  street,  the  lot  extending  to  Woodbridge 
street,  which  was  kept  by  Jane  Dodemead.  One  of  her  daughters 
married  Jacob  Varnum,  the  United  States  factor  at  Chicago;  another 
married  Major  John  T.  Dyson,  and  subsequently  Charles  Jackson ; 
and  another  married  Charles  Jouet,  Indian  agent  at  Chicago. 

Richard  Smythe  kept  a  tavern  called  the  Sagina  Hotel,  on  the  west 
side  of  Woodward  avenue,  between  Jefferson  avenue  and  Woodbridge 
street,  during  the  first  thirty  years  of  the  present  century. 

Woodworth's  Hotel,  built  in  1812,  was  a  famous  old  hostelry.  It 
was  managed  by  Benjamin  Woodworth  from  1812  until  1844.  It  was 
burned  in  the  fire  of  1848.  After  the  advent  of  the  Walk-in  the-Water, 
in  1818,  it  was  named  the  Steamboat  Hotel. 

The  Mansion  House  was  built  by  James  May,  out  of  the  stone  chim- 
neys of  the  houses  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1805.  It  stood  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Cass  street.  It  was  used  as  a 
hotel-  by  John  Whipple,  a  retired  army  officer,  Andrew  Mack  and 
others.  The  late  Mrs.  John  Chester,  daughter  of  Supreme  Judge 
George  Morell,  was  boarding  there  when  the  Michigan  Exchange  was 
opened  in  1835,  and  then  removed  to  the  latter  hotel.  It  was  discon- 
tinued shortly  afterward. 

In  1827  John  J.  Garrison  built  a  hotel  on  the  east  side  of  Bates  street, 
between  Jefferson  avenue  and  Earned  street,  south  of  the  alley.  It 
was  continued  under  different  names  for  several  years. 

The  Eagle  Hotel,  on  the  south  side  of  Woodbridge  street,  just  west 
of  Griswold  street;  the  United  States  Hotel,  on  the  same  side  of  Wood- 
bridge  street,  five  or  six  doors  further  west ;  the  New  York  and  Ohio 
House,  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  between  Jefferson  ave- 
nue and  Woodbridge  street;  Andrews's  Railroad  Hotel,  on  the  Cam- 
pus Martins,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Detroit  Opera  House,  were  all 
built  in  the  '30's,  and  were  continued  for  fifteen  to  forty  years. 

The  second  Mansion  House,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Griswold 
and  Atwater  streets,  was  built  by  J.  Hanmer  in  1831.  After  the  first 
Mansion  House  went  out  of  commission  it  took  that  name.  It  is  now 
being  operated  as  a  Sailors'  Bethel. 

The  American  Hotel,  situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Jefferson 
avenue  and  Randolph  street,  was  started  in  1835.  Its  name  was  subse- 
quently changed  to  Wales  Hotel  by  Austin  E.  Wales,   and  was  burned 

578 


WILLIAM    J.    CHITTENDEN. 


in  the  fire  of  1848.  This  hotel  occupied  the  site  of  the  old  mansion  of 
Governor  Hull,  and  was  rebuilt  as  the  Biddle  house. 

The  Michigan  Exchange,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  ave- 
nue and  Shelby  street,  was  built  by  Shubael  Conant,  and  Austin  Wales 
was  its  first  landlord.  It  was  opened  on  June  27,  1835.  In  1837 
Orville  B.  Dibble  became  the  landlord,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  1847 
by  Edward  Lyon.  The  latter  retained  the  lease  of  the  building,  and 
was  in  partnership  with  nearly  all  the  succeeding  landlords  until  his 
death  in  1884.  The  Michigan  Exchange  was  discontinued  as  a  hotel  in 
the  summer  of  1890.  A  portion  of  the  building  was  torn  down,  and 
the  present  shoe  factory  of  Pingree  &  Smith  erected,  which  was  finished 
and  occupied  in  1893. 

The  Russell  House  site  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Woodward  and 
Cadillac  avenues,  on  the  Campus  Martius,  has  been  hotel  property 
since  1836.  In  that  year  the  National  Hotel  was  opened  by  S.  H. 
Haring.  Two  years  later  Austin  Wales  was  the  landlord,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Edward  Lyon,  who  was  manager  from  1840  to  1847.  In  the 
latter  year  H.  D.  Garrison  was  landlord,  followed  by  Henry  A.  Barstow. 
From  1852-1857  Fellers  &  Benjamin  were  in  charge.  The  property 
was  purchased  by  William  Hale,  who  made  extensive  improvements, 
and  in  September,  1857,  the  house  was  reopened  with  W.  H.  Russell 
as  landlord,  and  named  the  Russell  House.  Two  months  afterward 
Mr.  Russell  retired  and  Mr.  Hale  became  landlord.  In  1861  he  was 
succeeded  by  L.  H.  Miner.  In  1863  H.  P.  Stevens  succeeded  for  a 
short  time.  In  1864  W.  J.  Chittenden  and  C.  S.  Witbeck  became  pro- 
prietors, and  in  1876  L.  A.  McCreary  was  admitted  to  partnership. 
Mr.  Witbeck  died  in  1881,  and  Chittenden  and  McCreary  continued  un- 
til July,  1895,  when  the  latter  retired,  and  Mr.  Chittenden  has  since 
been  sole  proprietor.  He  commenced  as  clerk  in  April,  1858,  and  has 
therefore  been  connected  with  the  house  for  forty  years.  During  all 
its  history  it  has  been  a  leading  hotel,  and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the 
Grand  Duke  Alexis,  and  many  other  distinguished  persons  have  been 
its  guests. 

In  1836  Nathaniel  Champ  built  a  house  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Washington  and  Michigan  avenues,  and  lived  there  until  1851.  On 
this  propert}^  he  built  the  first  temperance  hotel  in  Detroit,  and  was  its 
landlord  for  several  years.  Several  managers  of  the  hotel  succeeded, 
and  in  1843  his  son,  William  Champ,  became  landlord  and  managed 
until  1851.     The  property  was  then  sold  to  John  Blindbury.      In  1852 

579 


Mr.  Blindbury  built  a  hotel  on  the  same  site  and  named  it  the  Blind- 
bury  Hotel.  J  F.  and  W.  W.  Antisdel  were  afterwards  landlords,  and 
in  1870  W.  W.  Antisdel  was  in  charge.  W.  A.  Scripps  afterward  be- 
came a  partner.     The  house  was  demolished  in  1890. 

Andrews's  Railroad  Hotel  was  opened  as  a  hotel  in  1838.  It  occu- 
pied the  present  site  of  the  Detroit  Opera  House,  on  the  Campus 
Martius.  The  property  was  sold  to  Dr.  Eliphalet  Clark  in  1867,  who 
had  it  torn  down.  The  Detroit  Opera  House  was  then  erected,  and  was 
opened  in  1869. 

The  Grand  River  House,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Grand  River 
avenue  and  Griswold  street,  was  started  about  1846  by  M.  Salter.  In 
1861  Alfred  Goodman  purchased  the  property,  and  succeeded  as  land- 
lord. In  1868  he  built  on  the  same  site  a  hotel  which  he  named  the 
Goodman  House.  In  1890  he  took  his  son,  Fred  O.  Goodman,  into 
partnership.  On  June  1,  1895,  Fred  Postal  succeeded  as  landlord,  and 
in  1897  he  took  A.  G.  Morey  into  partnership. 

The  Perkins  Hotel  was  established  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Grand 
River  avenue  and  Middle  street,  b)''  William  Perkins,  jr.,  in  1847.  The 
building  previously  had  been  a  hotel  and  was  called  the  Western 
Cottage.  Mr.  Perkins  was  landlord  until  his  death  in  1867.  An  ad- 
dition to  the  hotel  on  the  east  side,  with  stores  imderneath,  was  built  in 
1875.  The  next  landlord  was  William  B.  Perkins.  The  old  hotel  at 
the  corner  was  torn  down,  and  an  addition  erected  in  1891.  In  1896 
W.  W.  Antisdel  became  landlord,  and  in  1897  M.  E.  Fletcher. 

The  present  Wayne  Hotel,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  River  and 
Third  streets,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  Johnson  House,  which  was 
erected  in  1848.  The  latter  hotel  was  opened  in  that  5'ear  by  H.  R. 
Johnson,  who  continued  as  landlord  for  four  years.  In  1852-53  Czar 
Jones  was  landlord,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  predecessor,  Mr.  John- 
son. In  1861  McDonald,  Russel  &  Co.  took  charge,  and  the  name  was 
changed  to  Bagg's  Hotel.  In  1863  Sheldon  &  Graves  became  land 
lords,  and  changed  the  name  to  Cass  House.  Succeeding  landlords 
were  Sheldon  &  Tyrrel,  the  Tyrrell  Bros.,  Johnson  &  Ferguson  and 
Eralsey  Ferguson.  On  May  1,  1880,  the  hotel  was  leased  to  the  last- 
named  for  five  years.  On  May  1,  1885,  the  building  was  vacated  and 
work  on  a  new  hotel  commenced.  It  was  finished  on  May  1,  1887, 
named  the  Wayne,  and  opened  on  December  25,  1887,  with  W.  P.  F. 
Meserve  as  lessee,  and  James  R.  Hayes  as  landlord.  On  December  25, 
1889,  Mr.  Hayes  became  the  lessee,  and  has  managed  the  house  to  the 
present  time. 

580 


The  Western  Hotel,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  River  and  Third 
streets,  was  opened  by  A.  Leadbeater  in  1848.  Successive  landlords 
were  H.  W.  Graves,  Hackett  &  Ross  and  Michael  McCall,  and  in  1874 
the  building  was  converted  into  stores. 

The  Biddle  House  property,  so  called,  is  the  square  bounded  by  Jef- 
ferson avenue,  Randolph,  Woodbridge  and  Brush  streets.  The  hotel 
was  commenced  in  1849.  and  ODened  on  Tune  7.  ISfil.  bv  Orville  R.  and 


In  1842  Joseph  Northrup  purchased  a  lot,  60  by  100  feet,  on  the 
south  side  of  Michigan  Grand  (now  Cadillac)  avenue,  between  Wood- 
ward avenue  and  Bates  street,  and  built  thereon  a  two-story  frame 
dwelling  house.  In  1845  he  fitted  it  up  as  a  hotel,  and  the  first  land- 
lord was  named  Shaw  In  the  same  year  Charles  J.  Beardslee  suc- 
ceeded as  landlord,  and  named  it  the  Railroad  Exchange. 

John  V.  Nehling  purchased  the  property  the  same  year,  and  con- 
verted the  lower  story  into  three  stores.  Mr.  Beardslee  retired  in 
1868  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law,  Joseph  B.  Lobdell,  who  car- 
ried on  the  hotel  in  the  upper  story  until  1872,  when  the  building  was 
torn  down.  Mr.  Nehling  then  erected  three  brick  stores,  renting  the 
eastern  one  to  James  B.  Lander,  and  using  the  other  two  himself  as 
a  wholesale  grocery  store. 


investigated,  and  when  this  cloud  is  removed  the  Beecher  estate  will 
acquire  the  Biddle  House  at  the  price  named. 

In  1850-52  William  Shaw  was  owner  and  landlord  of  the  Bull's  Head 
Hotel,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Woodward  and  Grand  River  ave- 
nues.     It  was  then  converted  into  stores. 

The  Commercial  Hotel,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  River  and  Second 
streets,  was  in  existence  during  the  early  '50's,  during  which  Benjamin 
S.  Farnsworth  was  the  landlord.     It  was  burned  down  in  1856. 

The  Hotel  Adams,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and 
Randolph  street,  dates  back  to  1852.  In  that  year  it  was  built  by 
Henry  Wineman,  and  opened  as  a  hotel  by  William  T.  Purdy  &  Co. 

581 


At  first  the  ground  floor  was  occupied  as  a  confectionery  store  by  the 
owner,  and  the  hotel  was  in  the  upper  stories.  In  1856  it  was  named 
the  Tremont  House.  In  1862  David  S.  Headley  was  landlord,  and  he 
was  succeeded  in  1865  by  D.  C.  Goodale.  In  1870  E.  S.  Blakeslee  was 
manager,  and  in  1871  Giles  Tucker.  In  1873  Landlord  William  Gray 
changed  the  name  to  Revere  House.  From  1874  to  1878  Capt.  Orville  W. 
Penny  was  in  charge,  and  was  succeeded  in  1879  by  Michael  Cunning- 
ham and  John  Barnard.  In  1880  W.  H.  Leland  was  manager,  and 
changed  the  name  to  Leland  House.  In  1881  George  H.  Martin  & 
Co.  were  managers,  and  changed  the  name  to  Madison  House  In  the 
same  year  Martin  &  Borgman  became  landlords,  followed  in  1882  by 
George  Scheller.  Murray  Dalzell  was  landlord  in  1888,  and  from  1889 
to  1893  John  D.  Rice  was  manager,  the  name  being  changed  to  Rice's 
Hotel.  Derrick  Adams  succeeded  in  May,  1895,  and  named  it  the  Hotel 
Adams.  The  next  landlords  were  Kenrick  &  Co.,  who  took  charge 
April  1,  1896,  and  named  it  the  Kenrick  House. 

The  Merchants'  Exchange,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Griswold  and 
Woodbridge  streets,  was  built  by  James  Abbott  in  1852  It  was  opened 
as  a  hotel  by  John  Moore  in  September  of  the  same  year.  He  was 
landlord  until  January  2,  1866.  The  building  was  afterward  remodeled 
into  two  stores. 

The  Howard  House,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Congress  and  Gris- 
wold streets,  was  opened  in  1853.  In  1880  Van  Est  &  Graves  became 
landlords,  and  the  house  was  renamed  the  Griswold  House.  It  was 
torn  down  in  1894,  and  the  Union  Trust  building,  which  occupies  the 
same  site,  was  opened  for  business  on  May  1,  1896. 

The  present  Cotter  House,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Front  and  Sec- 
ond streets,  was  erected  in  1853  by  George  Weber,  who  is  still  living 
and  owns  the  property.  The  first  landlord  was  George  Barber,  who 
named  it  the  Eastern  Hotel.  In  1857  Patrick  Murrin  named  it  the 
Murrin  House.  He  was  succeeded  in  1860  by  Martin  Tray,  who  sold 
the  furniture  and  good  will  to  G.  Sisserman  in  1863.  In  1867  Oscar 
Treesise  became  landlord,  and  changed  the  name  to  Miner's  Arms.  In 
1872  Leo  GulBey  took  charge,  changed  the  name  to  Central  Hotel,  and 
occupied  it  until  1875.  Orville  W.  Penn)"  then  bought  out  Guffley  and 
managed  the  house  until  1880  Lester  Lee  succeeded,  and  in  1882 
Hiram  Brown  became  landlord  and  changed  the  name  to  Tremont 
House.  In  1897  the  present  landlord,  Philip  W.  Cotter,  took  charge 
and  named  it  the  Cotter  House. 

582 


The  Larned  House,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  River  and  Third 
streets,  was  opened  in  1853.  Successive  landlords  were  O.  Whitney, 
M.  W.  Warnick,  George  Niles  and  several  others.  It  had  an  unsavory 
reputation,  and  was  afterward  used  for  business  purposes  for  several 
years.  In  1870  the  property  was  purchased  by  William  B.  Wesson, 
who  tore  it  down  in  1884,  and  erected  on  the  site  a  five-story  hotel, 
which  was  named  the  Griffin  House,  and  opened  by  John  C.  Griffin  in 
August,  1885.  The  next  landlord  was  Michael  Griffin,  in  November, 
1891.  The  house  was  closed  on  January  15,  1898,  and  the  furniture 
sold. 

The  Franklin  House  was  opened  in  1854  by  J.  C.  Warner  as  land- 
lord and  proprietor.  Succeeding  landlords  were  John  S.  Tibbetts, 
Winn  &  Emery,  A.  H.  Emery,  A.  Montgomery,  Hugh  Phelps,  Warner 
&  James,  C.  Friedman  and  Henry  James.  Henry  James  &  Son  have 
been  landlords  since  January  1,  1897. 

The  Finney  House,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Woodward  and  Gratiot 
avenues,  was  first  opened  for  business  in  1854  by  Seymour  Finney, 
landlord  and  owner.  Its  name  was  subsequently  changed  several 
times,  and  it  was  demolished  in  April,  1897,  and  a  business  block 
was  erected  on  its  site. 

The  Eisenlord  House,   at  the  southeast  corner  of  Cass  and   Lewis 

streets,  was  built  and  opened  by  William  Eisenlord  in  1861,  when 

Wilson  was  his  successor.  The  latter  named  it  the  Windsor  Hotel. 
Emerson  C.  Harvey  &  Son  were  the  next  managers,  who  were  in  charge 
from  April  1,  1886,  to  May  1,  1888,  when  they  were  succeeded  by  E. 
W.  Fairbrother.  In  1890  Harrison  &  Decker  were  landlords,  and  were 
succeeded  by  Fred  Soop,  who  retired  on  September  13,  1895,  since 
which  time  the  hotel  has  been  vacant. 

The  Brighton  House,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Grand  River  avenue 
and  Gillman  street,  was  built  in  1861,  and  additions  were  made  on  the 
two  following  years.  Adjoining  the  house  was  a  space  of  ground 
known  as  King's  stock  yards.  The  first  landlord  was  S.  B.  King,  who 
was  engaged  for  one  year.  Thereafter  Harvey  King  was  in  charge, 
and  as  proprietor  managed  the  hotel  and  cattle  yards  until  1876,  when 
George  B.  Nye  was  landlord  of  the  hotel  until  1884.  In  that  year  the 
business  was  transferred  to  the  new  stock  yards  at  the  corner  of 
Twelfth  street  and  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  track,  and  the  hotel  was 
closed.  The  property  was  sold  in  1890  to  certain  parties,  and  the 
buildings  were  torn  down  in  1893. 

583 


The  Hotel  Erichsen  was  established  by.  Claus  D.  Erichsen,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Fort  and  Randolph  streets  in  1865,  and  was  con- 
ducted by  him  until  1875.  It  was  then  removed  to  the  south  side  of 
Farmer  street,  between  Randolph  and  Bates  streets.  In  1886  Siegfried 
Lieders  succeeded  as  landlord.  Otto  and  Edward  Hohf  were  the  next 
managers  in  1893,  and  ran  it  for  about  six  months.  The  Harmonic 
Society  leased  the  hotel  and  occupied  it  during  1893.  It  was  vacant 
for  about  two  years,  and  was  afterward  converted  into  business  prop- 
erty. 

The  Collins  House,  on  the  east  side  of  Third  street,  between  River 
and  Earned  streets,  was  occupied  by  James  Collins  as  landlord  in  1865. 
John  Burke  was  manager  from  1866  to  1868.  Succeeding  landlords 
were  Daniel  Griffin,  who  named  it  the  Western  Hotel ;  John  C.  Griffin 
and  P.  W.  Cotter.  In  1891  the  hotel  and  the  adjoining  building  on  the 
north  were  torn  down  and  a  new  hotel,  named  the  New  Western,  was 
erected.  P.  W.  Cotter  continued  to  be  in  charge  until  1896,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  John  J.  Hannifan,  who  named  it  Hotel  Richmond. 

Union  Hotel,  on  the  north  side  of  River  street,  adjoining  the  Griffin 
House,  was  first  occupied  by  Michael  McCall,  as  owner  and  proprietor, 
in  1868.  In  1885  he  built  a  five  story  hotel  on  the  same  site.  In  1890 
it  was  leased  to  the  Griffin  House  and  formed  a  part  of  that  hotel,  and 
was  vacated  on  January  15,  1898. 

The  Hotel  Henry,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Monroe  avenue  and 
Randolph  street,  was  opened  in  1870  by  John  Henry,  who  was  land- 
lord for  twelve  years.  It  afterward  had  several  landlords,  and  was  de- 
molished in  February,  1891. 

The  Hotel  Renaud,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Grand  River  and 
Adams  avenues,  was  established  in  January,  1873,  by  George  F. 
Renaud.  Mr.  Renaud  was  landlord  of  the  hotel  until  he  retired  in 
May,  1896,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  son-in-law,  E.  J. 
Renaud  and  E.  E.  Wilson. 

The  Miller  House,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  River  and  Second 
streets,  was  built  in  1873  by  Conrad  W.  Miller,  who  was  its  landlord 
until  1884.  In  that  year  the  hotel  was  leased  by  Kling  &  Co.,  brewers, 
who  had  several  man^agers,  including  Michael  Kelleher  and  Michael 
Kehoe.  Mr.  Miller  was  again  landlord  in  1885-86,  and  was  succeeded 
by  J.  W.  Walton  in  188G;  in  1890  by  Henry  Rice;  in  1891  by  Herman 
Eckner,  and  by  Valentine  Goldsmith  in  1894.  The  present  landlord, 
C.  H.  Collins,  succeeded  in  1897,  and  named  it  Collins's  Hotel. 

584 


OSCAR   M.  SPRINGER. 


The  Hotel  Goffinet,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Randolph  and  Larned 
streets,  was  opened  by  James  Goffinet  in  1875.  He  was  succeeded  in 
1878  by  Martin  V.  Borgman,  who  named  it  the  Bernard  House.  There 
were  several  succeeding  landlords  and  it  was  named  the  Metropolitan 
Hotel.  The  house  had  been  closed  for  more  than  a  year  when  the 
property  was  purchased  in  1886  by  S.  B.  Grummond,  who  remodeled 
and  refurnished  it,  and  opened  it  as  the  Hotel  Benedict  on  May  1,  1887. 
Mr.  Grummond  conducted  the  hotel  by  several  managers  until  1892, 
when  Seigfried  Lieders  leased  it,  named  it  the  Hotel  Lieders  and  was 
its  landlord  until  he  died.  Mr.  Scott  succeeded  him  and  named  it 
Hotel  Victoria.  Richard  Pool  was  landlord  for  two  years  after  May 
1,  1894,  and  changed  the  name  back  to  Hotel  Benedict.  Latimer  & 
Lynch  were  landlords  in  1896,  and  were  succeeded  by  J.  B.  Miller,  who 
was  landlord  until  Januar}^  7,  1898.  Thompson  &  Rowe,  the  present 
proprietors,  changed  the  name  back  to  Hotel  Victoria.  They  we're 
succeeded  by  Thompson  &  Rowe,  who  opened  the  hotel  on  April  13, 
1898,  and  named  it  the  Tifft. 

In  1879  the  Standish  House  and  Rice's  Hotel  were  established  on  the 
north  side  of  Congress  street,  east  of  Woodward  avenue.  The  Standish 
House  was  afterward  named  the  Colburn  House.  The  block  was  after- 
ward rebuilt  and  enlarged,  and  on  April  22,  1890,  was  opened  as  the 
Normandie  Hotel  by  Carr  &  Reeve. 

The  Hotel  Cadillac  dates  from  1887.  The  east  half  of  the  square  on 
the  north  side  of  Michigan  avenue,  between  Washington  avenue  and 
Rowland  street,  was  purchased  in  1885  by  Daniel  Scotten,  who  erected 
thereon  a  business  building.  This  was  converted  into  a  hotel  in  1887, 
named  the  Hotel  Cadillac,  and  opened  by  Van  Est  &  Graves  in  1888. 
The  west  half  of  the  square,  on  which  stood  the  Antisdel  House,  was 
afterward  purchased  by  Mr.  Scotten,  and  an  addition  to  the  Hotel 
Cadillac  erected.  The  whole  square  fronting  on  Michigan  avenue  was 
occupied  by  that  hotel  in  1891. 

The  Hotel  Ste.  Clair,  which  was  erected  by  the  E.  A.  Brush  estate 
on  the  site  of  the  Henry  House,  was  opened  by  W,  P.  Beyer,  the  pres- 
ent landlord,  on  June  8,  1893. 

The  following  were  the  existing  hotels  in  Detroit  in  the  first  part  of 
1898.     Some  of  these  have  been  described  above: 

Anchorville  House,  River  Rouge.  Boulevard    Hotel,   1135  Michigan  ave- 

Baltimore  Hotel,  32  Jefferson  avenue.         nue. 

Beaufait  House,  1183  Jefferson  avenue,  Canada  Hotel,  18-17  Brush. 

585 
74 


Chiera's  Hotel  (sleeping  rooms  for  men 
only),  60-64  Farrar. 

Cotter  Hotel,  northeast  corner  Second 
and  Frank. 

Detroit  Hotel,  14-18  Elizabeth  west. 

Distel    House,   north    side    Fort   west, 
near  Woodmere  avenue. 

Dobson's   European   Hotel,  299  Wood- 
ward avenue. 

Dunnebacke  House,  214  Beaubien. 

Eastern  Hotel.  1152  Jefferson  avenue. 

Fayette  Hotel,  304  Livernois  avenue. 

Five  Mile  House,  southeast  corner  Liv- 
ernois and  Grand  River  avenues. 

Frank  Albert,  northwest  corner  River 
and  West  End  avenue,  Delray. 

Franklin     House,    corner    Bates    and 
lyarned. 

Gies's  European   Hotel,  10-14  Monroe 
avenue. 

Grand   Central    Hotel,   37-43   Cadillac 
square. 

Griffin  Hotel,   northeast   corner   River 
and  Third. 

Griswold      House,    northwest     corner 
Griswold  and  Grand  River  avenue. 

Harmer  House,  1587  Russell. 

Harrison  Hotel,  West  side  Harbaugh, 
near  Wabash  Railroad. 

Highland  Park  Hotel,  Highland  Park. 

Hillman  House,  River  Rouge. 

Hotel  Adams,  283  Jefferson  avenue. 

Hotel  Ann  Arbor,  198  River. 

Hotel  Barclay.  20-30  Barclay  place. 

Hotel  Cadillac,  Michigan  avenue,  Row- 
land and  Washington  avenue. 

Hotel  Congress,  12-16  Congress  east. 

Hotel  Boston,  25  Macomb  (Afro-Amer- 
ican). 

Hotel     Franklin,    corner     Bates    and 
Larned. 

Hotel  Lafayette,  79-83  Lafayette  ave- 
nue. 

Hotel  Miller,  188  River. 

Hotel  Normandie,  11-28  Congress  east. 

Hotel    Perkins,  corner    Grand    River 
avenue  and  Middle. 


Hotel    Renaud,  128,  130  Grand   River 
avenue. 

Hotel  Richelieu,  420  Second  avenue. 

Hotel  Richmond,  42-46  Third  avenue. 

Hotel  Richter,  11-15  State. 

Hotel     Ste.     Clair,    northwest    corner 
Monroe  avenue  and  Randolph. 

Hotel    Victoria,    southeast    corner    of 
Randolph  and  Larned. 

Hotel  Young,  86  Fort  street. 

Irving  Hotel,  36  Clifford. 

Jefferson  Hotel,  206  Jefferson  avenue. 

Jefferson  Hotel,  261  Jefferson  avenue. 

Junction     House,    537    Ferry     avenue 
east. 

Kraft  House,  northwest  corner  Joseph 
Campau  avenue  and  M.  C.  Railroad. 

Kurth's  Hotel,  1154,  1156  Fort  west. 

Library  Park  Hotel,  46-52  Farrar. 

Mariner's  Hotel,  175  Franklin. 

Metropolitan,  The,  36  Gratiot  avenue. 

Michigan  Central  Stock  Yards  Hotel, 
West  Detroit. 

Michigan    Exchange    Hotel,   86    Ran- 
dolph. 

Miner's  House,  24  Front. 

Moffat,  William  B.,   southwest  corner 
Grand  River  avenue  and  Plymouth  road. 

New  Globe,  257  Jefferson  avenue. 

New  Pacific, The,  259  Jefferson  avenue. 

North  End  Hotel,  1400  Woodward  ave- 
nue. 

Old  Homestead,  The,  north  side  Jeffer- 
son avenue,  near  Connor's  Creek. 

Park  Hotel,  39  West  Park  place. 

Park  View  House,  201  Cass. 

Randolph   Hotel  and  Restaurant,   178 
Randolph. 

Rasch,  Mrs.  Robert,  85  Atwater  east. 

River  Front  Hotel,  379  Atwater  east. 

River  Rouge  Hotel,  River  Rouge. 

Rusch  House,  north  side  Jefferson  ave- 
nue, near  Connor's  Creek. 

Russell  House,  corner  Woodward  ave- 
nue and  Cadillac  square. 

St.  Charles  Hotel,  91,  93  Atwater  east. 

St.  Lawrence  Hotel,  32-36  Randolph. 


586 


Scanlon,  Charles,  northeast  corner  Jef-  Wabash    Hotel,  northwest  corner  At- 

erson  and  O'Flynn  avenues.  water  east  and  Brush. 

Seaman's  Home,  19  Griswold.  Warner  House,  401,  403  Franklin. 

Smith's  New  Cass  Hotel,  208  River.  Waverly  Hotel,  227  Jefferson  avenue. 

Snug  Harbor;  southwest  corner  Jeffer-  Wayne  Hotel,  southwest  corner  River 

son  avenue  and  Connor's  Creek.  and  Third. 

Spaulding  House,  287  Jefferson  avenue.  Welke's  Hotel,  148,  150  Randolph. 

Stock   Yards   Exchange    Hotel,  south-  West   Side  Hotel,   108  Adams  avenue 

west  corner  Waterman  and  Dix  avenues.  east. 

Union  House,  65,  67  Atwater  east.  Zeeb's  Hotel,  368  Twentieth. 


CHAPTER    LXXXIII. 

Detroit  Militia  Organizations,  Past  and  Present — Sheriffs  of  Wayne  County 
Since  1796. 

Michigan  has  five  regiments  of  infantry,  but  no  artillery  or  cavalry. 
A  standard  regiment  is  composed  of  eight  companies,  each  comprising 
eighty-three  enlisted  men  and  three  commissioned  officers,  and  each  is 
entitled  to  $4u0  a  year,  which  is  supposed  to  pay  the  rent  of  an  armory 
and  incidental  expenses.  In  Detroit  and  Grand  Rapids,  where  land  is 
high  priced,  this  sum  is  utterly  inadequate,  and  the  companies  in  these 
cities  are  obliged  to  make  up  the  deficiency  out  of  their  own  purses,  by 
donations  from  retired  or  honorary  members,  or  by  renting  their  quar- 
ters for  entertainments,  and  often  all  three.  Besides  the  amount  allowed 
for  armory  purposes  the  State  allows  each  private  on  duty  at  the  annual 
encampment  of  seven  days,  $1.25  per  day  and  seventy-five  cents  for  sub- 
sistence, a  total  of  $2  per  day.  The  same  rate  of  compensation  is  paid 
when  the  company  is  called  out  for  active  service.  The  State  also  furnishes 
to  each  of  its  soldiers  the  following  articles  besides  the  arms:  Fatigue 
coat,  pair  of  trousers,  campaign  hats,  forage  caps,  leggings,  belt,  can- 
teen, haversack,  single  blanket  and  knapsack.  Each  company  keeps 
2,000  rounds  of  ball  cartridge  in  its  armory.  A  majority  of  the  com- 
panies do  target  shootmg  every  summer,  and  some  own  or  rent  their 
ranges.     There  are  also  practice  galleries  in  each  armory. 

In  Detroit  are  seven  companies  of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  the  eighth 
company  belonging  to  Monroe.  The  latter  is  Company  G,  otherwise 
the  Monroe  Light  Guard. 

The  Light  Guard  is  coinposed   of  three  companies,  A,  B,  and  F,  re- 

587 


spectively.  Their  armory  was  for  many  years  in  the  old  Firemen's 
Hall,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Randolph  street. 
Its  splendid  new  armory,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Larned  and  Brush 
streets,  was  completed  and  occupied  during  the  present  year  (1898). 
The  original  Company  A  was  organized  in  1855,  and  is  the  oldest 
militia  company  in  continuous  service  in  Michigan.  It  has  the  exclu- 
sive privilege  of  holding  the  governor's  levee,  a  biennial  military  func- 
tion, which  honors  every  new  executive  of  the  vState  on  the  16th  of 
November,  just  after  election,  with  a  grand  reception  and  ball.  The 
second  company  (F)  was  originally  the  Detroit  City  Grays  and  was 
amalgamated  in  1889.  The  third  company  ( B)  was  formerly  the  Detroit 
National  Guard,  which  was  organized  on  October  25, 1869,  its  first  cap- 
tain being  Patrick  Nolan.  It  was  amalgamated  with  the  Detroit  Light 
Guard  in  September,  1897. 

The  Scott  Guard,  Company  C,  was  organized  in  1841,  the  first  cap- 
tain being  J.  V.  Ruehle.  N.  Greusel,  jr.,  was  his  successor,  serving 
until  1852,  when  Paul  Gies  was  made  captain.  In  1861  a  large  number 
of  members  joined  the  Union  army  and  went  to  the  front.  Their 
places  were  soon  filled,  and  in  1862  the  Guard  was  made  into  two  com- 
panies, one  of  artillery  under  P.  Guenther,  and  the  other  of  infantry 
under  F.  Kremer.  After  the  war  the  companies  disbanded.  In  1879 
the  Scott  Guard  reorganized  with  Max  Hochgraef  as  captain.  August 
Goebel,  P.  Herzog  and  Gus  Pfeffer  were  successive  captains.  Ed.  Rode, 
the  present  vcaptain,  was  elected  in  1855.  Its  present  armory  is  in 
Arbeiter  Hall,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Russell  and  Catherine  streets. 

The  Montgomery  Rifles  was  organized  on  May  27,  1877,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  State  service  on  June  13,  1884.  Its  headquarters  is  at 
Clawson's  Hall,  on  the  east  side  of  Miami  avenue,  between  John  R. 
and  Witherell  streets. 

The  Light  Infantry  was  organized  on  June  19,  1877,  after  a  factional 
difficulty  which  split  the  Light  Guard  in  twain.  It  moved  into  its 
present  armory  on  the  south  side  of  Congress  street,  between  Bates 
and  Randolph  streets,  in  1883.  The  building  was  burned  in  1888,  and 
was  rebuilt  and  refurnished  the  same  year.  The  armory  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  country,  having  been  built  expressly  for  the  purpose  by  the 
Bagley  estate.  The  organization  is  composed  of  two  compenies,  D  and 
H.  The  latter  was  the  High  School  cadets,  organized  in  September, 
1881;  reorganized  as  the  Detroit  Cadets  in  October,  1882,  and  amalga- 
mated with  the  Light  Infantry  in  December,  1891. 

588 


THOMAS  A.  WADSWORTH. 


Each  company  has  a  social  organization  with  the  usual  officers,  and 
the  armories  are  fitted  up  for  amusements,  such  as  billiards,  cards, 
chess,  checkers  and  other  games.  Each  company  also  gives  annual 
balls,  picnics  and  excursions,  and  the  civic  soldiers  always  have  enjoy- 
able times. 

Under  the  State  act  of  1893,  which  authorized  the  addition  to  the 
national  guard  of  a  force  of  naval  militia,  not  to  exceed  eight  divisions, 
each  equivalent  to  a  company  of  infantry,  the  first  division  of  the  State 
Naval  Brigade  was  mustered  into  service  on  February  28,  1894.  This 
division  was  composed  of  residents  of  Detroit.  On  December  6  the 
second  division  was  mustered  in  at  Saginaw,  and  the  third  at  Detroit 
on  December  22.  Immediately  after  the  muster  of  the  third  division 
the  three  divisions  were  organized  into  the  first  battalion.  The  total 
strength  of  the  battalion,  officers  and  men,  is  about  200,  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1897  the  United  States  ship  Yantic,  fourth  rate  cruiser,  was 
loaned  by  the  Navy  Department  to  the  State  for  the  use  of  the  bat- 
talion. While  the  ship  was  being  fitted  at  the  Boston  navy  yard,  the 
question  arose  as  to  whether  she  could  pass  through  the  Canadian 
canals  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  the  Navy  Department  ordered 
an  officer  of  the  construction  department  to  investigate.  He  reported 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  the  Yantic  through,  and  the  secre- 
tary of  the  navy  then  informed  the  governor  that  the  loan  would  be 
recalled  on  that  account.  But  the  matter  had  been  previously  exam- 
ined by  the  officers  of  the  battalion,  and  they  told  the  secretary  that 
the  Yantic  could  be  passed  through  the  canals.  The  vessel  was  then 
delivered  to  the  battalion  at  Montreal.  Under  the  superintendence  of 
F.  W.  Wheeler,  the  large  shipbuilder  of  Bay  City,  the  Yantic  was 
brought  through,  and  she  arrived  in  Detroit  on  December  8,  1897. 
The  battalion  is  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Commander  Gilbert  Wilkes, 
with  headquarters  at  Detroit. 

Before  the  county  of  Wayne  was  created  there  were  two  county  or- 
ganizations embracing  the  territory  about  Detroit.  Virginia  and  Con- 
necticut each  laid  claim  to  portions  of  the  territory  embracing  the  pres- 
ent States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  Neither 
of  these  States  appears  to  have  had  anything  more  than  a  claim,  and 
neither  appears  to  have  had  any  distinct  boundary  to  its  claim,  because 
there  had  been  no  survey  of  the  territory.  It  was  all  British  property 
up  to  1783,  and  the  British  even  disputed  the  claim  of  Virginia  to  the 
region  south  of  the  Ohio  known  as  "  Kentuck."     Disregarding  the  first 

589 


provision  of  the  famous  recipe  for  hare  pie,  "  First  catch  your  hare," 
the  colony  of  Virginia  verbally  annexed  all  the  northwest  region  in 
1778,  and  named  that  portion  north  of  the  Ohio  River  "the  county  of 
Illinois."  This  was  the  first  county  organization,  but  it  had  no  legal 
standing.  Fourteen  years  later,  in  1792,  Lieutenant-Governor  Simcoe, 
who  had  jurisdiction  over  Upper  Canada,  organized  what  is  now  the 
States  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  and  portions  of  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  the  region  now  known  as  the  counties  of  Essex 
and  Kent  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  and  a  vast  area  lying  north  of 
Lake  Superior  and  east  of  Lake  Huron,  into  the  county  of  Kent.  In 
1787  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Connecticut,  realizing  that  they  were 
powerless  in  the  western  country,  ceded  all  claims  to  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment, and  the  Northwest  Territory  was  created  with  Gov.  Arthur 
St.  Clair  as  governor  and  Winthrop  Sargent  as  secretary.  In  1796, 
when  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  visited  Detroit,  accompanied  by  Winthrop 
Sargent,  secretary  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  the  people  gave  the 
general  a  hearty  reception,  and  during  the  height  of  the  popular  enthu- 
siasm Secretary  Sargent  made  a  speech  declaring  that  the  area  between 
the  lakes  should  hereafter  be  known  as  the  county  of  Wayne. 

The  first  sheriff  having  jurisdiction  over  Detroit  was  Gregor  Mc- 
Gregor, who  was  appointed  by  Lieutenant-Governor  Simcoe  for  the 
county  of  Kent.  Richard  Pollard  succeeded  McGregor  in  1795  as  the 
British  sheriff,  and  after  the  evacuation  of  Detroit,  in  1796,  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  same  office  in  Sandwich.  Pollard's  temperament 
was  not  suited  for  the  office  he  held,  and  he  studied  for  the  ministry, 
was  ordained,  resigned  his  office  as  sheriff,  and  turned  his  attention  to 
saving  souls. 

The  first  sheriff  of  Wayne  county  proper  was  George  McDougall. 
McDougall  for  some  reason  concluded  he  would  not  act  as  sheriff  and 
proceeded  to  assign  his  office  to  Herman  Eberts.  Eberts  gave  Mc- 
Dougall a  bond  for  his  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  that  would 
devolve  upon  McDougall  as  sheriff  (or  high  sheriff,  as  it  was  called). 
The  bond  is  on  record  in  the  register's  office  in  book  1,  on  page  12  and 
is  dated  December  23,  1796.  In  the  bond  McDougall  is  several  times 
referred  to  as  sheriff.  Eberts  did  not  become  sheriff  until  a  later 
period,  for  in  a  bond  made  by  him  March  1,  1797,  he  styles  himself  as 
''acting  high  sheriff,"  which  he  would  not  have  done  had  he  received 
the  appointment. 

C.  M.  Burton  has  searched  the  official  proceedings  of  Governor  St. 

590 


Clair  and  Winthrop  Sargent  to  find  their  official  appointments  without 
success,  examining  the  archives  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
and  a  portion  of  those  at  Washington.  So  far  no  list  of  appointees 
made  by  these  officials  has  come  to  light. 

The  following  sheriffs,  nearly  all  citizens  of  Detroit,  have  served  in 
Wayne  county,  after  the  retirement  of  Herman  Eberts : 


Lewis  Bond. 

B.  Huntingson. 

..George  McDougall. 

Ellas  Wallen. 

Thomas  McCrea. 

Richard  Smythe. 

..James  H.  Audrain. 

Austin  E.  Wing. 

..Abraham  Edwards. 
...William  Meldrum. 
.Thomas  C.  Sheldon. 
...Thomas  S.  Knapp. 


1798-99 

1800   

1800   

1801   

1803   

1804   

1815   

1816-25 

1825   

1825   

1826-29 

1829   

1830       Benjamin  Wood  worth. 

1831-37 John  M.  Wilson. 

1837-41 Lemuel  Goodell. 

1841-45  Daniel  Thompson. 

1845-47 H.  R.  Andrews. 

1847-51 E.  V.  Cicott. 

1851-53 .Lyman  Baldwin. 


1853-54 Horace  Gray. 

1855-56 Joshua  Howard. 

1857-60 E.  V.  Cicott. 

1860 Peter  Fralick. 

1861-62 Mark  Flanigan. 

1863-64 Peter  Fralick. 

1865-66 F.  X.  Cicott. 

1867-69 E.  V.  Cicott. 

1869-70 John  Patton. 

1871-74 George  C.  Codd. 

1875-76 Jared  A.  Sexton. 

1877-80 Walter  H.  Coots. 

1881-84 Conrad  CHppert. 

1885-86 George  C.  Stellwagen. 

1887-90 Louis  C.  Littlefield. 

1891-92 James  Hanley. 

1893-96 Charles  P.  Collins. 

1897 Harry  F.  Chipman. 


CHAPTER    LXXXIV. 

Amusements,  Recreations  and  Sports — Music  and  Drama — Detroit  Theatres  Since 
1798 — Horse  Racing,  Rowing,  Cricket,  Athletics,  Yachting,  Baseball,  Bicycling  and 
Social  Organizations. 

Music  now  forms  a  sufficient  part  of  everyday  life  in  Detroit,  so  that 
any  history  which  purports  to  faithfully  reflect  the  city's  activities,  must 
speak  of  her  devotion  to  this  charming  branch  of  art.  All  artistic  de- 
velopment must  needs  be  slow  at  first.  Not  until  human  beings  are 
comfortably  housed,  fed  and  clothed  do  they  look  away  from  the  ma- 
terial pursuits  and  seek  diversion  in  esthetic  culture,  and  not  until  a 
leisure  class  is  developed  do  the  Muses  find  votaries  or  patrons.     Music, 


591 


however,  comes  nearer  to  being  a  natural  art  than  the  others,  and  it 
usually  claims  some  attention  as  soon  as  the  first  anxieties  are  appeased. 
And  so  we  find  that  while  Detroit  was  yet  a  primitive  settlement  her 
inhabitants  began  in  a  modest  way  to  foster  public  musical  entertain- 
ments. There  are  only  few  and  vague  records  of  the  first  steps  at 
organization,  but  it  is  known  that  when  the  news  of  the  treaty  of  peace 
between  France  and  England  reached  the  fort  of  Detroit,  on  June  3, 
1763,  it  was  celebrated  by  a  public  concert.  At  that  time  Pontiac  was 
besieging  the  fort  and  its  English  garrison. 

On  June  21,  1832,  one  Blisse,  a  Tyrolese  minstrel,  then  in  great 
vogue,  gave  a  concert  here,  and  between  that  time  and  the  present 
nearly  every  great  artist  in  the  world  who  has  visited  the  United 
States  has  appeared  in  Detroit  in  concert  or  opera. 

Part  singing  is  invariably  one  of  the  first  forms  of  vocal  culture.  It 
is  the  next  step  beyond  the  family  "catch  "  and  "glee  "  after  the  day's 
work,  or  the  hymn  on  a  Sunday  afternoon.  The  oldest  existing  musi- 
cal organization  in  Detroit  is  the  Harmonic,  which  was  formed  in  1848. 
It  was  followed  by  the  Concordia  Society  in  1865.  The  Harmonic 
built  its  own  club  house  in  1875,  and  after  its  destruction  by  fire  some 
four  years  ago  built  a  handsome  edifice  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Cen- 
ter and  Wilcox  streets.  In  1876  Prof.  S.  S.  Jackson  started  a  musical 
institute,  in  which  young  men  and  women  were  taught  to  read  vocal 
music  and  sing  in  chorus. 

The  organization  of  numerous  choral  societies  followed,  most  of  them 
flourishing  for  a  time,  and  then  passing  out  of  existence  from  several 
causes.  The  Detroit  Musical  Society  played  an  important  role  from 
1870  to  1882,  and  many  fine  concerts  were  given  under  its  auspices. 
It  was  reorganized  in  1890  with  Albert  A.  Stanley,  of  Ann  Arbor,  as 
director,  and  for  two  seasons  was  conducted  on  a  grander  scale  than 
ever  before.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  the  society  was  badly 
in  debt,  and  it  was  disbanded.  Another  active  and  popular  society, 
which  existed  from  1873  to  1880,  was  the  Orpheus,  a  male  chorus  of 
twenty-four  voices.  It  was  devoted  to  the  performance  of  madrigals, 
glees,  serenades,  etc.  After  six  years  of  successful  work  the  rules 
were  revised  and  ladies  were  admitted,  and,  unpleasant  to  relate,  the 
society  went  to  pieces  within  a  twelvemonth. 

The  existing  choral  societies  in  Detroit  are  the  Harmonic,  Concordia, 
Frohsinn,  Teutonia  and  Silver  Link,  all  German;  the  St.  Cecelia  Soci- 
ety, a  mixed  chorus  of  about  seventy  voices,  under  the  direction  of  N. 

592 


JOSEPH    H.  CLARK. 


J.  Corey;  the  Madrigal  Club,  a  ladies'  chorus  of  sixteen  voices;  and 
the  Apollo  Club,  a  male  chorus  of  forty  voices.  The  Boylston  Club 
,was  founded  in  1879  by  several  ex-members  of  college  glee  clubs,  and 
since  that  time  has  given  annual  invitation  concerts  to  its  friends. 
The  three  last  named  societies  are  under  the  leadership  of  Charles  B. 
Stevens. 

It  is  in  the  line  of  musical  organization  that  Detroit  is  notably  back- 
ward at  the  present  day.  She  may  claim  an  unusually  large  coterie  of 
excellent  musicians,  representing  all  branches  of  the  art,  as  well  as 
several  successful  schools  and  a  student  population  larger  than  almost 
any  city  of  equal  size  in  the  country;  but,  withal,  there  is  a  sad  lack  of 
organization.  Necessary  patrons  have  not  been  forthcoming  to  foster 
either  a  large  chorus,  which  might  regularly  perform  the  great  oratorio 
works,  or  an  orchestra  capable  of  adequately  presenting  the  standard 
symphonies.  There  are  many  wealthy  residents,  but  no  one  of  them 
has  been  moved  to  open  his  purse  for  the  furtherance  of  music  in  our 
midst. 

The  institution  which,  above  all  other  agencies,  has  served  to  give 
Detroit  a  respected  name  as  a  musical  city,  is  the  Detroit  Philharmonic 
Club,  a  string  quartet  organized  a  dozen  years  ago  by  the  late  Louis  F. 
Schultz.  By  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Schultz,  as  business  manager,  and  the 
highly  artistic  leadership  of  Mr.  William  Yunck,  first  violinist  and 
musical  director,  the  quartet  soon  came  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the 
best  exponents  of  chamber  music  in  the  land,  and  their  annual  visits  to 
scores  of  cities  in  the  central  and  western  States  did  much  to  carry  the 
fame  of  Detroit  abroad.  The  club  is  still  in  existence,  with  Mr.  Yunck 
as  first  violin,  Hermann  Brueckner,  second,  Frank  J.  Reszke,  viola, 
and  Hermann  Heberlein,  'cellist. 

The  Detroit  Symphony  Orchestra  has  given  a  series  of  home  concerts 
each  season  for  several  years  past,  and  is  now  doing  the  best  work  in 
its  history  under  the  musical  directorship  of  Mr.  G.  Arthur  Depew. 

The  Tuesday  Musicale  is  a  most  prosperous  social-musical  women's 
club,  which  has  been  instrumental  in  bringing  many  great  artists  to 
Detroit.  Monthly  members'  concerts  are  also  given  during  the  season, 
in  which  a  large  number  of  local  performers  appear. 

Alfred  Hofmann  gives  an  annual  series  of  concerts  at  Harmonic 
Hall,  procuring  the  services  of  well  known  artists  to  assist,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  great  pianists,  violinists  and  concert  singers  en  tour  in 
America  come  to   Detroit.      Occasional   brief  seasons  of  grand  opera 

593 


have  not  proven  profitable  to  the  managers  in  recent  years,  and  the 
future  in  this  field  is  very  doubtful. 

Several  schools  and  a  host  of  private  teachers  are  giving  musical  in- 
struction to  thousands  of  music  students,  many  of  whom  come  for 
their  studies  from  surrounding  territory,  and  each  season  there  are  de- 
veloped some  uncommonly  talented  soloists,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental. The  Detroit  Conservatory  of  Music,  Detroit  Institute  of 
Music,  Mehan  School  of  Vocal  Art,  Vet  Musical  Academy,  Burrowes's 
Piano  School,  Larned  School  for  the  Singing  Voice,  and  Detroit  School 
of  Music  are  among  the  institutions  devoted  exclusively  to  training  in 
various  branches  of  music. 

Perhaps  no  one  man  has  done  pioneer  work  for  musical  culture  equal 
to  Prof.  J.  PI.  Hahn,  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  past  director  of 
the  Detroit  Conservatory  of  Music. 

Nearly  all  the  churches  maintain  paid  choirs,  and  in  some  instances 
the  salary  of  soloists  reaches  the  figure  of  $1,000  per  annum. 

Among  the  resident  musicians  are  several  who  have  manifested 
marked  creative  ability,  and  their  compositions  are  accepted  by  stand- 
ard publishers.  Perhaps  the  most  noted  writer  of  music  who  has  ever 
been  a  resident  of  Detroit  is  Anton  Strelezki.  This  talented  man  was 
a  teacher  and  soloist  here  for  several  years,  and  some  of  his  most 
widely  known  songs  were  written  during  that  period.  Other  success- 
full  Detroit  composers  were  Adam  Couse,  E.  S.  Mattoon,  James  E. 
Stewart,  J.  L.  Truax,  J.  C.  Macy,  P.  Centemeri,  J.  H.  Whittmore, 
S.  Mazurette,  M.  H.  McChesney,  O.  F.  Berdan  and  others. 

THE    DRAMA. 

It  is  known  that  Cadillac  attended  plays  in  Quebec,  which  were  pro- 
duced under  the  auspices  of  Governor  Frontenac,  and  that  they  were 
bitterly  opposed  by  the  Jesuits,  but  there  is  no  record  in  after  years  of 
plays  being  produced  during  his  governorship  of  Mackinaw  or  Detroit. 
Neither  is  there  any  account  extant  of  any  dramatic  performance  in 
Detroit  during  any  of  his  successors  under  French  or  English  rule.  In 
1798,  however,  two  years  after  the  American  possession,  entertain- 
ments, including  dramatic  performances,  were  given  in  Military  Hall, 
within  the  cantonment.  In  1829  theatrical  entertainments  were  given 
in  the  government  storehouse  at  the  foot  of  Wayne  street,  east  side, 
and  Major  John  Biddle  and  Lieut.  James  Watson  Webb,  afterward  a 
famous  New  York  journalist,  were  among  the  actors.      Mr.  Webb,  it  is 

594 


JACOB    H.    HAHN. 


said,  played  female  parts,  being  slim,  graceful  and  good  looking.  He 
was  the  maternal  imcle  of  the  late  Mrs.  John  Chester  of  this  city. 

In  1830  there  was  a  theatre  fitted  up  in  the  rear  of  the  Steamboat  Hotel, 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Woodbridge  and  Randolph  streets.  The 
manager  was  one  Parsons,  who,  it  is  said,  afterward  became  a  preacher. 

In  1834  there  was  a  theatre  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Smart  Block, 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Jefferson  and  Woodward  avenues,  which  was 
soon  discontinued. 

In  the  early  '30's  Major  D.  C.  McKinstry  was  the  amusement  caterer 
of  the  town  and  was  proprietor  of  a  theatre,  a  circus,  the  Detroit 
Museum,  and  the  Michigan  Garden.  The  theatre  was  a  building  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  Gratiot  avenue  and  Farrar  street,  and  the  les- 
sees were  McKinney  and  afterward  Dean  &  McKinney.  In  January. 
1838,  performances  were  given  at  this  theatre  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Patriot  cause,  which  were  largely  attended  by  those  who  condemned 
the  methods  of  the  Canadian  "  Family  Compact."  At  this  theatre  Ed- 
win Forrest,  the  great  tragedian,  played  six  nights  in  succession. 
When  Garry  A.  Hough  came  to  Detroit  in  1845  he  found  the  theatre 
had  been  converted  into  a  chair  factory.  "There  was  the  stage,"  he 
said,  "and  the  auditorium,  with  its  dress  circle  and  pit  clearly  defined, 
but  it  was  full  of  men  making  chairs."  It  is  now  occupied  by  Poll's 
Italian  restaurant. 

Directly  opposite,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Gratiot  avenue  and 
Farmer  street,  was  the  circus,  a  large  wooden  building,  with  a  saw  dust 
ring  with  a  pole  in  the  center  in  imitation  of  the  peripatetic  canvas 
arenas.      It  was  burned  on  March  7,  1858. 

The  Michigan  Garden  comprised  the  square  bounded  by  Monroe 
avenue,  Brush,  Randolph  and  Fort  streets.  It  contained  walks,  fruit 
trees,  summer  houses,  a  commodious  bath  house,  a  "  choice  menagerie, " 
and  a  "grand  cosmorama."  There  were  no  lions,  tigers  or  elephants 
in  the  menagerie,  and  the  principal  attractions  were  bears,  raccoons 
and  other  indigenous  wild  animals.  The  garden  was  "illuminated 
with  candles  every  evening,"  and  a  brass  band  "heightened  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  visitors."  The  Directory  of  1837,  which  gives  the  above 
information,  describes  its  location  as  being  "  situated  at  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  town."  It  is  said  that  Julia  Dean,  the  famous  actress, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  Manager  Dean,  was  born  in  a  house  in  the 
garden.  This  is  given  on  the  authorit}-  of  William  Adair,  afterward 
the  manager,  but  it  has  been  contradicted. 

595 


The  Detroit  Museum  was  located  on  the  upper  floors  of  a  brick  build- 
ing on  the  southeast  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Griswold  street. 
The  late  William  Adair  was  the  manager  for  several  years  previous  to 
1839.  Its  attractions  were  a  vaudeville  hall,  a  collection  of  curiosities 
in  nature  and  art,  wax  figures,  and  "phantasmal  views  and  illusions." 
In  1838  the  museum  was  so  attractive  and  attracted  such  large  audi- 
ences, that  the  theatre  fell  into  second  place,  and  Dean  &  McKinney 
were  nearly  stranded.  Their  principal  female  actress,  her  mother,  and 
their  best  actors  forsook  them  and  came  to  the  museum,  where  they 
played  to  crowded  houses.  In  1839  Manager  Adair  went  to  Scotland 
on  business  and  when  he  returned  in  1840  he  was  given  charge  of  the 
Michigan  Garden.  The  museum  was  then  discontinued  and  with  its 
curiosities,  etc.,  was  removed  to  the  garden.  The  latter  place  of 
amusement  was  discontinued  about  1846,  and  A.  E,  Brush  used  its  site 
for  his  family  mansion  and  grounds. 

In  1837  there  was  a  "Hall  of  Amusement"  at  No.  6  Woodward 
avenue,  conducted  by  Samuel  Fletcher. 

The  Detroit  Garden  was  also  in  full  blast  in  1837  at  16  Bates  street, 
behind  where  Gray,  Toynton  &  Fox's  store  is  now  situated,  and  was 
managed  by  Dean  &  Campbell,  the  first-named  being  probably  the 
actor,  who  subsequently  went  into  partnership  with  McKinney.  It 
was  a  building  fronting  on  the  north  side  of  Atwater  street,  with  a  few 
trees  in  the  rear. 

In  the  fall  of  1837  the  young  lads  of  the  town  organized  the  Thespian 
Society,  and  gave  several  theatrical  performances.  According  to  Rich- 
ard R.  Elliott,  in  his  entertaining  reminiscences,  the  society  was  in  ex- 
istence for  three  or  four  winters  afterward.  The  theatre  was  in  a  hall 
on  the  upper  floor  of  the  University  building  in  Bates  street.  There 
was  no  charge  for  admission,  tickets  of  invitation  being  issued.  The 
performers  were  thirteen  in  number,  as  follows:  Friend  Palmer,  John 
Hyatt  Smith,  Eben  N.  Willcox,  John  E.  King,  Charles  E.  Keeny, 
Elisha  Eldred,  William  L,  Woodbridge.  William  B.  Wesson,  Edwin  A. 
Wales,  Charles  R.  McKinstry,  his  brother,  Elisha  McKinstrj-,  Everest 
Franchier  and  Young  St,  Clair.  The  female  characters  were  generally 
personated  by  Friend  Palmer,  John  Hyatt  Smith,  Edwin  A.  Wales  and 
Elisha  McKinstry.  The  first  performance  was  the  standard  English 
farce,  "Raising  the  Wind."  Other  performances  were  Haine's  tragedy 
of  "Douglass,"  with  John  Hyatt  Smith  as  "  Norvell  " ;  "Slasher  and 
Crasher,"  "  The  Two  Bonnycastles,"  and  other  plays. 

596 


In  1845,  when  Garry  A.  Hough  came  with  a  traveling  company  to 
Detroit,  there  was  no  theatre  in  Detroit,  and  itinerant  shows  were  held 
in  the  old  City  Hall,  which  was  on  Cadillac  square,  fronting  on  the 
Campus  Martins.  This  was  during  the  great  temperance  wave  that 
swept  through  the  country,  and  the  theatres  naturally  catered  to  the 
popular  taste  by  presenting  temperance  plays.  Hough  presented  "The 
Drunkard,"  "The  Drunkard's  Wife,"  ."The  Broken  Merchant,"  and 
other  plays  which  showed  the  evil  effects  of  intemperance,  and  was  so 
successful  that  he  played  three  weeks.  One  of  his  actors  was  W.  G 
Noah,  who  afterward  married  the  celebrated  actress,  Mrs.  McClure. 

From  1841  to  1848  Detroit  was  without  a  regular  theatre,  but  in  the 
latter  year  Parker  &  Ellis  came  from  Syracuse  to  Detroit  and  built  the 
National  Theatre,  on  Jefferson  avenue,  opposite  the  Biddle  House.  In 
In  1851  James  Sherlock  got  possession  of  the  building,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded as  manager  by  his  son,  Edward  T.  Sherlock.  Shortly  after- 
ward the  building  was  named  the  Metropolitan  Theatre.  Amasa  Mc- 
Farland,  a  noted  actor  and  manager,  leased  the  theatre  for  long 
engagements  nearly  every  year  in  the  '50's.  Among  the  stars  who 
appeared  on  the  boards  of  the  Metropolitan  were  John  Wilkes  Booth, 
Edwin  Booth,  Lawrence  Barrett,  Jenny  Lind,  Olive  Logan,  Celia  Lo- 
gan, Eliza  Logan,  W.  S.  Forrest,  J.  P.  Adams,  J.  W.  Wallack,  Char- 
lotte Cushman,  Barney  Williams  and  wife,  and  Julia  Dean.  It  is  said 
that  Kitty  Blanchard  (Mrs.  McKee  Rankin)  made  her  first  appear- 
ance there.  Lawrence  Barrett  vvas  property  man  in  this  theatre  and 
afterward  graduated  into  a  star.  His  first  appearance  was  in  this 
theatre  in  the  beginning  of  the  season  of  1853-54,  when  he  played  the 
humble  part  of  "  Murad  "  in  the  "French  Spy."  During  an  engage- 
ment of  Peter  Richings  and  his  famous  daughter,  Caroline,  the  play  of 
"  Old  Heads  and  Young  Hearts"  was  presented.  The  actor  who  was 
to  impersonate  "  Littleton  Coke"  was  suddenly  called  away,  and  Manager 
Sherlock  was  at  his  wits'  end.  At  this  juncture  young  Barrett  spoke 
up,  "  I  can  do  it;  I  know  every  line,"  From  this  time  he  played  more 
or  less  in  minor  parts  in  tragedy  and  comedy,  until  finally  about  twelve 
months  afterward  he  played   "  Romeo  "  to  Julia  Dean's  "  Juliet." 

Sherlock  left  the  theatrical  business  early  in  1861  and  went  to  the 
front  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fifth  Michigan  Infantry,  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  McFarland  continued  as  man- 
ager until  later  in  the  year,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  John  A.  Ellsler, 
of  Pittsburg  and  Cleveland.    McFarland  was  again  manager  for  a  short 

597 


time,  and  was  followed  by  Yankee  Robinson  and   Mrs.  H.  A.  Perry. 

In  1862  the  lease  was  purchased  from  the  elder  Sherlock  by  Charles 
M.  Welch,  who  converted  it  into  a  vaudeville  theatre.  It  was  subse- 
quently named  by  him  "The  Varieties,"  and  finally,  in  1869,  the 
Theatre  Comique.  Peter  Rush,  afterward  city  controller,  was  for 
fourteen  years  a  member  of  the  Theatre  Comique.  Nicol  Norton,  the 
well  known  actor,  wft.s  its  stage  manager  for  several  years,  and  Warren 
Boardwell  was  its  manager  for  some  time.  It  was  burned  on  July  22, 
1877,  but  was  rebuilt  and  continued  until  1883,  when  it  was  torn  down 
and  converted  into  a  livery  stable.  Its  site  is  now  occupied  by  a 
carriage  repository. 

The  Detroit  Thespian  Society  was  organized  in  the  early  '50's,  and 
as  an  amateur  club  was  quite  successful.  Among  the  members  were 
Robert  McWade,  who  at  that  time  worked  in  a  varnish  factory  and  who 
afterward  gained  a  reputation  only  second  to  Jefferson  in  "Rip  Van 
Winkle";  Mark  H.  Gascoigne,  afterward  superintendent  of  the  Detroit 
Fire  Departmeht  telegraph  alarm;  O.  S.  Ottley,  the  well  known  de- 
signer and  engraver  on  wood ;  Eleanor  Meredith,  afterward  Mrs.  E.  A. 
Smith,  superintendent  of  art  instruction  in  the  Newark  (N.  J.)  public 
schools;  the  Aitken  brothers,  who  worked  on  the  Free  Press;  Wain- 
wright,  a  newspaper  man,  and  others.  The  Thespians  gave  twelve 
performances  at  the  Metropolitan  when  the  theatre  was  not  running  in 
the  summer  of  1854. 

The  most  popular  variety  or  vaudeville  hall  from  1857  to  1863  was 
Jacob  Beller's  Detroit  Concert  Hall,  at  112  and  114  Randolph  street. 
It  was  on  the  east  side  of  Randolph  street,  between  Congress  and  Fort 
streets,  next  building  north  of  Peter  Henkel's  grocery  store,  and  like 
all  the  buildings  on  the  square,  was  torn  down  when  the  erection  of  the 
new  County  Building  was  begun  last  year.  He  commenced  as  a  whole- 
sale liquor  dealer  there  in  1854,  and  in  1857  started  a  concert  hall, 
occupying  two  stores.  One  of  the  first  attractions  was  the  Hofer  fam- 
ily, Tyrolean  singers  and  piano  players.  With  this  family  was  Justin 
Juch,  a  fine  pianist,  who  married  in  this  city  a  daughter  of  a  German 
citizen  named  Hahn,  and  afterward  became  the  father  of  the  noted 
cantatrice,  Emma  Juch.  The  hall  was  a  primitive  affair.  The  parti- 
tion between  the  two  stores  was  taken  away,  and  there  was  a  row  of 
pillars  extending  down  the  center.  One  of  these  was  quite  close  to  the 
stage  and  it  ever  and  anon  shut  the  performers  out  of  view  as  they 
moved  from  side  to  side.      Kitty  Blanchard,  now  Mrs.  McKee  Rankin, 

598 


appeared  as  a  danseuse  on  this  stage,  and  so  did  Hughy  Dougherty, 
the  noted  minstrel  man,  and  George  R.  Edeson,  the  celebrated  panto- 
minist  and  clown.  The  pianist  for  several  years  was  Peter  Cueney, 
who  was  also  an  organist  in  a  local  church.  It  was  a  gay  old  place, 
and  all  classes  frequented  it,  from  R.  N.  Rice,  the  president  of  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad,  to  the  Central  Market  bum.  Sometimes 
clergymen  would  visit  the  place,  to  notice  the  depravity  and  un- 
godliness, but  they  saw  little  to  shock  their  sensibilities.  In  fact, 
the  smoke  from  cigars  and  pipes  would  dim  the  keenest  vision,  and 
although  liquid  refreshments  could  be  served  to  everybody  who 
ordered  them,  there  was  no  drunkenness;  Jacob  always  preserved  strict 
order.  Mr.  Beller  lived  over  the  store,  and  his  professional  talent  slept 
on  the  floors  above  and  they  all  ate  at  a  common  table.  After  the  war 
commenced  a  number  of  other  concert  halls  was  established.  Beller 
led  them  all,  but  competition  reduced  his  profits.  In  18G3  there  were 
eight  concert  halls  of  the  same  type,  the  principal  one  being  Welch's 
Varieties,  formerly  the  Metropolitan  Theatre;  two  on  Griswold  street, 
two  on  Jefferson  avenue,  two  on  Cadillac  square,  and  one  on  Bates 
street.  The  stores  of  which  Beller's  place  was  composed  were  owned 
by  two  persons,  and  he  could  not  get  them  to  agree  to  erect  a  new  hall 
on  the  same  site,  so  he  sold  his  lease  in  1863  to  Charles  M.  Welch,  who 
was  interested  in  the  Varieties,  formerly  the  Metropolitan  Theatre. 
Beller  went  to  Chicago  and  was  manager  of  a  concert  hall  there.  In 
1804  he  kept  a  saloon  under  the  Russell  House;  in  1871  was  proprietor 
of  a  saloon  on  State  street;  and  in  1877  removed  to  Hamtramck  where 
he  built  the  hotel  and  bath-house  on  Jefferson  avenue  which  bears  his 
name. 

Merrill  Hall,  in  the  Merrill  block,  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  and 
Jefferson  avenues,  was  built  in  1859,  and  opened  in  November  of  that 
year.  It  was  rented  for  balls,  concerts  and  theatrical  performances, 
until  it  was  leased  to  Sackett  &  Wiggins,  December,  13,  1886.  It  was 
opened  on  Christmas  Day,  1887,  and  named  Wonderland  Musee 
Theatre.  Sackett  &  Wiggins  were  the  first  managers.  They  were  suc- 
ceeded by  M.  S.  Robinson,  and  J.  H.  Moore,  the  present  manager,  be- 
came the  lessee  on  May  1,  1891. 

Young  Men's  Hall,  in  the  Biddle  House  block,  was  opened  as  a 
theatre  November  21,  1861.  It  was  the  leading  theatre  of  Detroit  until 
1869,  and  all  the  high-priced  dramatic  and  operatic  companies  played 
there.     One  of  the  first  managers  was  J.  W.  Lanergan,  andhe  wassuc- 

599 


ceeded  by  Barney  Macauley.  Among  the  stellar  attractions  which  ap- 
peared at  this  theatre  was  the  celebrated  Campbell  &  Castle  Opera 
Company,  in  September,  1865,  in  which  Kittie  Fox,  a  Detroit  girl,  and 
sister  in  law  of  Broccolini,  the  basso,  sang  the  principal  roles ;  Edwin 
Booth,  Ristori  and  Joe  Jefferson.  After  the  opening  of  the  Detroit 
Opera  House  in  1869  it  was  principally  used  for  lectures  and  concerts. 
In  the  later  70's  the  name  was  changed  to  Beecher  Hall,  and  for  some 
time  the  proprietor,  Luther  Beecher,  gave  a  series  of  free  entertain- 
ments, at  which  volunteer  talent  entertained  large  audiences.  For 
several  years  past  it  has  not  been  used  for  any  purpose. 

The  Atheneum,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Congress  and  Randolph 
streets,  was  built  by  Dr.  C.  P.  Palmer,  and  opened  on  April  18,  1864, 
with  Garry  A.  Hough  as  manager.  The  first  piece  presented  was 
''The  Hunchback."  The  Atheneum  was  a  small  theatre,  and  when 
Palmer  and  Hough  engaged  important  attractions  they  took  the  com- 
pany to  Young  Men's  Hall  in  the  Biddle  block.  Under  their  manage- 
ment Ristori,  the  celebrated  actress,  played  at  the  latter  place  on  Janu- 
ary 11  and  12,  1867,  personating  the  principal  character  in  "Marie 
Stewart"  and  "Elizabeth."  They  gave  $5,000  for  the  two  perform- 
ances, but  the  net  loss  was  about  $300.  They  also  engaged  Charles 
Keene,  the  English  star,  and  James  H.  Hackett,  the  great  "Falstaff, " 
who  played  at  Young  Men's  Hall.  The  Atheneum  was  burned  on  the 
night  of  January  23,  1869,  by  the  bursting  of  a  gas  pipe  in  the  basement. 

The  Detroit  Opera  House,  on  the  Campus  Martius,  was  built  in  1869 
by  a  stock  company,  of  which  the  late  Dr.  Eliphalet  M.  Clark  was  the 
principal  stockholder,  and  opened  on  March  29  of  that  year.  The  first 
manager  was  Garry  A.  Hough,  who  received  a  one  month's  lease  from 
Dr.  Clark,  and  the  opening  performance  was  "London  Assurance," 
with  Kate  Reignolds  as  "Lady  Gay  Spanker."  William  H.  Hough, 
brother  of  Garry,  was  the  treasurer,  and  was  afterwards  a  local  theatri- 
cal manager.  In  the  following  year  J.  W.  Lanergan  became  manager 
and  formed  a  stock  company.  Thomas  W.  Davey,  father  of  Minnie 
Maddern  Fiske,  succeeded  him  in  1876.  Mr.  Davey  died  in  December, 
1879,  and  the  next  manager  was  Joseph  Brooks.  Succeeding  managers 
were  John  H.  Havlin  and  Charles  Shaw.  In  1884  C.  J.  Whitney  be- 
came lessee,  and  in  1885  James  M.  Lothrop  was  appointed  manager. 
In  1887  the  stage  and  auditorium  were  lowered  to  the  ground  floor,  and 
the  house  reopened  on  Monday,  September  5,  with  the  Carleton  Opera 
Company.     In  November,  1895,  Bertram  C.  Whitney  became  manager, 

600 


SAMUEL  CRAWFORD. 


and  was  in  charge  when  the  theatre  was  burned  on  the  night  of  Octo- 
ber 7,  1897.  The  Clark  estate,  which  owned  the  building,  has  com- 
menced the  work  of  building  another  opera  house,  to  be  finished  and 
occupied  September  1,  1898. 

Gies's  Orchestrion  Hall,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Monroe  avenue 
and  Farmer  street,  formerly  the  St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran church,  was  opened  on  Monday,  July  6,  1872,  by  George  H. 
Gies.  It  was  first  a  concert  hall,  but  was  afterward  converted  into  a 
vaudeville  theatre,  with  Fred  McEvoy  as  manager  and  Ned  West  as 
stage  manager.  Charles  B.  and  William  E.  Newberry  succeeded  as 
managers.  The  building  was  torn  down  in  February,  1877,  and  is  now 
a  part  of  the  Hilsendegen  block. 

Hough's  Detroit  Theatre  was  opened  in  the  old  Baptist  church,  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Fort  and  Griswold  streets,  on  May  18,  1874. 
The  lessees  were  Garry  A.  Hough  and  his  brother,  William  H.  Hough. 
The  first  performance  was  the  "Bohemian  Girl  "  and  "  Litschen  and 
Fritschen,"  by  the  Holman  Opera  Company.  Garry  A.  Hough  with- 
drew after  a  few  weeks,  and  his  brother  changed  it  into  a  vaudeville 
hall,  named  it  the  Detroit  Variety  Theatre,  and  afterward  the  New 
Adelphi  on  November  21,  1874.  At  the  expiration  of  eight  months  the 
house  was  leased  to  Charles  M.  Welch,  lessee  of  the  Theatre  Comique, 
who  gave  performances  on  Saturday  nights  with  his  company,  the  per- 
formers of  his  own  house  being  conveyed  in  carriages  to  the  Variety 
Theatre,  thus  doing  a  double  turn  on  those  evenings.  He  also  rented 
it  to  traveling  troupes  on  other  nights.  Early  in  1876  Harry  A.  Foster 
and  T.  I.  Bowles  rented  the  Adelphi  from  Welch,  and  established 
therein  a  fine  billiard  hall,  with  twenty-two  tables,  and  were  quite  suc- 
cessful. In  the  fall  of  1877  Welch  transfered  the  lease  to  Foster,  and 
the  latter  fitted  up  a  theatre,  named  it  the  Coliseum,  and  opened  it  on 
April  23,  1877.  Fred  McEvoy  was  the  first  stage  manager,  and  was 
soon  succeeded  by  Charles  O.  White,  who  came  from  Toledo.  The 
last  advertised  performance  was  on  March  9,  1878,  after  which  the 
building  was  converted  into  business  property. 

The  C.  J.  Whitney  Grand  Opera  House,  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Fort  and  Shelby  streets,  was  built  by  C.  J.  Whitney  and  opened  on 
September  13,  1875.  The  opening  performance  was  "  London  Assur- 
ance," with  George  A.  Boniface  as  "Sir  Harcourt  Courtly,"  and  Miss 
Georgie  Langley  as  "Lady  Gay  Spanker."  The  building  and  site 
were  sold  to  the  United  States  on  December  5,  1885,  and  forms  part  of 

601 


the  space  on  which  the  Federal  building  now  stands,  Mr.  Whitney 
then  leased  it  from  the  government  for  an  indeterminate  period,  and 
rented  to  low-priced  attractions,  under  the  management  of  Charles 
Blanchett.  The  last  dramatic  company  to  play  there  was  J.  Z.  Little's 
"World."  The  last  show  was  that  of  D'Alvine,  the  magician,  who 
appeared  in  the  week  ending  July  3,  1886,  after  which  the  building  was 
torn  down. 

The  Harmonie  Society  built  a  hall  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Cham- 
plain  and  Beaubien  streets,  and  it  was  formally  opened  November 
11,  1875,  with  a  grand  concert  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Abel.  It 
was  burned  October  14,  1893,  and  the  society  afterward  occupied  tem- 
porary quarters  in  the  vacated  Erichsen  Hotel  and  in  a  building  on 
Farrar  street,  north  of  Gratiot  avenue.  A  new  building  was  erected  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Center  and  Wilcox  streets  in  1895,  which  was 
opened  by  a  grand  concert  on  December  26.  In  its  two  permanent 
homes  above  mentioned,  the  society  has  given  many  fine  dramatic 
performances. 

A  vaudeville  theatre  was  erected  on  Michigan  avenue,  opposite  the 
northern  side  of  the  City  Hall,  where  the  rear  of  the  present  Majestic 
building  now  stands.  It  was  built  by  James  F.  O'Neil,  whose  saloon 
and  restaurant  adjoined  it  on  the  east,  and  was  opened  on  Monday, 
September  9,  1878,  with  Charles  O.  White  as  manager.  It  was  first 
named  the  New  Coliseum,  then  the  Coliseum  Novelty,  and  afterward  the 
Coliseum.  There  was  a  door  leading  into  the  saloon  from  the  theatre, 
and  the  audience  was  served  with  liquor  and  cigars  in  their  seats. 
Mayor  W.  G.  Thompson  objected  to  several  plays  presented  at  the 
theatre  and  the  council  passed  an  ordinance  prohibiting  liquor  from 
being  served  in  concert  halls  and  theatres.  O'Neil  then  rebuilt  and  en- 
larged the  theatre,  named  it  the  Park  Theatre,  and  it  was  opened  on 
August  29,  1881.  He  died  March  21,  1884.  The  theatre  was  open 
about  a  month  afterward,  and  was  then  converted  into  business 
property. 

On  the  site  of  the  present  Lyceum  Theatre,  on  the  east  side  of  Ran- 
dolph street,  between  Champlain  street  and  Monroe  avenue,  the  Music 
Hall  was  built  by  a  company,  and  first  opened  on  August  31,  1880.  In 
1883  it  was  converted  into  a  theatre,  with  Charles  O.  White  as  mana- 
ger. It  was  burned  on  January  1,  1886.  The  Brush  estate  then 
erected  a  first-class  theatre  on  the  site,  which  was  opened  on  September 
13,  1886,  with  Charles  O.  White  as  manager.      The  initial  performance 

602 


was  "Don  Caesar,"  by  the  McCaull  Opera  Company.  J.  Logan  Chip- 
man  delivered  the  inaugural  address,  and  ex-Mayor  W.  G.  Thompson 
also  addressed  the  audience.  It  was  first  named  White's  Grand  Opera 
House.  Mr.  White  died  on  January  3,  1889,  and  was  succeeded  for  a 
short  time  by  Mrs.  White.      Henry  C.  Miner  succeeded  as  manager  in 

1889,  and  named  it  Miner's  Theatre      vShaw   &   Delano   succeeded   in 

1890,  and  named  it  Lyceum  Theatre,  and  in  1892  Charles  Shaw  became 
sole  lessee  and  manager.  In  June,  1895,  E.  D.  Stair  succeeded  as  lessee 
and  manager,  and  in  September,  1896,  George  H.  Nicolai  became  man- 
ager. 

Dime  Museum  was  opened  by  Phil  Mulligan  at  No.  9  Cadillac  square 
in  1883.  In  1880  it  was  named  the  New  People's  Theatre,  and  con- 
ducted by  Walter  Robinson,  lessee  and  manager,  but  was  soon  discon- 
tinued. 

Princess  Rink  building,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Second  avenue 
and  High  street,  was  opened  as  a  roller  skating  rink  on  November  6, 
1884.  The  enterprise  was  started  by  a  stock  company,  of  which  J.  E. 
Wyman  was  the  leading  spirit,  and  John  M.  Cook  was  manager.  In 
the  summer  of  1885  it  was  named  the  Princess  Theatre,  with  Charles 
A.  Shaw  as  manager,  and  Orrin  T.  Skiff's  opera  company  played  there. 
In  November,  1885,  it  was  reopened  as  a  rink,  and  continued  until 
January,  1880,  when  it  was  again  used  for  theatrical  and  other  enter- 
tainments. On  February  22,  1880,  the  Michigan  Club  held  its  first 
banquet  in  the  building.  On  March  30  the  "  Battle  of  Gettysburg,"  a 
large  circular  picture,  was  commenced,  and  this  was  continued  until 
the  fall.  It  was  then  opened  as  the  Princess  Market,  but  it  was  a  failure. 
It  was  afterward  used  occasionally  for  dramatic  performances,  concerts 
and  social  occasions,  until  it  was  leased  by  the  Detroit  Riding  Club  in 
the  summer  of  1892,  and  formally  opened  on  February  7,  1893,  with  a 
reception  and  ball.  Since  that  time  it  has  been  used  for  a  riding  school 
and  for  semi-annual  horse  shows. 

The  Auditorium  building  on  the  north  side  of  Earned  street,  be- 
tween Bates  and  Randolph  streets,  was  built  in  1884,  and  was  used  for 
some  time  as  a  roller  skating  rink,  with  NatMcQuadeas  manager.  It 
was  fitted  up  for  public  meetings,  concerts,  lectures,  etc.,  named  the 
Auditorium,  and  first  used  in  September,  1888. 

In  1886  Henry  N.  Williams  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Casino 
Skating  Rink,  on  the  east  side  of  Griswold  street,  between  State  street 
and  Grand  River  avenue.      In  1887  he  converted  it  into  a  theatre,  which 

603 


he  named  the  Casino  Theatre.  In  1890  it  was  leased  by  J.  W.  jNIoore 
and  opened  as  a  vaudeville  and  burlesque  theatre  on  August  3,  1891, 
and  continued  as  such  to  April  3,  1892.  It  was  then  leased  to  the  Sal- 
vation Army,  who  occupied  it  for  some  two  years.  In  September, 
1895,  Dr.  Martin  Campbell  leased  it  and  named  it  the  Capitol  Square 
Theatre. 

Whitney's  Grand  Opera  House,  on  the  east  side  of  Griswold  street, 
was  erected  by  C.  J.  Whitney  and  opened  on  October  31,  1887,  the  first 
performance  being  "A  Chip  of  the  Old  Block,"  with  Robert  L.  Scott 
as  the  "  Commodore,"  Harry  Mills  as  "Josh  Lightwood,"  and  Margaret 
Fish  as  "  Dixey."  Charles  Blanchett  was  the  first  manager  in  1887-89; 
Charles  H.  Garwood  from  1889  to  1893;  Gordon  Johnston  for  a  few 
weeks;  E.  D.  Stair  1893  to  1895;  C.  A.  Shaw  in  1895-96;  A.  E.  Gregg 
1896-97;  M.  D.  Costello,  1897-98. 

The  Empire  Theatre,  on  the  south  side  of  Lafayette  avenue,  between 
Griswold  and  Shelby  streets,  was  built  by  Dr.  M.  Campbell  and  opened 
on  Christmas  day,  1893.  "The  Kentucky  Girl,"  with  Sadie  Harrison 
in  the  principal  role,  was  the  first  performance.  When  the  Detroit 
Opera  House  burned  on  October  7,  1897,  it  was  leased  by  Brady  & 
Stair,  and  the  high  priced  companies  who  formerly  played  at  the  De- 
troit Opera  House  were  transferred  there  imtil  the  latter  house  was 
rebuilt. 

The  Jefferson  Theatre  situated  on  the  Detroit  River  near  the  water- 
works, was  opened  as  a  summer  theatre  by  A,  C.  Welchers,  Bert 
Lacey  and  Charles  Rowe,  and  the  first  performance  was  given  on  June 
8,  1896,  with  Lew  Dockstetter  in  black-face  comedy,  Nettie  Black  in 
serio  comic  parts,  and  other  performers.  It  was  leased  for  the  sum- 
mer of  1897  by  Rudolph  &  Shipman. 

GERMAN    THEATRES. 

The  first  German  theatre  in  Detroit  was  Lucker's  Hall,  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Macomb  and  Riopelle  streets,  which  was  opened  as  a 
public  hall  in  1850  by  Henry  Lucker.  During  its  earlier  years  there 
was  a  small  stage  at  the  end  of  the  bar  room,  but  as  patronage  in- 
creased the  hall  was  extended  back  into  the  lot,  with  the  stage  on  the 
alley  in  rear.  Several  traveling  companies  played  German  drama 
there,  and  the  music  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Lucker  and  his  sons,  who 
formed  one  of  the  first  professional  brass  bands,  outside  of  regimental 
bands,  in  Detroit.     After  the  starting  of  the  Thalia  Theatre  and  the  or- 

604 


ELISHA    A.  FRASER. 


ganization  of  the  Deutscher  Theatre -Verein  at  Waltz's  Hall,  Lucker's 
Hall  was  generally  used  for  balls  and  social  occasions.  During  the  early 
part  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  it  was  used  as  a  drill  room,  and  from 
1865  to  1871  it  was  Colored  School  No.  2,  of  which  Fanny  M.  Richards 
was  the  teacher.      Since  that  time  it  has  been  used  as  dwelling  houses. 

The  next  was  the  Thalia  Theatre,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Rivard 
and  Macomb  streets,  and  was  opened  in  1852.  The  land  was  owned 
by  John  Deville  and  the  building  was  erected  by  the  Thalia  Society, 
who  also  subscribed  for  its  maintenance.  Deville  retained  the  refresh- 
ment privilege,  which  was  an  important  item.  A  veteran  German 
actor  named  Schlehuber  was  manager,  and  was  succeeded  by  H.  F. 
Bonnet  and  Constantine  Beierle.  These  three  were  professional  actors 
and  generally  played  the  leading  characters,  the  support  being  local 
amateurs.     The  theatre  was  burned  down  on  May  13,  185G. 

Waltz's  Hall,  a  wooden  building  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Russell 
and  Mullett  streets,  with  a  large  garden  in  rear,  was  first  used  as  a 
theatre  as  early  as  1853.  In  1857  the  lessee  was  Fred  Behr,  who  named 
it  Behr's  Hall.  Peter  Deginder  was  the  next  manager,  who  directed 
its  affairs  from  May  14,  1861,  to  1865.  It  was  badly  damaged  by  fire 
on  January  31,  1865,  the  loss  being  $7,151.  The  property  was  sold  b}^ 
the  Waltz  estate  to  Carl  Weber  on  July  11,  1867.  The  theatre  was 
then  rebuilt  with  brick  and  was  named  Weber's  Temple  of  Music.  It 
was  rented  for  balls  and  vaudeville  entertainments,  the  latter  being 
chiefly  in  the  English  language.  During  the  next  three  years  Charles 
Gilday  and  the  Crimmins  brothers  graduated  at  this  place  as  dance  and 
sketch  artists  of  note.  It  was  afterward  named  Germania  Hall,  and  is 
now  generally  used  for  balls  and  sometimes  for  dramatic  entertain- 
ments. 

A  theatre  was  built  and  opened  in  the  early  part  of  1856  on  the  south 
side  of  Fort  street  (now  Nos.  226  and  228),  between  Russell  and  Rivard 
streets,  by  Messrs.  Mauch,  Ludwig  Conrad  and  John  Schaffer,  the 
last  named  being  an  architect.  It  was  first  rented  to  Herr  Mehl,  and 
was  named  the  German  National  Theatre.  Next  year  John  Deville 
became  the  lessee  and  converted  it  into  a  vaudeville  theatre  and  dance 
hall.      It  was  burned  down  on  the  morning  of  June  15,  1863. 

Funke's  Hall,  still  standing  on  the  south  side  of  Macomb  street,  be- 
tween St.  Antonie  and  Beaubien  streets,  was  built  in  1848,  and  was 
first  used  as  a  hotel.  In  1859  in  was  converted  into  a  theatre  by  the 
Deutsche    Theatre-Verein,   who  managed   it  for  several    years.     The 

605 


first  play  presented  was  "The  Marriage  Proposal  in  Heligoland."  The 
hall  was  principally  used  by  the  Verein  for  dramatic  performances, 
but  was  frequently  rented  for  concerts,  balls,  etc.,  to  the  Harmonic 
and  other  German  societies,  Mr.  Funke  retaining  the  refreshment  priv- 
ilege. It  was  discontinued  as  a  theatre  about  1866,  and  was  then  leased 
by  the  Congregation  of  B'nai  Israel  for  four  years  as  a  synagogue,  and 
afterward  was  a  tenement  house.      It  has  been  vacant  for  four  years. 

Kieler's  Hall,  on  the  north  side  of  Champlain  street,  two  lots  west  of 
Orleans  street,  was  built  in  1860  by  Henry  Kieler.  It  was  circular  in 
shape,  and  had  a  seating  capacity  of  about  500  persons.  During  its  ex- 
istence several  troops  played  standard  German  dramas  on  its  boards, 
and  it  was  a  popular  resort  in  the  later  '60's  and  early  '70's.  It  was 
burned  down  on  March  5,  1874. 

The  Urania  Theatre,  on  the  east  side  of  St.  Antoine  street,  two  or  three 
lots  north  of  Gratiot  avenue,  was  built  by  Frederick  Spiegel  in  the 
spring  of  1861.  The  opening  piece  was  the  "  Cattle  Drover  of  Aus- 
tria," with  Louis  Jacobson  in  the  leading  role.  It  had  seating  accom- 
modations for  about  350  persons,  and  was  liberally  patronized  after  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  commenced  in  that  year.  It  was  sold  in  1862  to 
Dr.  Sweeney,  of  Dearborn,  who  rented  it  to  Constantine  Beierle.  The 
latter  produced  the  best  dramas  by  professional  actors,  and  managed 
its  affairs  until  it  burned  in  1865.  During  its  existence  Louis  Jacob- 
son,  a  Hebrew,  and  a  good  actor,  was  the  stage  manager,  and  George 
Oldekopp  was  the  treasurer.  An  incendiary  set  it  on  fire  early  in  the 
morning  of  May  20,  1865,  and  it  was  entirely  consumed. 

The  Stadt  Theatre,  still  standing  on  the  west  side  of  Rivard  street, 
between  Champlain  street  and  Monroe  avenue,  was  formerly  the 
French  M.  E.  church,  and  was  erected  in  1853.  In  1861  it  became  the 
property  of  the  Reformed  Jewish  church.  It  was  sold  to  George  A. 
Bartenbach  in  1867,  who  converted  it  into  a  theatre  and  opened  it  in 
October  of  the  same  year  with  a  German  dramatic  company,  under  the 
direction  of  Edward  Fuerst,  an  old  Vienna  actor.  The  company 
played  three  times  a  week  with  good  success.  In  1868  Fred  Roeppe- 
nak  was  manager  with  a  new  company.  He  left  shortly  afterward,  but 
the  company  remained  and  played  during  the  remainder  of  the  season. 
In  1869  Carl  Szwirschina  was  manager,  and  was  succeeded  by  Herr 
Amberg.  H.  F.  Bonnet  was  manager  in  1874-76.  Among  the  per- 
formers was  Emma  Wenzel-Neumann,  a  successful  actress  in  soubrette 
parts.     Joseph   Perrien  then  became  the  owner  of  the  building,  and  it 

606 


was  rented  to  John  Wagner,  who  did  not  give  theatrical  performances. 
It  was  afterward  leased  to  the  Concordia  Society,  who  gave  numerous 
concerts,  balls  and  dramatic  pieces.  In  1883  it  was  converted  into  a 
livery  stable. 

A  summer  theatre  went  into  commission  in  1864  on  the  south  side  of 
Jefferson  avenue,  near  Elmwood  avenue,  of  which  the  principal  pro- 
prietor was  A.  Haischer.  It  went  out  of  existence  at  the  close  of  the 
season. 

Tinnette's  Hall,  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Rivard  and  Catherine 
streets,  was  opened  New  Year's  day,  180(3.  It  has  generally  been 
used  for  balls  and  concerts,  and  occasionally  for  dramatic  entertain- 
ments. 

The  Arbeiter  Verein,  one  of  the  first  German  organizations  of  De- 
troit and  Michigan,  was  organized  in  1849.  At  first  it  was  purely  a 
social  organization,  but  two  years  later,  on  September  22,  1851,  the 
members  decided  to  provide  amusements  and  aid  in  sickness  and  death. 
The  new  organization  was  named  the  Arbeiter  Unterstuetzungs  Verein 
and  is  still  in  existence,  and  has  extended  all  over  the  State.  In  the 
city  the  organization  owns  the  Arbeiter  Hall,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  Russell  and  Catherine  streets,  a  structure  of  large  proportions, 
which  was  opened  on  September  14,  1868.  In  1885  it  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  but  was  immediately  rebuilt.  In  1895  it  was  remodeled  and  reno- 
vated, and  the  entire  interior  modernized.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century  German  music,  drama,  comedy  and  opera  have  been  presented 
on  its  stage,  and  in  the  near  future,  when  the  business  depression  has 
passed  away,  it  will  undoubtedly  continue  to  be  the  center  of  German 
social  life  and  dramatic  art. 

The  Social  Turner  Society,  though  organized  in  the  summer  of 
1853,  gave  no  dramatic  performances  until  1894.  Among  its  found- 
ers were  Dr.  H.  Kiefer,  Robert  Roehm,  Joseph  Burger  and  John 
Benoit.  Its  first  gymnasium  was  on  the  west  side  of  Beaubien 
street,  between  Adams  avenue  and  Beacon  street,  where  the  Wash- 
ington School  is  now  situated.  It  removed  successively  to  Rue- 
belman's  brewery  on  Monroe  avenue,  to  Behr's  garden  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Russell  and  MuUett  streets,  and  in  1858  to  the  south  side  of 
Sherman  street,  between  Russell  and  Riopelle  streets,  which  is  the 
present  location  of  the  society's  hall.  A  new  hall  was  built  and  occu- 
pied in  1862,  which  was  burned  down  in  1865.  In  1866  the  hall  was 
rebuilt,  and  was  torn  down  in  1893  to  make  room  for  the  present  struc- 

607 


ture,  which  was  opened  on  December  G,  1894,  with  a  fair  lasting  two 
weeks.  There  were  no  theatrical  entertainments  until  the  present  hall 
was  finished,  but  in  the  winter  immediately  following  the  opening  a 
dramatic  company  played  on  Sundays  during  the  season,  presenting 
high  class  German  and  Shakespearian  dramas.  The  hall  has  been 
rented  several  times  since  to  theatrical  and  concert  companies. 

The  Deutsche  Theatre-Verein  was  organized  in  Detroit  on  January 
22,  1853,  the  male  members  being  mostly  exiles  from  Germany  after 
the  revolution  of  1848.  Among  the  principal  members  and  founders 
were  Caspar  Butz,  who  was  a  poet  of  reputation;  George  Maurer,  a 
German  merchant  who  was  employed  in  Howard  Wehrle's  hardware 
store;  Christian  Esselen,  journalist;  August  Marxhausen,  now  proprie- 
tor of  the  Detroit  Abend-Post;  Julius  Melchers,  the  sculptor,  and 
others.  Esselen  was  a  noted  literary  man.  He  founded  in  Detroit  a 
literary  monthly  magazine,  named  the  Atlantis,  which  was  removed  to 
Boston  during  the  '60's  and  later  to  Buffalo.  The  society  played  Ger- 
man dramas  and  comedies  during  the  winter  of  1853  at  Waltz's  Hall, 
and  continued  in  that  building  and  its  successor  on  the  same  site  until 
1859,  when  it  removed  to  Funke's  Hall,  in  which  a  stage  and  auditorium 
had  been  fitted  up.  During  the  occupancy  of  Waltz's  Hall  and  its  suc- 
cessor, Behr's  Hall,  Julius  Melchers,  August  Marxhausen,  George 
Maurer  and  Fred  Mehl  were  stage  managers  at  intervals,  and  Mr. 
Melchers  was  the  stage  manager  when  the  society  removed  to  Funke's 
Hall  in  1859.  The  Verein  continued  its  dramatic  performances  until 
the  society  finally  suspended  in  1880.  During  these  seventeen  years 
the  plays  were  generally  performed  by  the  amateur  members  of  the 
society,  but  sometimes  German  professional  talent  was  secured  for 
short  engagements.  The  latter  consisted  of  companies  on  their  way 
from  the  east  to  Chicago  or  Milwaukee,  or  returning  from  these  cities 
to  the  larger  cities  on  the  seaboard.  Henry  F.  Bonnet  and  Fred  Mehl 
came  with  one  of  the  companies  and  afterward  made  Detroit  their 
home.  Among  the  best  amateurs  of  the  society  were  Richard  Bradel 
and  Louis  Bloquelle.  Dr.  Hermann  Kiefer  was  one  of  the  early  presi- 
dents of  the  Verein  and  took  an  active  interest  in  its  affairs,  although 
he  never  appeared  on  the  stage  as  an  actor.  During  18G0  there  was  a 
disagreement  between  the  members,  which  resulted  in  a  secession,  and 
Eintracht  Theater-Verein  was  established,  which  played  at  Kieler's 
Hall  on  Champlain  street  near  Orleans  street,  and  also  at  the  Stadt 
Theatre  on  Rivard  street  for  a  time.      Eventually  the  two  bodies  again 

G08 


OTTO    E.  C.  GUELICH. 


became  united,  and  continued,  as  above  stated,  in  Funke's  Hall  until 
the  Deutsche  Theatre- Verein  dissolved  about  1880. 

THE    TURF. 

The  first  track  for  horse  racing  in  Detroit  was  constructed  on  Jeffer- 
son avenue,  in  the  adjoining  township  of  Hamtramck,  in  1836  or  1837. 
It  was  without  grading,  building  or  other  necessary  concomitants  of  a 
race  track  and  was  only  a  half  mile  circuit.  In  1850  a  regularly  organ- 
ized association  was  formed,  the  grounds  inclosed,  a  mile  track  con- 
structed, buildings  erected  and  an  inaugural  meeting  held.  The  track 
since  that  time  became  famous  all  over  the  country  where  the  Ameri- 
can trotter  found  favor.  Among  the  promoters  of  the  enterprise  were 
K.  C.  Barker,  William  C.  Duncan,  Sylvester  Larned,  Dr.  James  H. 
Farnsworth,  S.  P.  Brady,  H  N.  Strong,  Henry  C.  Kibbee  and  other 
prominent  citizens.  In  1868  the  track  was  remodeled  and  improved 
and  a  new  organization  perfected,  which  was  styled  the  Detroit  Na- 
tional Horse  Association.  Its  officers  were :  President,  George  Jerome ; 
vice-presidents,  H.  N.  Strong  and  Henry  C.  Kibbee;  treasurer,  E.  S. 
Leadbeater;  secretary  W.  H.  Williams.  The  first  meeting  of  the  new 
organization  was  held  on  August  25-28,  1868.  Among  the  noted 
running  horses  that  made  the  Hamtramck  race  course  famous  at  that 
time  and  in  later  days  were  Storm,  Mary  Dee,  Bob  Harlan,  Billy  Bos 
ton,  Twilight  Waxlight,  Virginius,  Col.  Grayson,  Kennett  and  Eagle 
Among  the  trotters  were  Crow  Driver,  Gen.  Taylor,  Rhode  Island 
Fanny  Gorham,  Brady  Colt,  O'Blenis,  Chautauqua  Chief,  Frank 
Hayes,  Cozette,  Primus,  Gray  Eagle,  Warrior  (Victor  Hugo),  Idol 
Lamplighter,  Molly  Newton,  Vulcan,  Milton,  Dan  Voorhees,  Dallas 
Faro  (Western  Boy),  Billy  Barr,  Dexter,  Goldsmith  Maid,  Rarus 
Judge  FuUerton,  St.  Julien,  Red  Cloud,  American  Girl,  Lucy,  Gen. 
Butler,  Bodine,  Driver,  Domestic  and  others. 

The  second  organization  was  succeeded  in  1879  by  the  Detroit 
Jockey  Club,  but  its  career  did  not  extend  much  over  two  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1884  the  Detroit  Driving  Club  was  formed,  with 
Rufus  W.  Gillett  as  president  and  Daniel  J.  Campau  as  vice  presi- 
dent. The  first  meeting  was  held  in  June,  1884,  and  the  career  of  the 
association  has  since  been  a  brilliant  success.  In  1886  Mr.  Campau 
succeeded  as  president,  and  has  held  the  position  to  the  present  time. 
The  last  meeting  on  the  old  Hamtramck  was  in  1893,  when  it  was  va- 
cated,  and  the  next  year's  meeting  of  the   Detroit  Driving  Club  was 

609 


held  on  its  new  track  on  Jefferson  avenue,  in  Grosse  Pointe  township, 
five  miles  east  of  the  City  Hall.  The  grounds  of  the  new  track  com- 
pose ninety  acres,  and  are  fitted  up  with  a  fine  grand  stand,  judges' 
and  timer's  stands,  paddock,  outbuildings,  and  twenty  large  barns, 
with  a  stabling  capacity  for  400  horses. 

The  Highland  Park  race  course,  half  a  mile  in  circuit,  was  con- 
structed in  1894  by  the  Gentlemen's  Driving  Club,  and  the  first  regular 
race  meeting  was  held  June  18-21,  1895.  The  course  is  on  the  east 
side  of  Woodward  avenue,  six  miles  from  the  City  Hall,  in  the  village 
of  Highland  Park.  There  were  four  trotting  meetings  and  one  de- 
voted to  runners.  Capt.  James  W.  Miller  was  the  first  and  only  presi- 
dent. The  property  of  the  club  was  sold  to  Edward  Fee  and  others  in 
November,  1896,  and  the  purchasers  organized  the  Highland  Park 
Club  on  February  13,  1897,  with  the  following  officers:  President, 
M.  B.  Mills;  secretary,  W.  O.  Parmer;  treasurer,  George  M.  Hendrie. 
On  April  1  following  the  club  acquired  additional  land,  and  then  con- 
structed a  modern  mile  track,  on  which  a  running  meeting  was  held 
from  June  8  to  July  5,  1897. 


Rowing  has  ever  been  a  favorite  recreation  in  Detroit.  The  Detroit 
Boat  Club,  the  oldest  rowing  organization  in  the  United  States,  was  or- 
ganized on  February  18,  1839;  reorganized  August  23,  185G,  and  in- 
corporated April  18,  1884.  Its  first  boat-house  was  erected  near  the  foot 
of  Brush  street,  and  was  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  May  9,  1848.  In 
1858  anew  boat-house  was  erected  at  the  foot  of  Hastings  street,  which 
was  enlarged  in  1859,  18G3  and  1867.  In  1873  a  new  boat-house  was 
erected  at  the  foot  of  Joseph  Campau  avenue,  which  was  removed 
to  a  point  between  Joseph  Campau  and  McDougall  avenues  in  1876, 
where  it  remained  until  1889,  The  city  then  donated  a  site  on  the 
north  side  of  Belle  Isle  Park,  and  the  present  boat-house  built  there  was 
formally  opened  on  June  20,  1891.  It  was  burned  on  October  15,  1893, 
and  a  new  house  was  built  and  opened  on  June  28,  1894. 

During  the  later  60's  and  up  to  about  1877-78  there  was  a  large 
and  increasing  interest  in  rowing,  both  in  Detroit  and  other  places 
on  the  Detroit  River,  and  during  that  time  the  Excelsior,  Zephyr, 
Centennial,  Frontenac,  Chattanooga,  Restless  and  other  local  clubs 
were  organized  in  this  city.  During  that  period  it  was  the  favorite 
outdoor  amusement,  the  club-houses  on  the  river  were  social  resorts 

610 


in  the  summer  time,  and  the  numerous  regattas  were  always  largely 
attended. 

The  greatest  aquatic  event  in  Detroit  took  place  in  the  five  days  com- 
mencing August  14,  1877.  On  the  first  day  occurred  the  regatta  of  the 
Detroit  River  Navy;  on  the  two  days  following,  the  regatta  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Amateur  Oarsmen,  and  the  last  two  days  by  the 
regatta  of  the  Northwestern  Rowing  Association.  The  triple  event 
drew  many  thousand  visitors  from  abroad,  and  the  races  were  witnessed 
by  fully  50,000  people  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

Regattas  of  the  National  Association  of  Amateur  Oarsmen  were  held 
in  Detroit  in,  August,  1877,  in  August,  1883,  and  in  1893;  one  regatta  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley  Amateur  Rowing  Association;  and  about  one - 
third  of  the  regattas  of  the  Northwestern  Amateur  Rowing  Associa- 
tion, which  was  organized  in  Milwaukee  in  1869.  This  latter  associa- 
tion was  dominated,  during  most  of  its  existence,  by  the  Detroit  River 
Clubs.  The  Detroit  Boat  Club,  during  the  larger  part  of  the  life  of 
the  National  Association  of  Amateur  Oarsmen,  had  one  of  its  members 
as  one  of  the  executive  committee. 

In  the  early  '80's  the  taste  for  rowing  subsided,  and  indoor  gym- 
nastics, baseball,  and  field  sports  took  its  place.  The  Detroit  Ath- 
letic Club,  which  was  organized  in  1880,  was  the  leader  in  the  new 
direction.  The  Detroit  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Mutual  Boat  Clubs  are 
now  the  only  rowing  clubs  in  Detroit.  Walkerville,  Ont.,  opposite  De- 
troit, and  Wyandotte  and  Ecorse,  below  Detroit,  in  Wayne  county, 
have  also  clubs,  and  these  six  are  the  only  organized  rowing  clubs  on 
the  Detroit  River,  where  twenty  years  ago  there  were  about  fifteen. 

YACHTING. 

Detroit  has  always  been  more  or  less  prominent  among  her  sister 
cities  on  the  great  lakes  in  the  yachting  line.  As  far  back  as  1858 
there  was  an  organized  yacht  club  here — the  Peninsular,  and  there  are 
now  in  existence  three — the  Detroit,  the  Citizens'  and  the  West  End 
Yacht  Clubs.  The  Detroit  is  the  oldest,  strongest  and  most  prominent. 
It  has  a  membership  of  nearly  400,  has  a  fine  club  house  on  Belle  Isle 
Park,  owns  a  number  of  cat  boats  for  summers  and  ice  boats  for  winter 
sailing  for  use  of  its  members,  and  has  enrolled  on  its  list  of  yachts  be- 
longing to  members  the  largest  and  best  yachts  in  the  fleet.  The  Citi- 
zens' Yachting  Association  has  a  good  membership,  owns  a  club  house 
at  the  foot  of  McDougall  avenue,  and  numbers  among  members  some 

611 


of  the  best  yachtsmen  in  the  city.  The  West  End  is  the  youngest  of 
the  clubs  and  has  its  summer  and  winter  home  on  the  river  front  at  the 
foot  of  Swain  avenue.  There  are  a  number  of  fine  steam  yachts  in  De- 
troit, but  their  owners  are  not  organized  as  a  chib,  preferring  to  "go  it 
alone." 

ATHLETICS    AND    SPORTING. 

The  Peninsular  Cricket  Club  was  organized  at  the  Michigan  Ex- 
change Hotel  on  April  5,  1858,  and  elected  the  following  officers: 
President,  George  E.  Hand;  vice-president,  A.  H.  Jordan;  treasurer, 
Marcus  Stevens;  secretary,  August  Tregent;  board  of  managers,  D.  T. 
Barrett,  J.  W.  Waterman  and  William  McKenna.  Among  other  early 
members  were  James  F.  Joy,  F.  A.  Blades,  Bishop  Samuel  A.  Mc- 
Coskry,  Friend  Palmer,  R.  W.  King,  W.  N.  Carpenter,  G.  W.  Bissell, 
Theo.  H.  Hinchman  and  James  E.  Pittman.  The  first  grounds  were  at 
the  corner  of  Garfield  avenue  and  John  R.  streets.  About  1873  the 
clubs  leased  the  grounds  on  the  west  side  of  Woodward  avenue,  now 
occupied  by  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  A  few  years  later  the  club 
played  in  a  portion  of  Recreation  Park.  During  its  existence  the  club 
contested  numerous  clubs  in  Canadian  cities,  and  was  generally  suc- 
cessful. In  1878  it  defeated  the  Germantown  Club  of  Philadelphia  and 
the  St.  George's  Club  at  New  York,  and  the  winners  were  banqueted 
on  their  return  home.  Later  in  the  same  year  it  played  against  the 
Australian  Club  and  was  defeated.  It  met  the  same  fate  in  1879  with 
the  All  England  Eleven  and  the  Irish  Gentlemen's  Club.  These  three, 
however,  were  professional  clubs.  In  1887  their  grounds  were  needed 
for  building  purposes,  and  the  club  disbanded.  A  majority  of  the 
members  then  joined  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club  and  play  cricket  on  its 
grounds,  but  under  the  name  and  auspices  of  the  latter  club. 

The  Detroit  Bicycle  Club  was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1879.  There 
were  only  a  few  persons  in  Detroit  who  rode  bicycles  at  that  time,  the 
membership  did  not  exceed  twenty,  and  there  was  no  club  house.  In 
the  summer  of  1886  there  was  a  State  bicycle  meet  in  Detroit,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  local  club.  The  membership  increasing,  the  club 
rented  a  club  house  on  Miami  avenue  near  Wilcox  street,  and  from 
thence  to  another  near  Bagley.  In  1890  the  members  of  the  Star 
Bicycle  Club,  which  had  been  organized  a  few  years  before,  became 
members  of  the  Detroit  Bicycle  Club;  the  name  was  changed  to  Detroit 
Wheelmen;  the  club  was  incorporated;  the  club  house  was  removed  to 

612 


WILLIAM  L.  HOLMES. 


No.  G4  Washington  avenue;  and  about  125  members  rode  through 
Canada  on  their  bicycles  to  Niagara  Falls,  a  distance  of  some  300  miles, 
where  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen  held  their  national  conven- 
tion. In  1891  the  national  body  held  its  annual  meeting  in  Detroit,  at 
which  time  one  of  the  bicycle  shows  held  in  the  United  vStates  was  held 
in  the  Auditorium,  and  an  exhibition  of  first  class  bicycle  racing  was 
given  on  the  old  Hamtramck  course,  on  Jefferson  avenue.  In  1892  a 
twenty-five  mile  road  race  was  contested  on  Belle  Isle  Park,  and  W.  C. 
Rands,  of  Detroit,  made  the  distance  in  one  hour  and  fifteen  minutes — 
the  fastest  on  record.  In  1893  the  club  house  was  removed  to  No.  298 
Randolph  street.  A  road  race  was  held  on  Belle  Isle,  and  the  world's 
amateur  record  was  broken  by  W.  B.  Hurlburt  in  one  hour  eleven 
minutes  and  fifty  nine  seconds.  In  1894  another  road  race  was  held  on 
Belle  Isle,  and  W.  W.  Grant  won  in  record  time  of  1:09:2G|.  In  1895 
the  club  promoted  another  road  race  on  Belle  Isle.  This  time  A.  Cal- 
lahan, of  Buffalo,  won  in  1:07:48-|.  This  was  the  last  road  race  pro- 
moted by  the  club,  but  it  has  always  been  foremost  in  putting  on  track 
race  meets  in  which  the  best  talent  participated,  and  they  have  gener- 
ally been  successful  from  a  financial  standpoint.  Several  fast  riders 
have  been  developed  in  the  club,  the  most  notable  being  Tom  Cooper. 
The  next  club  house  was  built  by  the  club  at  an  expense  of  about 
$40,000.  It  is  at  Nos.  53  and  55  Adams  avenue  east,  is  built  of  stone 
and  brick,  three  stories  in  height  with  a  basement,  a  fine  auditorium, 
bowling  alley,  billiard  and  whist  tables,  baths,  library,  kitchen,  dining- 
room,  etc.  The  membership  is  about  450,  and  the  present  officers  are: 
President,  Charles  W.  Lloyd;  first  vice-president,  Pearce  M.  Bland; 
second  vice  president,  J  H.  Hungerford;  secretary,  Fred  C,  Winckler; 
financial  treasurer,  Frank  L.  Chidsey;  treasurer,  George  C.  Sharer; 
captain,  Frank  J.  Kremer;  directors,  L.  Vineburg,  H.  E.  Perry,  Frank 
Byrne,  W.  H.  Speaker,  W,  H.  Willebrand.  James  Cranshaw,  jr.,  W.  E. 
Sewell,  Louis  Schneider. 

Detroit  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  baseball,  but  prior  to 
1881  it  had  no  baseball  club  that  was  affiliated  with  any  organization 
or  circuit.  In  the  '70's  and  '80's  several  amateur  clubs,  including  the 
Cass  and  ^-Etna  of  Detroit,  the  Tecumseh  of  London,  Ont.,  the  Maple 
Leaf  of  Guelph,  Ont.,  and  the  Mutual  of  Jackson,  played  in  Detroit  at 
intervals  during  the  ball  season,  and  from  these  organizations  some  of 
the  professional  clubs  of  those  days  recruited  much  of  their  material. 
In  1878  and  1880  W.  M.  Hollinger  directed  and  managed  a  professional 

613 


ball  team  in  Detroit,  and  played  with  such  clubs  as  dates  could  be 
made  with,  but  this  club  was  never  well  patronized,  and  the  amateur 
clubs  were  the  local  favorites.  The  Detroit  Baseball  Club  of  the  Na- 
tional Leagfue  was  organized  in  1881,  and  took  the  place  of  Cincinnati 
in  that  organization.  Its  first  president  was  W.  G.  Thompson.  After 
a  rather  precarious  life  of  four  years,  during  which  it  did  not  attain  an 
exalted  position  in  the  league,  it  was  about  to  give  up  the  ghost,  when 
other  citizens,  who  were  interested  in  the  game,  subscribed  additional 
stock  and  put  it  on  its  feet  again.  This  was  in  1884.  Joseph  A. 
Marsh  was  elected  president  in  1885.  The  new  directors  infused  life 
into  the  club  by  buying  the  Indianapolis  team  early  in  the  season.  At 
the  close  of  the  season  the  management  purchased  the  Buffalo  club,  in- 
cluding the  famous  "big  four" — Richardson,  Brouthers,  White  and 
Rowe.  In  1886  Frederick  K.  Stearns  became  president,  Mr.  Marsh  re- 
tiring, but  remaining  on  the  board  of  directors.  In  this  year  the  club 
stood  second  on  the  list,  and  in  1887  it  won  the  National  League  cham- 
pionship, as  well  as  the  world's  championship,  by  defeating  the  St. 
Louis  Browns,  then  champions  of  the  American  Association.  The 
players  who  constituted  the  Detroit  champion  team  were:  Catchers, 
Bennett  and  Ganzell;  first  base,  Brouthers;  second  base,  Dunlap;  third 
base,  White;  short  stop,  Rowe;  left  field,  Richardson;  center  field, 
Hanlon;  right  field,  Thompson;  pitchers,  Baldwin,  Getzein  and  Con- 
way. After  the  championship  was  won  Mr.  Stearns  retired,  and  in  1888 
C.  H.  Smith  was  president.  That  year  the  club  finished  fifth.  It  was 
then  decided  to  sell  the  franchise  and  team,  which  proved  too  costly, 
Mr.  Stearns  made  the  sale,  in  which  he  was  very  successful,  disposing 
of  the  players  at  high  prices  to  the  other  league  teams,  and  transferring 
the  franchise  to  Cleveland.  The  year  after  the  league  team  was  dis- 
banded R.  H.  Leadley  obtained  a  franchise  for  a  club  in  the  Inter- 
national League,  and  in  1880  he  managed  the  team  that  won  the  cham- 
pionship. The  following  year  Detroit  was  again  in  the  International 
League,  and  was  in  first  place  when  the  league  disbanded  in  July. 
From  that  time  until  1894  Detroit  had  no  professional  ball  team, 
although  there  were  many  amateur  and  semi  professional  clubs  in  the 
city.  In  1894  George  A.  Van  Derbeck  obtained  a  franchise  for  De- 
troit in  the  Western  League,  and  since  that  time  the  membership  in 
this  league  has  been  maintained  under  his  management. 

The  Detroit  Athletic  Club  was  organized  early  in  1887,  and  was  m- 
corporated  on  April  5  of  that   year.      It  was  formed  principally  of  the 

614 


members  of  the  Peninsula  Cricket  Club  and  the  Toboggan  Club,  and 
among  its  incorporators  were  Frank  W.  Eddy,  George  J.  Bradbeer,  N. 
G.  Williams,  jr.,  F.'G.  Wernecker,  J.  V.  Gearing  and  G.  J.  McMecham. 
The  present' grounds,  at  the  corner  of  Woodward  and  Garfield  avenues, 
were  arranged  during  the  following  year  and  have  been  used  for  ath- 
letic purposes  ever  since.  The  first  championship  matches  of  the 
National  Amateur  Athletic  Union  were  held  in  Detroit  in  September, 
1888.  In  1889  the  services  of  M.  C.  Murphy,  the  Yale  trainer,  were 
secured,  and  the  club  sent  a  team  to  the  national  championship  games 
at  New  York,  where  John  Owen,  jr.,  won  the  100  and  220  yards  dashes, 
and  R.  A.  Ward  won  the  880  yards  run.  In  1890  the  baseball  team 
won  the  amateur  championship  of  the  United  States,  to  which  the 
work  of  George  P.  Codd,  the  pitcher,  largely  contributed.  Owen  again 
won  the  100  yards  dash  in  9f  seconds,  and  F.  A,  Ducharme  the  120 
and  220  yards  hurdle  races,  the  former  in  16  seconds.  In  1891  the 
club  was  not  so  successful,  the  only  national  championship  won  being 
pole  vaulting,  which  was  achieved  by  Theo.  Luce,  jr.,  who  cleared  10 
feet.  Several  western  and  Canadian  championships,  however,  were 
won  by  the  club.  In  1892  Luce  repeated  his  national  triumph  by 
vaulting  10  feet  9  inches;  the  100  and  220  yards  races  were  won  by 
Harry  Jewett;  and  the  baseball  team  again  won  the  national  champion- 
ship. Since  1893  the  club  has  done  little  in  outdoor  athletics,  and  there 
has  been  a  lull  in  such  sports  all  over  the  country.  On  the  spacious 
grounds  are  a  quarter  mile  running  and  bicycle  track,  cricket,  baseball 
and  football  fields,  and  a  tennis  court.  In  the  club  house  are  a  fine 
gymnasium,  billiard  tables,  bowling  alley,  whist  tables,  and  other 
games  and  recreations. 

The  Michigan  Athletic  Association  was  organized  on  February 
25,  1889,  chiefly  by  residents  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  and  W.  C. 
McMillan  was  its  first  president.  The  association  purchased  a  site  for 
a  club  house  and  grounds,  260  by  474  feet,  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Congress  street  and  Elmwood  avenue.  The  club  house  was  opened  on 
January  29,  1890,  with  one  of  the  finest  gymnasiums  in  the  West.  For 
four  years  the  club  prospered,  but  the  panic  of  1893  crippled  its  useful- 
ness and  it  went  out  of  existence  on  June  29,  1897.  The  club  house 
was  leased  to  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  on  October  13, 
1897,  for  five  years,  and  is  now  used  by  the  eastern  branch  of  that  soci- 
ety for  meetings  and  gymnasium  work,  and  the  grounds  were  divided 
into  building  lots. 

615 


The  Wanikan  Golf  Club  was  organized  on  September  2,  1896.  Its 
membership  is  100,  being  restricted  to  that  number.  Its  spacious  links, 
on  the  corner  of  Jefferson  avenue  and  the  Marshland  road,  about  six 
miles  east  of  the  City  Hall,  consists  of  nine  holes  in  a  course  about 
2,500  yards  long.  The  club  is  managed  by  a  committee  consisting  of 
Benjamin  S.  Warren,  chairman;  Charles  A.  Rathbone,  secretary:  Al- 
exander Hamilton  Sibley,  treasurer;  W.  Howie  Muir  and  George  M. 
Hendrie.  Since  its  organization  the  club  has  played  matches  with  the 
golf  clubs  of  Cleveland,  Grand  Rapids,  London,  Ont.,  and  other  neigh- 
boring cities. 

The  Country  Club,  a  social  organization  of  300  members,  and  its 
spacious  club  house  and  grounds,  comprising  100  acres,  are  situated  in 
the  village  of  Grosse  Pointe  Farms.  The  club  house  is  situated  on  the 
banks  of  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  the  members  have  all  the  facilities  for 
driving,  riding,  tennis,  golf,  bicycling,  steeple-chasing,  polo,  curling, 
skating,  boating,  yachting,  and  all  kinds  of  outdoor  recreations  and 
sports.  The  club  is  managed  by  a  board  of  fifteen  governors,  with  the 
following  officers:  Chairman,  Henry  Russel;  vice  chairman,  Truman 
H.  Newberry;  secretary,  Benjamin  S.  Warren;  treasurer,  Charles  F. 
Hammond. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  which  is  described  in  another 
chapter,  has  an  excellent  gymnasium,  a  swimming  pool,  and  all  the 
equipment  necessary  to  physical  education.  It  also  has  acquired  the 
club  house  and  gymnasium  of  the  Michigan  Athletic  Association,  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Elmwood  avenue  and  Congress  street. 

The  other  sporting  and  athletic  associations  of  Detroit  areas  follows: 

Citizens'  Boat  Club,  headquarters  50  Moffat  building. 

Detroit  Bowling  Club,  incorporated  June  19,  1889;  clubhouse  512  Trumbull  avenue. 

Detroit  Chess  and  Checker  Club,  organized  in  1897;  rooms  in  Palmer  block,  north- 
west corner  of  Congress  and  Shelby  streets. 

Detroit  Fishing  and  Hunting  Association,  George  B.  Hutchings  secretary,  53 
Larned  street  east. 

Detroit  Skating  and  Curling  Club,  incorporated  October  16,  1888;  grounds  on 
Forest  avenue,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh  streets. 

Detroit  Social  Turner  Society,  136  and  140  Sherman  street. 

Detroit  Wheelmen,  53  and  55  Adams  avenue. 

Detroit  Yacht  Club ;  club  house  and  anchorage  at  Belle  Isle  Park. 

Highland  Park  Club,  Highland  Park;  Merrill  B.  MiUs,  president. 

Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  Club,  organized  1873;  club  house  St.  Clair  Flats. 

Metropolitan  Athletic  Club,  hall  at  216  Russell  street. 

Michigan  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club,  incorporated  October  24,  1888 ;  club  house 
"Mervue,"  St.  Clair  Flats. 

616 


WILLIAM  J.  KEEP. 


North  Channel  Shooting  Club,  organized  March  6,  1875. 

Old  Reliable  Rod  and  Gun  Club,  organized  1885. 

Star  Athletic  Club,  organized  October,  1894;  rooms  northeast  corner  of  Twenty- 
second  and  Fort  streets  west. 

Turtle  Lake  Shooting  and  Fishing  Club,  incorporated  1884;  E.  H.  Gillman, 
president. 


CHAPTER  LXXXV. 

Mayors  and  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Detroit. 

The  chairman  of  the  successive  Boards  of  Trustees  created  in  1802, 
1806  and  1815  were  supposed  to  be  the  highest  civic  dignitaries  in  the  city, 
but  none  bore  the  title  of  mayor,  except  those  of  1806.  Solomon  Sib- 
ley and  Elijah  Brush  were  successively  appointed  mayor  in  that  year, 
but  their  power  was  so  curtailed  that  the  title  seemed  a  burlesque,  and 
they  both  resigned  after  a  brief  term  of  office.  The  act  was  repealed 
in  1809. 

In  1815  Governor  Cass,  who  believed  in  local  self-government,  pro- 
cured the  passage  of  an  act  creating  a  board  of  five  trustees,  who  were 
given  the  control  of  the  town  and  its  affairs.  Solomon  Sibley  was  the 
first  chairman.  There  were  annual  elections,  and  the  best  citizens 
were  elected,  until  1823,  when  Congress  enacted  a  new  law  which  legis- 
lated the  Board  of  Trustees  out  of  existence. 

The  existing  city  government  began  on  September  21,  1824,  just 
after  the  ending  of  the  reign  of  the  governor  and  judges.  On  that  day 
a  mayor  and  four  aldermen,  who  had  been  elected  on  September  6, 
qualified  and  took  their  seats.  They  were  as  follows:  Mayor,  John  R. 
Williams;  aldermen,  Shubael  Conant,  Melville  Dorr,  Orville  Cook  and 
David  C.  McKinstry.  There  being  a  vacancy  in  the  number  of  alder- 
men required  by  the  act,  Peter  J.  Desnoyers  was  elected  alderman  by 
the  council.  The  council  then  appointed  the  following  officers:  Re- 
corder, Andrew  G.  Whitney;  treasurer,  Henry  S.  Cole;  clerk,  Voltaire 
Spalding;  marshal,  Adna  Merritt;  assessor,  Jeremiah  Moors;  collector, 
Abram  C.  Caniff;  supervisor,  David  French;  market  clerk,  Thomas 
Knowlton.  In  November  Shubael  Conant  resigned  as  alderman  and 
Thomas  Rowland  was  appointed  in  his  place  by  the  council.     The  date 

617 


on  which  the  charter  election  was  to  be  held  was  the  first  Monday  in 
April. 

In  1829  it  was  provided  that  the  governing  city  officials  should  con- 
sist of  a  mayor,  recorder  and  seven  aldermen,  and  that  the  charter 
election  should  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  April.  Later  in  the 
same  year  the  township  of  Detroit  was  formed,  to  consist  of  the  city  of 
Detroit. 

In  1839  the  city  was  divided  into  six  wards,  with  two  aldermen  from 
each  ward,  instead  of  at  large,  as  in  former  years,  and  the  time  of 
holding  the  charter  election  was  fixed  on  the  first  Monday  in  March. 

From  1824  to  1857  the  mayor  or  recorder  presided  over  the  meeting 
of  the  Common  Council,  but  in  the  latter  year  the  council  elected  its 
own  president,  and  this  has  continued  to  the  present  day. 

The  charter  of  1834  provided  for  a  Mayor's  Court.  The  mayor  pre- 
sided, and  two  aldermen  sat  with  him.  In  1841  one  alderman  and  the 
mayor  constituted  the  court.  This  tribunal,  which  tried  violations  of 
the  city  ordinances,  continued  until  1857,  when  the  Recorder's  Court 
was  established,  to  perform  its  functions. 

In  1851  it  was  provided  that  the  alderman  having  the  shortest  term 
to  serve  shall  act  as  supervisor  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 

In  1853  the  time  of  holding  the  charter  election  was  changed  to  the 
first  Tuesday  in  February. 

In  1857  the  two  aldermen  for  each  ward  were  authorized  to  attend 
the  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  the  first  Monday  of 
November  was  appointed  as  the  time  for  holding  the  charter  election. 

During  these  and  subsequent  years  the  city  was  gradually  enlarged, 
until  at  present  it  extends  over  about  seven  miles  square,  and  has 
seventeen  w^ards,  with  thirty-four  aldermen.  The  charter  elections  are 
now  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  November. 

The  persons  who  served  as  mayor  from  1824  to  1897  are  given  here- 
with. The  records  of  the  vote  for  mayor  are  not  complete.  The  first 
person  named  after  the  date  was  the  mayor  for  that  term.  Before 
1857  the  mayors  were  elected  for  one  year  terms.  In  that  year  the 
terms  were  changed  to  two  years,  and  John  Patton  was  elected  and 
served  in  1858-59. 

1824 — John  R.  Wiluams. 

1825 — John  R.  Williams,  102  votes;  Henry  J.  Hunt,  6;  Peter  Desnoyers,  1;  James 
Abbott,  1;  Moses  Day,  2;  Abner  J.  Wells,  1. 

1826— Henry  J.  Hunt,  105;  William  Woodbridge,  92;  David  C.  McKinstry,  1. 

618 


1826 — Jonathan  Kearsley,  elected  by  Council  to  fill  unexpired  term  of  Henry  J. 
Hunt,  deceased. 

1827— John  Biddle,  137;  Jonathan  Kearsley,  40;  John  R.  Williams,  26. 

1828 — John  Biddle,  199.  One  vote  each  was  received  by  De  Garmo  Jones,  Jona- 
than Kearsley,  John  Scott,  E.  P.  Hastings  and  John  R.  "Williams. 

1829— Jonathan  Kearsley,  123;  Shubael  Conant,  89;  John  R.  Williams,  45. 

1830— John  R.  Williams. 

1831 — Marshall  Chapin. 

1832— Levi  Cook,  148. 

1833— Marshall  Chapin,  169. 

1834 — Charles  C.  Trowbridge,  170;  Henry  Howard,  152;  Julius  Eldred,  114; 
Thomas  S.  Knapp,  91;  Tunis  S.  Wendell,  88;  Enoch  Jones,  82;  Job  F.  Howland,  74; 
Stevens  T.  Mason,  64. 

1834 — Andrew  Mack — Mayor  Trowbridge  resigned  in  September  and  a  special 
election  was  held  on  September  24,  at  which  Andrew  Mack  received  91  votes; 
Charles  Moran,  73;  Henry  V.  Disbrow,  46. 

1835— Levi  Cook— 234;  Andrew  Mack,  188. 

1836— Levi  Cook,  249;  John  Biddle,  153;  John  W.  Strong  and  Marshall  Chapin,  1 
each. 

1837 — Henry  Howard.     No  figures. 

1838— Augustus  S.  Porter,  839;  Henry  Howard,  508;  Andrew  Mack  3;  Gideon 
Paull,  1. 

1838 — Asher  B.  Bates,  acting  mayor. 

1839 — De  Garmo  Jones,  886;  Jonathan  Kearsley,  373;  scattering  and  irregular,  15. 

1840— Zina  Pitcher,  654;  Reynolds  Gillett,  644;  scattering,  2. 

1841 — Zina  Pitcher. 

1842 — Douglass  Houghton. 

1843— Zina  Pitcher. 

1844 — John  R.  Williams. 

1845— John  R.  Williams. 

1846 — John  R.  Williams. 

1847 — James  A.  Van  Dyke. 

1848 — Frederick  Buhl. 

1849 — Charles  Howard. 

1850 — John  Ladue. 

1851— Zachariah  Chandler. 

1852— John  H.  Harmon. 

1853— John  H.  Harmon. 

1854— Oliver  M.  Hyde. 

1855— Henry  Ledyard. 

1856— Oliver  M.  Hyde. 

1857— Oliver  M.  Hyde. 

1858-9— John  Patton,  3,512;  Abner  M.  Hyde,  2,714;  scattering,  7. 

1860-1— Christian  H.  Buhl. 

1862-3— William  C.  Duncan,  3,329;  Henry  P.  Baldwin,  2,650;  scattering,  12. 

1864-5— K.  C.  Barker,  3,215;  Gurdon  O.  Williams,  2,844. 

619 


1866-7— Merrill  I.  Mills,  3,851 ;  Henry  P.  Bridge,  2,958. 

1868-9— W.  W.  WiiEATON,  4,271;  George  C.  Codd,  3,909. 

1870-1— W.  W.  Whicaton,  4,813;  John  D.  Standish,  4,102;  Joseph  B.  Bloss,  54; 
scattering,  1. 

1872-3— Hugh  Mofi-at,  5,522;  William  Foxen,  4,695. 

1874-5— Hugh  Moffat,  5,650;  Charles  M.  Garrison,  4,178. 

1876-7— Alexander  Lewis,  7,367;  William  G.  Thompson,  5,691. 

1878-9— George  C.  Langdon,  6,905;  John  Greusel,  5,480;  Carleton  H.  Mills,  500; 
Edward  W.  Simpson,  774;  Leander  L.  Farnsworth,  75. 

1880-1— William  G.  Thomlson,  8,587;  George  C.  Langdon,  6,480;  Joseph  A. 
Labadie,  115. 

1882-3— William  G.  Thompson,  8,060;  William  Brodie,  6,649;  scattering,  2. 

1884-5— Stephen  B.  Grummond,  9,770;  Marvin  H.  Chamberlain,  9,304. 

1886-7— Marvin  H.  Chamberlain,  11,992;  Stephen  B.  Grummond,  10,104;  Carleton 
H.  Mills,  129. 

1888-9— John  Pridgeon,  jr.,  12,300;  Charles  C.  Yemans,  7,363;  Henry  A.  Robin- 
son, 1,653;  Waterman,  1,176. 

1890-1— Hazen   S.   Pingree,    13,954;    John   Pridgeon,   11,616;    Conley,  69; 

Randall,  2. 

1892-3— Hazen  S.  Pingree,  15,335;  William  G.  Thompson,  9,015;  John  Miner_ 
5,263;  Fred  C.  Deinzer,  441. 

1894-5— Hazen  S.  Pingree,  24,924;  Marshall  H.  Godfrey,  19,124;  Rufus  N.  Cros- 
man,  138. 

1896— Hazen  S.  Pingree,  21,024;  Samuel  Goldwater,  10,432;  W.  Krieghoff,  208. 

1897— William  C.  Maybury,  17,978;  Albert  E.  Stewart,  17,491;  Meiko  Meyer,  385. 

1897— William  C.  Maybury,  20,611;  Clarence  A.  Black,  18,490;  Charles  Erb,  541. 

By  an  act  passed  in  1881  a  Board  of  Cotmcilmen  was  formed,  con- 
sisting of  twelve  citizens  elected  at  large,  who  were  designed  to  be  a 
municipal  upper  house,  and  to  have  the  same  relations  to  the  city  gov- 
ernment as  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  the  State  Leg- 
islature. The  city  council  organized  on  January  10,  1882,  by  electing 
A.  C.  Raynor  as  president.  The  succeeding  presidents  were:  1883, 
A,  C.  Raynor;  1884,  Henry  D.  Barnard,  Theodore  Rentz;  1885,  Mar- 
vin H.  Chamberlain;  1886,  Ralph  Phelps,  jr. ;  1887,  John  Pridgeon,  jr. 
The  experiment  of  an  upper  house  was  not  satisfactory,  and  it  was 
abolished  by  the  Legislature  of  1887,  and  its  last  meeting  was  held  on 
September  26,  1887. 

The  heart  of  Detroit  throbbed  fervently  during  the  war,  and  its 
passion  was  displayed  at  each  noticeable  event.  Victory  and  defeat 
were  each  greeted  with  patriotic  feeling.  The  fall  of  Richmond  and 
the  Confederate  surrender  at  Appomattox  were  received  with  tumul- 
tuous enthusiasm,  and  the  assassination  of  Lincoln  provoked  fiery 
wrath  and  pathetic  sorrow.      All  the  churches  held  formal  services  on 

620 


WILLIAM   C.   MAYBURY. 


April  19,  1865,  four  days  after  the  murder,  and  on  the  25th  there  was  a 
large  funeral  procession.  When  the  Michigan  soldiers  returned  in  June 
they  were  all  given  meals  in  the  Michigan  Central  depot.  Of  the  91,000 
soldiers  sent  by  Michigan  to  defend  the  Union,  about  7,000  were  men 
from  Detroit.  The  soldiers'  monument  in  the  Campus  Martins,  de- 
signed by  Randolph  Rogers,  was  unveiled  on  April  9,  1872. 

In  the  summer  of  1894  Mayor  Pingree  suggested  the  plan  of  utilizing 
idle  land  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  for  cultivation  by  the  poor,  who 
could  thus  raise  food  for  themselves.  The  idea  met  with  favor,  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  by  the  mayor,  the  use  of  about  430  acres  was  do- 
nated by  owners  of  vacant  land,  and  945  families  went  to  work.  The 
apportionment  of  land  was  in  lots  of  one-quarter  to  one-half  acre  for 
each  family.  The  committee  purchased  plows,  harrows,  seed  potatoes, 
beans  and  other  seeds ;  the  land  was  plowed,  harrowed  and  staked  off 
at  an  entire  expense  of  $3,600,  the  cost  per  lot,  deducting  the  price  of 
plows,  was  $3.45,  Although  the  time  of  planting — the  middle  of  June 
— was  very  late,  cultivators  raised  crops,  principally  potatoes,  valued  at 
about  $13,000,  at  a  total  expense  of  $3,600. 

The  plan  was  entirely  successful  and  was  repeated  in  1895,  1896  and 
1897,  with  greater  results.  In  1895  an  exhibit  of  the  crops  was  made 
at  the  State  Fair  and  was  awarded  a  diploma.  The  crops  raised,  con- 
sisting of  potatoes,  beans,  turnips,  beets,  corn,  cabbage,  squash  and 
pumpkins,  etc.,  were  valued  at  $27, 792,  which  were  raised  at  an  expense 
of  $5,000,  donated  by  the  city. 

In  1896  the  use  of  about  400  acres  was  donated,  1,701  families  culti- 
vating them.  The  expense  was  $1,749. 97,  and  $30,998.10  worth  of  veg- 
etables was  raised. 

The  reports  for  1897  have  not  yet  been  published.  That  the  plan 
is  successful  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  nineteen  cities  in  the  United 
States  have  adopted  it,  with  generally  gratifying  results.  Washington, 
D.  C,  is  almost  the  only  one  in  which  it  was  a  failure,  the  land  in  that 
city  being  almost  worthless  for  agricultural  purposes.  It  has  the  treble 
result  of  relieving  the  worthy  poor,  preserving  them  from  the  demor- 
alizing taint  of  pauperism,  and  saving  money  to  the  city  which  would 
otherwise  be  expended  by  the  Poor  Commission. 


621 


CHAPTER  LXXXVI. 
DETROIT  AS  A   MODERN   COMMERCIAL   CITY. 

BY  JOHN  A.    RUSSELL,   SECRETARY   OF   THE   DETROIT    CHAMBER    OF    COMMERCE. 

The  history  of  the  commerce  of  Detroit  runs  back  into  the  period  of 
the  development  of  the  continent,  and  is  closely  interwoven  with  the 
earlier  efforts  for  the  reduction  of  the  territory  from  a  state  of  savagery 
to  one  of  civilization.  It  is  intermingled  with  stories  of  martyrdom 
and  of  conquest.  Its  threads  run  through  the  warp  of  romance  and  in 
themselves  make  the  woof  of  many  a  pretty  bit  of  religious  endeavor 
or  soldierly  strategy.  New  France  was  a  hunting  ground,  and  the  sol- 
diers of  fortune  who  came  from  the  older  France  to  possess  the  new 
land  in  the  name  of  the  king  were  accompanied  almost  invariably  by 
the  soldiers  of  commerce — a  crude  commerce  it  may  have  been,  but 
one  whose  bales  of  skins  and  peltries  formed  a  very  important  item  in 
the  imports  of  the  older  country.  The  earlier  commerce  of  Detroit 
was  very  largely  confined  to  the  fur  trade,  with  some  shipments  of  In- 
dian curiosities,  and  the  barbaric  trinkets  which  excited  the  interest  of 
the  people  at  home.  This  was  the  first  stage  of  commercial  develop- 
ment in  the  territory  of  which  Detroit  is  now  the  metropolis  A  second 
stage  followed  as  the  country  became  settled,  and  the  necessity  for  the 
protection  of  the  civilized  residents  became  the  greater  with  their  num- 
ber. In  this  stage  the  fur  station  evolved  into  a  depot  of  military  sup- 
plies, and  of  the  coarser  implements  of  civilization.  Following  hard 
upon  this  came  the  navigation  of  the  waterways,  the  trade  with  Mont- 
real and  the  traffic  between  missions  and  military  posts,  which  made 
of  Detroit  the  beginning  of  a  port. 

None  of  these  earlier  stages  of  the  commerce  of  Detroit  are  important 
now,  save  for  their  developments.  The  city  of  to-day,  as  a  commercial 
metropolis,  is  a  thing  of  later  growth,  yet  the  selection  which  has  been 
shown  in  its  advancement  is,  to  some  extent,  traceable  to  its  earlier 
stages,  A  writer  upon  this  subject  of  Detroit's  commercial  importance 
has  characterized  the  selection  of  its  location  as  being  influenced    to 

622 


some  extent  by  much  the  same  causes  which  led  to  the  foundation  of 
the  castra  on  the  Roman  roads.  The  day's  journey  marked  the  loca- 
tion of  the  camp  by  enforcing  its  necessity,  and  so  in  the  development 
of  the  northwestern  territory,  the  day's  journey  measured  off  the  space 
from  halting  post  to  halting  post,  so  long  as  the  journey  was  made  by 
pack  train.  When  the  methods  of  travel  improved,  more  and  more  of 
these  halting  points  were  eliminated,  and  their  locations  are  marked  by 
the  ruined  hamlets,  the  destruction  of  which  is  popularly  accredited  to 
the  railroad.  Every  advance  in  the  methods  of  transportation  seems 
to  have  accrued  to  the  benefit  of  Detroit.  The  business  of  the  trail 
was  transferred  to  the  water  carrier,  and  that  of  the  carrier,  in  time, 
to  the  railroad.  Fine  ships  were  built  to  ply  between  Detroit  and  Buf- 
falo, but  railroad  communication  between  these  cities  was  established 
at  a  date  later  than  the  primitive  iron  straps  were  laid  from  Detroit 
westward.  The  steamboat  filled  the  gap  from  Detroit  to  Buffalo,  and 
the  junction  point  of  lake  and  rail  thrived  and  prospered.  To  this  era 
can  be  related  back,  the  beginnings  of  commerce  in  the  sense  of  man- 
ufactures and  jobbing  interests  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  the  selection 
shown  by  the  preference  of  certain  industries  for  this  location  can  be 
better  understood  by  so  relating  them. 

Taking  the  whole  commerce  of  the  city,  by  and  large,  it  can  be 
arranged  by  its  growth  into  four  distinct  classifications  of  interests. 
To  the  first  class  belong  those  institutions  now  existing  which  are  the 
developments  of  earlier  conditions.  To  this  class  belongs  the  remnant 
of  the  fur  trade  that  still  remains;  so  much  of  the  tanning  industry  as 
has  survived  the  destruction  of  the  oak  and  hemlock  forests,  and  the 
western  movement  of  hide  production,  and  those  other  industries  which 
were  based  upon  conditions  which  made  Detroit  a  source  of  supply  for 
the  lumber  cutting  business  of  the  State,  and  a  favorable  point  for  its 
output.  To  this  classification  belongs  also  the  development  of  ship 
building,  originally  started  to  supply  the  smaller  wooden  ships  pro- 
pelled by  sails,  and  which  grew  into  the  business  of  making  wooden 
steamboats,  which,  in  its  turn,  has  grown  into  the  steel  ship  building 
trade  by  the  improvements  in  navigation ;  the  consolidation  of  earlier 
works,  and  the  addition  of  large  bodies  of  local  capital.  To  the  growth 
of  the  ship  building  trade  may  be  related  a  line  of  collateral  industries 
which,  while  now  not  so  directly  dependent  upon  it,  had  their  begin- 
nings in  the  necessities  of  the  ship  builder.  The  forge,  the  engine 
works,  the  metal  and  heating  industry,  and  its  development,  the  manu- 

623 


facture  of  steam  and  hot  water  radiators,  the  making  of  paints,  the 
business  of  ship  chandlery,  are  all  direct  developments  in  the  line  of 
evolution  from  the  original  business  of  building  wooden  ships.  This  is 
more  clearly  shown  in  the  personnel  of  these  occupations  than  in  any 
other  way,  for  the  story  of  three  generations  from  the  original  ship 
builders  will  include  the  names  of  their  descendants  engaged  in  these 
collateral  lines. 

The  second  classification  of  the  commercial  interests  of  Detroit  may 
relate  to  those  industries  founded  originally  for  local  supply,  which 
have  grown  until  the  local  phase  of  their  business  is  the  least.  In  this 
classification  may  be  included  the  business  of  car  building,  originally 
founded,  in  a  modest  way,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  demands  of 
roads  in  the  adjacent  territory,  but  which  has  grown  until  its  market  is 
the  continent,  and  until  it,  too,  has  developed  its  line  of  collateral  in- 
dustries closely  related  to  it.  The  car  building  trade  was  the  progeni- 
tor of  the  trade  in  car  forgings,  in  car  wheels  and  foundry  work,  and 
of  the  saw  mills  for  the  making  of  special  dimension  timber.  It  was 
the  raison  d'etre  of  the  car  roofing  trade,  of  the  malleable  iron  business, 
of  the  manufacture  of  railway  supplies  and  appliances,  all  of  wh'ch  cut 
a  very  important  figure  in  the  modern  commerce  of  Detroit. 

To  a  third  division  of  this  arbitrary  classification  may  be  related  the 
presence  of  industries  for  which  it  would  seem  that  Detroit  had  origin- 
ally no  special  advantages,  the  foundations  of  energetic  and  ambitious 
spirits  who  had  faith  in  themselves  and  in  their  knowledge  of  their 
specialties  rather  than  any  special  conditions  of  location.  There  is  no 
apparent  reason,  even  at  this  day,  why  Detroit  should  be  preferred  as 
a  point  for  the  manufacture  of  pharmaceutical  preparations  or  the  col- 
lection, selection  and  distribution  of  seeds,  nor  is  it  at  all  likely  that 
this  city  would  have  obtained  its  eminence  in  this  direction  were  it  not 
for  the  adventure  and  enterprise  of  the  people  who  were  the  earliest  to 
embark  in  this  trade.  To  an  ambitious  young  chemist,  who  linked  his 
fortune  with  a  capitalist,  may  be  credited  the  foundation  of  the  largest 
establishment  in  the  world  for  the  manufacture  of  pharmaceutical 
preparations.  To  the  example,  which  the  success  of  this  first  institu- 
tion afforded  an  energetic  and  scholarly  pharmacist,  is  creditable  the 
beginnings  and  the  growths  of  a  similar  institution  almost  rivaling  the 
first  in  size.  To  the  opportunities  afforded  by  both  of  these  to  ener- 
getic juniors,  may  be  charged  the  founding  of  minor  institutions  in  the 
same  trade,  no  single  one  of  them,  perhaps,  being  as  noteworthy  as  the 

G24 


JOHN  E.  PATTERSON, 


earlier  ones  which  were  their  suggestion,  but  all  of  them  combining  to 
make  Detroit  one  of  the  greatest  drug  centers  in  the  world.  Its  raw 
materials  come  hither  from  every  land  and  clime  and  go  out  again  in 
their  finished  state  over  quite  as  wide  a  territory  as  their  original  con- 
stituents came  from.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  trade  by  which  Detroit  is 
so  well  advertised  as  its  drug  trade.  The  labels  of  its  manufacturers 
carry  its  name  to  every  portion  of  the  habitable  world.  Their  ex- 
plcjrers  and  their  scientists  are  collecting  and  their  salesmen  and 
brokers  distributing  in  every  country  under  the  sun,  and  carrying  the 
name  of  Detroit  whithersoever  they  go. 

To  this  .same  class  of  industries,  which  are  the  product  of  enterprise 
rather  than  of  natural  selection,  belongs  another  important  phase  of 
the  city's  industrial  activity — the  manufacture  of  tobacco.  This  was 
begun,  in  a  small  way,  as  far  back  as  sixty  years  ago.  There  was  an 
element  of  local  advantage  in  those  days;  an  excedingly  high  grade  of 
leaf  tobacco  was  produced  in  Canada,  which  found  its  way  to  this  city 
for  manufacture.  This  source  of  supply  has  now  practically  disap- 
peared, and  the  present  supremacy  of  the  city  in  tobacco  manufacture 
is  distinctly  relatable  to  the  enterprise  of  men  who  founded  their  in- 
dustries and  made  their  own  conditions.  The  tobacco  trade  of  Detroit 
now  covers  the  entire  range  of  the  manufacture  of  that  staple,  and  the 
details  of  production  at  this  point  will  be  given  later  on. 

To  quite  a  different  classification  may  be  reduced  certain  industries 
founded  in  Detroit,  largely  by  commercial  people  from  eastern  cities, 
engaging  at  the  outset  no  great  amount  of  capital,  but  growing  by  sim- 
ple force  of  management  to  proportions  which  are  enormous,  and  which 
have  led  to  the  investment  of  great  bodies  of  capital  and  the  employ- 
ment of  large  numbers  of  hands.  The  seed  industry  of  the  city  is  a 
fair  example  of  this  classification.  Founded  in  an  humble  way,  it  has 
been  developed  by  people  who  made  their  homes  in  Detroit,  and  found 
their  occupation  profitable  even  beyond  expectation.  The  manufacture 
of  agricultural  implements  comes  in  the  same  class.  The  piano  and 
organ  trade,  the  manufacture  of  metal  novelties,  the  making  of  emery 
wheels,  the  construction  of  electrical  apparatus,  are  all  proper  examples 
of  this  classification  of  industry.  In  a  class  by  themselves,  as  studied 
in  connection  with  their  growth  and  their  reason  for  existence,  belongs 
to  a  great  body  of  industries  such  as  is  to  be  found  in  every  great  city. 
The  needs  of  an  enormous  population  develop  institutions  for  satisfy- 
ing them.    The  food  supply,  the  supply  of  apparel,  and  the  other  creature 

625 


comforts  that  are  demanded  by  a  population  of  great  size,  naturally 
bring  into  existence  enterprises  of  this  character.  To  this  classification 
belongs  the  great  baking  establishments,  the  meat-packing  houses,  the 
breweries,  the  clothing  factories,  the  factories  for  the  manufacturing  of 
lumber  for  construction  and  finish,  the  shoe  shops,  the  printing  houses, 
the  soap  factories,  the  malt  houses,  the  flouring  mills,  and  the  various 
establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  metals  for  the  supply  of  the  do- 
mestic demand.  In  all  of  these  Detroit  is  exceedingly  rich,  for  the 
reason  that  in  addition  to  supplying  the  domestic  demand,  her  factors 
have  sought  to  gain  additional  profits  by  the  extension  of  their  business 
into  fields  beyond  those  lying  immediately  at  their  doors.  The  same  is 
true  of  the  other  industries  which  follow  population  equally  with  those 
intended  to  provide  food  and  raiment.  The  great  fertilizer  works,  the 
rendering  establishments,  the  rag  and  paper  stock  industry,  living  as 
they  do  from  the  waste  of  populations,  have  grown  up  in  Detroit  as  she 
has  grown,  and  extended  their  operations  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
are  now  great  industries,  rather  than  minor  ones,  disposing  of  the  waste 
of  a  single  city. 

The  four  great  industries  of  Detroit  are  the  manufacture  of  stoves, 
of  tobacco,  of  railway  freight  cars,  and  of  the  pharmaceutical  prepara- 
tions. To  these  a  fifth  has  been  added  during  the  past  decade — the 
manufacture  of  salt  and  of  the  alkaline  chemicals  having  salt  as  their 
basis,  which  promises  from  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  during  the  first 
few  years  of  its  history,  to  become  a  strong  competitor  with  the  others 
for  supremacy.  In  the  manufacture  of  stoves,  which  was  commenced 
with  a  single  foundry  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  which  has  grown  to  in- 
clude four  great  factories,  3,100  men  are  constantly  employed,  receiving 
a  monthly  wage  of  $150,000,  and  turning  out  annually  165,000  stoves, 
of  an  aggregate  value  of  nearly  $4,000,000.  In  the  manufacture  of 
railway  freight  cars,  6,000  men  are  employed,  with  a  monthly  pay-roll 
of  $200,000,  an  annual  output  of  $14,700,000  in  value,  and  of  seventy 
to  eighty  cars  per  day  in  number. 

The  manufacture  of  tobacco,  from  the  small  proportions  of  the  early 
days,  has  grown  to  a  point  where  15,000,000  pounds  of  manufactured 
tobacco  and  55,000,000  of  cigars  were  produced  in  1896,  and  19,000,000 
pounds  of  finished  tobaccos,  and  over  60,000,000  of  cigars  were  pro- 
duced in  1897.  The  following  table  shows  the  production  in  the  Rev- 
enue District  of  Detroit  during  the  two  years  named: 


626 


1896  1897 

Plug  tobacco,  pounds, 3,551,319  0,923,023 

Fine  cut  "             "          3,865,336  4,040,273 

Smoking"    .         " 7,664,116  8,080,546 

Snuff,                      "          29,352  53,416 

15,110,123       19,097,258 

United  States  taxes  paid  at  6  cts.  per  pound,    |906,268       |1, 145,835 

Cigars, 54.787,060       60,620,040 

United  States  taxes  paid  at  $3  per  1000 $164,211         $181,860 

In  the  manufacture  of  pharmaceutical  preparations,  the  output  is 
valued  at  $6,000,000  per  year,  and  one  of  the  establishments  producing 
this  class  of  goods  is  probably  the  most  extensive  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  The  factories  engaged  in  the  production  of  drugs,  chemicals, 
perfumes  and  medicines  employ  1,700  people,  pay  annually  nearly 
$900,000  in  wages,  represent  an  output  of  $5,300,000,  and  an  invest- 
ment  of  $2,000,000.  This,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  entirely  apart 
from  the  allied  industry  of  capsule  making,  which  employs  500  people, 
and  has  an  annual  output  of  500,000,000  capsules  per  year.  It  is  also 
apart  from  the  chemical  developments  of  the  great  Carbon  Fertilizer 
Works,  which,  employing  300  men  and  producing  20,000  tons  of  fertil- 
izer per  year,  also  produced  8,000  tons  of  bone  black,  in  addition  to 
glues,  sulphuric  and  muriatic  acid,  and  a  superior  quality  of  edible 
gelatine.  The  collateral  line  of  paint  and  color  making  represents  a 
production  of  $450,000  per  year  in  paint  colors  manufactured,  and 
white  lead,  ground  and  mixed,  while  the  additional  line  of  perfumes 
manufactured  outside  the  ordinary  pharmaceutical  establishments,. rep- 
resents an  outputof  $300,000  per  year.  Naturally  so  great  an  amount 
of  production  of  drugs  and  chemicals  has  developed  a  strong  business 
in  the  jobbing  of  drugs.  The  wholesale  drug  business  of  Detroit  supplies 
a  wide  territory,  including  Michigan,  Indiana  and  Ohio.  The  whole- 
saling of  drugs  commenced  as  early  as  1815,  under  Rice  &  Bingham, 
and  about  the  same  time  under  Dr.  Marshall  Chapin.  At  present  the 
business  amounts  to  about  $2,500,000  per  year. 

The  new  industry,  the  manvifacture  of  salt,  and  the  chemicals  having 
salt  as  a  base,  dates  back  about  ten  years.  Detroit  is  peculiarly  located 
for  the  development  of  this  trade.  Underlying  the  city  at  all  points  is 
a  bed  of  the  purest  fossil  rock  salt,  varying  in  thickness  from  250  to 
400  feet,  and  lying  at  the  accessible  depth  of  less  than  a  thousand  feet, 
thereby  rendering  water  mining  and  the  pumping  of  brine  containing 

627 


this  salt  in  its  solution,  an  exceedingly  economical  process.  Though 
salt  was  discovered  earlier,  the  commercial  importance  of  the  discovery 
was  not  appreciated  until  in  1891  people  connected  with  the  alkali  in- 
dustry were  attracted  to  the  neighborhood  of  Detroit,  with  a  view  to 
using  the  salt  obtainable  in  this  section  as  the  basis  of  alkali  production. 
Since  that  time  the  development  of  the  district  has  gone  ahead  with 
great  rapidity.  Some  $7,000,000  of  capital  have  become  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  salt  and  salt  products,  none  of  it  being  invested 
actually  within  the  city,  but  all  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  These  works 
now  employ  in  the  neighborhood  of  3,000  hands,  the  product  being  soda 
ash  or  mono-carbonate  of  soda,  bicarbonate  of  soda,  caustic  soda, 
bleaching  powders,  etc.  This  industry  is  not  yet  fully  developed,  there 
being  engagements  made  at  the  time  of  this  publication  for  locations 
for  two  great  plants,  which  are  intended  to  employ  an  aggregate  of 
2,500  persons. 

The  manufacture  of  commercial  salt,  which  was  commenced  in  Wayne 
county  for  the  first  time  in  1896,  has  grown  until  at  this  time  the 
monthly  production  of  salt  in  Wayne  county  equals,  and  frequently  ex- 
ceeds, that  of  those  counties  which  have  been  famous  for  salt  produc- 
tion since  the  first  efforts  in  that  direction  were  made  by  Dr.  Garrigues, 
in  1869.  There  are  three  plants  actively  operating  for  the  manufacture 
of  salt,  employing  200  hands,  with  a  daily  output  of  2,000  barrels,  and 
an  additional  plant,  in  process  of  construction  at  the  time  of  this  publi- 
cation, which  promises  a  daily  production  of  3,000  barrels  and  employ- 
ment for  200  persons. 

The  Detroit  International  Fair  and  Exposition  Association  was  in- 
corporated in  June,  1889,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000,  of  which 
$250,000  was  paid  in.  The  stock  was  subscribed  by  101  prominent 
business  men  of  Detroit.  The  association  purchased  from  James  Mc- 
Millan, for  $139,920,  about  seventy  acres  of  land  on  the  Detroit  River, 
just  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  River  Rouge,  and  constructed  the  fol- 
lowing buildings:  Main  exposition  building,  art  gallery,  four  horse 
and  cattle  barns,  four  swine  and  sheep  sheds,  a  restaurant,  superin- 
tendent's house,  hospital,  fire  engine  house,  dock,  race  track,  grand 
stand,  electric  light  and  water  plants,  and  railroad  depot.  The  total 
investment  when  the  exposition  was  opened  on  September  2,  1889,  was 
$395,000.  The  fair  lasted  ten  days,  and  netted  about  eight  per  cent,  on 
the  stock  paid  in.  The  exposition  was  also  opened  in  1890,  1891  and 
1892  in  the  autumn   of  each  year.     The   ofificers  in   the  several  years 

628 


MYRON  H.  ANDREWS,  M.  D. 


were  as  follows:  1889,  president,  James  McMillan;  secretary,  E.  W. 
Cottrell;  general  manager,  C.  W.  Robinson.  1890,  president,  D.  M, 
Ferry;  secretary,  George  M.  Savage;  general  manager,  E.  W.  Cot- 
trell. 1891,  president,  D.  M.  Ferry;  secretary  and  general  manager, 
George  M.  Savage.  1892,  president,  D.  M.  Ferry;  secretary,  James  E. 
Davis;  general  manager,  Charles  Thurman.  As  an  exposition  it  was 
an  unqualified  success,  but  in  1891  and  1892  extensive  and  costly  im- 
provements were  made,  which  did  not  warrant  the  expenditure.  The 
last  exposition  was  held  in  1892. 

During  the  holding  of  the  exposition  there  were  two  fatal  balloon 
accidents.  John  Hogan  made  an  ascension  on  August  28,  1891,  and 
when  the  balloon  left  the  ground  he  grasped  the  trapeze  bar  with  only 
one  hand.  He  was  unable  to  reach  it  with  the  other,  and  when  at  an 
altitude  of  about  2,000  feet,  his  hold  gave  way,  and  he  fell  to  the 
ground  and  was  instantly  killed.  On  August  25,  1892,  a  similar  fate 
befell  Gertrude  Carmo.  In  rising  the  balloon  struck  the  tower  of  the 
main  building,  and  the  aeronaut  was  partially  stunned  by  the  shock. 
She  clung  to  the  bar  until  the  balloon  had  reached  an  altitude  of  400 
feet  when  she  fainted  and  catne  whirling  to  the  ground.  She  struck 
less  than  300  feet  from  her  starting  point  and  was  of  course  instantly 
killed.  In  1894  the  Michigan  State  Fair  was  held  in  the  exposition 
grounds  and  buildings,  and  it  was  the  most  successful  in  its  history. 
The  plant  was  sold  on  March  1,  1895,  to  the  Solvay  Process  Company, 
of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  for  $235,000.  The  Solvay  firm  erected  large 
buildings  for  the  manufacture  of  soda  ash  and  by  products  and  now 
employs  about  1,500  hands. 


629 


BIOGRAPHICAL, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


GEN.   RUSSELL  A.   ALGER. 

Gen.  Russell  A.  Alger,  secretary  of  war  in  the  cabinet  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  was  born  in  Lafayette,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  Febru- 
ary 27,  1836,  and  is  a  direct  descendant  of  "William  the  Conqueror." 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  but  eleven  years  of  age,  leaving  depend- 
ent upon  him  a  younger  brother  and  sister.  By  hard  work  and  the 
most  rigid  self-denial,  he  not  only  supported  them  until  they  were  old 
enough  to  take  care  of  themselves,  but  he  also  obtained  a  good  English 
education,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  taught  school  for  several  sessions, 
during  the  winter  months,  spending  his  summers  working  on  the  farm. 
In  1857  he  removed  to  Akron,  Ohio,  and  read  law  in  the  offices  of 
Woolcott  &  Upson,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1859.  He  then  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  for  one  year  he 
studied  with  Otis  &  Coffinbury. 

On  the  last  day  of  1859  he  turned  his  face  westward  to  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich.,  and  with  borrowed  capital  entered  the  lumber  business.  In  1861 
he  enlisted  in  the  2d  Mich.  Cavalry,  as  captain  of  Co.  C,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  major  in  July,  1862,  for  gallant  service  at  the 
front.  October  16,  1862,  he  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  6th 
Mich.  Cavalry,  and  on  February  28,  1863,  he  was  made  colonel  of  the 
5th  Mich.  Cavalry.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  on  account 
of  his  many  wounds  received  in  action,  on  September  20,  1864,  and  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  he  was  brevetted  major-general  of  volun- 
teers for  gallant  services  rendered.  In  1866  he  settled  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  re-entered  the  lumber  business,  and  is  to  day  one  of  the 
largest  dealers  in  the  world. 

In  1881  the  present  firm  of  Alger,  Smith  &  Co.  was  formed.  General 

633 


Alger  being-  its  president  and  principal  stockholder.  He  is  also  presi- 
dent of  the  Manistique  Lumber  Co.,  which  is  an  offshoot  of  the  parent 
house.  The  annual  output  of  lumber  of  both  houses  is  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  million  feet,  and  they  employ  upward  of  a  thousand 
men.  General  Alger  is  a  director  in  the  Detroit  National  Bank,  the  State 
Savings  Bank,  the  United  States  Express  Company,  and  is  the  princi- 
pal owner  of  the  Volunteer  Iron  Mine,  which  operates  the  valuable 
Palmer  Iron  Mine  in  Marquette  county.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  ex- 
tensive tracts  of  timber  lands  in  Canada,  Northern  Michigan  and  on 
the  Pacific  slope. 

General  Alger's  charities  are  many  and  varied,  and  by  his  philan- 
thropy he  has  endeared  himself  to  the  citizens  of  Michigan.  He  has 
always  been  a  staunch  Republican,  and  in  1884  was  elected  governor 
of  Michigan  by  an  overwhelming  majority.  Upon  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  office  he  declined  renomination.  In  1889  he  was  elected  as 
commander-in-chief  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  served  one  year  in  that  position 
as  only  the  friend  of  the  old  soldier  can.  Upon  the  selection  of  a  cab- 
inet by  President  McKinley,  General  Alger  was  tendered  and  accepted 
the  portfolio  of  war,  and  his  direction  of  affairs  at  the  present  writing 
(April,  1898)  has  received  the  unqualified  approval  of  the  country  at 
large.  His  great  executive  ability,  eminent  business  qualifications, 
and  devotion  to  his  country,  have  enabled  him  in  the  short  time  he  has 
filled  his  present  office,  to  claim  the  proud  title  of  being  one  of  the 
most  able  secretaries  of  war  the  United  States  has  ever  had.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  New  York  city,  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States,  and  the  Ohio  Society.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  all  the  principal  political  and  social 
clubs  of  Detroit. 

April  2,  1861,  he  married  Annette  H.,  daughter  of  W.  G.  Henry  of 
Grand  Rapids,  and  they  have  had  nine  children,  five  of  whom  survive: 
Caroline,  Fay,  Frances  and  Russell,  jr.,  all  married,  and  Frederick  M. 


WILLIAM  K.   ANDERSON. 

William  Kyle  Anderson  was  born  near  Ovvensboro,  in  Kentucky, 
March  24,  1847.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  Scoch-Irish  and  came  to 
the  United  States  shortly  after  the  Revolutionary  war  and  settled  in 
Kentucky.      His  maternal   ancestors   were    English    and   Scotch,   and 

034 


were  pioneer  settlers  of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  a  hundred  years  previ- 
ous to  the  Revolution.  His  great  great  grandfather,  George  Taylor, 
was  colonel  of  a  Virginia  regiment  in  the  Indian  wars,  and  his  great- 
grandfather, Richard  Taylor,  was  commodore  of  the  Virginia  navy  and 
commanded  a  flotilla  in  the  Chesapeake  during  the  Revolution. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Kentucky,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
June,  1868.  He  afterward  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  from  the  same 
institution.  For  seven  years  he  was  cashier  of  the  Owensboro  Savings 
Bank,  then  removed  to  Detroit  in  January,  1877;  was  employed  first  as 
manager  of  the  Detroit  Seed  Company,  in  the  interest  of  the  late  Hon, 
John  S.  Newberry  and  Hon,  James  McMillan.  When  it  was  merged 
into  the  corporation  of  D.  M.  Ferry  &  Co,  he  was  made  assistant- 
general  manager;  held  that  position  a  few  mouths  only,  and  was  then 
invited  by  Messrs.  Newberry  &  McMillan  to  come  into  their  office  and 
assume  charge  of  their  personal  financial  affairs,  and  become  the 
treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Car  Company  and  all  the  corporations  of 
which  they  were  the  officers  and  chief  stockholders.  For  many  years 
and  until  1892  he  continued  to  manage  the  finances  of  all  the  McMillan 
&  Newberry  corporations,  in  which  he  also  became  a  stockholder  and 
director. 

In  September,  1802,  when  the  Michigan  and  Peninsular  Car  Com 
panics  were  united,  he  became  treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Peninsular 
Company,  but  resigned  after  serving  one  year.  He  continued  his  con- 
nection with  Senator  McMillan  and  all  the  other  corporations  until  the 
summer  of  1894,  when  he  resigned,  and  with  his  family  went  abroad, 
spending  a  year  and  a  half  in  European  travel.  Since  his  return  he 
has  not  engaged  actively  in  business,  other  than  the  management  of 
his  own  personal  affairs. 

He  is  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Savings  Bank;  a  charter  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club;  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club,  the  Lake  St.  Clair 
Fishing  and  Shooting  Club,  and  of  the  Fontinalis  Club;  is  also  a  trustee 
of  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church.  In  July,  1897,  President 
McKinley  appointed  him  U.  S.  Consul  at  the  city  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, a  position  which  he  now  fills. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  at  Detroit,  January  20,  1877,  to  Miss 
Cornelia  M.  Cook,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  Cook  of  Detroit,  for 
many  years  U,  vS.  supervising  inspector  of  steam  vessels.  They  have 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Catherine  Clarke  Anderson,  born  June  23,  1884. 

635 


MYRON  H.   ANDREWS,   M.   D. 

Myron  H.  Andrews,  M.  D.,  son  of  Abraham  and  Harriet  (Carter) 
Andrews,  was  born  in  Greenville,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
3,  1816.  Dr.  Andrews  received  the  principal  portion  of  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  place  and  for  about  two  years  en- 
joyed the  privilege  of  a  private  tutor  in  mathematics  and  the  languages. 
His  boyhood  and  early  manhood  \vas  spent  in  assisting  his  father  in  the 
management  of  his  farm,  but  he  still  found  time  to  read  medicine,  in 
pursuance  of  a  desire  to  make  that  profession  his  life  work.  Later  he 
studied  under  Dr.  Loami  Whitcomeof  Walworth,  Wayne  count}^,  N.  Y.,. 
where  he  frequently  assisted  in  surgical  operations;  he  also  took  a  short 
course  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Geneva  (N.  Y. )  University. 

Desiring  to  enter  a  broader  field  than  that  afforded  at  Walworth,  he 
removed,  in  1841,  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  became  a  student  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  Pickering.  In  1846  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from 
the  Buffalo  (N.  Y. )  University,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Belleview,  Eaton  county,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
The  following  eleven  years  were  spent  in  successful  practice  in  the 
cities  of  Hillsdale,  Jonesville  and  Niles,  Mich.  In  1865  Dr.  Andrews 
removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  attained  to  a  prominent  place 
among  the  members  of  his  profession. 

For  many  years  he  was  surgeon  to  the  Michigan  Central  Railway, 
and  from  1888  to  1891  inclusive  he  served  as  city  physician  of  Detroit. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Society,  and  of  the 
Quarter  Century  Club.  Dr.  Andrews  is  a  scholarly  gentleman,  now  in 
his  eighty-first  year;  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health  and  is  daily 
in  his  office,  although  practically  retired  from  active  work. 

He  was  married  in  1846  to  Miss  Angeline  Ross  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with  a  son,  Corydon  L.  Andrews,  sec- 
retary of  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company. 


FRANZ  A.  APEL. 

Franz  A.  Apel,  son  of  Ignaz  and  Emily  (Loeffler)  Apel,  is  a  native 
of  Thuringia,  Prussia,  where  he  was  born  May  23,  1845.  His  educa- 
tion was  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  careful  preliminary  training.     From  there  he  went  to  the  cel- 

G36 


FRANZ    A.  APEL. 


ebrated  g-ymnasium  at  Heiligenstadt,  Prussia,  where  he  remained  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  After  leaving  the  gymnasium 
he  entered  the  Normal  Training  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1865.  Early  in  life  Mr.  Apel  evinced  a  strong  inclination  toward 
and  devout  love  for  music.  Therefore  at  an  early  age  he  began  the 
study  of  the  art,  in  which  he  exhibited  great  talent  from  the  beginning. 
After  leaving-  the  Normal  School  he  resumed  the  study  of  music  in 
Berlin,  where  he  remained  until  1866.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  in  the  fall  located  at  Dayton,  Ky. ,  where  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. In  1869  he  removed  to  Richmond,  Ind.,  where  he  remained  until 
1871.  In  that  year  he  accepted  the  position  of  organist  in  St.  Joseph's 
church  in  Detroit,  but  three  years  later  he  resigned  that  place  to  engage 
in  teaching  music. 

The  celebrated  Detroit  School  of  Music,  which  now  occupies  a  place 
in  the  front  rank  of  schools  of  music,  was  established  by  Prof.  Apel  in 
1883,  in  connection  with  the  Leggett  School,  at  that  time  located  on 
Miami  avenue,  and  he  has  been  its  director  from  the  beginning.  He 
was  the  first  instructor  in  Detroit  to  introduce  "  pupil's  recitals  "  in 
connection  with  class  work  in  his  school,  and  these  recitals  unquestion- 
ably have  been  potent  factors,  not  only  in  popularizing  his  school  and 
methods  of  instruction,  but  also  in  bringing  to  Prof.  Apel  the  great 
measure  of  success  which  has  been  the  just  reward  of  his  conscientious 
and  well  directed  efforts.  In  1883  he  added  harmony  and  composition 
to  the  curriculum,  so  that  to-day  every  possible  advantage  sought  by  a 
student  of  music  may  be  gained  in  the  Detroit  School  of  Music. 

January  31,  1894,  Prof.  Apel  organized  the  Detroit  Society  of  Pro- 
fessional Musicians,  of  which  he  was  elected  first  president.  This 
organization  has  for  its  aim  the  encouragement  of  a  fraternal  feeling  in 
the  musical  profession.  One  of  its  aims  is  also  set  forth  in  the  consti- 
tution as  follows:  "To  discuss  and  endeavor  to  adjust  all  questions 
arising  from  time  to  time,  that  may  appertain  to  the  mutual  welfare  of 
the  members  of  the  society  and  promote  the  cause  of  music  in  the  city 
and  State." 

Prof.  Apel's  services  to  the  world  of  music  in  America  have  been  of 
incalculable  value.  His  aim  has  not  been  the  amassing  of  wealth,  but 
he  has  labored  with  great  zeal  for  the  elevation  of  the  popular  musical 
taste  and  the  inculcation  into  the  minds  of  his  pupils  of  a  genuine  love 
for  the  lofty  sentiments  which  can  result  from  high  class  music  alone. 
To  him  belongs  lasting-  credit  for  a  noble  work  in  art  done  with  a  mas- 

637 


ter  hand,  and  his  labors  and  his  school  have  taken  a  place  as  landmarks 
of  Detroit  which  it  can  never  lose. 

Prof.  Apel  was  married  on  January  11,  1S70,  to  Ellen  O'Connell  of 
Richmond,  Ind.  The}-  have  a  family  of  five  children:  Lillian  M., 
August  P.,  Edna,  Aileen  and  Isabel. 


OSCAR  S.   ARMSTRONG,   M.   D. 

Oscar  S.  Armstrong,  M.  D.,  son  of  James  and  Anna  (Hunter)  Arm- 
strong, was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  August  30,  1853.  Dr.  Armstrong 
is  of  English  descent,  his  grandfather,  Col.  James  Armstrong,  being  an 
officer  in  the  English  army.  The  latter  was  given  a  grant  of  land  by 
the  English  government  in  what  is  now  the  northern  part  of  the  city 
of  Toronto,  and  with  his  family  removed  there  about  1815.  His  wife, 
Miss  Willoughby,  was  a  descendant  of  Wellmgton,  Duke  of  Marlbor- 
ough. Dr.  Armstrong  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Toronto,  and  later  became  a  student  in  Rockwood  Academy, 
at  Rockwood,  Ontario,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1869.  Subse- 
quently he  was  appointed  principal  of  the  schools  at  Drayton,  Ontario, 
continuing  in  that  position  until  1874,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1877,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  On  completion  of  his 
education,  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  later  removing  to  Morenci,  Mich.,  then  to  Oxford,  Mich., 
where  he  practiced  until  1887,  when  he  returned  to  Detroit  where  he 
has  since  resided.  Since  locating  in  Detroit  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  and  has  taken  a  prominent  place  among  the 
practitioners  of  the  city. 

In  1887  he  was  appointed  professor  of  anatomy  in  the  Michigan  Col- 
lege of  Medicine,  and  in  1889  to  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  gynaecology 
in  the  same  institution,  which  he  resigned  in  1895.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Association  of  Obstetricians  and  Gyna:^cologists,  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Societ)^ 
and  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society,  which  ^he  served  as  pres- 
ident in  1892-93.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Surgical  and 
Pathological  Society,  Conestoga  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Drayton,  On- 
tario; I.  O.  O.  P.,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Dr.  Armstrong  was  married  in  1879  to  Clara  M.  Allen  of  Morenci, 

638 


O.   S.    ARMSTRONG,    M.    D. 


Mich.     They  are  the   parents  of  two  children :  Mae  Allen  and  Harold 
Hunter. 


EDWIN  S.   BARBOUR. 

Edwin  S.  Barbour,  late  president  of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works,  was 
born  in  Canton,  Conn.,  November  19,  1832,  and  was  the  second  son  of 
Samuel  Thompson  and  Phoebe  (Beckwith)  Barbour.  Shortly  after  the 
birth  of  Edwin  his  parents  removed  to  Collinsville,  Conn.,  where  his 
father  engaged  in  general  merchandising,  and  for  many  years  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  that  section 
of  the  State.  After  acquiring  such  an  education  as  the  schools  of 
Collinsville  afforded,  Edwin  began  his  business  career  in  the  employ  of 
his  father,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  age  of  nineteen.  In  1851 
he  accepted  a  situation  with  the  wholesale  dry  goods  firm  of  Reuben  & 
James  Rice  of  New  Haven,  continuing  in  their  employ  until  1855, 
when  he  visited  the  then  western  State  of  Illinois,  remaining  some  few 
months  in  Chicago. 

Coming  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1856,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Edward 
Orr  &  Co.,  a  situation  he  resigned  in  1861  to  become  a  member  of  the 
dry  goods  firm  of  Root,  Johnson  &  Barbour.  On  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Johnson  in  1865  the  style  of  the  firm  became  Root  &  Barbour.  In  1870, 
at  the  solicitation  of  his  father-in-law,  William  H.  Tefft,  he  accepted 
the  secretaryship  of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works,  and  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  on  April  3,  1897,  was  closely  identified  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  that  industry.  In  1884  he  was  elected  vice-president, 
and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Tefft  in  1885,  succeeded  him  as  president. 
Largely  through  his  sagacity  and  enterprise,  the  Detroit  Stove  Works 
became  one  of  the  great  industries  of  the  country,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  ranked  first  among  the  stove  foundries  of  the  world. 

Aside  from  his  interests  as  a  stove  founder,  he  was  a  large  stock- 
holder in  various  industrial  enterprises,  a  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  the 
Transit  Railway  Company.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Club,  the  Pointe  Mouillee  Shooting  Club  and  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Fish- 
ing and  Shooting  Club.  As  a  man,  he  was  unassuming,  democratic, 
and  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  American  institutions.      He 

639 


was  broad-minded  and  liberal,   and   his   charities    were    always    con- 
ducted in  a  most  unostentatious  manner. 

On  July  1,  1863,  Mr.  Barbour  married  Ella  H.,  daughter  of  William 
H.  Tefft,  founder  of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works.  His  wife  and  two 
children  survive  him  :  Florine,  wife  of  William  G.  Henry  of  Chicago, 
111.,  and  William  Tefft  Barbour,  who  succeeded  his  father  as  president 
of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works. 


WILLIAM    H.  TEFFT. 

William  H.  Tefft,  late  president  and  founder  of  the  Detroit  Stove 
Works,  was  born  in  Little  Valley,  Cattaraugus  county,  N,  Y. ,  July  11, 
1819,  and  was  the  only  son  of  Royal  and  Celinda  (Robertson)  Tefft.  Mr. 
Tefft  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place 
and  at  an  early  age  was  apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade.  Upon  the 
expiration  of  that  apprenticeship  he  was  employed  on  the  Cattaraugus 
Whig.  In  1835  he  accepted  a  situation  as  clerk  in  the  general  store  of 
Walter  Chester,  at  Gerry,  Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y.,  where  he  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  habits  of  industry,  energy  and  economy  so  char- 
acteristic of  him  in  his  after  life,  and  which  brought  him  such  success. 
He  remained  with  Mr.  Chester  until  1841,  when  he  removed  to  Buffalo, 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Sidney  Shepherd  &  Co.,  at  that  time 
the  largest  dealers  in  stoves  in  Western  New  York,  and  who  had  an 
extensive  business  in  hardware  and  tinware  specialties.  Subsequently, 
the  firm  appreciating  the  value  of  his  services,  took  him  into  partner- 
ship. In  1854  he  formed  the  firm  of  Tefft  &  Moore,  operating  a  foun- 
dry for  the  manufacture  of  car  wheels  and  railroad  castings,  this  firm 
being  succeeded  by  Tefft,  Moore  &  Purdie.  Among  the  contracts 
taken  by  this  firm  was  one  for  the  original  castings  for  the  Buffalo  and 
Brantford  Railway,  the  origin  and  nucleus  of  what  later  became  the 
Great  Western  Railway  of  Canada,  and  which  recently  has  become  a 
part  of  the  Wabash  system. 

In  June,  1855,  Mr.  Tefft  disposed  of  his  Buffalo  interests  and  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  purchased  the  wholesale  and  retail 
hardware  business  of  Edward  Shepherd.  During  the  late  Civil  war 
Mr.  Tefft  was  largely  engaged  in  furnishing  the  government  with  tin 
cups,  camp  stools  and  canteens.  About  this  time  Jeremiah  Dwyer  be- 
gan the  manufacture  of  stoves  in  Detroit,  having  a  small  foundry  on 

640 


Mr.  Elliott  avenue,  and  Mr.  Tefft  contracted  for  his  entire  product. 
In  1863  he  purchased  the  interest  of  T.  W.  Mizner  (of  the  firm  of  J. 
Dwyer  &  Co.),  and  in  1864,  with  Jeremiah  Dwyer.  M.  I.  Mills  and 
James  Dwyer,  he  organized  the  business  into  a  joint  stock  company, 
which  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works. 
Its  first  officers  were  William  H.  Tefft,  president;  M.  I.  Mills,  treas- 
urer; Jeremiah  Dwyer,  superintendent.  From  this  beginning  has 
grown  the  present  business  of  the  establishment,  now  the  largest  in  the 
world  and  one  of  the  leading  industrial  enterprises  of  Detroit,  giving 
employment  to  about  fourteen  hundred  men  and  melting  sixty  tons  of 
iron  daily.  The  success  of  this  corporation  is  in  a  great  measure  due 
to  the  strict  integrity,  untiring  energy  and  conservative  business  meth- 
ods of  its  founder,  who  from  the  time  of  its  incorporation  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1885,  remained  at  its  head.  Mr.  Tefft  was  also  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Banner  Tobacco  Company,  as  well  as  its  first  presi- 
dent; a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  and  the  Detroit  Fire  and 
Marine  Insurance  Company. 

In  1843  he  married  Alartha  L.  Holbrook,  the  daughter  of  William 
Holbrook  of  Forestville,  N.  Y.  One  child  survives  him,  a  daugh- 
ter: Ella  H.  Tefft,  widow  of  the  late  Edwin  S.  Barbour,  who  succeeded 
him  as  president  of  the  Detroit  Stove  Works. 


GEORGE  H.   BARBOUR. 

George  Harrison  Barbour,  vice-president  and  general  manager  of 
of  The  Michigan  Stove  Company,  was  born  in  Collinsville,  Conn.,  June 
26,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  Thompson  and  Phoebe 
(Beck with)  Barbour.  Mr.  Barbour's  mercantile  education  began  when 
he  was  four  years  old.  His  father  was  a  merchant  of  considerable  local 
prominence,  but  met  with  reverses  and  lost  some  the  accumulations  of 
his  life.  George,  the  youngest  son,  was  required  to  spend  all  the  time 
not  devoted  to  school  in  the  store  assisting  his  father.  This  apprentice- 
ship lasted  for  some  four  years,  and  the  business,  run  at  small  expense, 
was  well  established  and  profitable.  His  salary  during  that  time  was 
$50  per  year  and  board.  Later  on  his  father  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness, but  subsequently  resumed  it,  and  after  an  additional  two  years 
turned  it  over  to  George  H.  and  a  young  man  about  to  become  his 
brother-in-law,   who   continued  it   under  the  style  of  Barbour  &  Good- 

641 


man.  The  venture  was  successful.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Barbour 
purchased  Mr.  Goodman's  interest  and  continued  the  business  alone 
until  1872.  He  was  then  twenty-eight  years  old,  and  began  to  desire 
larger  opportunities  than  merchandising  in  a  country  village  afforded. 
Through  relatives  in  Detroit  he  learned  of  the  organization  of  the 
Michigan  Stove  Company,  and  an  investment  as  well  as  an  official  posi- 
tion was  tendered  him,  which  he  accepted,  and  selling  out  his  retail 
business,  removed  to  Detroit  in  July,  1872.  This  opened  to  him  a 
career  of  exceptional  business  success,  for  which  he  was  particularly 
fitted.  Since  coming  here  Mr.  Barbour  has  attained  a  high  position 
among  the  business  men  of  the  city,  and  has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city's  industrial  enter 
prises.  At  present  he  is  the  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the 
Michigan  Stove  Compay,  vice-president  of  the  Electric  Gas  Stove 
Company,  a  director  in  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  the  Dime  Savings 
Bank,  the  Union  Trust  Company,  the  Michigan  Fire  and  Marine  In- 
surance Company,  the  Ireland  &  Matthews  Manufacturing  Company,  all 
of  Detroit,  the  Buck  Stove  and  Range  Company  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ,  and 
is  president  of  the  Detroit  Manufacturers'  Club.  He  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  is  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Art  Loan  Commission,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club, 
and  ex-president  of  the  latter.  He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Rich  as 
commissioner  to  the  Tennessee  Centennial  Exposition.  He  is  now 
vice  president  for  the  State  of  Michigan  for  the  National  Association 
of  Manufacturers  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  national  commis- 
sioner to  the  World's  Fair  in  1893,  as  well  as  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee on  ceremonies,  and  was  proud  of  the  fact  of  being  appointed  by  a 
Republican  governor. 

Mr.  Barbour  is  an  active  Democrat  with  liberal  tendencies,  and  is  a 
confirmed  believer  in  protection  to  American  industries,  and  favors 
nothing  but  a  sound  money  basis  for  our  currency.  He  was  for  two 
years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  it  president  in  1888. 
He  refused  to  become  a  candidate  for  mayor  tendered  him  three  dif- 
ferent times.  He  is  a  genial  and  agreeable  man  in  all  business  and 
social  gelations ;  a  hard  worker,  popular  with  the  trade,  and  held  in 
high  esteem  by  his  associates  and  subordinates.  He  was  president  of 
the  National  Association  of  Stove  Manufacturers  for  two  years  from 
1888,  and  was  active  in  all  its  interests. 

On  June  23,  J8G'.),  Mr.    Barbour  married  Katheren,   daughter  of  W. 

642 


WILLIAM    H.  BAXTER. 


H.    and  Susan  (Robertson)  Hawley,   of  Collinsville,   Conn.,   and  they 
have  four  children:     Edwin  S.,  Grace  L.,  Estelle,  and  George  H.,  jr. 


REV.  F.  J.  BAUMGARTNER. 

Very  Rev  Fredolin  J.  Baumgartner,  chancellor  of  Detroit  Diocese, 
son  of  Wendelin  J.  and  Frances  (Anselm)  Baumgartner,  was  born  in 
Connor's  Creek,  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  July  28,  1850,  His  early  ed- 
ucation was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  which  he 
attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  entered  Prof.  Old's  academy 
at  Lansing,  Mich.,  where  he  received  a  two  years'  course.  He  then 
began  his  ecclesiastical  study  in  the  seminary  of  Our  Lady  of  Angels  at 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.  After  one  year's  study  he  went  to  Milwaukee  and 
entered  St.  Francis's  Seminary  where  he  remained  eight  years.  Re- 
turning to  his  home  in  Detroit,  he  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  at 
St.  Clair,  Mich.,  by  Right  Rev.  C.  H.  Borgess,  bishop  of  Detroit 
Diocese,  on  June  9,  1876,  and  was  then  given  charge  of  Our  Lady  of 
Help  parish,  Detroit,  where  he  remained  until  November  26,  1876. 
Failing  health  caused  Fr.  Baumgartner  to  ask  to  be  transferred  to  a 
country  parish  and  he  was  accordingly  given  the  pastorate  of  St.  Vin- 
cent de  Paul  church  at  Pontiac,  Mich.  The  following  eighteen  years 
were  spent  by  him  in  this  parish,  where  his  labors  were  highly  success- 
ful. In  recognition  of  his  possession  of  great  executive  ability  as  well 
as  untiring  devotion  to  his  priestly  mission,  on  March  4,  1894,  he  was 
appointed  by  Bishop  Foley  chancellor  of  Detroit  Diocese. 


Wn.LIAM  H.  BAXTER. 

William  H.  Baxter,  fire  marshal  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  was  born  in 
Hull,  England,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Sarah  (Duffield)  Baxter. 
He  was  born  February  9,  1836,  and  while  still  an  infant  his  parents 
emigrated  to  America  and  after  a  stay  of  some  few  weeks  at  Chester, 
Pa.,  they  located  in  Chatham,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada.  In  the 
latter  city  William  attended  the  public  schools,  but  being  of  a  roving 
disposition,  he  left  home  at  the  age  of  nine  years  and  followed  the  sea, 
in  a  ship  commanded  by  an  uncle.  Upon  his  return  to  Chatham  he  was 
apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade,  serving  for  five  years  in  that  capac- 

643 


ity.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  shortlj'  after  his  arrival 
secured  a  situation  with  the  Daily  Tribune.  In  the  course  of  time  he 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  news  rooms  of  that 
journal  and  remained  in  that  capacity  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  United  States  navy  as  an  ordinary  seaman. 

Upon  his  being  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  18G4,  Mr.  Baxter  re- 
turned to  Detroit  and  to  the  service  of  his  old  employers,  being  given 
a  position  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Tribune,  by  the  owner  and  editor- 
in-chief,  Mr.  James  E.  Scripps.  Shortly  afterward  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  city  editor,  and  remained  in  that  situation  until  187G. 
While  serving  in  that  capacity  he  was  elected  as  alderman  from  the 
Tenth  ward,  in  1870,  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  was  again  elected  in 
1874,  and  in  1875  was  made  president  of  the  Common  Council  of  De- 
troit. Upon  his  retirement  from  the  service  of  the  Tribune,  he  was 
appointed  a  sergeant  of  police,  and  in  company  with  several  leading 
physicians  organized  the  first  health  board  of  Detroit.  From  1876  until 
1880  he  acted  as  health  officer  of  the  city,  and  in  the  latter  year  was 
appointed  to  his  present  office  of  fire  marshal ;  being  succeeded  as  heatlh 
officer  by  Dr.  Wight  of  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Mr.  Baxter  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  hold- 
ing every  grade  in  the  city,  and  has  been  honored  with  the  thirty-third 
degree.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
and  has  served  two  terms  as  supreme  master  of  that  order.  He  is  the 
only  member  of  that  body  who  has  ever  been  elected  to  serve  two  con- 
secutive terms.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Detroit  Post,  G.  A.  R. ,  and 
has  served  as  junior  vice-commander  and  senior  vice-commader  of  that 
post. 

Mr.  Baxter  was  married  in  1854.  He  is  the  father  of  two  children: 
David  R.,  of  Detroit,  and  Ida  B.,  wife  of  William  A.  Mitchie  of  Chi- 
cago, 111. 


FRANCIS  R.   BEAL. 

Francis  R.  Beal,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Gl  obe  Fur 
niture  Company,  was  born  in  Northville,  Mich.,  August  24,  1836,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Rachael  (Light)  Beal.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Lyme,  N.  H.,  who  came  to  Michigan  in  1830  and  located  at  North- 
ville.     He  was  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade,  and  Francis  R.,  after  serving 

644 


FRANCIS  R.    BEAL. 


an  apprenticeship,  followed  that  trade  until  1863  as  a  journeyman.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  a  line  he  continued  in  for  ten 
years,  when,  in  1873,  with  a  capital  of  $20,000,  he  organized  the  Mich- 
igan School"  Furniture  Company  for  the  manufacture  of  school  and 
church  furniture. 

In  1887,  after  fourteen  years  of  successful  operation,  he,  knowing  the 
capabilities  of  the  community  and  the  excellence  of  its  workmen,  whose 
output  had  stood  the  test  of  competition  of  more  extensive  plants,  de- 
cided to  enlarge  the  plant.  A  reorganization  followed;  the  business  of 
the  Michigan  School  Furniture  Company  being  succeeded  by  the  Globe 
Furniture  Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $75,000,  and  of  which  Mr. 
Beal  was  made  president  and  general  manager.  Continued  success 
followed  him  in  the  direction  of  the  affairs  of  this  enterprise;  the  busi- 
ness has  had  a  most  satisfactory  growth  until  to-day  it  is  among  the 
most  important  of  its  kind  in  Michigan,  a  State  whose  reputation  as  a 
furniture  manufacturing  center  is  world  wide.  Since  its  establishment 
in  1887  a  large  portion  of  the  earnings  of  the  company  have  been  car- 
ried into  a  surplus  account,  virtually  increasing  the  capital  to  about 
$200,000,  while  250  to  300  hands  are  employed  in  the  manufacture  of 
its  products. 

His  management  of  this  industry  has  been  broad  minded  and  liberal, 
his  treatment  of  his  employees  so  kind  and  just,  that  in  all  the  years  in 
which  he  has  stood  in  the  position  of  employer  no  labor  troubles  have 
arisen.  In  the  business,  social  and  religious  life  of  the  village  he  has 
always  taken  a  most  prominent  part;  he  has  in  several  instances  given 
his  assistance  toward  the  establishment  of  manufacturing  enterprises, 
and  his  financial  and  moral  support  is  ever  ready  to  assist  in  any  project 
which  promises  to  benefit  the  community.  His  successful  direction  of 
many  of  Northville's  most  prominent  industries  but  show  his  versatil- 
ity, as  well  as  the  possession  of  business  abilities  of  a  high  order,  in- 
domitable energy  and  strong  common  sense.  He  is  a  courteous  and 
kindly  gentleman,  who  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  and  among  his  warmest  friends  are  found  his  workmen,  some 
of  whom  entered  his  employ  upwards  of  twenty-five  years  ago.  The 
present  prosperity  of  Northville  is  due  in  a  great  measure  to  his  untir- 
ing efforts  in  its  behalf. 

While  eminently  fitted  by  talent  and  education  to  fill  any  position  of 
honor  in  the  State,  he  has  ever  refused  the  solicitation  of  his  friends  to 
accept  nomination  for  office,  preferring  to  remain  in  charge  of  his  many 

64:5 


and  varied  private  interests.      He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  politically  a  staunch  Republican. 

On  September  21,  1856,  he  married  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  Peter 
Ayres  of  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children: 
Louis  A  ,  manager  of  Columbia  Refrigerator  Co.  of  Northville;  M. 
Louise,  wife  of  C.  C.  Chadwick  of  Northville;  and  Jennie,  who  died  in 
early  childhood.  Mr.  Beal  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


WILLIAM  C.   BENNETT. 

William  C.  Bennett,  son  of  Maurice  and  Harriet  (Hathaway)  Bennett, 
was  born  in  Wayne,  Steuben  county,  N.  Y.,  May  12,  1833.  He  resided 
on  a  farm  the  first  nine  years  of  his  life,  attending  the  country  school 
two  winters.  In  1842  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Brighton,  Liv- 
ingston county,  Mich.,  and  after  one  year's  residence  in  Brighton  the 
family  removed  to  Howell,  Mich.  Mr.  Bennett  assisted  his  father  in 
the  management  of  his  farm  during  the  summer  months  and  in  winter 
attended  the  High  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1856,  and 
in  January,  1857,  he  came  to  Detroit  and  took  a  business  course  in 
Cochran's  Business  College. 

During  April,  1857,  he  returned  to  Howell  and  married  Patience  A. 
Brayton,  and  with  his"  bride  removed  to  Ovid,  Mich.,  where  he  em- 
barked in  business  on  his  own  account,  dealing  in  general  merchandise 
and  lumber.  At  the  time  of  his  locating  at  Ovid,  the  line  of  the  De- 
troit and  Milwaukee  Railroad  was  under  construction,  and  he  erected 
the  first  store  and  purchased  the  first  supplies  for  that  section  of  Clinton 
county.  In  the  spring  of  1861  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  Ovid  town- 
ship, the  election  taking  place  three  days  before  the  commencement  of 
the  Civil  war.  Owing  to  his  domestic  and  business  relations  Mr.  Ben- 
nett was  unable  to  enlist  in  the  army,  but  he  served  as  supervisor  and 
worked  unceasingly  to  organize  troops  to  send  to  the  front.  He  as- 
sisted in  raising  a  little  army  of  three  hundred  men  from  his  own  and 
adjoining  townships.  In  his  locality  not  one  bounty  was  paid  or  a  sol- 
dier drafted  into  service,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  the  records  gave 
seven  credited  over  and  above  the  quota.  Mr.  Bennett  was  given  a 
contract  by  the  government  to  provide  1,600  horses  and  succeeded  in 
fulfilling  his  agreement. 

646 


He  resided  in  Ovid  until  1883,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel,  the  firm  being  known  as 
W.  C.  Bennett  &  Co.  This  firm  constructed  the  steel  vaults  in  many 
of  Detroit's  largest  buildings.  He  disposed  of  his  iron  and  steel  indus- 
try about  1887  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  devoted  almost  his  entire 
time  to  his  large  lumber  interests  and  sale  of  pine  lands.  Among  his 
lumber  possessions  is  a  saw  mill  in  Macosta  county,  Mich.,  surrounded 
by  1,200  acres  of  timber  land.  Mr.  Bennett  can  well  be  proud  of  the 
fact  that  with  the  exception  of  the  few  years  spent  on  the  farm  with 
his  father,  he  has  never  been  in  the  employ  of  any  man  or  firm,  but 
has  always  conducted  a  business  of  his  own. 

He  has  three  children:  Minnie  Estelle,  wife  of  Fred  P.  Tillson  of 
Ishpeming,  Mich.  ;  Ira  B.  and  Jay  S.,  known  as  Bennett  Bros.,  lumber 
merchants  of  Sandusky,  Ohio.  In  1886  these  young  men  established 
their  present  business  at  Muskegon,  Mich.,  where  they  remained  until 
removing  to  their  present  location  in  1895.  By  their  enterprise  and 
business  ability,  they  have  from  a  small  beginning  of  but  twelve  years 
ago,  succeeded  in  building  up  a  large  and  profitable  enterprise;  their 
transactions  covering  a  half  million  dollars  annually  and  representing 
a  handling  of  some  forty  million  feet  of  lumber.  The  success  which 
has  attended  their  management  of  this  enterprise  is  sufficient  proof  of 
their  marked  business  ability. 


THOMAS  BERRY. 

Thomas  Berry,  son  of  John  and  Catharina  (Hooper)  Berry,  was  born 
in  Hersham,  England,  February  7,  1829.  His  father,  John  Berry,  was 
engaged  in  the  tanning  business,  and  with  his  family  removed  to 
America  in  1835,  locating  at  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  where  he  resumed  his 
former  occupation.  Thomas,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his 
education  in  a  private  school  at  Elizabeth,  and  at  an  early  age  entered 
his  father's  employ.  Upon  gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness, he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  branch  of  his  father's  business  in  the 
State  of  Virginia,  where  he  remained  four  years.  In  1856  he  removed 
to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  his  parents  had  preceded  him,  and  after  a 
short  time  spent  in  search  of  a  location,  with  his  brother  Joseph  he 
formed  the  firm  of  Berry  Brothers,  and  established  a  factory  for  the 
manufacture  of  varnish.     The  original  location  of  their  plant  was  in 

647 


Springwells,  but  after  a  few  months  their  business  was  removed  to  its 
present  quarters  at  the  foot  of  Leib  street. 

Owing  to  the  untiring  energy,  sterling  integrity  and  correct  business 
methods  of  this  firm,  the  name  of  Berry  Brothers  has  become  the  most 
widely  known  of  any  varnish  manufacturing  concern  in  the  world. 
Their  business,  ranking  first  of  its  kind,  requires  eight  branch  estab- 
lishments, scattered  throughout  the  principal  cities  of  the  United 
States,  and  affords  constant  employment  to  about  three  hundred 
persons.  Politically  Mr.  Berry  is  a  Republican,  and,  although  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  he  has  been  adverse  to  hold- 
ing public  office,  other  than  that  of  a  local  nature.  He  was  appointed 
president  of  the  Board  of  Poor  Commissioners  by  Mayor  Thompson, 
being  the  first  to  serve  in  that  capacity;  in  1876  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Estimates,  serving  one  term;  in  1881  elected  a  member 
of  the  Council  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  was  re-elected  in  1884, 
serving  until  legislated  out  of  office  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature;  and 
subsequently  elected  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  serving  four 
years. 

Mr.  Berry  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  manufacturing  interests  of  Detroit,  and  aside  from 
his  interest  in  the  firm  of  Berry  Brothers  he  is  a  large  stockholder  in 
the  Detroit  Linseed  Oil  Co.,  a  joint  partner  with  his  brother,  Joseph  H. 
Berry,  in  the  Combination  Gas  Machine  Co.,  is  a  director  in  the  Cit- 
izens' Savings  Bank  and  a  trustee  of  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine. 
He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Detroit  Com- 
mandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar;  Monroe  Chapter,  R.  A  M. ;  and 
Zion  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Jefferson  Avenue 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  family  are  regular  attendants.  Mr. 
Berry  was  married  on  December  21,  18G0,  to  Miss  Janet  Lowe, 
daughter  of  John  Lowe  of  Niagara,  Ontario,  Canada,  who  died  in 
August,  1893,  leaving  four  daughters. 


CHARLES  F.   BIELMAN. 

Charles  F.  Bielman,  son  of  Frederick  and  Ellen  C.  (Daley)  Bielman, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  20,  1859.  At  the  age  of  four  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Casco,  St.  Clair  county,  Mich.,  and  there  he 

048 


CHARLES    F.  BIELMAN. 


received,  in  the  public  schools,  his  education.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  removed  to  Marine  City,  Mich.,  where  he  secured  employment  in 
the  post-office,  also  acting  as  agent  for  the  Star  Line  of  steamers  and  as 
telegraph  operator.  In  1880  Mr.  Bielman  removed  to  Detroit,  w^here 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Steam  Navigation 
Company  as  clerk  of  their  steamer  Evening  Star.  In  1881  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  steamer  City  of  Mackinac,  on  which  he  served  six  years. 
On  completion  of  the  steamer  Darius  Cole,  it  was  placed  on  the  Detroit- 
Port  Huron  route  in  opposition  to  the  Star  Line  steamer,  and  after  one 
season  of  active  competition  between  these  lines  their  differences  were 
amicably  adjusted  by  David  Carter,  general  manager  of  the  D.  &  C.  S. 
N.  Co.,  and  he  recommended  Mr.  Bielman  to  them  for  the  position  of 
agent  and  manager,  and  he  was  appointed  to  that  position. 

On  July  18,  1888,  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Star  Line  was  pur- 
chased by  Capt.  Darius  Cole  and  Mr.  Bielman,  the  latter  becoming 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  line.  On  December  23,  1893,  he,  with 
J,  W.  Millen,  A.  A.  Parker  and  John  Pridgeon,  jr.,  purchased  the  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Red  Star  Line,  and  Mr.  Bielman  was  made  sec- 
retary. The  incorporation  of  the  White  Star  Line  took  place  in  1896, 
and  shortly  afterward  these  different  lines  were  placed  under  practi- 
cally one  management,  and  since  then  Mr.  Bielman  has  acted  in  the 
capacity  of  treasurer  and  traffic  manager  of  the  combined  lines. 

He  is  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Star,  Red  Star  and  White  Star 
lines,  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Stewart  Transportation  Com- 
pady,  secretary  of  the  White  Star  Line,  secretary  of  the  Tashmoo  Park 
Co.  Ltd.,  and  the  owner  and  manager  of  the  steamer  Florence  B., 
which  for  the  past  four  seasons  has  been  engaged  by  the  United  States 
postal  authorities  for  delivering  and  collecting  mail  matter  from  the 
passing  vessels  en  route  from  lake  to  lake.  This  system  of  delivery 
and  collection  of  mail  has  been  of  great  value  to  the  shipping  interests 
of  the  great  lakes,  and  Detroit  is  the  only  point  in  the  United  States 
where  this  method  is  in  use.  Mr.  Bielman  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can and  actively  identified  with  his  party's  success.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Grande  Pointe  Club  and  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 

On  January  22,  1890,  he  married  Katherine,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Barium  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children :  Florence  C.  and 
Charles  F,,  jr. 


619 


JEROME    H.    BISHOP. 

Jerome  H.  Bishop,  of  the  J.  H.  Bishop  Co.,  manufacturers  of  skin 
rugs,  sleigh  robes  and  fur  coats,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y., 
September  3,  1846.  His  father,  William  Bishop,  was  of  the  old  New 
England  family  which  came  over  with  the  Salem  Company.  His 
mother,  before  her  marriage,  was  Betsey  Jerome  Sterns,  niece  of  Judge 
Hiram  Jerome  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  and  own  cousin  to  Leonard  and 
Lawrence  Jerome  of  New  York,  Mr.  Bishop  being  second  cousin  to 
Lady  Randolph  Churchill,  who  was  Miss  Jerome  before  her  marriage 
with  Lord  Churchill. 

Mr.  Bishop  came  to  Michigan  in  January,  1869,  as  superintendent  of 
the  Decatur  (Mich.)  public  schools.  From  1871  to  1875  he  was  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools  of  Wyandotte,  from  which  he  resigned 
in  1875  and  established,  with  a  limited  capital,  the  business  now  known 
as  The  J.  H.  Bishop  Company.  Mr.  Bishop  is  the  fortunate  possessor 
of  indomitable  energy,  great  executive  ability  and  business  qualifica- 
tions of  a  high  order;  and  the  growth  of  the  industry,  of  which  he  was 
the  father,  is  due  entirely  to  his  admirable  direction  of  its  affairs.  Year 
by  year  new  territory  has  been  opened,  until  to-day  its  sales  reach 
every  part  of  the  United  States,  its  products  are  recognized  as  of  the 
highest  quality,  and  its  manufacturing  plant  is  the  largest  of  the  kind 
in  the  world.  It  is  one  of  the  leading  industries  in  Wyandotte,  giving 
employment  to  250  hands.  Its  raw  material  is  imported  largely  from 
China,  England,  Turkey  and  Canada. 

Although  his  business  interests  have  claimed  a  great  part  of  his  time, 
Mr.  Bishop  has  not  neglected  his  public  or  social  duties.  He  has  been 
one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  members  of  the  Business  Men's 
Committee,  has  served  two  terms  as  mayor,  has  attended  conventions 
of  the  Republican  party  repeatedly;  is  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Control  of  the  Penitentiary  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Olivet  College.  He  is  a  32d  degree  Mason  and  Knight  Templar,  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Club  and  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats  and  of 
several  shooting  clubs,  Mr.  Bishop  being  a  lover  of  dog,  gun  and  rod. 

His  magnificent  residence,  richly  and  artistically  furnished,  is  among 
the  most  imposing  in  the  county,  and  there  he  and  his  wife,  nee  Ella 
Clark,  delight  in  extending  hospitality  to  their  friends.  Mr.  Bishop 
has  been  twice  married;  first  in  1867  to  Jennie,  daughter  of  Richard 
Gray  of  Redwood,  N.   Y.,   who  died  in  1873,  leaving  one  daughter, 

650 


-^^^.f-^^^^^^-^^yfy^^ 


Maud,  now  the  wife  of  W.  J.  Burns.  His  second  marriag-e  occurred  in 
1876.  To  this  union  have  been  born  four  children:  Jerome  H.,  now  a 
student  in  Yale  College;  Delia,  a  student  in  Vassar  College ;  Mabel, 
who  is  at  present  attending  the  Liggett  School  at  Detroit,  and  Wallace 
Clark.  Mr.  Bishop  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
superintendent  of  its  Sunday  school. 

A  man  of  honor,  a  public  spirited  citizen  of  irreproachable  character, 
a  Christian  gentleman  modestly  given  to  a  wide  charity,  a  man  of 
broad  culture  and  a  fluent  speaker,  Mr.  Bishop's  greatest  joy  and 
happiness  is  found  in  the  companionship  of  his  family  and  his  many 
friends. 


JOEL  S.   BLACKBURN,   M.   D. 

Joel  S.  Blackhurn,  M.  D.,  son  of  Louke  P.  and  Sarah  (Mason) 
Blackburn,  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Georgia,  August  2,  1848.  Owing 
to  the  absence  of  public  schools  in  the  South  during  his  childhood,  he 
received  his  early  education  from  his  parents,  subsequently  attended  a 
subscription  school,  and  completed  his  education  in  the  Batesville 
University.  At  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  war  he  became  a 
refugee  from  the  South,  and  afterward  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  Tenth  Mis- 
souri Cavalry,  serving  until  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  1865. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  determined  to  become  a  physician,  and  at- 
tended lectures  in  Bellevue  Hospital  College,  New  York  city;  Evans- 
ville  Medical  College,  Evansville,  Ind.  ;  Ohio  Medical  University,  and 
the  Indiana  School  of  Medicine.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Evans- 
ville Medical  College  in  1877,  and  from  the  Ohio  Medical  University  in 
1889,  subsequently  removing  to  Leadville,  Col.,  where  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  1889  he  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
and  from  there  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  in  1894  located  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  During  his  residence  in  Detroit 
he  has  established  a  large  practice  and  is  recognized  as  a  prominent 
member  of  the  medical  profession. 

Dr.  Blackburn  is  president  of  the  Michigan  State  Association  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons;  examining  surgeon  for  the  Independent 
Order  of  the  Red  Cross,  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  Bethlehem ;  a 
fellow  of  the  American  Association  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons;  a 
member  of  the  American  Association  for  Scientific  Research,  and  he  is 


also  a  graduate  of  the  American  Society  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

Dr.  Blackburn  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Mary  A.  Adamson, 
in  1886,  and  they  have  two  children:     May  Catharine  and  Joseph. 


HERBERT  BRADLEY. 

Herbert  Bradley,  son  of  Joel  and  Arcelia  M.  (Tidd)  Bradley,  was 
born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1862.  He  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Pontiac,  Mich.,  in  1867,  and  in  the  latter  city  attended  the  public 
schools,  graduating  from  the  High  School  in  1882,  and  during  the  four 
years'  attendance  in  that  institution  taught  school  between  the  sessions 
in  the  district  schools  of  Oakland  county,'Mich.  Following  his  gradua- 
tion, he  was  for  one  year  superintendent  of  the  Orion  (Mich.)  public 
schools,  and  during  the  ensuing  four  years  was  superintendent  of  the 
schools  at  Edmore,  Mich.  From  1887  to  1890  he  traveled  through  the 
United  States  and  Canada  as  salesman  for  the  National  Cash  Register 
Co.,  and  for  Brown  Brothers  (cigar  manufacturers)  of  Detroit.  In  1890 
he  located  in  the  latter  city  and  entered  the  real  estate  business,  which  he 
has  followed  ever  since  with  marked  and  well  merited  success.  In  June, 
1897,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Frederick  P.  Obenauer  of  Chi- 
cago, with  the  style  of  Herbert  Bradley  &  Co.,  which  firm  still  exists. 
Mr.  Bradley  is  a  member  of  Empire  lodge  No.  360,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Edmore,  Mich.,  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Edmore.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
although  never  seeking  office,  he  has  been  influential  in  the  councils  of 
his  party. 

Mr.  Bradley  was  married  in  1883  to  Myraett  E.  Grace  of  Farmington, 
Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Arcelia  M.  Bradley. 


COL.   THORNTON  F.   BRODHEAD. 

Colonel  and  Brevet-Brigadier  General  Thornton  F.  Brodhead 
was  born  in  South  New  Market,  N.  H.,  September  22,  1822.  He  was 
the  fifth  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Brodhead,  formerly  a  member  of  con- 
gress from  that  State.     Colonel  Brodhead  was  graduated  from  the  law 

652 


HERBERT  BRADLEY. 


school  of  Harvard  College  in  1845,  and  subsequently  removed  to 
Pontiac,  Mich.,  where  he  was  soon  afterward  appointed  prosecuting  at- 
torney and  deputy  secretary  of  state,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican 
war,  in  1846,  he  was  appointed  adjutant  of  the  Fifteenth  U.  S.  Infant- 
ry, and  was  in  nearly  every  engagement  of  the  campaign.  He  was 
twice  brevetted  for  gallantry  on  the  field  of  battle,  was  one  of  the 
party  at  the  storming  of  Chapultepec,  and  was  the  first  man  to  spring 
from  the  parapet  into  the  fortress. 

At  the  end  of  the  Mexican  war  Colonel  Brodhead  returned  to  Detroit, 
married  a  daughter  of  General  Macomb,  and  resumed  the  practice  of 
law.  He  also  for  a  time  edited  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  and  served 
again  in  the  State  Senate.  He  was  an  active  politician,  was  several 
times  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Conventions,  took  a 
prominent  part  in  1852  at  the  Baltimore  Convention  in  favor  of  the 
nomination  of  Gen.  Franklin  Pierce  for  the  presidency,  and  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  National  Committee.  President  Pierce  appointed  him 
postmaster  at  Detroit,  an  office  which  he  held  for  four  years. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  commissioned  to  raise  a 
regiment  of  cavalry,  and  in  less  than  a  fortnight  had  enlisted  twelve 
hundred  men,  Judge  Copeland,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  re- 
signing to  serve  under  him  as  lieutenant-colonel.  His  regiment  was 
assigned  to  the  army  under  the  command  of  General  Banks,  and  he  ob- 
tained a  great  reputation  as  a  brilliant  an  intrepid  officer.  Colonel 
Brodhead  was  in  a  multitude  of  raids,  skirmishes  and  battles,  and  had 
two  horses  shot  under  him,  but  he  never  received  a  wound  until  the 
fatal  battle  of  Centerville,  or  second  Bull  Run.  His  command  was  or- 
dered to  charge  a  greatly  superior  force,  and  his  regiment  was  almost 
annihilated,  although  every  man  fought  like  a  hero.  The  enemy 
wished  to  save  Colonel  Brodhead,  for  he  was  well  known  and  had  been 
noted  for  his  kindness  to  women  and  children  in  the  valley  of  Virginia. 
An  officer  of  the  Fifteenth  Virginia  Infantry,  who  knew  him,  called 
out  to  him  to  surrender,  for  escape  was  impossible.  He  made  no  re- 
sponse, but  confined  fighting.  The  officer  called  out  again,  "Surrender, 
Colonel,  or  we  shall  be  compelled  to  shoot  you."  Fighting  imtil  the 
last,  he  was  dragged  from  his  horse,  and  they  were  marching  him  to 
the  rear  when  he  suddenly  fell,  and  it  was  discovered  he  was  wounded. 

He  died  on  September  2,  18G2.  The  remains  were  brought  to  De- 
troit and  laid  in  state  in  Firemen's  Hall.     The  municipal  authorities 

653 


passed  resolutions  eulogizing  the  dead  soldier  and  providing  for  a  pub- 
lic funeral.  On  the  day  of  the  ceremony  all  business  was  suspended  in 
the  city.  The  body  was  escorted  by  the  Third  United  States  Cavalry 
and  Fourth  Michigan  Infantry,  officers  of  the  army  and  navy,  the  mu- 
nicipal government,  the  United  States  judges  and  members  of  the  bar, 
to  Elmwood  Cemetery. 

Colonel  Brodhead  left  an  only  son,  Lieut.  John  T.  Brodhead,  a  sketch 
of  whose  life  appears  elsewhere,  and  five  daughters.  He  wasbrevetted 
brigadier-general,  but  his  commission  was  not  received  before  his  death, 
and  was  transmitted  to  his  family. 


DAVID  W.    BROOKS. 

David  W.  Brooks,  son  of  Lonson  and  Mary  (Smith)  Brooks,  was 
born  in  Madison,  Ohio,  December  20,  1826.  His  early  education  was 
obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Madison,  and  preparatory  to  entering 
college  he  took  a  course  of  instruction  in  the  Norwalk  (Ohio)  Seminary. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department  of  Yale  University  in 
1853,  and  during  the  following  fall  and  winter  pursued  the  study  of 
law  in  New  York  city.  In  the  spring  of  1854  he  entered  the  law  offices 
of  Prentiss,  Prentiss  &  Newton  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  continued 
there  untill  1855,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Canton.  In  the 
same  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Lewis  W.  Ford,  and  located  at 
Cleveland,  under  the  style  of  Brooks  &  Ford;  this  partnership  con- 
tinued until  October,  1861,  when  Mr.  Brooks  reinoved  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously. 

In  1862  he  became  associated  in  a  copartnership  with  George  O. 
Robinson,  as  Robinson  &  Brooks,  and  during  the  ensuing  ten  years  this 
firm  gained  for  itself  a  wide  reputation  in  the  manipulation  of  military 
claims,  doing  one  of  the  largest  businesses  in  the  United  States.  Since 
1872  Mr.  Brooks  has  practiced  entirely  alone,  continuing  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  war  claims  against  the  government.  In  1892  he  practically  re- 
tired from  active  business  on  account  of  his  advanced  age,  though  he 
still  maintains  his  law  office  and  occasionally  transacts  some  business. 
He  has  made  a  close  study  of  pension  laws,  and  in  that  branch  of  his 
profession  particularly  has  been  eminently  successful. 

He  owns  extensive  properties  in  and  about  the  city  of  Detroit,  from 
the  rental  of  which  he  realizes  a  princely  income.      For  eight  years  Mr. 

654 


Brooks  served  the  city  of  Detroit  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  his 
popularity  being-  attested  on  both  the  Republican  and  Democratic 
tickets,  resulting  in  a  unanimous  election  in  the  last  year  of  his  service 
in  that  body:  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  and  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  fraternities  of  Yale  College,  and  meets  with  them  regularly  at 
their  annual  reunions. 

Mr.  Brooks  comes  of  good  old  New  England  stock,  his  ancestors  being 
noted  for  generations  as  along-lived  race.  His  paternal  grandmother 
died  in  1850  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  years,  and  both  of  his  parents 
lived  to  reach  the  ripe  age  of  eighty.  In  all  his  life  Mr.  Brooks  has 
hardly  been  sick  a  day,  and  now  in  his  seventy-second  year  is  daily  in 
his  office  in  good  health.  In  his  professional  career  his  position  at  the 
bar  has  been  an  honorable  one,  and  he  has  always  enjoyed  the  un- 
qualified respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community.  He  has  never 
been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of  being  an  office  seeker,  and  has  devoted 
his  entire  energies  to  the  business  in  which  he  has  found  his  chief 
pleasure,  when  not  occupied  with  the  enjoyments  of  his  family  and 
social  life. 

Mr.  Brooks  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  fraternity  of  Yale 
College,  and  among  his  classmates  were  Shiras,  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States;  Bishop  Davies,  of  the  Episcopal  church;  Andrew 
D.  White,  ambassador  to  Germany;  Billings,  of  the  United  States 
Court  of  Louisiana;  Senator  Johnson  of  Louisiana;  Theodore  Bacon  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  E.  P.  Bradstreet  of  Cincinnati;  George  W.  Smalley, 
New  York  correspondent  of  the  London  Times;  Henry  Robinson  of 
Hartford,  Conn.  ;  Ex- Postmaster-General  Wayne  McVeigh  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  others  equally  eminent. 

November  13,  1860,  Mr.  Brooks  married  Emma  D.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Alanson  Sheley  of  Detroit,  who,  as  a  wedding  gift,  built  for  them 
a  hadsome  dwelling  which  occupied  the  site  of  their  present  imposing- 
residence  in  the  heart  of  the  most  fashionable  part  of  Detroit.  They 
have  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  survive  :  Alanson  S.,  a  member 
of  the  wholesale  drug  house  of  Williams,  Davis,  Brooks  &  Co. ;  Stanley, 
secretary  of  the  Victor  Cash  Register  Company ;  and  Walter,  of  the 
firm  of  Jewett,  Bigelow  &  Brooks.  Politically  he  has  been  a  lifelong 
Republican,  and  has  been  prominently  identified  in  the  councils  of  his 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit,  of 
which  his  family  are  regular  attendants. 


655 


CHARLES  BUNCHER. 

Charles  Buncher,  son  of  James  and  Maria  (Leach)  Buncher,  was 
born  in  Lowell,  Mass.,  March  2,  1839.  Mr.  Buncher  acquired  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Lowell,  which  he  attended  until  the  age 
of  seventeen,  when  he  entered  the  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of  Sweet- 
ser,  Gookin  &  Co.  of  Boston.  Mr.  Buncher  remained  with  this  firm 
until  their  retirement  from  business  in  1861,  when,  with  Mr.  S,  H. 
Gookin  and  Mr.  Uriah  Welch  as  his  associates,  he  formed  the  firm  of 
S.  H.  Gookin  &  Co.,  continuing  in  the  dry  goods  trade.  On  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Gookin,  two  years  later,  the  style  of  the  firm  was  changed 
to  Welch,  Gookin  &  Buncher,  a  copartnership  which  continued  until 
1867,  when  Mr.  Buncher  became  associated  with  the  firm  of  Anderson, 
Heath  &  Co.,  one  of  the  leading  dry  goods  firms  of  Boston.  During 
his  connection  with  these  firms  Mr.  Buncher  had  represented  them  in 
the  western  country,  having  his  headquarters  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  in 
1871  he  connected  himself  with  the  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of  Ed- 
son,  Moore  &  Co.  of  that  city  as  financial  partner.  On  the  destruction 
by  fire,  in  1873,  of  the  house  of  Anderson,  Heath  &  Co.,  he  disposed 
of  his  eastern  interests  and  has  since  given  his  entire  attention  to  the 
business  of  the  Detroit  firm. 

Among  the  wholesale  establishments  of  the  State,  the  firm  of  Edson, 
Moore  &  Co.  is  recognized  as  the  leader  in  its  line,  and  the  untiring 
efforts  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  possessed  by  Mr. 
Buncher,  have  been  devoted  to  give  to  and  maintain  that  firm's  high 
standing  in  the  business  world.  He  is  prominent  in  art,  literature  and 
church  circles  in  Detroit,  and  has  gained  distinction  as  an  author  and 
lecturer  on  scientific  subjects.  His  library  of  some  five  thousand  vol- 
umes is  a  constant  source  of  diversion  and  pleasure  to  him  when  not 
occupied  with  the  enjoyments  of  his  family  and  social  life.  He  is 
vice-president  of  the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art,  and  is  also  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee  of  that  institution.  He  is  first  vice-president 
of  the  Detroit  Society  of  the  Archaeological  Institute  of  America, 
honorary  secretary  of  the  Egyptian  Exploration  Fund,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber and  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Fort  Street  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Clair  Flats 
Fishing  and  Gun  Club,   and  of  the  Michigan  Club  of  Detroit. 

Mr.  Buncher  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Josephine  M.  Dillaway 
of  Boston,   Mass.,  who  died  in  1871,  leaving  a  daughter,  Mabel,  now 

656 


SAMUEL  WHITESIDE    BURROUGHS. 


the  wife  of  H.  C.  Penny,  jr.,  of  Detroit.  In  1873  he  married  as  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Rowland  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1889, 
leaving  two  daughters:  Jessie,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  N.  Hammon  of 
Evanston,  111.,  and  Myra,  wife  of  George  F.  Hope,  sheriff  of  Kingston 
county,  Ontario,  Canada,  whose  residence  is  at  Belleville  in  that  county. 


SAMUEL    W.    BURROUGHS. 

Samuel  Whiteside  Burroughs,  son  of  George  H.  and  Rebecca  Jane 
(Bell)  Burroughs,  was  born  at  Belleville,  Wayne  county,  Michigan, 
August  11,  1847.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  entered  the  army  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Seventh  Michigan  Cavalry,  which  regiment  afterwards  be- 
came a  member  of  Custer's  famous  fighting  brigade.  Mr.  Burroughs 
served  with  this  regiment  for  about  six  months.  The  Seventh  being 
temporarily  disorganized  through  loss  of  numbers,  young  Burroughs 
was  discharged  because  of  youth,  and  as  he  was  a  born  fighter,  he  de- 
termined to  join  another  regiment.  He  re-enlisted  and  forthwith  be- 
came a  member  of  Co.  I  of  the  Fifteenth  Michigan  Infantry  and  served 
with  that  regiment  under  General  Sherman  in  all  his  campaigns,  in- 
cluding the  Atlanta  campaign  and  the  famous  March  to  the  Sea.  Mr. 
Burroughs  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Au- 
gust 13,  1865,  and  returning  at  once  to  his  home  in  Belleville,  Mich.,  he 
resumed  his  schooling  for  an  education,  and  afterwards  commenced  the 
study  of  law. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1879,  upon  petition,  after 
a  rigid  examination  in  open  court  before  Judge  Chambers.  The  De- 
troit Post  and  Tribune  of  December  3,  1879,  in  speaking  of  his  admis- 
sion said : 

"  Samuel  W.  Burroughs  of  Belleville  was  admitted  to  the  bar  upon  examination  in 
the  Wayne  Circuit  Court  yesterday.  The  committee  reported  that  he  passed  his  ex- 
amination in  a  highly  creditable  manner.  Later  in  the  day  he  was  admitted  on 
motion  to  practice  in  the  United  States  Court." 

He  at  once  opened  an  office  in  his  native  village  where  he  practiced 
for  a  few  years.  He  has  been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession 
at  Detroit  ever  since  and  has  met  with  almost  phenomenal  success. 
During  the  years  of  1891  and  1892  he  was  prosecuting  attorney  for 
Wayne  county,  Mich.  Before  his  election  to  this  office  his  colonel,  in 
the  Detroit  Free  Press  of  October  20,  1890,  had  this  to  say: 

657 

83 


"To  the  Editor  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press:  I  see  that  Samuel  W.  Burroughs  has 
been  nominated  and  is  a  candidate  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  the  office  of  prose- 
cuting attorney  for  Wayne  county.  It  was  my  fortune  to  be  a  member  of  the  15th 
Michigan  Infantry  during  its  term  of  service  in  the  late  war,  about  two  years  of 
which  I  had  the  honor  of  commanding  it.  Mr.  Burroughs  was  a  member  of  the 
regiment  and  was  one  of  if  not  the  youngest  member  of  his  company.  The  record  of 
Mr.  Burroughs  as  a  soldier  is  exceptionally  good.  He  was  never  absent  from  duty 
without  authority;  never  under  arrest,  or  subject  to  complaint  or  reprimand  during 
his  service.  He  was  present  with  his  command  and  did  his  full  duty  in  every  battle 
in  which  he  was  engaged ;  was,  in  short,  a  meritorous,  brave  and  faithful  soldier  in 
every  respect.  I  earnestly  hope  his  old  comrades  who  live  in  Wayne  county  will  not 
only  vote  for  Sergeant  Sam,  but  will  do  their  best  to  secure  his  election.  Fred  G. 
Hutchinson,  late  colonel  15th  Michigan  Infantry." 

Major  John  B.  Bell  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  published  a  letter  in  the  same 
issue,  speaking  equally  praiseworthy  of  Mr.  Burroughs  as  a  soldier. 
During  his  terra  of  office  and  after  he  handled  many  notable  cases, 
among  them  the  famous  Prince  Michael  (Michael  K.  Mills)  case  in 
1893,  which  he  won  against  great  odds,  not  only  in  the  Circuit  Court 
before  Judge  Kinne  for  the  county  of  Washtenaw  upon  a  change  of 
venue,  but  also  as  ex-prosecuting  attorney  in  the  Supreme  Court  after- 
wards. Mr.  Burroughs  is  very  thorough  in  the  preparation  of  his 
cases,  and  before  carrying  a  cause  into  court  he  is  sure  of  his  ground 
and  ready  to  meet  any  emergency. 

The  Free  Press  of  date  of  August  11,  1891,  in  speaking  editorially 
of  Mr.  Burroughs  as  a  prosecuting  attorney  and  of  the  record  and 
showing  he  had  made  as  such  official  closed:  "  Mr.  Burroughs  and  the 
people  are  to  be  congratulated  on  this  excellent  showing." 

This  same  paper  of  date  February  18,  1893,  in  speaking  of  the  Mills 
case,  said: 

"  The  case  was  brought  to  the  Supreme  Court  by  the  defendant's  attorney,  John 
Atkinson,  who  set  up  107  assignments  of  error.  These  were  ably  responded  to  by 
the  brief  of  ex-Prosccuting  Attorney  Burroughs,  who  argued  the  matter  before  the 
court  for  the  people  a  week  ago  last  Monday." 

The  conviction  was  affirmed. 

The  Evening  News  of  date  of  March  13,  1894,  in  reviewing  edito- 
rially the  record  of  Mr.  Burroughs  as  prosecuting  attorney  said: 

"  Mr.  Burroughs's  record  as  prosecuting  attorney  is  now  known  to  all  who  care  to 
study  it.  It  is  one  he  may  well  be  proud  of.  According  to  official  reports  it  appears 
that  the  business  done  was  unprecedented." 

He  is  now  a  practicing  attorney  with  a  good  and  successful  practice 

658 


in  the  courts  of  Michigan.      He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Associ- 
ation, Detroit  Post  No.  384,  G.  A.  R.,  and  I.  O.  O.  F. 

In  1876  he  married  Jane  Steffy  of  Belleville,  Mich.,  and  they  have 
had  four  children,  of  whom  three  survive:  Lottie  B.,  George  H.  and 
Don  M.  He  is  a  man  of  industrious  habits  and  thinks  no  place  is  like 
his  home  and  no  society  like  his  family. 


JAMES  V.    CAMPBELL. 

A  DISTINGUISHED  judicial  career,  while  not  as  dazzling  to  thepopular  ap- 
prehension as  that  of  the  military  hero,  or  even  that  of  the  multi- 
millionaire, is  far  more  useful  to  society. 

The  law  is  not  an  exact  science.  It  is  the  practical  application  of  the 
principles  of  reason  and  justice,  that  is,  of  the  rules  of  right  and  wrong, 
to  the  particular  case.  What  these  principles  and  rules  are  in  that 
case  must  be  settled  in  that  case  itself.  The  decisions  of  great  judges 
from  the  earliest  period  of  the  common  law  show  what  virile  qualities 
are  demanded  to  fill  the  magistracy  for  the  good  of  the  public:  sterling- 
character,  good  natural  endowments,  severe  training,  a  tender  and  in- 
structed conscience,  a  profound  experience  of  the  ways  and  habits  of 
men,  and  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  what  are  termed  the  authorities — 
that  is,  the  reports  of  adjudged  cases  in  the  courts  of  England  and 
America,  familiarity  with  which  now  has  become  the  work  of  many 
years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  marked  illustration  of  these  general 
observations.  Elected  for  six  terms  of  six  years  each  to  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  he  exhibited  to  the  profession  and  the 
community  the  foregoing  qualities  in  the  concrete,  adorned,  moreover, 
by  the  graces  of  literature  and  the  radiance  of  a  Christian  life.  He 
was  a  unique  instance  of  the  power  of  a  marked  personality  on  the 
general  mind,  and  the  length  and  usefulness  of  his  service  on  the  bench 
is  as  strong  an  argument  in  favor  of  an  elective  judiciary  as  the  terms 
of  Marshall  and  Shaw  in  respect  to  the  system  of  appointment. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  ancestry,  education  and  early  professional 
habits  of  Campbell  were  all  preparatory  to  the  station  in  life  which  he 
filled.  On  each  side,  those  from  whom  he  sprang  were  noticeable  for 
their  mental,  moral  and  religious  characteristics.  From  his  mother  he 
received  the  strain  of  the  Bushnell  blood  of  Connecticut,  tinctured  with 

659 


the  iron  of  Calvinism  and  the  philosophy  of  the  schoolmen ;  from  his 
father's  people  he  inherited  the  conservatism  of  the  English  Church, 
and  from  all  his  progenitors  that  steadiness,  power  of  application, 
roundabout  common  sense,  and  symmetry  of  mind  so  necessary  in  the 
ideal  judge.  Wendell  Holmes  wrote  that  to  make  a  gentleman  you 
must  begin  a  hundred  years  before  he  is  born.  So  with  a  distinguished 
judge. 

His  life  was  without  stirring  incident.  All  our  lives,  eventful  or 
otherwise,  are  marked  by  the  three  epochs  of  birth,  marriage  and  death — 
the  same  with  prince  and  peasant.  Campbell  was  born  February  25, 
1823,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  ;  was  married  November  8,  1840,  to  Cornelia 
Hotchkiss,  of  Oneida,  N.  Y. ;  and  died  March  26,  1890,  at  Detroit, 
where  he  had  lived  since  the  age  of  three.  His  literary  education  was 
at  St.  Paul's  College,  Flushing,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  but  his  real  ed- 
ucation was  in  the  bosom  of  the  cultivated  and  Christian  family  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  It  is  now  too  much  the  habit  of  parents  to 
delegate  the  rearing  of  their  childron  to  the  public  school,  and  perhaps 
the  Sunday  school ;  but  the  home  is  the  place  where  good  citizenship 
is  builded,  and  the  main  object  of  civilization  is  to  establish  the  well- 
ordered  home.  Campbell's  professional  training  was  with  the  eminent 
firm  of  Douglass  &  Walker,  of  which  he  later  became  a  member. 
Douglass  was  afterwards  of  the  Circuit  and  Supreme  Bench,  and  Walker 
attorney-general,  and  each  published  volumes  of  our  reports.  Walker's 
Chancery  Reports  were,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  work  of  young 
Campbell,  whose  acquaintance  with  equity  jurisprudence  became  ex- 
tensive and  profound,  and  this  branch  of  legal  learning  was  a  favorite 
with  him.  See  the  case  of  Brown  vs.  Kalamazoo,  Circuit  Judge,  75 
Mich.,  274. 

While  at  the  bar,  the  practice  of  Campbell  was  extensive  and  varied 
in  almost  every  department — in  jury  trials,  equity,  as  mentioned  above, 
in  the  Federal  courts,  in  chamber  consultations,  and  as  counsel  to  cor- 
porations. His  reading  was  particularly  extensive  in  the  reports  of 
Westminster  Hall  and  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and 
his  opinions  show  a  greater  familiarity  than  those  of  any  of  his  asso- 
ciates with  these  reports.  See  The  American  Transportation  Company 
vs.  Moore,  5  Mich.,  368. 

Thus,  when,  in  1858,  a  new  Supreme  Court  was  established  in  Mich- 
igan, with  jurisdiction  almost  wholly  appellate  and  whose  members 
were  to  do  no  circuit  duty,   the  name  of  young  Campbell  presented 

660 


itself  at  once  to  the  minds  of  men,  and  of  the  Republican  leaders,  as  a 
fit  candidate,and  he  received  election  to  that  bench  which  he  ornamented 
for  the  next  half  of  his  life,  thirty-three  years.  He  was  then  thirty- 
four  years  old.  Story  went  on  the  Federal  Supreme  Bench  at  thirty- 
one,  Marshall  at  forty-six,  Woodbury  on  that  of  New  Hampshire  at 
twenty- seven.  Campbell  was  then  in  the  full  maturity  of  his  powers, 
and  showed  no  decline  at  sixty- seven — the  age  which  he  attained. 

The  reports  of  his  court,  during  the  time  of  his  incumbency,  reached 
a  sale,  outside  this  State,  third  in  demand  by  the  legal  profession  of  the 
whole  country;  coming  next  after  New  York  and  Massachusetts.  This 
sketch  furnishes  no  space  or  opportunity  for  an  analysis  of  his  judicial 
labors,  or  of  his  characteristics  as  a  judge.  His  opinions,  in  general, 
are  lucid  in  statement,  clear  in  arrangement  and  strong  in  structure, 
and  his  diction  simple  and  flowing — marked  by  common  sense  and  with 
no  parade  of  learning,  although  wholly  adequate  in  that  respect.  He 
wrote  with  great  ease,  and  his  manuscripts,  in  a  beautiful  chirography, 
show  hardly  any  corrections.  The  judges  then  wrote  and  filed  their 
opinions  in  their  own  handwriting.  The  salary  was  only  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars;  the  same  as  that  of  Shaw  in  Massachusetts.  It  was  in- 
deed fortunate  for  the  State  that,  in  the  formative  period  of  its  juris- 
prudence, the  foundations  were  laid  by  Campbell  and  his  associates, 
familiarly  known  to  the  bar  as  "  The  Big  Four." 

Judge  Campbell  all  his  life  was  in  demand  as  a  platform  speaker,  his 
high  character,  clearness  of  address,  and  attractive  manner  rendering 
him  particularly  pleasing  to  a  popular  audience,  although  he  never  in- 
dulged in  what  are  called  flowers  of  speech.  Had  he  devoted  himself 
to  authorship,  he  would  have  made  a  great  name.  Dr.  Johnson  defines 
a  genius  as  a  mind  of  large  general  powers  accidentally  devoted  in  a 
particular  direction.  If  this  be  so,  Campbell  was  a  genius  directed  to 
the  law.  His  published  pamphlets  and  occasional  addresses  and  his 
"Political  History  of  Michigan  "  show  what  rank  he  might  have  at- 
tained in  literature.  Many  of  his  poems,  written  for  his  children, 
should  be  gathered  in  a  volume. 

Judge  Campbell's  relations  to  the  university  were  extraordinarj'. 
About  1858  he  served  as  secretary  to  the  Board  of  Regents,  and  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Law  School,  to  whose  fame  he  greatly  con- 
tributed for  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  a  professor. 

In  the  civic  and  religious  life  of  Detroit  Judge  Campbell  was  a  promi- 
nent figure.      He  served  as  a  member  and  president  of  the  Young  Men's 

661 


Society — then  the  leading  organization  of  the  city.  He  was  also  a 
member  and  president  of  the  Public  Library  Commission.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  standing  committee  of  the  Episcopal  Diocese  of  Michi- 
gan, and  vestryman  of  St.  Panl's,  the  mother  church  of  the  Diocese. 

Judge  Campbell  was  particularly  intimate  with  the  old  French  popu- 
lation of  Detroit.  He  admired  their  beautiful  language,  which  he  read 
and  spoke.     The  Catholic  clergy  were  his  strong  supporters. 

The  judge  was  particularly  unostentatious  in  his  manner  of  living. 
The  immoderate  luxury  of  the  age,  since  the  war,  had  no  charms  for 
him,  any  more  than  for  the  poet  Horace,  who  declared  against  such 
luxury  in  one  of  his  odes.  But  his  simple  hospitality  was  boundless, 
and  no  stranger  of  distinction  ever  visited  Detroit  without  coming  un- 
der his  roof  and  enjoying  the  attractiveness  of  his  presence  and  con- 
versation. That  charm  was  elusive  and  indefinable,  but  felt  and  recog- 
nized. St.  George  Tucker,  of  Philadelphia,  wrote  Judge  Ben  Curtis 
congratulating  him  on  leaving  the  Federal  Supreme  Bench,  and  de- 
scending to  the  practice  of  law  again,  "  because''  said  Tucker,  "  a  judge 
is  a  chilly  thing.'''  Campbell  was  the  exact  reverse.  No  man  was  ever 
admitted  to  his  friendship — and  the  whole  community  were  his  friends — 
who  was  not  warmed  by  his  love  for  all  human  kind,  while  at  the  same 
time  instructed  by  his  wisdom,  and  fascinated  by  his  winning  smile  and 
unpretending  manners.  He  was  then  the  friend,  neighbor,  the  ?//«;/, 
and  not  the  distinguished  jurist  and  powerful  magistrate. 

"  Though  dead,  he  speaks  in  reason's  ear, 
And  in  example  lives." 


HENRY  M.   CAMPBELL. 

Henry  M.  Campbell,  son  of  the  late  Chief  Justice  James  V.  Camp- 
bell, of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  and  Cornelia  (Hotchkiss) 
Campbell,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  18,  1854  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Detroit  High  School  in  1872;  received  the  degree  of  Ph. 
B.  from  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1876; 
and  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  law  department  of  that  institution 
in  1878,  having  read  law  in  the  offices  of  Hon.  Alfred  Russell  at  De- 
troit, during  his  college  vacation  months.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1877,  and  immediately  following  his  graduation,  in  1878,  he  located 
in  Detroit. 

662 


J.   HENRY  CARSTENS,  M.  D. 


In  1879  the  firm  of  Russel  &  Campbell,  composed  of  Henry  Russel 
and  Henry  M.  Campbell  was  organized.  Later  Charles  H,  Campbell 
became  a  member  of  the  firm,  the  name  of  the  firm  remaining  unchanged. 
Mr.  Campbell  makes  a  specialty  of  corporation  and  railroad  law,  and  is 
retained  as  counsel  by  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  the  Flint  and 
Pere  Marquette  Railroad,  the  Pontiac,  Oxford  and  Northern  Railroad, 
the  Union  Trust  Co.,  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  Michigan  Carbon  Works, 
and  other  large  concerns  in  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can, Michigan  State  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  latter  organization.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  has  been  a  master  in  chancery  of  the  United  States  courts ; 
is  a  director  of  the  State  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit;  of  the  Michigan 
Carbon  Works;  director  and  treasurer  of  the  River  Rouge  Improve- 
ment Co. :  dii^ector  and  trea.surer  of  the  Cass  Farm  Co.,  and  is  otherwise 
prominently  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city  and  State. 
He  is  serving  his  second  term  as  president  of  the  Detroit  Club,  is 
president  of  the  Detroit  Naval  Reserve,  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Boat 
Club,  the  Prismatic  Club,  the  County  Club,  and  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon 
college  fraternity.      Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

In  1881  Mr.  Campbell  married  Caroline  B.,  daughter  of  James 
Burtenshaw,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Henry  M.,  jr., 
and  Douglas. 


J.   HENRY  CARSTENS,   M.   D. 

T.  Henry  Carstens,  M.  D.,  was  born  June  9,  1848,  in  Kiel,  province 
of  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany.  His  father,  John  Henry  Carstens,  a 
merchant  tailor,  was  an  ardent  Revolutionist,  and  had  been  captured 
and  was  in  prison  when  his  son  was  born.  Later  on  he  was  released, 
and  almost  immediately  emigrated,  with  his  family,  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  remained. 

J.  Henry  Carstens  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and 
in  the  German-American  Seminary,  where  he  spent  six  years.  His 
parents  lived  on  a  farm  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Detroit,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  walk  that  distance  twice  a  day  while  attending  school. 
He  early  evinced  an  eager  desire  for  intellectual  work,  excelling  in  his 
studies  and  taking  high  rank,  especially  in  things  pertaining  to  natural 
sciences  and  mathematics.      Before  reaching  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was 

663 


compelled  to  leave  school  and  enter  business.  He  was  engag^ed  for  a 
while  in  the  drug  store  of  William  Thum,  and  later  served  in  Duffield's 
drug  store.  He  became  proficient  in  all  the  details  of  the  drug  busi- 
ness, and  for  one  year  was  prescription  clerk  in  Stearns's  drug  store. 
He  then  began  the  study  of  medicine,  his  name  being  the  first  on  the 
matriculation  book  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  Even  before 
graduation  he  had  charge  of  the  college  dispensary,  and  after  gradua- 
tion (in  1870),  he  took  entire  charge  of  the  college  dispensary,  remain- 
ing there  for  several  years,  and  then,  for  some  years,  held  a  like  posi- 
tion in  St.  Mary's  Hospital  Infirmary. 

He  was  appointed  lecturer  on  minor  surgery  in  the  Detroit  Medical 
College  in  1871,  and  afterward  as  lecturer  on  diseases  of  the  skin,  and 
clinical  medicine.  He  has  lectured  on  nearly  every  branch  of  medical 
science,  but  his  taste  and  practice  gradually  tended  to  the  diseases  of 
women,  and  after  holding  the  professorship  of  materia  medica  and 
therapeutics  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  for  some  years,  in  1881 
he  accepted  the  professorship  of  obstetrics  and  clinical  gynaecology, 
and  has  held  that  position  ever  since. 

In  187G  he  entered  politics,  being  elected  chairman  of  the  Republican 
City  Committee,  and  was  at  the  same  time  a  member  of  the  County 
Committee,  and  held  those  positions  for  three  years.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Board  of  Education  in  1875,  and  re-elected  in  1879.  In  1877  he 
was  appointed  president  of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  has  held  numerous 
other  minor  offices. 

Dr.  Carstens  holds  the  position  of  gynaecologist  to  Harper  Hospital, 
being  chief  of  the  medical  staff.  He  is  attending  physician  to  the 
Woman's  Hospital,  and  is  obstetrician  to  the  House  of  Providence. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  and  Michigan  State  Medical  Associa- 
tions, and  was  vice-president  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Soci- 
ety, is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  of  the 
British  Gynaecological  Society.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Owosso  and  Kalamazoo  Academy  of  Medicine,  the  Northeastern  Dis- 
trict Medical  Society,  and  was  president  of  the  American  Association 
of  Obstetricians  and  Gynaecologists  in  18'J5,  and  is  ex-president  of  the 
Detroit  Gynaecological  Society.  He  is  also  prominent  in  many  other 
societies,  and  has  gained  almost  world-wide  renown  through  the  papers 
and  books  he  has  written  on  the  different  modern  discoveries  and  treat- 
ments in  medical  science.  He  has  long  since  given  up  "general  prac- 
tice," and  devotes  himself  exclusively  to  abdominal  surgery  and  diseases 

of  women. 

664 


GEORGE    F.  CASE. 


Dr.  Carstens  was  married  on  October  18,  1870,  to  Miss  Hattie  Rohn- 
ert,  of  Detroit. 


GEORGE  F.   CASE. 

George  F.  Case,  son  of  Elijah  and  Beulah  A.  (Harris)  Case,  was 
born  near  Savannah,  Ga.,  July  4,  1835.  When  ten  years  of  age  he  was 
placed  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  Harris,  a  manufacturer  of 
woolens,  in  Leeds,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Case  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Leeds,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  began  his  business 
career  as  freight  clerk  on  a  Mississippi  River  steamboat.  After  several 
years  spent  on  the  river,  in  which  he  served  in  various  capacities,  and 
later  in  speculation  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  he  eventually  located  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and  engaged  in  general  merchandising.  He  subsequently 
purchased  the  St.  Cloud  Hotel  at  Nashville,  which  he  conducted  until 
February  22,  1867. 

In  1881  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourteenth  Ohio  Battery  of  Artillery,  as 
sergeant,  under  Captain  Burrows,  a  brother  of  Hon.  J.  C.  Burrows, 
United  States  Senator  from  Michigan.  He  was  detailed  to  serve  in 
various  capacities,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  transportation  of  forage 
and  provisions  for  the  Third  Brigade,  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Upon 
conclusion  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  assessor  of 
the  Ninth  Division  of  the  Third  District  of  Tennessee,  under  Thomas 
Carlisle,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1869.  Subsequent  to  his 
service  as  assessor  he  removed  to  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  he  engaged 
in  cotton  speculation  until  1871.  The  following  year  he  engaged  in 
buying  and  selling  horses  in  Canada.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  the  corner  of  State 
and  Griswold  streets,  later  removing  to  West  Congress  street,  where 
he  eventually  succeeded  in  building  up  the  largest  business  of  its  kind 
in  the  city.  In  1896  his  establishment  was  completely  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  on  its  site,  in  March,  1897,  he  erected  the  Case  Power  build- 
ing, an  important  addition  to  the  city's  business  buildings.  Mr.  Case 
is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Michigan  Sover- 
eign Consistory;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  and 
Oriental  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

He  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Nellie  A.  Watrus 
of  Ashtabula,  Ohio,     One  son  was  born  of  this  union,  John  W.  Case, 

665 


an  architect  of  Detroit,  who  received  on  competitive  examination  the 
Roach  commission,  entitling  him  to  a  two  years'  trip  abroad.  On  Sep- 
tember 18,  1897,  he  married  as  his  second  wife  Miss  Hattie  Campbell 
of  Detroit. 


CHARLES  W.   CASGRAIN. 

Charles  W.  Casgra in  was  born  in  Sandwich,  Ontario,  Canada,  May 
24,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Charles  E.  and  Charlotte  Marie  (Chase) 
Casgrain,  his  father  being  a  senator  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
Charles  W.  was  educated  in  the  Assumption  College  at  Sandwich, 
Ontario,  and  after  graduating  from  that  institution  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law.  In  1879  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  entered  the 
ofifice  of  Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883. 
For  six  years  he  remained  with  Mr.  Dickinson,  and  in  1885  he  opened 
an  office  and  has  ever  since  been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession. 
He  was  elected  as  city  attorney  in  1889,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  1892.  From  1888  to  1892  he  was  chairman  of  the  Congressional 
Democratic  Committee  for  the  first  Congressional  district;  in  1892  he 
was  a  delegate  from  his  district  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention 
at  Chicago. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  has  been  successful  in  general  practice.  He  is 
strong  and  logical  before  court  and  jury,  and  presents  his  case  in  an 
easy  and  eloquent  manner.  While  city  attorney  he  made  a  very 
enviable  record  for  himself,  being  honest  and  faithful  to  his  public 
duties.  Mr.  Casgrain  has  been  quite  a  traveler,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  having  made  two  extended  tours  to  Europe. 

In  February,  1886,  Mr.  Casgrain  married  Annie  Hammond,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  George  H.  Hammond  of  Detroit.  They  have  four 
children:  Charlotte  Marie  Chase,  Adelaide  H.,  Hammond,  and  Wil- 
fred V. 


ZACHARIAH  CHANDLER. 

Hon.  Zachariah  Chandler  was  born  in  Bedford.  N.  H.,  December 
10,  1813.  After  receiving  such  an  education  as  was  afforded  by  the 
public  schools  of  his  time,  followed  by  an  apprenticeship  as  clerk  in  a 

666 


CHARLES   W.  CASGRAIN. 


store,  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1833,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
dry  goods  business.  His  first  store  was  on  the  site  of  the  Biddle  House, 
and  from  there  he  removed  to  Woodward  avenue,  between  Woodbridge 
and  Atwater  streets.  The  business  which  he  established  afterward  be- 
came the  leading  wholesale  dry  goods  firm  of  Michigan,  under  the  style 
of  Allan  Shelden  &  Company,  and  Mr.  Chandler  was  known  as  the 
merchant  prince  of  his  State. 

In  1848  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  Young  Men's  Benevolent  Asso- 
ciation; in  1851  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Detroit;  and  in  1857 
was  elected  to  succeed  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  as  United  States  senator,  for 
the  full  term  of  six  years,  and  was  re-elected  in  1863  and  again  in  1869. 

In  December  of  1861,  on  his  motion,  a  joint  committee  of  the  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives  on  the  conduct  of  the  war  was  appointed ; 
this  celebrated  committee  was  continued  until  the  close  of  the  v/ar, 
many  changes  taking  place,  but  Senator  Chandler  remained  and  always 
was  the  controlling  spirit,  and  his  abilities  and  methods  were  effective 
in  securing  the  unity  of  the  Republican  party  in  its  war  measures.  Upon 
the  control  of  the  Senate  passing  into  the  hands  of  the  Republican  party, 
he  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  commerce,  holding  that  posi- 
tion until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  in  1875.  He  was  always  an 
earnest  and  efficient  supporter  of  President  Lincoln  and  of  President 
Grant,  and  possessed  their  full  confidence  and  esteem. 

Senator  Chandler's  most  notable  speech  was  on  the  conduct  of  the 
war,  and  in  which  he  severely  criticised  General  McClellan's  military 
course  as  commander  in-chief  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  To  this 
effort  was  undoubtedly  due  the  transfer  of  General  Grant  to  that  com- 
mand. Mr.  Chandler  no  sooner  entered  political  life  than  he  showed 
that  he  possessed  great  ability  as  a  politician,  and  when  his  advice  was 
followed,  party  success  was  generally  assured.  He  served  as  chairman 
of  the  Union  Congressional  Committee  for  four  years,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  National  Committee  in  1876.  October  9,  1875,  he 
was  appointed  by  General  Grant  secretary  of  the  interior  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  administration.  His  death 
occurred  on  November  1,  1879,  at  Chicago,  111.  His  widow  and  one 
daughter,  the  wife  of  Eugene  Hale,  of  Maine,  survive  him. 


667 


HENRY  M.   CHEEVER. 

Henry  Martyn  Cheever,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Stillwater,  Saratoga 
count)%  N.  Y.,  June  20,  1832,  the  son  of  Rev.  Ebenezer  Cheever,  D.D. 
(1791-1866),  a  leading  Presbyterian  divine  in  the  Eastern  States  for 
many  years.  The  paternal  line  of  ancestry  goes  back  to  Edward 
Cheever,  Baron  of  Bannow,  and  Viscount  Mount  Leister,  who  was 
impeached  for  loyalty  to  King  James  (Stuart)  by  the  Long  Parliament 
about  the  year  1642.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is  descended  from  the 
family  of  which  Governor  Wolcott,  of  Colonial  and  Revolutionary 
fame,  was  a  member,  Mr.  Cheever's  great-grandmother  being  Governor 
Wolcott's  sister,  and  from  this  family  Donald  G.  Mitchell  (Ik  Marvel), 
the  author,  came. 

He  received  his  education  in  classical  and  private  schools  in  New 
Jersey,  and  at  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1853  with  the  highest  honors,  taking  the  full  college  course,  and  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  three  years  later  that  of  A.  M.  He 
then  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his  twenty- first  year, 
and  from  that  time  forward  devoted  himself  almost  exclusively  to  his 
profession.  Among  the  important  legal  cases  conducted  by  him,  or  in 
which  he  has  participated  as  counsel,  are:  Workman  vs.  the  Board  of 
Education,  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  where  the  issue  in- 
volved was  the  admission  of  colored  pupils  in  the  public  schools;  the 
Board  of  Park  Commissioners  vs.  the  City  of  Detroit,  the  issue  being  a 
resisting  of  the  demand  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  for  the  is- 
suing of  $300,000  in  bonds  for  the  purchase  of  a  park ;  and  the  labor  debt 
cases,  500  in  number,  against  Luther  Beecher  and  the  Marquette 
Rolling-mill  company,  the  question  being  the  liability  of  a  stockholder, 
and  the  amount  involved  being  $1,000,000.  He  was  counsel  for  the 
plaintiff  in  the  libel  suit  of  Atkinson  vs.  the  "Free  Press,"  one  of  the 
most  noted  suits  of  the  time;  counsel  for  the  defendant  in  the  libel 
suit  of  Wheaton  vs.  Beecher;  counsel  for  the  Boston  stockholders  of 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  which  case,  in- 
volving the  liability  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $10,000,000,  was  argued 
by  Mr.  Cheever  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Kansas  in  1886.  He  was  one 
of  the  leading  counsel  in  the  celebrated  Reeder  Ejectment  suit,  involv- 
ing land  worth  $500,000  in  Detroit,  which  was  before  the  court  for 
nine  years,  and  involved  among  other  important  questions,  the  con- 
struction of  the  Jay  treaty  of  1794,   the  rights  and  status  of  aliens   and 

668 


^^  %^ 


^^tC^^LjOye^^^^.^ 


British  subjects  residing  in  Detroit  when  the  city  was  evacuated  by  the 
English,  and  the  doctrine  of  escheat. 

In  criminal  practice  Mr.  Cheever  has  acted  for  the  defense  in  some 
of  the  most  noted  cases  of  the  past  forty  years.  He  was  counsel  for 
the  defense  in  two  murder  cases  which  had  a  national  reputation,  and 
were  justly  classed  as  among  the  causes  cflebres  of  this  country.  In 
the  Vanderpool  murder  case,  in  1872,  the  prisoner  was  a  prominent 
banker  at  Manistee,  Mich.,  and  was  charged  with  the  murder  of  his 
partner,  Herbert  Field.  On  the  trial,  which  lasted  six  weeks,  the 
prisoner  was  acquitted.  The  case  was  a  remarkable  one  of  circum- 
stantial evidence.  Public  opinion  was  strong  against  the  prisoner.  Mr. 
Cheever's  closing  argument,  which  occupied  one  day,  was  a  keen  analysis 
of  circumstantial  evidence,  and  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  efforts 
of  his  professional  life.  In  the  Underwood  murder  case,  at  Detroit  in 
1878,  the  defendant  was  charged  with  the  murder  of  Lottie  Pridgeon, 
by  stabbing  her.  The  killing  was  admitted;  it  seemed  to  be  without 
possible  provocation  or  excuse,  and  so  strong  was  public  sentiment  and 
the  press  against  the  prisoner  that  the  judge  before  whom  the  case  was 
tried  expressed  surprise  that  any  defense  should  be  attempted.  The 
defense  was  emotional  insanity,  and  the  prisoner  was  acquitted.  The 
arguments  of  these  two  cases,  published  in  Donovan's  work,  entitled, 
"  Celebrated  Jury  Trials,"  "  are  regarded  as  fine  specimens  of  forensic 
eloquence." 

In  1896  he  was  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  defense  in  the  Pope 
murder  case  which  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  criminal  cases  of  the 
country. 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Cheever's  devotion  to  the  profession  he  has  not 
neglected  general  literature  and  the  classics,  and  is  familiar  with  the 
leading  works  of  fiction,  history  and  poetry.  As  a  general  lawyer  he 
has  no  superior.  His  cross  examinations  excel ;  and  while  he  is  gentle- 
manly, he  rarely  fails  to  obtain  the  truth  and  expose  falsehood.  His 
arguments  are  uniformly  good  and  his  wit  brilliant,  but  always  kind. 
He  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  is  much  esteemed  by  all, 
especially  the  younger  members  of  the  bar,  for  his  kind  and  considerate 
treatment  when  applied  to  for  counsel  or  advice.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American,  State,  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations,  serving  as  vice- 
president  of  the  latter  for  ten  years. 

During  his  entire  career  Mr.  Cheever  has  avoided  politics.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Detroit  from  1857  to  1861,  and 

669 


of  the  State  Board  of  Visitors  to  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1857  and 
1858.  He  is  a  staunch  Presbyterian,  a  man  of  deep  religious  convic- 
tions, though  liberal  in  his  sentiments,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the 
banquet  given  by  the  Presbyterian  Alliance  in  Detroit  in  188G,  was 
selected  to  deliver  an  address  on  the  subject  of  "  Presbyterianism  and 
Catholicity."  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Westminster 
church  in  Detroit,  has  been  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees  for  many 
years,  and  was  four  years  its  president.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
At  the  outset  of  his  professional  life  Mr.  Cheever  married  Sara 
Buckbee,  eldest  daughter  of  Hon.  Walter  A.  Buckbee,  a  prominent 
law3'er  in  the  State.  Mrs.  Cheever  died  in  1890.  One  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, was  the  fruit  of  the  union.  The  daughter,  now  Mrs.  James  S. 
Meredith  of  New  York,  has  been  engaged  for  some  years  in  literary 
pursuits,  and  is  prominent  as  a  writer  under  the  nom  de  phiine  of 
' '  Johanna  Staats. "  Several  volumes  of  her  stories  have  been  published, 
her  contributions  also  appearing  in  many  of  the  magazines. 


WILLIAM  J.   CHITTENDEN. 

William  J.  Chittenden,  proprietor  of  the  Russell  House  of  Detroit,  is 
a  native  of  the  Empire  State,  having  been  born  in  the  town  of  Adams, 
Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  April  28,  1835.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  C.  and 
Nancy  (Benton)  Chittenden.  Mr.  Chittenden  acquired  his  education 
in  the  Jefferson  County  Institute  at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  when  eight  years  of  age.  In  1853  he  made  a 
visit  to  Detroit  and  was  so  favorably  impressed  that  he  concluded  to 
remain  for  a  while.  For  three  years,  or  until  1856,  he  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Holmes  &  Co.,  dry  goods  merchants,  and  later  spent  two  years 
in  the  money  order  department  of  the  State  post-oflfice.  He  returned 
to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  in  1856,  and  during  the  following  year  filled 
the  position  of  assistant  bookkeeper  and  teller  in  the  Black  River  Bank 
of[that  place. 

In  1857  the  old  National  Hotel  at  Detroit,  owned  by  William  Hale,  a 
brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Chittenden,  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  and 
named  the  Russell  House.  It  September  of  that  year  it  was  opened 
under  the  management  of  William  H.  Russell.  In  1858  Mr.  Russell 
retired,  Mr.  Hale  assumed  the  management  of  the  hotel,  and  Mr.  Chit- 
tenden removed   to   Detroit   to  assume  the  duties  of  bookkeeper  and 

670 


confidential  secretary  to  the  proprietor.  In  1861  Mr.  Hale  withdrew 
from  the  hotel  business  and  Mr.  L.  T.  Miner  undertook  the  manag-e- 
ment  of  the  house,  Mr.  Chittenden  remaining  in  the  office.  In  1864 
Mr.  Chittenden,  in  company  with  C.  S.  Witbeck,  under  the  style  of 
Whitbeck  &  Chittenden,  assumed  the  management  of  the  hotel,  a  co- 
partnership which  existed  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Witbeck  in  1882, 
when  Mr.  Chittenden  became  sole  proprietor.  From  1890  to  1896  Mr. 
Chittenden  had  associated  with  him  Mr.  L.  A.  McCreary,  under  the 
style  of  Chittenden  &  McCreary,  but  since  the  latter  year  has  conducted 
the  business  alone.  Under  his  capable  management  the  Russell  House 
has  become  famous  as  one  of  the  leading  hotels  of  the  United  States, 
and  under  its  hospitable  roof  have  been  entertained  some  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  as  well  as  many  for- 
eign personages  of  distinction. 

Aside  from  his  hotel,  Mr.  Chittenden  is  prominently  identified  with 
several  of  the  leading  business  enterprises  of  the  city  of  Detroit.  He 
is  a  stockholder  in  and  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Detroit; 
is  vice-president  of  the  Hargreaves  Manufacturing  Co.,  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Michigan  Wire  and  Iron  Works.  He  is  equally  prominent 
and  influential  in  clubs  and  social  circles  and  enjoys  the  highest  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  being 
a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory,  Detroit  Commandery  No. 
1,  K.  T.,  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  Union 
Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the 
Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Michigan  Republican  Club,  the  Audubon  Whist 
Club  and  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats.  Mayor  Grummond  appointed 
him  a  commiss-ioner  of  the  Detroit  House  of  Correction,  and  he  served 
in  that  capacity  for  ten  years,  that  being  the  only  public  office  he  ever 
consented  to  fill. 

On  January  18,  1806,  Mr.  Chittenden  married  Irene  Williams, 
daughter  of  the  late  Gen.  Alpheus  S.  Williams,  and  they  have  five 
children:  Frederick  L.,  Alpheus  S.,  May  F.,  William  J.,  jr.,  and  Mar- 
guerite. Mr.  Chittenden  is  one  of  the  truly  representative  men  of 
Detroit.  Few  residents  of  the  city  have  a  wider  acquaintance  among 
distinguished  men  than  he,  for  his  noted  hotel  has  at  times  been  the 
temporary  home  of  many  of  the  most  noteworthy  Americans.  His 
name  is  ineffably  associated  with  the  history  of  Detroit  and  his  splen- 
did hotel  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  landmarks  of  the  beautiful 
city. 

671 


JOSEPH  H.   CLARK. 

Joseph  H.  Clark,  son  of  Nelson  Clark,  a  prosperous  farmer,  now  a 
resident  of  Detroit,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Sandusky,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 20,  18G0.  Mr.  Clark  received  his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  later  spent  two  years  in  the  graded  school  at  Castalia,  Ohio, 
Subsequently  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School  at  Valparaiso,  Ind., 
and  after  completing  the  literary  course  was  graduated  therefrom  with 
honors  in  1878.  He  taught  school  between  sessions  during  his  attend- 
ance in  the  Normal  School,  and  following  his  graduation  taught  for  six 
years  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  Michigan.  While  teaching  he 
took  up  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1885,  after  passing  a  satisfactory  ex- 
amination, was  admitted  to  the  bar;  he  then  spent  one  year  as  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  Winsor  &  Snover  at  Port  Austin,  Mich.,  and  during  the 
following  nine  years  practiced  his  profession  successfully  at  Manistique, 
Mich.,  where  he  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  two  years,  and  at 
Muskegon,  Mich.,  where  for  five  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  Jones  &  Clark.  In  1895  Mr.  Clark  located  in  Detroit,  and  on 
January  1,  1897,  formed  a  partnership  with  Levi  T.  Griffith.  Mr. 
Clark  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  and  en- 
joys the  high  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the  public.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association,  Detroit  Bowling  Club,  and 
of  Damon  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  1885  he  married  Minnie  McMuldroch  of  White  Rock,  Mich., 'and 
they  have  three  children:  Grace,  Nelson,  and  Clifford  Le  Roy. 


FREDERICK    J.    CLIPPERT,   M.  D. 

Frederick  J.  Clippert,  M.  D.,  son  of  Conrad  and  Christina  (Pfeifle) 
Clippert,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August  20,  1866.  Dr.  Clippert 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  in  Gold- 
smith's Business  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1882.  Upon 
completion  of  his  education  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  a 
prominent  brick  manufacturer,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1886; 
when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  situation  in  the  Asylum  for  the  In- 
sane at  Jamestown,  Dakota  Territory.  While  serving  in  that  institu- 
tion he  began  the  study  of  medicine  and  pharmacy  under  Dr.  O.  W. 
Archibald,  and  in  1887  entered  the  University  of  Minnesota  at  Minne- 

67'Z 


F.  J.  CLIPPERT,  M.  D. 


apolis,  where  he  remained  two  years.  vSubsequently  he  entered  the 
Chicago  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  April,  1890. 
Upon  receiving  his  diploma,  he  secured  through  competitive  examin- 
ation the  appointment  of  house  physician  at  Alexian  Brothers'  Hospi- 
tal, Chicago,  remaining  in  that  capacity  until  1891.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  he  removed  to  Delray,  Mich.,  and  established  his  present 
practice.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  health  officer  of  Delray  and  is  at 
present  serving  in  that  capacity.  In  the  November  election  succeeding 
the  incorporation  of  Delray  (which  occurred  in  October,  1897),  Dr. 
Clippert  was  elected  first  president  of  the  village.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Zion  Lodge,  F  &  A.  M.  ;  of  Michi- 
gan Sovereign  Consistory,  and  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  is  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Pension  Examining  Surgeons  for 
Wayne  county,  and  a  member  of  Wayne  County  Medical  Societ3\ 


COL.   EDWIN  F.   CONELY. 

CoL.  Edwin  F.  Conely,  son  of  William  S.  Conely  and  Eliza  (O'Con- 
nor) Conely,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  September  7,  18-47. 
In  1853  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Brighton,  Mich.  His  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  city,  Brighton, 
Mich.,  Jackson,  Mich.,  and  by  private  study.  He  studied  law  in 
the  offices  of  Sardis  F.  Hubbell  of  Howell,  Mich.,  of  Olney  Haw- 
kins of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  of  D.  B.  ,^  H.  M.  Duffield  of  De- 
troit; he  also  attended  the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Michigan. 
In  1870  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  has  ever  since  been  in  the  un- 
interrupted and  successful  practice  of  his  profession  in  Detroit.  During 
the  years  1891,  1892  and  1893  he  was  professor  of  law  in  the  University 
of  Michigan,  but  resigned  on  account  of  the  demands  of  an  increasing 
practice. 

Mr.  Conely  represented  the  city  of  Detroit  in  the  Legislature  in  1887, 
and  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for  speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Con- 
ventions of  1880  and  1892,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Water 
Commissioners  of  Detroit  in  1885.  Colonel  Conely  is  a  staunch  Dem- 
ocrat and  in  1896  allied  himself  with  the  Sound  Money  men  of  that 
party.      He  was  a  delegate  from   the  State  of  Michigan   to  the   Sound 

673 


Money  Democratic  Convention  of  1896  at  Indianapolis,  which  nomi- 
nated Palmer  and  Buckner,  and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
platform.  His  advice  has  always  heen  highly  esteemed  in  the  councils 
of  his  party.  During  the  years  of  1893,  1894  and  1895  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  commission  to  revise  the  municipal  charters  of  the  State, 
and  from  1890  to  1896  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Library  Com- 
missioners. 

He  was  connected  with  the  State  troops  for  thirteen  years,  having 
been  captain  of  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry,  major  of  the  Fourth  In- 
fantry and  as  colonel  and  A.  D.  C,  was  president  of  the  State  Military 
Board.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  American  Historical  Society,  a 
member  of  Michigan  Political  Science  Association,  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican and  Michigan  Bar  Associations.  Colonel  Conely  is  a  member  of 
St,  Paul's  Episcopal  church  of  Detroit,  and  for  several  years  has  been 
a  vestryman  in  that  church.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge 
No.  240,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Peninsular  Chapter  No.  16,  R.  A.  M. ;  Monroe 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  Moslem  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  and  Damascus  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar. 

He  was  married  December  9,  1873,  to  Achsah,  daughter  of  Abel  F. 
Butterfield  of  Green  Oak,  Mich.,  who  died  Januaiy  22,  1878.  On 
May  9,  1882,  he  married  as  his  second  wife,  Fanny,  daughter  of  Charles 
Butterfield  of  Goshen,  Ind.,  a  cousin  of  his  first  wife. 


LEARTUS  CONNOR,  M.   D. 

Leartus  Connor,  M.  D.,  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Caroline  (Corwin) 
Connor,  was  born  in  Coldenham,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  January  29, 
1843,  and  is  a  grandson  of  William  Connor  and  great-grandson  of  John 
Connor,  who  emigrated  from  Castle  Pollard,  County  of  Westmeath, 
Ireland,  settling  in  Scotchtown,  N.  Y.,  in  1767,  and  fought  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  William  Connor  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Dr.  Connor's  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Phineas  Corwin,  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812;  a  cousin  of  Thomas  Corwin  of  Ohio,  congressman 
three  terms.  United  States  senator,  and  secretary  of  the  treasury  under 
President  Fillmore;  and  seventh  in  descent  from  Mathias  Corwin,  who 
emigrated  from  England  and  settled  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1633,  and  in 
1640  at  Southold,  Long  Island,  N.  Y. 

674 


Dr.  Connor  prepared  for  college  at  Wallkill  Academy,  Middletown, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  from  Williams  Col- 
lege in  June,  1865,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from  the  same  insti- 
tion  in  18G8.  He  was  assistant  principal  of  Mexico  Academy,  Mexico, 
N.  Y.,  from  1865  until  1867,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1865,  under  Dr.  George  L.  Dayton  of  Mexico,  N.  Y.  ;  atttended  one 
course  of  lectures  and  did  laboratory  work  in  the  department  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  two  courses  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  the  city  of  New  York,  graduat- 
ing from  the  latter  in  1870.  For  about  seven  months  following  he 
practiced  medicine  in  Searsville,  N.  Y.,  and  then  removed  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  has,  since  1878,  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  ophthal- 
mology and  otology. 

Dr.  Connor  was  lecturer  on  chemistry,  including  practical  laboratory 
work,  in  Detroit  Medical  College  during  the  years  1871-72,  and  profes- 
sor of  physiology  and  clinical  medicine  in  the  same  institution  from 
1872  until  1879,  professor  of  didactic  and  clinical  ophthalmology  and 
otology,  from  1878  to  1881,  attending  physician  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital, 
Detroit,  from  1872  until  1878,  was  ophthalmic  and  aural  surgeon  to 
Harper  Hospital,  Detroit,  from  1881  until  1894,  and  consulting  ophthal- 
mologist since  1894:;  ophthalmic  and  aural  surgeon  to  the  Detroit  Chil- 
dren's Hospital  since  1887;  consulting  ophthalmologist  to  the  Woman's 
Hospital  since  1886.  From  1871  to  1895  Dr.  Connor  edited  a  medical 
journal,  known  successively  as  the  Detroit  Review  of  Medicine  and 
Pharmacy,  the  Detroit  Medical  Journal,  the  Detroit  Lancet,  and  the 
American  Lancet. 

He  was  secretary  of  the  American  Medical  College  Association  from 
1876  to  1883;  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Medical  College  from  1875  until 
1881;  president  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine  during  the  years 
1877-78  and  1888-89,  and  its  secretary,  1871-72;  president  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Medicine,  1888-89;  chairman  of  the  opthalmo- 
logical  section  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  1891,  vice-president 
of  that  association  in  1882-83,  and  trustee  of  its  journal,  1883-89,  1892- 
94;  president  of  the  American  Medical  Editors'  Association,  1894.  Dr. 
Connor  is  an  active  member  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine;  the 
Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association ;  the  Wayne  County  Medical 
Societ)^;  the  Detroit  Quarter  of  Century  Medical  Club;  the  Michigan 
State  Medical  Society;  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine;  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Editors'  Association;  the  Michigan  Academy  of  Science; 

675 


and  the  Detroit  branch  of  the  American  Archaeological  Institute. 
From  1892  to  1894  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  American  Medical  Association  to  revise  its  code  of  ethics  and  its 
constitution  and  by-laws.  He  was  a  member  of  the  council  of  the 
ophthalmic  section  of  the  Ninth  International  Medical  Congress;  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Pan-American  Medical  Congress. 

Among  his  contributions  to  medical  literature  are:  "  Glaucoma  Pro- 
duced by  Mental  Disturbances;"  "Syphilitic  Diseases  of  the  Eye;" 
"Reproduction  of  the  Membrana  Tympani;"  "The  Value  of  Hot 
Water  in  the  Management  of  Eye  Diseases;  "  "Tobacco  Amblyopia;  " 
"  Primary  Inflammation  of  the  Mastoid  Cells;"  and  "  Eye  Complica- 
tions in  a  case  of  Cerebral  Tumor;"  "Drifting — Who,  How,  Whither?", 
a  medical  sociological  study;  "  The  True  Principles  on  which  the  Med- 
ical Profession  should  be  Associated,  and  the  Character  of  the  Result- 
ant Organization ;  "  "  The  Development  of  the  Sections  of  the  American 
Medical  Association  ;  "  "  The  American  Medical  Journal  of  the  Future, 
as  Indicated  by  the  American  Medical  Journals  of  the  Past;  "  "The 
First  Twenty  Years  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine;"  "The 
American  Academy  of  Medicine — Its  Objects,  Field  of  Work,  and  Sug- 
gestions for  Increase  in.its  Efficiency;  "  "  Memorial  Remarks  on  James 
Fanning  Noyes;"  "Needs  for  and  Value  of  Public  Health  Work;  "  and 
"  Diseases  of  the  Lachrymal  Passages — Their  Causes  and  Management. " 
He  is  also  the  author  of  "Notes  on  the  Treatment  of  Trachoma  by 
Jequirity;"  "Strabismus  as  a  Symptom,  its  Causes  and  its  Practical 
Management ;  "  "  The  Technique  of  Tenotomy  of  the  Ocular  Muscles ;  " 
"Amblyopia  from  Suppression,  Congenital  Imperfections  or  Diseases: 
Which  or  All?";  "Remarks  on  the  Management  of  Glaucoma;" 
"  Mumps  as  a  cause  of  Sudden  Deafness,  "  and  "  How  we  can  Obtain 
and  Preserve  the  Eyesight  and  Hearing." 

Dr.  Connor  is  actively  identified  with  the  social,  political,  religious 
and  business  interests  of  the  city  of  his  residence,  being  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club,  the  Michigan  (Republican)  Club,  the  Fellowcraft 
Club,  and  the  Bankers'  Club  of  Detroit ;  is  an  elder  in  the  Fort  Street 
Presbyterian  church,  and  a  director  in  the  Home  Savings  Bank,  etc. 

August  10,  1870,  he  married  Anna  A.,  eldest  daughter  of  the  late 
Rev.  Charles  and  Nancy  P.  (Page)  Dame  of  Exeter,  N.  H.  Mrs.  Dr. 
Connor  is  a  graduate  of  Mt.  Holyoke  College,  class  of  18G6;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  of  the  Society  of 
Colonial  Dames,  and  is  president  of  the  Michigan  Mt.  Holyoke  Alumnae 

676 


JAMES  P.  COOK. 


Association.  She  is  also  a  collateral  descendant  from  Sir  Francis  Drake. 
Their  children,  Guy  Leartns  and  Ray,  aged  twenty- two  and  twenty 
respectively,  were  graduated  together  in  the  class  of  1897  from  Will- 
iams College,  each  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1897  began  the  study  of  medicine,  by  their  own  choice,  in  Johns  Hop- 
kins University  at  Baltimore,  Md. 


JAMES  P.   COOK. 

James  P.  Cook,  son  of  Alexander  and  Maria  Decatur  (Wilson)  Cook, 
was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  March  4,  1845.  His  grandfather,  Calvin 
Cook,  w^as  born  in  1777,  and  for  many  years  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  growth  and  development  of  Saratoga  count}^  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  born  and  died.  Alexander  Cook,  the  father  of  James  P.,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  army  of  the  United  States  and  was  killed  during  the  bat- 
tle of  Chapultepec,  Mexico.  Margaret  Chamberlin,  the  grandmother  of 
Mr.  Cook,  was  a  cousin  of  Commodore  Decatur  of  the  United  States 
navy. 

James  P.  Cook  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
where  an  elder  brother  had  preceded  him.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Smith,  Cook  &  Co.,  of  which  his  brother  was  a 
partner.  His  connection  with  this  house  lasted  several  years,  on  the 
expiration  of  which  he  formed  the  firm  of  Bachelder  &  Cook,  stone 
dealers,  and  remained  in  that  line  until  1878.  He  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful in  his  business  career  and  retired  with  a  comfortable  compe- 
tence. 

In  April,  1882,  he  made  important  changes  in  his  property  interests, 
and  went  to  Rockford,  111.,  with  a  view  to  an  early  settlement  in  that 
or  another  western  city.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  that  city  he  was  taken 
ill,  and  though  attended  with  the  best  of  medical  skill,  the  progress  of 
the  disease  was  rapid,  resulting  in  his  death  on  October  2,  1882.  The 
last  few  weeks  of  his  illness  were  softened  by  the  ministrations  of  his 
wife,  who  had  joined  him  immediately  on  learning  of  his  sickness. 
The  remains  were  brought  to  Detroit,  and  the  funeral  services  were 
held  from  the  residence  of  his  father-in  law,  Mr.  Thomas  Ledbeter, 
759  Fort  street  west,  the  interment  being  in  Woodmere  Cemetery.     He 

677 


was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Mr.  Cook  married  Hattie. 
daughter  of  Thomas  Ledbeter  of  Detroit.  To  them  was  born  a  daugh 
ter,  who  died  in  early  childhood.     His  widow  survives  him. 


SAMUEL  CRAWFORD. 

Samuel  Crawford,  son  of  Francis  and  Cynthia  W.  (Carpenter)  Craw- 
ford, was  born  in  Newburgh,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  December  17, 
1842.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  James  Crawford,  who 
emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America  in  1718,  settling  in  Little  Britain. 
Francis  Crawford,  his  great- grandfather,  was  a  large  landed  proprietor 
of  Newburgh  previous  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  His  great-grand- 
father on  the  maternal  side  was  Richard  Goldsmith,  of  Bloomingrove, 
Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1820.  Francis  Crawford,  the 
father  of  Samuel,  came  to  Michigan  in  1850,  located  at  Detroit  and  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business,  with  the  late  William  B.  Wesson  as 
his  broker,  and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  most  prominet  dealers 
in  realty  in  Michigan,  He  gave  to  the  city  of  Detroit  those  parcels  of 
land  now  known  as  Crawford  Park  and  Elton  Park. 

Samuel  Crawford  received  his  early  education  in  the  private  school 
of  Prof.  Nutting  at  Lodi  Plains,  Mich.,  and  later  attended  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  subsequently  taking  a  course  in  Gold- 
smith's Business  College  at  Detroit.  Upon  completion  of  his  studies 
he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  where  he  remained  some  three 
years,  when  he  engaged  in  the  commission  business,  dealing  in  such 
commodities  as  the  markets  of  the  city  afforded.  In  186G  he  entered 
the  real  estate  field,  where  he  has  since  become  well  and  favorably 
known,  having  established  a  large  and  successful  business.  Many 
valuable  subdivisions  to  the  city  have  been  laid  out  by  him  and  placed 
upon  the  market. 

He  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  and  although  deeply  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  his  party,  his  many  interests  have  precluded  his  ac- 
ceptance of  public  office.  As  a  man  he  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fel- 
low citizens,  and  possesses  a  reputation  for  integrity  and  conservative 
business  methods.  He  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 

On  November  21,  1871,  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Reid,  of  London, 
Canada,  and  they  have  a  family  of  three  children:     Samuel,  jr.,  Grace 

678 


GHORGE  H.   CURRIH. 


C,  and  Harry.     He  and  his  family   are  members  of  Grace  Episcopal 
church. 


CAMERON  CURRIE. 

Cameron  Currie,  one  of  the  thoroughly  representative  young-  busi- 
ness men  of  Detroit,  is  a  native  of  Canada,  having  been  born  in  London, 
Ontario,  May  4,  1860.  His  father,  Donald  Currie,  was  a  well  known 
and  widely  respected  resident  of  that  city.  Mr.  Currie  attended  the 
public  and  higfi  schools  of  his  native  town  until  1879,  at  which  time  he 
removed  to  Detroit.  Here  he  at  once  entered  the  employ  of  the  De- 
troit City  Railway  Company,  rising  in  the  course  of  time  to  the  office 
of  secretary  of  that  company.  In  1891  the  Detroit  City  Railway  Com- 
pany sold  out  its  business,  and  Mr.  Currie  entered  the  banking  and 
brokerage  business. 

In  1892  he  organized  a  stock  company,  of  which  he  became  president, 
doing  business  under  the  name  of  Cameron  Currie  &  Co.,  bankers  and 
brokers.  The  company  has  finely  equipped  offices  in  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  building,  with  private  wires  connecting  with  all  the  leading 
stock  exchanges  in  the  country.  Mr.  Currie  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
and  New  York  Stock  Exchanges,  being  the  only  member  of  the  latter 
body  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  is  also  a  director  in  the  Detroit  River 
Savings  Bank.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Yondotega 
Club,  the  Country  Club,  the  Bankers'  Club  and  the  Fellowcraft  Club 
of  Detroit,  the  Reform  Club  of  New  York  city,  and  of  Corinthian  Lodge 
No.  2,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Detroit. 

In  1887  he  married  Harriette  I.  Lewis,  daughter  of  Alexander  Lewis 
of  Detroit.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  John  Donald  and 
Gwendolyn. 


GEORGE  E.   CURRIE. 

George  E.  Currie,  son  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Weekes)  Currie,  was 
born  in  Seaforth,  Ontario,  Canada,  August  5,  1863.  Mr.  Currie  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  removed 
with  his  parents  in  1872.  In  1880  he  went  to  Kansas  wherehe  was  em- 
ployed on  a  large  cattle  ranch  and  farm.      After  one  year  spent  in  this 

679 


occupation  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  secured  a  situation  as  bookkeeper 
with  the  coal  and  wood  firm  of  Thomas  Currie  &  Son,  serving-  in  that 
capacity  for  a  short  time,  when  he  removed  to  the  lumber  regions  of 
Georgian  Bay.  During  the  succeeding  six  years  he  was  engaged  in 
various  lumbering  enterprises,  cutting  timber  during  the  winter  months 
and  shipping  the  same  in  the  summer.  He  also  served  as  captain  of 
the  tug  Blanche  Shelby  a  portion  of  this  time.  Subsequently  he  be- 
came a  farmer  in  Northern  Michigan  and  also  assisted  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Toledo  and  Ann  Arbor  Railroad. 

In  March,  1889,  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  and  established 
his  present  business  of  general  contractor.  Since  engaging  in  this  Ime 
Mr.  Currie  has  been  awarded  several  important  public  contracts,  which 
he  has  successfully  completed.  In  1893  he  dug  the  Northeast  Lake, 
at  Belle  Isle  Park,  in  1895  was  superintendent  of  construction  for  the 
Detroit  Railway  Co.,  and  in  the  same  year  built  the  road  bed  for  the 
Rapid  Railway  Co. ,  from  Detroit  to  Mt.  Clemens.  In  1896  he  constructed 
the  electric  road  from  Dayton  to  Miamisburg,  Ohio,  a  distance  of  thir- 
teen miles.  In  February,  1898,  with  John  McVickar  as  his  associate 
he  formed  the  firm  of  George  E.  Currie  &  Co.,  continuing  his  former 
line  of  business. 

He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign 
Consistory;  Monroe  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Moslem  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  and  Palestine  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  party,  has  never  sought  public  office.  He  is  greatly  esteemed 
by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  is  known  as  a  man  of  strict 
integrity  and  untiring  energy.  He  is  a  member  of  Memorial  Presby- 
terian church. 

He  was  married  November  28,  1888,  to  Margaret  E.  Spence  of  South- 
ampton,  Ontario,  Canada.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children  : 
Jean  O.,  Edna  M.,  and  Eleanor  S.  Currie. 


SULLIVAN  W.  CUTCHEON. 

Hon.  Sullivan  S.  Cutcheon,  son  of  Rev.  James  and  Hannah  M. 
(Tripp)  Cutcheon,  was  born  in  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  October  4,  1833.  He 
was  a  student  in  the  Gymnasium  and  Blanchard  Academies  in  1847, 
1848  and  1849;  was  graduated  from   Dartmouth  College  in  1856,  with 

680 


the  degree  of  B.  A  ,  and  in  1859  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  After 
graduation  he  was  principal  of  the  High  School  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich., 
and  was  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Springfield,  111.,  from 
the  fall  of  1858  to  the  summer  of  1860.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Springfield,  and  in  July,  1860,  returned  to  Ypsilanti,  where  he  entered 
upon  and  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  September  1, 
1875,  when  he  removed  his  law  office  to  Detroit,  in  partnership  with 
with  Judge  Hiram  J.  Bealces.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Beakes  the 
law  firm  of  Cutcheon,  Crane  &  Stellwagen  was  formed,  which  con- 
fined until  1888,  when  Mr.  Crane  retired  and  the  firm  of  Cutcheon, 
Stellwagen  &  Fleming  was  organized  and  continued  until  January  1, 
1898. 

Mr.  Cutcheon  is  a  Republican,  and  in  the  fall  of  1860  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  for 
a  term  of  two  years,  and  was  re  elected  for  a  like  term  in  1862.  On 
the  first  Wednesday  of  January,  1863,  he  was  chosen  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  served  as  such  during  that  session  and 
the  two  special  sessions  during  1863  and  1864.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Michigan  delegation  to  the  National  Republican  Convention  at 
Chicago  in  1868.  He  was  appointed  National  Bank  examiner  for  Mich- 
igan in  1865,  and  held  that  position  for  seven  years.  In  1868  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Baldwin  on  the  State  Military  Board  and  served 
as  a  member  thereof  four  years;  in  1873  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Bagley  as  one  of  the  eighteen  commissioners  to  revise  the  constitution 
of  Michigan  and  was  chosen  president  of  the  commission.  He  was 
appointed  United  States  attorney  for  the  Eastern  district  of  Michigan 
in  March,  1877,  and  continued  in  that  office  until  May,  1885,  when  he 
resigned.  In  1892  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Winans  one  of  the 
commissioners  for  Michigan  for  the  promotion  of  uniformity  of  State 
laws;  was  subsequently  chosen  president  of  that  commission  and  still 
holds  that  position.  He  has  attended  the  meetings  of  the  commission- 
ers from  the  several  States,  at  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York,  Milwaukee 
and  Detroit;  and  at  Detroit  was  made  president  of  the  National  Con- 
ference. 

In  1882  he  was  elected  a  trustee  of  Olivet  College,  Michigan,  and  re- 
mained upon  'the  board  for  several  years  until  he  resigned.  In  188-4 
he  was  elected  a  trustee  of  Harper  Hospital  of  Detroit,  and  has  been 
president  of  the  board  several  years ;  he  has  raised  toward  its  endow- 
ment about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.     In  May,  1884,  the  Dime 

681 


Saving's  Bank  of  Detroit  was  organized  and  he  was  chosen  president 
of  the  same,  which  position  he  still  holds.  In  18!)2  he  was  chosen  and  still 
continues  president  of  the  Ypsilanti  Savings  Bank;  he  was  president 
of  the  Michigan  Banking  Association  in  1894-95;  from  January,  1884, 
to  January,  1890,  he  was  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  Detroit  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  one  of  the 
finest  buildings  then  owned  by  any  association  in  the  country,  costing 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  He  is  a  member  and 
for  many  years  has  been  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Ypsi- 
lanti and  Detroit;  he  was  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  which 
met  at  Brooklyn  in  1876;  was  a  member  of  the  Pan-Presbyterian 
Council  which  met  at  Toronto  in  1892;  and  a  commissioner  to  the 
General  Assembly  which  met  at  Washington  in  May,  1893.  He  was 
president  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Dartmouth  College  for  1896, 
and  has  been  president  of  his  class  since  1886.  He  was  president  of 
the  New  England  Society  of  Detroit  for  1897. 

December  8,  1859,  he  married  Josephine  Louise  Moore  of  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  and  their  children  are  Adeline  L.,  wife  of  Edwin  E.  Armstrong 
of  Detroit,  and  Sullivan  M.,  who  died  in  1877  at  the  age  of  five  years. 


RT.   REV.   THOMAS  F.   DAVIES. 

Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Frederick  Davies,  bishop  of  Michigan,  son  of 
Thomas  F.  and  Julia  (Sanford)  Davies,  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Conn., 
August  31,  1831.  He  received  his  primary  education  in  the  Hopkins 
Grammar  School  at  New  Haven,  which  he  attended  until  1849,  when 
he  entered  Yale  College  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1853,  receiv- 
ing the  Berkley  scholarship.  In  1855  he  entered  Berkley  Divinity 
School,  remaining  until  1856,  and  received  deacon's  orders  in  Christ 
church  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  May  18,  1856.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  was  appointed  professor  of  Hebrew  at  Berkley  School,  retaining  that 
chair  until  1862.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  on  May  27,  1857. 
His  first  rectorship  was  that  of  St.  John's  church  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
to  which  he  was  appointed  in  1862  and  where  he  remained  until  1868. 
Subsequently  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Peter's  church  at  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  of  which  he  remained  in  charge  until  he  was  consecrated  bishop 
of  Michigan  on  October  18,  1889.  Bishop  Davies  received  the  degree 
of  D.    D.    from    the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1871,   LL.D.  from 

682 


EDGAR   A.  DAVIS. 


Hobart  College  in  1889,  and  that  of  D.  D.  from  Yale  College  in  1893. 
On  the  29th  of  April,  18G2,  he  married  Mary  L.,  da\ighterof  William 
G.    Hackstaff  of  Middletown,  Conn.     The}'  have  three  children. 


EDGAR    A.    DAVIS. 

Edgar  A.  Davis,  president  of  the  Davis  Fish  Company  of  Detroit, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  25,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
H.  and  Gussie  J.  (Wheeler)  Davis.  He  is  of  Welsh  ancestry,  being 
descended  from  William  Davis,  who  was  engaged  in  fisheries  in  that 
country,  and  who  emigrated  to  America  about  1820  and  located  in 
Ohio,  removing  to  Detroit  in  1854.  He  and  his  son  Samuel,  the  father 
of  Edgar  A.,  established  themselves  in  the  fishing  business  shortly  after 
their  arrival  in  Detroit,  and  from  that  beginning  has  grown  the  present 
large  industry  known  as  the  Davis  Fish  Company,  having  its  stations 
on  all  of  the  great  lakes  and  with  headquarters  at  Detroit,  The  com- 
pany gives  employment  directly  and  indirectly  to  over  five  hundred 
fishermen,  maintains  a  large  fishing  fleet  as  well  as  several  steam  tugs, 
and  at  the  present  writing  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  largest  producers 
and  dealers  in  fresh  water  foods  in  the  United  States. 

Edgar  A.  Davis  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1878,  and  shortly  afterward  was 
placed  by  his  father  at  one  of  his  fishing  stations.  Here  he  learned 
each  and  every  detail  of  the  business  in  which  in  after  years  he  was  to 
become  the  director.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  was  placed  in 
command  of  one  of  the  company's  propellers  and  for  several  years  re- 
tained that  position.  In  1886  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  organized  the 
Davis  Boat  and  Oar  Company,  for  the  construction  of  steam  vessels  as 
well  as  all  kind  of  smaller  craft.  Under  his  able  direction  the  business 
assumed  large  proportions  and  soon  became  a  leading  firm  among  its 
kind.  After  eight  years  of  success  in  this  line,  he  resigned  to  become 
president  of  the  Davis  Fish  Company  and  has  since  been  retained  in 
that  capacity.  Aside  from  this  interest  he  is  a  stockholder  in  various 
other  enterprises  in  Detroit,  and  is  recognized  as  prominent  among  the 
younger  business  men  of  the  city.  On  the  organization  of  the  Citizens' 
Yacht  Club,  his  ability  as  a  sailor  made  him  the  choice  of  his  fellow 
members  for  the  office  of  commodore,  and  on  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office,   he  was  re-elected  for  a   second.      His    able    administration  of 

683 


its  affairs  while  acting  in  that  capacity,  was  rewarded  by  the  club  be- 
coming one  of  the  most  prominent  on  the  lakes.  It  has  also  been*  his 
good  fortune  to  rescue,  during  his  sailing  career,  several  persons  from 
drowning.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Trade 
since  1890. 

Politically,  Mr.  Davis  is  a  Republican,  but  prefers  to  spend  his 
leisure  time  in  the  society  of  his  family  at  his  beautiful  home.  No.  1283 
Woodward  avenue,  to  the  fatigue  incidental  to  an  active  participation 
in  political  matters. 

In  1884  he  married  Belle  B.,  daughter  of  Hon.  George  A.  Butter- 
field  of  Alpena,  Mich.,  who  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  lumber- 
man of  that  city. 


REV.   MORGAN  J.   P.   DEMPSEY. 

Father  Morgan  J.  P.  Dempsey,  son  of  Dennis  and  Mary  (Dempsey) 
Dempsey,  was  born  in  Madison,  Wis.,  March  1,  1853.  He  is  descended 
from  a  long  line  of  honored  Irish  ancestry.  Both  his  parents  were 
natives  of  County  Wexford,  Ireland,  where  they  were  married.  They 
emigrated  to  America  in  1849  and  settled  at  Madison,  Wis.,  where  for 
many  years  Dennis  Dempsey  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  that  section  of  the  State.  Fathey  Demp- 
sey acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Madison,  which 
he  attended  until  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  then  entered  St.  Francis  Sem- 
inary, Milwaukee,  where  he  remained  until  1871,  when  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  retire  to  the  country.  In  1872  he  entered  the  Uui- 
versity  of  Wisconsin,  pursuing  his  studies  Until  1875,  when  he  returned 
to  St.  Francis  Seminary,  resuming  his  theological  course,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1878. 

He  was  ordained  priest  by  Bishop  Borgess  in  Detroit,  June  29,  1878, 
and  appointed  assistant  pastor  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  church  at  Ionia, 
Mich.  In  1880  he  was  transferred  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Simon's 
church  at  Ludington,  Mich.,  where  he  labored  for  three  years.  After 
a  short  assignment  as  pastor  in  the  towns  of  St.  Clair  and  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  Father  Dempsey  was  appointed,  in  1884,  by  Bishop  Borgess, 
chancellor  of  the  Diocese  of  Detroit,  a  position  he  filled  with  marked 
ability,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  in  1894,  owing  to  failing  health. 
Following  his  retirement  from  the  chancellorship,   he   was  assigned  to 

684 


REV.   MORGAN   J.   P.   DEMPSEY. 


SS.  Peter  and  Paul  Cathedral,  and  retains  that  pastorate  at  present. 
Father  Dempsey  is  an  elequent  and  graceful  speaker,  beloved  by  his 
parishioners,  and  an  untiring  worker  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 


JOHN  A.    DICK. 

John  A.  Dick,  son  of  John  and  Gertrude  (Marks)  Dick,  was  born  in 
Utica,  New  York,  July  ],  1853.  Mr.  Dick  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oswego,  N.  Y,,  and  later  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  in  1865.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  entered  the 
employ  the  Detroit  Chair  Works,  of  which  his  father  was  the  superin- 
tendent, remaining  in  their  employ  until  1871,  when  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  a  situation  as  collector  with  the  Howe  Sewing  Machine 
Co.  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.  After  serving  three  years  in  this  capacity  here 
moved  to  Detroit  and  secured  a  position  with  the  tea  house  of  W.  A. 
King,  a  connection  which  lasted  until  1878,  when,  with  his  father,  he 
formed  the  firm  of  John  Dick  &  Son,  undertakers,  their  place  of  business 
being  at  658  Michigan  avenue.  In  1890  this  partnership  was  dissolved, 
and  with  George  C.  Lawrence  (now  auditor  of  Wayne  county)  as  his 
associate,  he  continued  his  former  business  at  81  Grand  River  avenue, 
the  style  of  the  firm  being  John  A.  Dick  &  Co.  In  1892  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  appointed  auditor  of  Wayne  county,  and  disposing  of  his  interest  to 
Mr.  Dick,  retired  from  the  firm.  The  business  has  since  been  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Dick,  who  in  1897  removed  to  his  present  quarters  at  20 
Adams  avenue  west,  where  he  has  established  the  leading  house  of  its 
kind  in  the  State.  He  occupies  the  entire  building,  which  he  has 
furnished  in  a  rich  and  elaborate  manner,  and  his  great  success  is  but 
a  well  merited  return  for  years  of  earnest  effort  in  his  profession. 

Mr.  Dick  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Detroit 
Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine;  and  Oriential  Lodge,  No.  240,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Michigan  Club,  the  Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Rushmere 
Club.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Light  Guard  for  the  past  thirteen 
years,  and  for  two  years  served  as  president  of  that  noted  organization, 
succeeding  the  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Palmer  in  that  office,  and  he,  in  turn, 
being  succeeded  by  the  late  Judge  Boynton.  Mr.  Dick  has  been  a 
prominently  active  member  of  the  State  and  National  organizations  of 

685 


funeral  directors,  and  has  filled -the  highest  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
Michigan  Funeral  Directors'  Association.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
actively  interested  in  endeavors  to  obtain  legislation  for  the  protection 
of  the  public  against  men  who  pretend  to  have  a  knowledge  of  embalm- 
ing, but  who  know  nothing  of  the  art. 

Mr.  Dick  was  married,  September  20,  1881,  to  Catharine  Downs  of 
Windsor,  Ont.,  who  died  January  5,  1885.  On  September  12,  1888,  he 
married  his  second  wife,  Emma  L.  Cuddy  of  Detroit. 


DON  M.   DICKINSON. 

Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,  eminent  as  a  lawyer  and  statesman,  was 
born  at  Port  Ontario,  N.  Y.,  January  17,  1846.  His  father.  Col.  Asa 
C.  Dickinson,  a  native  of  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  was  a  man  of 
sterling  character  and  great  intellectual  capacity.  His  mother,  a  woman 
of  refinement,  richly  endowed  with  the  Christian  graces,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Jeseniah  Holmes,  of  Connecticut.  In  1848  Colonel 
Dickinson  and  his  family  settled  in  St.  Clair  county,  Michigan,  where 
they  remained  four  years.  Then  they  removed  to  Detroit,  since  which 
time  Don  M.  Dickinson  has  been  a  resident  of  that  city. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Dickinson  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and 
later  prepared  for  college  under  private  tutors.  He  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  18G7,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  the 
same  year,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
which  has  been  continuous  with  ever  increasing  success.  He  is  an  all 
round  lawyer,  in  bringing  to  bear  in  the  preparation  of  those  cases  in 
which  he  appears  as  counsel  or  attorney,  the  weight  of  a  legal  mind 
richly  endowed  with  thorough  preparation  and  culture  in  law — thought- 
ful, tactful  and  erudite.  Whether  before  court  or  jury,  he  presents  his 
case  with  a  skill,  adroitness  and  eloquence  which  invariably  win  suc- 
cess. He  is  terse,  logical  and  forceful  as  an  orator;  he  has  won  a  place 
among  the  most  distinguished  in  the  nation.  He  has  participated  in 
many  of  the  causes  cc'lcbre  before  the  highest  courts  of  the  State  and  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Washington,  which  have  shed  lustre  upon  the  juris- 
prudence of  the  country. 

Mr.  Dickinson  has  ever  been  a  staunch  Democrat  and  prominent  with 
his  party  from  the  first.      His  capacity,  efficiency  and  tact  were  recog- 

686 


nized  in  1876,  by  his  appointment  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  Democratic 
State  Central  Committee.  In  1884  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  National  Committee,  and  in  1892  was  elected  chairman  of 
the  National  Campaign  Committee,  managing  with  consummate  skill 
the  campaign  that  elected  Mr.  Cleveland  to  a  second  term  of  office. 
Mr.  Dickinson  has  consented  to  accept  only  one  public  office,  and  that 
through  a  sense  of  duty.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  postmaster-general 
of  the  United  States  by  President  Cleveland,  which  position  he  ably 
filled  for  fifteen  months.  During  his  occupancy  of  that  important 
office  he  was  instrumental  in  inaugurating  reforms  in  the  postal  serv- 
ice, which  vastly  increased  the  efficiency  of  that  department  of  govern- 
ment. On  account  of  his  eminent  and  recognized  ability  as  a  constitu- 
tional lawyer  and  his  familiarity  with  international  law,  he  was  selected 
during  President  Cleveland's  second  term  to  represent  the  United 
States  as  counsel  before  the  Arbitration  Commission,  which  was  called 
upon  to  settle  the  troubles  relative  tr  the  Bering  Sea  seal  fisheries, 
which  had  arisen  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 

Personally  Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  man  possessed  of  marked  individuality. 
He  is  courtly,  dignified  and  pleasing  in  manner,  and  for  these  and  other 
admirable  traits  in  his  character  he  has  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
the  most  conspicuous  of  his  contemporaries  in  political  and  social  life. 

June  15,  1869,  he  married  Frances,  daughter  of  Dr.  Alonzo  Piatt,  of 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  their  family  consists  of  two  children :  Frances 
and  Don  M.,  jr. 


GEORGE  DINGWALL. 

A  GOOD  type  of  American  manhood,  combining  the  sturdy  traits  of 
foreign  ancestry  and  the  active  qualities  of  more  modern  western  civ- 
ilization, is  George  Dingwall. 

George  Dingwall,  a  second  son  of  Alexander  and  Jeanette  (Jack)  Ding- 
wall, was  born  in  Fayetteville,  State  of  New  York,  on  July  22,  1843. 
He  is  a  descendant  from  a  Highland  Scotch  family,  and  can  trace  his 
family  ancestry  as  far  back  as  the  year  783,  on  their  arrival  in  Scotland 
— they  having  come  from  Norway,  and  locating  in  Ross  Shire,  County 
of  Ross,  Scotland.  From  this  settlement  sprang  the  city  of  Dingwall, 
now  a  thriving  city  of  several  thousand  people,  the  same  being  named 
in  honor  of  one  of  the  Dingwalls.      Dingwall  was  enacted  a  Royal  Burgh 

687 


by  Alexander  the  Second,  and  its  charter  was  renewed  by  James  the 
Fourth. 

The  parents  of  George  Dingwall,  having  emigrated  to  America,  set- 
tled at  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  about  1839,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born.  Leaving  Fayetteville  with  his  parents,  they  arrived  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  in  February,  1849,  From  and  after  that  date,  young 
Dingwall  was  obliged  to  paddle  his  own  canoe.  On  August  13,  1862, 
young  Dingwall,  with  his  older  brother  John  entered  the  Civil  war, 
enlisting  as  privates  in  the  24th  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company 
"A."  John  was  killed  at  Gettysburg,  July  1,  1863,  and  George  con- 
tinued his  service  with  his  regiment,  in  the  "Iron  Brigade"  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  in  Virginia,  being  promoted  successively  to  cor- 
poral, sergeant  and  lieutenant.  At  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  5, 
1864,  he  was  badly  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  thereafter,  for 
over  seven  months,  languished  in  the  Andersonville,  Georgia,  and 
Florence,  S.  C,  prisons.  He  was  finally  exchanged  at  Annapolis,  Md., 
on  December  20,  1864,  and  returning  to  Detroit,  after  partially  recover- 
ing from  the  effects  of  his  prison  life,  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  and  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  June,  1865,  with  his  reg- 
iment at  Detroit,  Mich. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  became  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Police 
force,  then  was  appointed  a  letter  carrier,  and  after  a  brief  experience 
in  the  grocery  business  for  himself,  was  made  United  States  ganger  at 
Detroit  under  Gen.  L.  S.  Trowbridge,  then  collector  of  internal 
revenue. 

Nearly  fourteen  years  ago  the  attention  of  Collins  B.  Hubbard,  the 
well  known  capitalist,  was  attracted  by  the  industry  and  capacity  of 
Mr.  Dmgwall.  He  became  his  associate,  which  resulted  in  his  present 
partnership  with  Mr.  Hubbard,  and  under  the  style  of  Hubbard  & 
Dingwall,  real  estate  dealers — the  firm  now  being  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent in  the  city — they  have  from  a  small  beginning,  extended  their 
operations  until  to-day  its  members  are  recognized  as  among  Detroit's 
leading  business  men.  They  have  made  a  specialty  of  purchasing  and 
subdividing  large  tracts  of  land  in  and  around  Detroit,  and  the  im- 
provement and  sale  of  such  property.  They,  some  years  since,  pur- 
chased several  thousand  acres  of  land  on  the  line  of  the  Flint  and  Pere 
Marquette  Railroad,  and  subdivided  and  improved  that  property,  thus 
giving  birth  to  the  present  town  of  Hubbard,  Mich. 

Mr.  Dingwall  is  a  director  of  the  City  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  vice- 

688 


REV.  JAMES  G.  DOHERTY. 


president  and  treasurer  of  the  Columbian  Cash  Register  Company,  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  and  Michigan  Clubs,  Michigan  Commandery, 
Loyal  Legion  of  the  U.  S.,  and  Detroit  Post  384,  G.  A.  R.  December 
13,  1897,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  24th  Michigan  Regiment 
Association. 

Mr.  Dingwall  has  always  been  a  Republican  and  has  twice  been 
elected  as  alderman  for  the  city  of  Detroit — first  in  1889-90,  as  the 
representative  of  the  First  ward.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Ways  and  Means  and  Street  Openings;  was  also  a  member  of 
several  other  committees.  In  1897  he  was  again  elected  for  a  term  of 
two  years,  1898-99,  from  the  Second  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Taxes,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Charter  and  City 
Legislation,  and  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Rules. 

He  is  also  identified  with  the  Detroit  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  representing  the 
Episcopal  denomination.  For  many  years  he  has  been  senior  warden 
and  treasurer  of  St.  Joseph's  Memorial  church,  of  which  Rev.  Louis  A. 
Arthur  is  rector. 

In  1865  Mr.  Dingwall  married  Phebe  Renz,  and  they  have  had  three 
children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Edward  A.,  and  Harrie  R.  Their 
first  child,  John  G.,  died  in  1892. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Dingwall  is  striking.  He  stands  over  six  feet 
and  is  straight  as  an  arrow.  His  manners  are  frank,  cordial  and  un- 
affected. His  "no"  is  a  "no"  without  mistake.  His  terrible  experi- 
ence as  a  soldier  does  not  seem  to  have  affected  his  health  and  sturdi- 
ness,  and  he  is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  most  active  and  energetic 
business  men  in  the  city  of  Detroit. 


REV.  JAMES  G.   DOHERTY. 

Father  James  G.  Doherty,  son  of  William  and  Rossanna  (Gallagher) 
Doherty,  was  born  in  Donamana,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  February 
13,  1850.  Educated  in  the  National  School  of  his  native  town  until  he 
graduated,  he  entered  the  Agricultural  School  at  Loughash  where  he 
spent  three  years.  After  graduating  from  the  Agricultural  School,  he 
took  the  civil  service  examination,  and  passed  with  an  unusually  high 
average.  At  this  time  he  was  desirous  to  secure  a  good  government 
position,  and  he  did  get  what  was  considered  a  first  rate  appointment 
in  the  government  service  as  civil  engineer  at  Trinidad;  but  his  parents 

689 
87 


were  opposed  to  his  leaving  Ireland,  and  in  consequence  he  refused  it. 
After  this,  his  thoughts  turned  to  the  priesthood,  and  as  a  preparatory 
course,  took  up  the  study  of  Latin  and  Greek  under  the  noted  scholar, 
Professor  Kane,  of  Cumberclaudy,  where  he  finished  the  Latin  and 
Greek  course.  He  afterward  went  to  All-Hallow's  College,  Dublin, 
where  he  studied  theology  for  five  years,  and  was  "ordained  for  the  Dio- 
cese of  Detroit,  June  26,  1876. 

He  said  the  first  mass  at  home,  and  remained  with  his  family  until 
he  had  to  start  for  the  field  of  his  future  labor,  where  he  found  thousands 
of  as  honest  and  true  children  of  the  Gael  as  ever  trod  on  Irish  soil,  and 
their  children,  and  grandchildren,  sons  and  daughters,  as  true  and  as 
Catholic  as  their  forefathers,  whose  faith  and  morals  earned  for  the 
grand  old  motherland  the  proud  title  of  the  Island  of  Saints.  Father 
Doherty  reached  Detroit,  September  10,  1876,  and  was  at  once  assigned 
in  the  old  Cathedral  parish,  where  he  remained  nine  months.  From 
the  Cathedral  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  church  at  Brigh- 
ton, which  included  all  of  Livingston  and  part  of  Wayne  counties.  He 
remained  in  charge  for  nine  years  and  a  half,  during  which  time  his 
ministry  was  blessed  with  prosperity;  he  built  a  church  at  Howell,  and 
made  many  improvements  in  the  parish.  He  was  transferred  to  St. 
Vincent's,  Detroit,  and  took  charge  of  it  July  4,  1886.  At  that  time 
the  parish  was  sadly  demoralized.  There  was  no  school  to  speak  of, 
the  church  was  hardly  large  enough  for  the  congregation ;  everything 
around  the  place  was  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  The  outlook  was  not 
by  any  means  bright  when  he  took  charge,  but  he  went  to  work  with 
a  will,  and  soon  brought  order  out  of  disorder.  In  the  twelve  years  he 
has  been  pastor  of  St.  Vincent's  he  has  transformed  it  into  the  best 
organized  parish  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  He  has  doubled  the  seating 
capacity  of  the  church,  built  magnificent  schools — in  a  word,  improved 
and  beautified  everything  in  and  around  the  parish.  There  is  no  secret 
of  success  in  his  methods  whatever;  he  is  simply  an  earnest,  tireless 
worker,  who  is  gifted  with  superior  business  ability,  and  sincere  devo- 
tion to  his  priestly  mission.  His  people  are  proud  of  him,  and  he  en- 
joys their  hearty  good  will  and  earnest  co-operation. 


690 


REV.  ROBERT  F.  M.  DOMAN. 


REV.   ROBERT  F.    M.   DOMAX. 

Rev.  Robert  F.  M.  Doman,  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Shaw)  Doman,  was 
born  near  Belleville,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  November  15,  184:0. 
At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Bay  City,  Mich.,  and 
there  in  the  public  schools  he  received  his  early  education.  In  1865  he 
entered  Montreal  College,  at  Montreal,  Canada,  where  he  remained 
until  1872.  Returning  to  Bay  City  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Archi- 
bald McDonald,  where  he  began  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  May,  1875,  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  decided  to  prepare 
for  the  priesthood,  and  entered  St.  Mary's  Seminary  at  Baltimore,  Md., 
where  he  remained  until  graduated  in  1879.  He  was  ordained  by 
Bishop  Borgess  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  June  of  that  year,  and  subse- 
quently appointed  rector  of  St.  Bernard's  church  at  Alpena,  Mich. 

Following  the  division  of  the  Diocese  in  1881,  he  was  recalled  to  De- 
troit by  Bishop  Borgess,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  church  at  St. 
Clair,  Mich.,  which  was  at  that  time  under  interdict.  In  the  fall  of  this 
year  he  was  appointed  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Augustine  parish  at 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  serving  in  that  pastorate  until  his  appointment  to 
Holy  Trinity  parish,  Detroit,  in  1882.  During  his  incumbency  as 
rector  of  Holy  Trinity  he  built  the  present  rectory,  one  of  the  finest 
parochial  residences  in  the  Diocese;  was  elected  one  of  the  jiidices 
causaruni  and  also  acted  as  theologian  to  Bishop  Borgess  in  the  Third 
Plenary  Council  at  Baltimore,  Md.  In  1886  he  was  compelled,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  to  abandon  his  priestly  duties,  and  the  following 
year  he  spent  in  travel. 

Upon  his  return  to  health  he  was  appointed  rector  of  St.  Paul's 
parish  at  Owosso,  Mich.,  over  which  he  presided  until  November,  1897, 
when  he  was  called  upon  to  organize  the  parish  of  All  Saints  at  Delray, 
Mich.  Daring  his  ministry  Father  Doman  has  built  the  church  and 
rectory  at  Alpena,  the  Sisters'  residence  at  Kalamazoo,  and  the  church 
and  rectory  of  his  present  parish  at  Delray.  He  is  an  indefatigable 
worker  and  brmgs  to  bear  a  large  amount  of  executive  ability  in  con- 
nection with  his  duties  in  the  church.  He  is  a  graceful,  forceful  and 
eloquent  speaker,  broad  minded  and  affable,  and  is  beloved  by  his 
parishioners.  He  is  what  may  be  termed  an  Irish-American  by  descent 
and  nationalitv. 


691 


CHARLES  DUCHARME. 

Charles  Ducharme,  a  pioneer  wholesale  hardware  merchant  of  the 
city,  was  born  in  Bertier  En-Haut,  near  Montreal.  Canada,  May  5,  1818. 
Mr.  Ducharme's  ancestors  were  French,  and  were  identified  with  the 
early  history  and  settlement  of  Canada,  having  come  from  France  prior 
to  1G65.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  Mr.  Ducharme  lived  at  home 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Montreal,  and  engaged  as  a 
clerk  in  a  hardware  store.  He  remained  there  about  four  years,  and 
in  1837  he  emigrated  to  Michigan,  locating  first  at  Jonesville,  where  he 
secured  a  situation  as  a  clerk.  The  climate  of  Michigan  was  produc- 
tive of  fever  and  ague,  and  Mr.  Ducharme  had  a  liberal  allowance  of 
that  disease  during  his  stay  in  Jonesville.  He  became  disgusted  with 
the  town  and  removed  to  Detroit.  Here  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  with 
A.  H.  Newbould,  who  was  then  and  for  several  years  thereafter  the 
leading  hardware  merchant  of  the  city.  Mr.  Ducharme  remained  a 
clerk  in  t'he  employ  of  Mr.  Newbould  until  1849,  when  he  engaged  in 
business  with  A.  M.  Bartholomew,  who  was  then  a  prominent  hardware 
merchant.  The  firm  of  Ducharme  &  Bartholomew  continued  in  busi- 
ness until  1855,  when  Christian  H.  Buhl  joined  with  Mr.  Ducharme  in 
buying  out  both  the  interest  of  Mr.  Bartholomew  and  the  establishment 
of  Mr.  Newbould.  The  firm  of  Buhl  &  Ducharme,  then  established  on 
Woodward  avenue,  carried  on  the  hardware  business  at  the  same  place 
seventeen  years,  removing  to  Woodbridge  street  in  1872. 

Mr.  Ducharme  came  here  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  without  any  capital 
except  good  health,  good  sense,  and  a  determination  to  make  his  way 
in  the  world.  He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  hardware  trade  until 
he  thoroughly  mastered  it.  Few,  if  any,  in  the  country  were  better 
posted  than  he  on  all  that  pertained  to  that  important  branch  of  busi- 
ness. He  was  eminently  successful,  and  amassed  a  large  fortune,  a 
portion  of  which  he  devoted  to  the  erection  of  a  handsome  home  for 
himself  and  family,  surrounding  it  with  all  the  comforts  and  luxuries 
that  art  could  devise.  Though  devoting  his  attention  mainly  to  the 
hardware  business,  he  was  always  ready  to  encourage  every  branch  of 
business,  and  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  every  worthy  enterprise.  He 
was  the  first  president  of  the  Michigan  Stove  Company,  a  director  in 
the  First  National  Bank,  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  and  the  Detroit 
Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  was  interested  in  the  tobacco 
house  of  K.  C.  Barker  &  Co.,  and  many  other  enterprises. 

692 


He  was  an  honorable  gentleman,  chivalric  in  his  friendships,  cher- 
ishing no  enemies,  and  generous  almost  to  a  fault.  His  purse  was  open 
to  every  appeal  for  assistance.  His  gifts  were  never  ostentatious,  but 
made  in  the  true  spirit  of  charity.  He  was  especially  kind  to  young 
men  embarking  in  business  for  themselves,  and  helped  many  to  start 
thus  on  their  own  account.  Not  a  tenth  part  of  his  deeds  of  generosity 
and  practical  kindness  can  ever  be  known,  for  they  were  purposely  so 
rendered  as  to  avoid  publicity.  He  possessed  excellent  social  qualities, 
and  had  a  host  of  warm  personal  friends.  Naturally  of  a  genial  and 
affable  temperament,  he  enjoyed  a  happy  home,  and  the  friendship  and 
good  will  of  all  his  acquaintances  and  neighbors.  Mr.  Ducharme's 
death  occurred  in  Detroit  on  January  9,   1873. 

On  August  10,  1853,  he  married  Elsie  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  A.  M. 
Bartholomew  of  Detroit,  Mich.  She  was  born  in  Montgomery,  N.  Y., 
May  1,  1830,  and  died  in  Detroit  January  14,  1892.  Her  ancestors  were 
English,  and  settled  in  Massachusetts  in  1634.  They  were  identified 
with  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  history,  and  served  in  the  Colonial 
and  Revolutionary  wars.  Mr.  Ducharme  left  four  sons:  Charles  A., 
George  A.,  Frederick  D.  and  William  H. 


CHARLES  A.  Du  CHARME 

Charles  A.  Du  Charme,  secretary  of  The  Michigan  Stove  Company, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  22.  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Elsie  (Bartholomew)  Du  Charme.  His  father  was  for  many  years 
a  prominent  and  successful  business  man,  being  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  city.  He  was  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  honored  French  ancestry,  who  early  made  their  impress  on  the 
social,  religious  and  business  character  of  Detroit.  Elsie  Elizabeth 
Bartholomew,  mother  of  the  subject,  was  descended  from  Lieut.  William 
Bartholomew,  an  officer  of  the  Colonial  army,  who  fought  throughout 
the  war  of  Independence.  His  residence  was  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  and  he 
and  his  descendants  were  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  New  England. 

C.  A.  Du  Charme  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twelve.  In  1870  he 
became  a  student  in  Patterson's  private  school,  where  he  remained 
seven  years,  and  in  1877  entered  the  Michigan  Military  Academy  at 
Orchard  Lake.     On   completion   of  his   education  he  spent  one  year  in 

693 


foreign  travel,  visiting  the  principal  cities  in  Europe,  and  returned  to 
Detroit  in  1879.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan 
Stove  Company  in  a  subordinate  position.  After  three  years'  service, 
during  which  time  he  showed  marked  business  ability,  he  was,  in  1882, 
elected  purchasing  agent  of  the  company.  Mr.  Du  Charme  was  re- 
tained in  this  position  until  January  7,  1887,  when  he  was  elected 
secretary  of  the  company,  and  has  been  re-elected  each  succeeding 
year.  As  a  business  man  he  is  regarded  as  able,  energetic  and  broad 
in  his  methods. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Yondotega  Club,  Country  Club, 
and  the  Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Union  Trust  Company,  the  People's  Savings 
Bank,  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company  and  is  secretary 
of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  Politically 
he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Du  Charme  was  married  in  1881  to  Caroline  B.,  daughter  of  El- 
bridge  G.  Philbrick  of  Detroit.  They  have  two  children:  Charles  B. 
and  Harold. 


SAMUEL   P.   DUFFIELD,   M.  D. 

Samuel  P.  Duffield,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  and  Isa- 
bella (Graham)  Duffield,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pa.,  December  24, 
1833.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Lodi  Plains  under  Prof.  Nutting, 
and  in  1851  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, and  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1854,  with  the  degree  of  B.  A. , 
and  remained  another  year  to  perfect  himself  in  chemistry  and 
anatomy.  He  then  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  but  in  1856,  owing  to  failing  eyesight,  he  visited 
Berlin,  Germany,  to  consult  Dr.  Albrecht  Von  Graefe,  who  effected  a 
cure.  While  in  Berlin  he  took  a  three  months'  course  in  chemistry 
under  Mitcherlich,  and  also  attended  the  lectures  of  Profs.  Magnus  and 
Jolly.  Later  he  studied  physics  and  chemistry  in  Maximillian's  Uni- 
versity under  Baron  Von  Liebig,  and  in  accordance  with  Von  Liebig's 
recommendation  he  passed  examination  at  Ludwig  III.  University  at 
Giessen,  Hesse  Darmstadt,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Ph.  D.,  having  studied  under  Liebig  in  Munich,  but  graduat- 
ing from  Liebig's  former  school,  Giessen. 

In  1858  Dr.  Duffield  returned  to  America  and  to  Detroit,  and  entered 

694 


upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  still  continuing  his  chemical  inves- 
tigations and  devoting  especial  attention  to  toxicology  and  medical 
jurisprudence.  While  still  in  Europe  the  University  of  Michigan  had 
conferred  the  degree  of  A.  M.  upon  him.  Early  in  the  sixties  he  es- 
tablished a  drug  store,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until  1868, 
when,  upon  the  opening  of  the  Detroit  Medical  College  in  that  year,  he 
arranged  and  took  charge  of  the  chemical  laboratory  and  delivered  the 
address  of  dedication.  Dr.  Duffield  then  completed  his  own  medical 
studies  in  that  institution  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  therefrom 
in  1872.  From  then  until  1886  he  practiced  his  profession  continuously 
at  Dearborn,  just  outside  of  Detroit. 

He  also  established  the  chemical  laboratory,  which  is  the  present 
property  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co,  of  world-wide  fame.  His  reputation 
as  an  analyst  was  already  established,  and  he  was  frequently  called  to 
testify  in  the  courts  as  an  expert.  The  winter  of  1885-86  he  spent  in 
Russia,  studying  the  analysis  of  poisons  and  their  separation  from 
poisoned  animals,  under  Prof,  George  Dragendorff,  in  the  laboratory  of 
the  Imperial  University  at  Dorpat.  In  May,  1887,  upon  his  return  to 
Detroit,  Dr.  Duffield  was  called  to  the  position  of  health  officer  of  the 
city,  and  acted  as  such  until  1892,  when  he  voluntarily  retired.  He 
was  recalled  to  the  same  position  in  March,  1895,  serving  imtil  Febru- 
ary, 1898,  when  he  resigned. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  State  and  Detroit  Med- 
ical and  Library  Associations ;  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine  (honorary)  ; 
Northwestern  Medical  Association;  American  Chemical  Society;  Amer- 
ican Public  Health  Association,  and  the  Wayne  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. While  in  charge  of  the  chemical  laboratory  of  the  Detroit  Medi- 
cal College,  Dr.  Duffield  also  filled  the  chairs  of  professor  of  chemistry 
and  of  medical  jurisprudence  and  toxicology.  He  has  written  and 
read  before  many  of  the  great  gatherings  of  the  physicians  of  the 
world,  papers  on  subjects  of  vital  importance.  Among  them:  "Ven- 
tilation of  Sewers;"  "  Contamination  of  Drinking  Water;  "  "  The  Rela- 
tion of  Typhoid  Fever  to  Water  Currents  in  Sandy  Soil;  "  "  Fractures 
of  the  Base  of  the  Skull;"  "Quarantine  in  Great  Cities;"  "Antitoxin 
vs.  Diphtheria,"  etc.,  etc.  Personally  Dr.  Duffield  is  one  of  the  inost 
companionable  of  men ;  pleasant  and  courteous  in  manner,  yet  bold, 
manly  and  energetic.  He  enjoys  the  entire  confidence  and  unqualified 
esteem  of  his  professional  brethren  and  the  public. 

He  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1858,  to  Adeline  Lucretia   Dob- 

695 


ney,  who  died  in  1873',  leaving  two  children:  Daniel  W.,  and  John  B. 
Duffield.  In  1882  he  married  as  his  second  wife,  Miss  Margaret  Cor- 
bett,  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada. 


ANTOINE    B.   Du   PONT. 

Antoine  B.  du  Pont,  son  of  Biderman  and  Ellen  (Coleman)  du 
Pont,  was  born  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  April  26,  1865.  Mr.  du  Pont  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Louisville,  in  the  prepara- 
tory department  of  Urbana  University,  at  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  in  1879 
he  became  a  student  at  the  Chauncy  Hall  School  at  Boston,  remaining 
until  1882,  when  he  entered  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at 
Troy,  N.  Y.  His  course  of  study  at  this  establishment  covered  three 
years,  and  on  conclusion  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Mainjellico 
Coal  Co.  at  Kensee,  Ky.,  as  engineer  and  assistant  superintendent,  and 
resigned  in  1886  to  accept  a  similar  position  with  the  Brooklyn  Cable 
Company  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Mr.  du  Pont  returned  to  Louisville  in 
1887  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Central  Passenger  Railway  Co., 
assuming  charge  of  the  mechanical  department,  serving  in  this  capacity 
until  1892,  when  the  Louisville  City  Railway  Co.  consolidated  with  the 
former,  under  the  name  of  the  Louisville  Railway  Co.,  and  Mr.  du  Pont 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  power  house,  shops  and  track.  In  1895  he 
accepted  the  position  of  general  manager  with  the  Citizens'  Railway 
Co.  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  taking  charge  March  1.  On  January  2,  1897,  in 
addition  to  the  above,  he  was  appointed  general  manager  of  the  Detroit 
Electric  and  Fort  Wayne  &  Elmwood  Railways,  in  which  positions  he 
is  still  retained,  Mr.  du  Pont  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Country  Club. 

He  was  married,  in  1892,  to  Ethel  Clark  of  Louisville,  Ky.  They 
are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Aileen  M.  and  Ethel  B.  du  Pont. 


JEREMIAH  DWYER. 

Jeremiah  Dwyek,  president  of  the  Michigan  Stove  Company,  was 
born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  August  22,  1837.  His  father,  Michael  Dwyer, 
was  a  native  of  the  south  of  Ireland,  where  he  was  born  in  1800.  When 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm 
near  Hartford,  Conn. ,  whence  he  removed  two  years  later  to  Brooklyn, 

696 


ANTOINE    B.  DU  PONT. 


N.  Y.,  where  he  held  the  position  of  contractor's  superintendent  for  a 
number  of  years.  Later  he  married  Miss  Mary  O'Donell,  a  young  lady 
from  near  his  old  home.  To  them  were  born  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Jeremiah  Dwyer  being  the  oldest.  His  brother,  James  Dwyer,  is 
now  a  director  in,  and  manager  of  the  Peninsular  Stove  Company  of 
Detroit,  and  his  sister  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  M.  Nichols  of  Utica,  Mich. 
In  the  fall  of  1837  Michael  Dwyer  came  with  his  family  to  Detroit  and 
located  on  a  farm  in  Springwells,  about  four  miles  from  the  city. 

Jeremiah,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  such  an  education  as 
the  public  schools  of  that  time  afforded.  In  1848  his  father  was  acci- 
dentally killed,  being  thrown  from  his  wagon  by  a  spirited  team  of 
horses.  The  following  two  years  were  spent  by  Jeremiah  in  assisting 
his  mother  in  the  management  of  the  farm.  Subsequently  Mrs,  Dwyer 
disposed  of  her  property  in  Springwells  and  removed  to  the  city,  in 
order  to  give  her  children  the  superior  advantages  of  the  Detroit  schools. 
After  attaining  a  thorough  common  school  education  Jeremiah  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Hydraulic  Iron  Works,  of  which  the  late  Capt.  R.  S. 
Dillon  was  the  superintendent.  Here  he  learned  the  trade  of  moulding, 
and  on  the  conclusion  of  his  apprenticeship  his  employers  rewarded 
him  with  a  letter  of  recommendation,  which  is  still  one  of  Mr.  Dwyer's 
valued  possessions.  Becoming  master  of  his  trade,  Mr.  Dwyer  spent 
some  little  time  in  various  eastern  stove  foundries,  where  he  acquired 
a  greater  efficiency  in  all  the  details  of  the  business. 

Returning  to  Detroit,  ill  health,  the  result  of  too  close  application, 
necessitated  a  change,  and  for  about  one  year  he  filled  a  position  with 
the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  Railroad  Company,  on  con- 
clusion of  which  he  accepted  a  situation  with  the  Geary  &  Russell 
foundry  as  foreman.  About  this  time  the  firm  of  Ganson  &  Mizner, 
proprietors  of  a  reaper  works  and  a  small  stove  foundry,  failing,  Mr.  T. 
W.  Mizner  became  owner  of  the  plant  and  business,  and,  in  partnership 
with  Mr.  Dwyer  and  his  brother  James,  organized  the  firm  of  J.  Dwyer 
&  Co.,  in  1861,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  stoves 
exclusively.  The  site  occupied  by  the  stove  foundry  was  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Mt.  Elliott  avenue  and  Wight  street.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Miz- 
ner's  interest  was  purchased  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Tefft,  the  firm  continuing 
the  same  until  1864,  when  Messrs.  Jeremiah  Dwyer,  W.  H.  Tefft,  M. 
I.  Mills  and  James  Dwyer  organized  the  business  into  a  joint  stock 
company,  which  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of  The  Detroit  Stove 
Works,  Mr.  Jeremiah  Dwyer  taking  the  management.      As  the  business 

697 


increased  it  was  found  necessary  to  enlarge  their  manufacturing  facili- 
ties. 

In  1809  and  1870  Mr.  Dwyer,  while  superintending  the  construction 
of  the  new  and  extensive  works  at  Hamtranick,  contracted  a  severe 
pulmonary  illness,  which  necessitated  a  change  of  climate.  Disposing 
of  his  interest  in  the  business  to  his  brother  and  Mr.  E.  S.  Barbour,  he 
made  a  visit  to  the  Southern  States,  remaining  until  1871.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  that  year,  finding  his  health  restored,  he  returned  to  Detroit 
and  resumed  active  business.  In  company  with  Charles  Ducharme  and 
Richard  H.  Long,  property  was  purchased  with  the  intention  of  erect- 
ing a  stove  works.  Owing  to  the  severity  of  the  winter  the  work  was 
delayed  until  the  following  spring.  In  the  interim  the  property  of  M. 
I.  Mills,  adjoining,  was  purchased,  in  exchange  for  which  Mr.  Mills 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  firm.  Shortly  afterwards  Mr.  George  H. 
Barbour  became  interested  and  the  Michigan  Stove  Company  was  or- 
ganized, with  Charles  Ducharme,  president;  M.  I.  Mills,  treasurer; 
George  H.  Barbour,  secretary;  R.  H.  Long,  superintendent;  and  Jere- 
miah Dwyer,  vice-president  and  general  manager.  The  company  was 
incorporated  and  since  then  has  attained  a  place  second  to  none  in  ex- 
tent and  in  quality  of  goods  manufactured — not  alone  in  the  United 
States  but  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Mr.  Dwyer  was  elected  to 
the  presidency  in  1886,  succeeding  the  late  Francis  Palms. 

As  well  as  the  above  large  interest  in  which  he  is  concerned,  he  is  a 
director  in  the  People's  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers,  a  director  in  the  Buck  Stove  and  Range  Company  of 
St.  Louis,  Mo  ,  and  of  other  important  manufacturing  and  mercantile 
estabhshments.  In  earlier  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  old  volunteer 
fire  department,  and  subsequently  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  De- 
partment Society.  Although  a  staunch  Democrat,  Mr.  Dwyer's  com- 
mercial enterprises  have  forbidden  his  taking  part  in  politics,  for  which 
he  has  neither  taste  or  inclination,  and  though  frequently  solicited  to 
hold  important  political  positions,  he  has  never  consented  to  do  so,  with 
the  exception  of  the  office  of  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Estimate  for 
two  terms,  and  the  inspectorship  of  the  House  of  Correction,  which 
position  he  now  holds.  In  religious  faith,  Mr.  Dwyer  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  church.  He  is  thoroughly  American  on  all  religious  and 
political  questions. 

On  November  22,  1859,  he  married  Mary  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Baisley)  Long.     They  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven 

698 


sons  and  one  daughter.  Those  living  are  James  W.  Dvvyer,  of  Perth, 
West  Australia;  John  M.  Dwyer,  secretary  of  the  Peninsular  Stove 
Company  of  Detroit;  Elizabeth  Baisley,  wife  of  James  A.  Smith,  of  the 
firm  of  L.  P.  &  J.  A.  Smith,  vessel  owners  and  contractors  of  Cleve- 
land, O. ;  William  A.  Dwyer,  director  in,  and  purchasing  agent  of  the 
Michigan  Stove  Company  of  Detroit;  Frank  T,  Dwyer,  secretary  of 
The  Ideal  Manufacturing  Company  of  Detroit;  Emmet  J.  Dwyer  and 
Grattan  L.  P.  Dwyer,  who  are  now  students  in  Detroit  College.  Vin- 
cent R.  Dwyer,  attorney  at  law,  and  fifth  son,  died  July  13,  1800. 


JACOB  S.   FARRAND. 

Jacob  Shaw  Farrand,  son  of  Bethuel  and  Marila  M.  (vShaw)  Far- 
rand,  was  born  in  Mentz,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  May  7,  1815.  In 
1825  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Michigan,  locating  near  Ann 
Arbor,  where  his  father  purchased  a  farm.  When  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  carried  the  mail  between  Detroit  and  Ann  Arbor  on  horseback.  Mr. 
Farrand  received  such  an  education  as  the  public  schools  at  that  time 
afforded,  and  on  reaching  his  fifteenth  year  removed  to  Detroit,  where 
he  secured  a  situation  with  the  drug  firm  of  Rice  &  Bingham,  serving 
as  clerk.  On  the  dissolution  of  this  partnership  in  1835,  Mr.  Farrand 
became  the  junior  partner,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Edward  Bingham 
&  Co.  In  1842  this  establishment  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
restored  by  Mr.  Farrand,  who  continued  as  sole  proprietor  until  1855, 
when  he  took  nto  partnership  Mr.  W.  W.  Wheaton,  the  firm  being 
Farrand  &  Wheaton.  In  1858  the  style  was  again  changed  to  Farrand 
&  Sheley,  and  subsequently  to  Farrand,  Williams  &  Co.,  under  which 
name  the  business  was  conducted  until  the  formation  of  the  present 
firm  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark  in  1890. 

Owing  to  the  untiring  energy,  splendid  executive  ability  and  sterling- 
integrity  of  Mr.  Farrand,  he  was  able  to  build  from  the  small  begin- 
ning of  fifty  years  ago,  a  business  which,  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1891, 
ranked  first  in  its  line  in  Michigan.  Politically  he  was  a  Republican 
and  exercised  a  potential  influence  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  the 
State.  He  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners, 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners  and  as  a  trustee  of  the 
Eastern  Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  Mr.  Farrand  was  for  years 
president  of  First  National  Bank,  a  director  in  the  Wayne  County  Sav- 

699 


ings  Bank,  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  a  trustee 
of  Harper  Hospital,  and  was  also  president  of  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company. 

The  character  and  career  of  Mr.  Farrand  presents  a  useful  example 
to  others.  In  1836  he  became  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Detroit,  was  a  regular  attendant  at  all  gatherings  of  that 
body,  and  from  1856  until  his  decease  (on  April  3,  1891),  was  a  ruling- 
elder  therein.  In  1863  he  was  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  held  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  also  at  the  meetings 
at  New  York  in  1869  and  Detroit  in  1873.  In  1877  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Presbyterian  Alliance  held  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  Mr.  Far- 
rand was  prominently  identified  with  many  religious,  charitable  and 
business  institutions  of  Detroit,  and  was  especially  active  as  a  member 
of  the  Young  Men's  vState  Temperance  Society,  and  secretary  of  the 
Detroit  City  Temperance  Society.  His  piety  was  firm  and  unassuming, 
and  gained  for  him  the  esteem,  confidence  and  love  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  His  time,  service  and  means  were  always  ready  to  minister 
to  the  sick,  comfort  the  afflicted,  relieve  the  needy  and  advance  the 
cause  of  religion  and  morals.  Such  men  as  he  are  an  honor  to  any 
community. 

His  body  was  borne  to  the  grave  by  his  contemporaries,  James  F. 
Joy,  H.  P.  Baldwin,  Alexander  Lewis,  C.  F.  Buhl,  A.  C.  McGraw, 
James  E.  Pittman,  Sidney  D.  Miller  and  an  escort  of  eight  patrolmen, 
who  had  been  sworn  into  service  by  Mr,  Farrand  while  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Board,  and  who  had  requested  the 
privilege  of  rendering  this  service  as  a  token  of  their  respect  for  his 
memory. 

Mr.  Farrand  was  married,  August  12,  1841,  to  Olive  M.,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Harvey  Coe  of  Hudson,  Ohio.  His  widow  and  three  children 
survive  him:  William  Raynolds,  Jacob  Shaw,  jr.,  and  Olive  Curtis, 
wife  of  Richard  P.  Williams  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark. 


CHARLES  FLOWERS. 

Charles  Flowers,  corporation  counsel  for  Detroit  city,  was  born  in 
Bucks  county.  Pa.,  December  14,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  (Pickering)  Flowers,  both  deceased.  Charles  Flowers  remained 
on  his  father's  farm   (in   Bucks  county)   until  eighteen   years  of   age, 

700 


CHARLES  FLOWERS. 


helping  with  the  farm  work  in  the  summers  and  attending  the  public 
schools  in  the  winter  months.  In  1864  he  entered  the  offices  of  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway  Company  at  New  York  city  as  stenographer. 
Later  he  attended  the  Fort  Edward  (N.  Y. )  Collegiate  Institute,  and 
after  two  years  of  study  was  emplo5^ed  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment to  report  military  commissions  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  Returning  to 
New  York  city,  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  with  Bangs,  Sedgwick  & 
North,  where  he  remained  for  one  year,  then  removing  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  secured  the  position  of  reporter  in  the  Wayne  Circuit 
and  United  States  Courts,  which  he  held  for  thirteen  years.  He  also 
continued  the  study  of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  Henry  B. 
Brown,  of  the  United  States  District  Court  of  Detroit,  now  a  justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  vStates. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878,  but  continued  his  reportorial 
work  until  1880,  when  he  was  elected  as  circuit  court  commissioner, 
serving  a  term  of  four  years.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  since  been  eminently  successful.  He  has  a  clear, 
analytical,  legal  mind,  readily  brushes  aside  technical  cob-webs  and  in- 
variably reaches  a  correct  conclusion.  He  is  a  master  in  applying  the 
law  to  the  question  at  issue.  As  an  orator  it  is  conceded  that  he  takes 
front  rank  in  the  State,  and  his  forensic  and  other  efforts  are  of  the 
purest,  most  forceful  and  eloquent  English.  He  not  only  charms,  but 
convinces  his  hearers  by  his  masterful  eloquence  and  logic.  Many  of 
his  efforts  have  been  esteemed  by  his  admirers  as  classics  within  them- 
selves. 

Mr,  Flowers  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Commission,  having  been 
appointed  in  1895.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as 
corporation  counsel  by  Mayor  (now  Governor)  Pingree.  Mr.  Flowers 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  is  recognized  as  influential  in  the 
ranks  of  his  party  in  his  State. 

He  was  married  in  1868  to  Mary  E,  De  Normandie,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  have  three  children,  of  whom  Norman,  a  graduate  of  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  is  associated  in  practice 
with  his  father. 


RT,  REV.  JOHN    S.   FOLEY. 

John  S.    Foley,    Right  Reverend  Bishop  of  Detroit  Diocese,  son  of 
Matthew  and  Elizabeth  (Murphy)  Foley,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md., 

701 


November  5,  1833.  In  pursuance  of  early  education  Bishop  Foley 
attended  St.  Mary's  College,  Baltimore,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1851.  Following  this  he  studied  in  the  seminary  at  Baltimore  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sailed  for  Rome.  After  three  years' 
diligent  study  for  the  priesthood  he  was  ordained  by  Cardinal  Patrizzi, 
December  20,  185G.  In  1857  he  returned  to  his  native  city,  fully  pre- 
pared to  meet  the  requirements  of  his  church  as  priest,  and  was  sta- 
tioned as  pastor  of  St.  Martin's  church  and  principal  of  the  House  of 
the  Good  Shepherd  up  to  November  4,  1888.  Thirty-two  years  of 
service  was  meritoriously  recognized  in  1888  when  he  was  made  bishop 
of  Detroit  Diocese.  Since  his  election  to  that  office  in  the  church  he 
has  been  instrumental  in  effecting  many  improvements  in  the  Diocese, 
especially  in  the  city  of  Detroit.  Four  new  parishes  have  been  organ- 
ized, a  site  for  a  new  cathedral  has  been  acquired,  and  adjacent  to  it  he 
has  erected  a  handsome  parochial  school  building,  which  is  among  one 
of  the  finest  buildings  devoted  to  educational  purposes  in  the  city.  He 
is  an  eloquent,  polished  and  convincing  speaker,  and  is  especially  noted 
for  his  kindness  and  consideration  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact, and  is  beloved  by  his  clergy  and  laity.  He  is  a  scholar  of  rare 
ability  and  was  a  contemporary  of  His  Eminence  James  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons, and  a  lifelong  friend,  and  while  assigned  to  duty  in  Baltimore  was 
one  of  his  chief  advisers. 


WILLIAM    D.   FOX. 

William  D.  Fox,  son  of  Martin  and  Matilda  (Van  de  Sande)  Fox, 
was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich,  (during  a  temporary  residence  of  his 
parents  in  that  city),  May  23,  1860.  Mr.  Fox  was  educated  in  St. 
Mary's  Parochial  School  at  Detroit,  Avhich  he  attended  until  the  age  of 
twelve.  At  that  age  he  detrmined  to  strike  out  for  himself  and  secured 
a  situation  with  the  grocery  and  provision  house  of  B.  Youngblood  & 
Brother,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  remaining  four  years,  when  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  a  position  as  traveling  salesman  with  the  wholesale  gro- 
cery firm  of  Beatty,  Fitzsimons  &  Co.  In  1880  he  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  crockery  business,  continuing  until  1882,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  county  treasurer  under  his  former  employer,  Bernard 
Youngblood,  then  county  treasurer  of  Wayne  county.  On  conclusion 
of   Mr.  Youngblood's  teim   of  office   Mr.    Fox   accepted   a  position   as 

702 


WILLIAM    D.  FOX. 


mortgage  clerk  in  the  American  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  serving  in 
that  capacity  until  1888,  when  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business.  Since  entering  this  field  Mr.  Fox  has  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful and  has  established  a  reputation  for  integrity  and  business 
ability  of  a  high  order.  He  is  also  the  agent  for  several  large  estates 
of  deceased  Germans  and  Americans,  and  his  retention  in  this  capacity 
by  the  heirs  is  a  recognition  of  his  honesty  in  connection  with  his  busi- 
ness transactions.  During  his  business  career  he  has  found  the  time  to 
study  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1893,  and  is  retained  as  counsel 
by  numerous  business  and  manufacturing  concerns  of  Detroit. 

Mr.  Fox  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1886,  to  Emma  Renchard 
of  Detroit,  Mich,,  who  died  October  16,  1888,  leaving  one  son,  Dudley 
A.  Fox.  February  9,  1897,  he  married  as  his  second  wife,  Susan 
Howe  of  Chelsea,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  a  daughter,  Helen 
Virginia. 


ELISHA  A.  ERASER. 

Elisha  a.  Eraser,  son  of  Rev.  Niram  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Fletcher) 
Eraser,  was  born  in  Bowmanville,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  13,  1837. 
He  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  was  prepared  for  col- 
lege at  Oberlin,  Ohio;  he  then  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1863,  In  1866  he  had  conferred  upon  him 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  by  that  university.  Following  his  graduation  Mr. 
Eraser  was  made  principal  of  the  public  schools  at  Jonesville,  Mich., 
where  he  remained  one  year,  then  becoming  superintendent  of  the 
Kalamazoo  (Mich.)  public  schools.  He  retained  that  position  for  nine 
years,  in  the  mean  time  making  a  close  study  of  the  law,  and  in  1873 
resigned  the  superintendency  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  removed  to  Battle  Creek,  where  for  two  years  he  prac- 
ticed as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  May,  Buck  &  Eraser,  his  partners  being 
Hon.  Charles  S.  May  and  Hon.  George  Buck,  with  their  main  offices  at 
Kalamazoo  and  the  Battle  Creek  office  in  charge  of  Mr.  Eraser.  During 
the  year  1875-76  Mr.  Eraser  was  city  attorney  of  Battle  Creek. 

In  June,  1876,  he  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  was  joined  by  Hon. 
Charles  S.  May,  and  the  firm  of  May,  Eraser  &  Gates  was  formed. 
Within  a  year  Mr.  May  retired  and  the  firm  of  Eraser  &  Gates  remained 
unchanged  until  January  1,  1897.     Since  the  establishment  of  the  De- 

703 


troit  College  of  Law  Mr.  Fraser  has  been  a  member  of  the  faculty,  lec- 
turing- on  contracts  and  international  law,  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  that  institution.  For  the  past  eighteen  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  elders  of  the  Fort  Street  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit,  and 
in  1889  was  appointed  a  commissioner,  and  was  a  member  of  the  judi- 
cial committee  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
which  met  in  New  York  city.  In  politics  Mr.  Fraser  has  always  been 
a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  married,  in  1863,  to  Maud  J.,  daughter 
of  William  Lynburner  of  Ancaster,  Canada. 


ROBERT  E.   FRAZER. 

Hon.  Robert  Emmet  Frazer,  circuit  judge,  county  of  Wayne,  was 
born  in  Adrian,  Mich.,  October  2,  1840,  the  eldest  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Wells)  Frazer.  Judge  Frazer  is  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  being 
descended  from  Andrew  Frazer,  who  removed  from  Scotland  to  Ireland 
about  1730  and  settled  in  County  Down.  Thomas  Frazer  was  born  in 
County  Down  in  1814;  he  was  a  civil  engineer  by  profession,  and  served 
seven  years  with  the  Royal  Engineers  in  the  survey  of  Ireland.  Janu- 
ary 16,  1835,  he  was  married  by  Rev.  Elias  Thackeray,  cousin  of 
William  M.  Thackeray,  the  novelist,  to  Sarah  Wells,  and  in  1837  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Monroe,  Mich.,  subsequently  moving  to  Adrian, 
then  to  Galesburg  and  finally  to  Detroit,  where  he  still  resides.  He 
was  the  first  general  ticket  agent  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  in  De- 
troit, having  been  appointed  in  1854,  and  placed  on  sale  the  first  coupon 
ticket  numbered  "  i  "  by  that  road.  These  tickets  were  good  for  trans- 
portation from  Chicago  to  Boston,  and  had  his  signature.  He  was  con- 
nected with  this  system  for  many  years,  resigning  in  1866;  his  service 
with  the  Michigan  Central  road  dated  from  1843,  when  he  took  charge 
of  the  engineering  and  construction  of  the  tenth  division  of  that  road. 

Robert  E.  Frazer  was  educated  in  the  boarding  school  of  Rev.  Moses 
H.  Hunter,  where  he  was  placed  shortly  after  the  death  of  his  mother 
in  1840,  and  in  Gregory's  Select  School  at  Detroit,  where  he  remained 
until  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1855.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  literary  department  of  that  institution  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  In  the  fall  of  1859  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
university,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in  March,  1861, 
his  case  presenting  the  unusual  feature  of  one  not  yet  having  attained 

704 


his  majority  holding-  two  degrees  from  a  recognized  university.  Sub- 
sequent to  the  completion  of  his  education  he  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  remained  until  he  removed  to  Jack- 
son, Mich.,  in  August,  1882.  While  in  Ann  Arbor  he  was  associated 
with  Daniel"  S.  Twitchell,  the  firm  being  Twitchell  &  Frazer;  then  with 
Judge  Edwin  Lawrence,  as  Lawrence  &  Frazer;  then  with  Judge 
Harriman  and  A.  W.  Hamilton,  as  the  firm  of  Frazer,  Harriman  & 
Hamilton.  On  his  removal  to  Jackson  he  formed  with  Mr.  A.  E. 
Hewett  the  firm  of  Frazer  &  Hewett,  a  copartnership  which  existed  until 
his  removal  to  Detroit  in  May,  1885.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  De- 
troit he  became  associated  with  Levi  L.  Barbour  and  Dwight  Rexford, 
they  forming  the  firm  of  Frazer,  Barbour  &  Rexford,  for  many  years 
among  the  most  prominent  law  firms  of  the  city. 

January  5,  1893,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Rich  judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Wayne  county,  in  conformity  with  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature passed  the  preceding  winter  giving  a  fifth  judge  to  the  county  of 
Wayne.  In  April,  1893,  he  was  nominated  for  the  same  position,  but 
was  defeated  by  twenty-four  votes;  in  1894  he  was  again  nominated  and 
elected  by  a  plurality  of  10,091,  the  highest  number  of  votes  received 
by  any  candidate  at  that  election.  At  the  time  of  his  appointment  by 
Governor  Rich  Judge  Frazer  found  that  the  business  of  the  court, 
owing  to  lack  of  a  proper  system  of  assigament  among  the  different 
judges,  was  accumulating  beyond  their  power  of  disposition ;  the  sys- 
tem now  in  use  was  originated  by  Judge  Frazer.  It  has  been  so  thor- 
oughly successful  as  to  cause  its  permanent  adoption,  and  it  has  been 
highly  commended  by  members  of  the  bar  throughout  the  country. 

Possibly  the  most  important  case  in  which  Judge  Frazer  has  been  re- 
tained as  counsel  was  in  the  defense  of  Daniel  Holcomb  at  Jackson. 
Mich.,  in  1884;  this  case  was  known  throughout  the  country  as  the 
Crouch  murder  trial,  in  which  he  secured  the  acquittal  of  the  prisoner. 
Up  to  the  time  of  the  nomination  of  General  Garfield  for  the  presi- 
dency Judge  Frazer  was  a  Democrat;  since  that  date  he  has  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party.  In  1864  he  was  appointed  city  attorney  of 
Ann  Arbor  for  a  term  of  one  year,  and  was  twice  reappointed.  In 
18G5  he  was  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  of  Washtenaw  county 
for  a  term  of  two  years;  in  1867  he  became  prosecuting  attorney  of 
that  county,  being  re-elected  for  the  terms  beginning  in  1869  and  1874. 
In  1888  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Conven- 
tion, and  in  a  masterly  and  eloquent  manner  presented  the  qualities  f>f 

705 


his  friend  and  placed  in  nomination  for  the  presidency  Gen.  Russel  A. 
Alger,  of  Michigan.  During  his  entire  career  Judge  Frazer  has  re- 
frained from  becoming  connected  with  any  club  or  other  social  organ- 
ization. 

August  3,  1863,  ne  married  Abbie  M.  Saunders,  daughter  of  Thorn- 
dyke  P.  Saunders,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  they  had  three  children: 
Carrie  W. ,  wife  of  Walter  W.  Ruan,  of  Chicago;  Francis  A.,  and  Will- 
iam Robert. 


EDWARD  A.   GOTT. 

Edwarj)  a.  Gott,  attorney,  was  born  in  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  March 
25,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  James  B.  Gott,  a  prominent  attorney  of  that 
city  and  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  In  1836  James  B.  Gott 
migrated  from  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  with  his  parents,  who,  after  a  short  stay 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  located  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  where  they  purchased 
and  cleared  a  farm.  In  1850  he  married  Caroline  M.  Burger,  and  they 
have  three  children,  two  daughters  and  the  subject. 

Edward  A.  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School  of  his  native 
place,  and  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  in  1876  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.,  and  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  that  institution  in  1877  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and  in  1878  located  in  Detroit  where 
he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  From  1879  to  1880  he  had  as 
a  partner  Frank  D.  Andrus,  but  has  formed  no  other  partnership  since 
that  time.  Since  coming  to  Detroit  he  has  been  eminently  successful 
in  the  practice  of  law  and  has  attained  a  prominent  place  among  the 
members  of  his  profession.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  railroad  law  and 
is  attorney  for  the  Wabash  Railway  Company  at  Detroit,  and  is  also 
counsel  for  the  Union  Station  and  Union  Terminal  Associations  of  that 
city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club, 
and  served  as  president  of  the  latter  organization  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Gott  married,  in  1886,  Miss  Stephanie  K.  Ortmann,  a  native  of 
Vienna,  Austria,  and  they  have  one  son,  Edgar  J. 


706 


EDWARD    A.  GOTT. 


JAMES   GRAHAM. 

James  Graham,  son  of  John  and  Jessie  (Cruickshank)  Graham,  was 
born  in  Girvin,  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  June  23,  1849.  Mr.  Graham  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  entered  a  banking  and  law  office,  where  he  remained  until  1868. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  who  was  a  manufacturer  of 
and  manufacturer's  agent  for  woolens,  cottons,  etc.,  at  Girvin.  In  1869 
he  emigrated  to  America,  settling  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  Canada,  where 
he  accepted  a  situation  with  the  wholesale  hardware  firm  of  Adam  Hope 
&  Co.,  and  in  1871  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  &  Milwaukee  Railroad  Company, 
serving  in  the  capacity  of  clerk.  Later  he  was  offered  and  accepted 
the  position  of  weighmaster  in  the  elevators  of  the  Michigan  Central 
Railroad  at  Detroit,  remaining  in  that  position  until  1878,  when  he  re- 
signed to  accept  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with  the  w^holesale  grocery 
firm  of  John  Stephenson's  Sons.  In  1880  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Coal  Company,  as  bookkeeper  in  their  Detroit 
off.ce,  and  five  years  later  was  appointed  agent  at  Detroit  for  that  com- 
pany. In  1890  he  became  a  partner,  and  the  Detroit  representative  of 
Anderson  &  Cope  (large  coal  operators)  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  severed 
his  connection  with  that  firm  in  1893  to  engage  on  his  own  account  in 
the  same  line  in  Detroit. 

During  his  leisure  hours  Mr.  Graham  again  took  up  his  law  studies 
begun  in  Scotland,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892.  Since  August, 
1897,  he  has  had  as  a  law  partner,  Mr.  John  Galloway,  continuing  at 
the  same  time  to  operate  in  the  coal  business.  He  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Ashlar  Lodge  No.  91,  F.  &  A.  M.  ; 
Monroe  Chapter  R.  A.  M.  ;  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  Detroit 
Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar;  and  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
Mr.  Graham  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  actively  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  party,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Republican  Club. 

In  1872  he  married  May,  daughter  of  Charles  Clark  of  Aberdeen, 
Scotland.  Mrs.  Graham  died  in  1895,  leaving  two  children:  James  G., 
and  Clara  M. 


707 


JOHN    GREUSEL. 

John  Greusel,  alderman  and  brick  manufacturer  of  Detroit,  is  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  having  been  born  in  Glasgow,  Ulster  county, 
January  6,  1839.  John  Greusel,  sr.,  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
men  in  Michigan  for  many  years,  having  been  closely  identified  with 
the  public  history  of  the  State  in  many  and  varied  capacities.  He  rep- 
resented the  First  district  of  Detroit  for  four  terms  in  the  lower  house 
of  the  Legislature  and  three  times  as  senator,  serving  his  constituents 
as  senator  at  the  time  of  his  demise  at  the  age  of  seventy  eight,  on  the 
13th  of  October,  1886.  He  was  a  native  of  Bavaria,  German)^  coming 
when  but  a  lad  of  seventeen  to  New  York,  where  he  married  Susan 
Sarvis  of  Newburgh,  Orange  county.  They  migrated  to  Michigan  in 
1848,  and  he  at  once  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  a  business 
that  has  been  continuously  conducted  by  the  family  to  the  present  day. 
He  had  been  accustomed  to  the  use  of  machinery  in  the  New  York  yards 
and  was  the  first  to  introduce  modern  methods  in  that  industry  in  De- 
troit. In  1853  he  located  on  Michigan  avenue,  where  the  homestead 
and  residence  of  the  son  now  stands.  The  firm  of  John  Greusel  &  Sons 
was  one  of  the  best  known  of  all  the  brick  manufacturers;  the  business 
of  to-day  being  under  the  firm  style  of  Greusel  Brothers,  with  yards  at 
the  corner  of  Griffin  and  Michigan  avenues.  The  entire  16th  ward  of 
the  present  city  stands  on  land  formerly  occupied  by  either  his  works 
or  of  that  other  pioneer  brickmaker,  R.  H.  Hall.  Mr.  Greusel  was  a 
progressive  mechanic  and  operator;  his  judgment  was  sought  by 
makers  of  brick  machinery  far  and  near  and  when  it  met  with  his 
approval  it  was  pronounced  worthy  of  manufacture  and  would  be 
sought  by  brick  men  everywhere.  His  suggestions  have  been  incor- 
porated into  much  of  the  most  approved  machinery  now  in  use  in  mak- 
ing brick.  Mr.  Greusel  was  ever  wide  awake  to  the  community's  best 
interests  and  with  wide  personal  influence  and  popularity  was  enabled 
to  do  much  that  has  largely  benefited  his  constituents.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Estimates  for  many  years  and  a  candidate  for 
mayor,  being  defeated  by  George  A.  Langdon,  though  by  a  small  ma- 
jority, even  when  the  nomination  had  been  forced  upon  him  at  a  late 
hour  in  the  campaign.  He  was  found  in  the  party  councils  and 
attended  at  least  one  national  convention.  Being  well  read  on  all  vital 
questions  and  a  fluent  speaker  with  persuasive  manner,  his  wide  busi- 
ness education   enabled  him   to  adduce  most   forcible    arguments   on 

708 


JOHN  GREUSEL. 


occasion,  as  for  instance  when  his  support  and  advocacy  did  much  to 
place  Thomas  W.  Palmer,  his  old  friend,  in  the  United  States  ^Senate. 

The  firm  of  Greusel  Brothers,  consists  of  John,  Isaac  L.  and  Edwin 
R.  When  twenty-three  years  old,  John  Greusel  went  to  Illinois,  where 
a  relative.  Col.  Nicholas  Greusel,  was  roadmaster  of  the  Burlington 
Railroad,  located  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  entered  the  employ  of  that 
road  first  as  fireman  and  later  as  engineer,  remaining  there  for  some 
years,  and  since  then  has  been  connected  with  his  father  and  brother 
in  the  present  line  of  industry.  Mr.  G  eusel,  after  serving  the  town  of 
Springwells  in  various  official  capacities,  was  elected  alderman  from 
the  Sixteenth  ward  in  1897.  He  is  serving  on  the  committee  of  public 
lighting  and  is  chairman  pt  the  committee  on  hospitals.  For  many 
years  he  has  kept  fully  alive  to  public  needs,  has  often  attended  as 
delegate  his  party's  conventions,  and  being  a  wide  awake,  thoroughly 
honest  and  reliable  citizen,  with  a  pleasing  personality  and  address, 
there  is  reason  to  look  for  such  results  from  his  present  official  life  as 
will  emphasize  the  high  standing  he  now  holds  in  the  community. 

Mr.  Greusel  was  married,  January  7,  1870,  to  Mary  Alida  Mills  of 
Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children:  John  George,  Mary 
Edith,  wife  of  Charles  Gottman,  M.  D.,  and  Charlotte. 


ARMOND  H.   GRIFFITH. 

Armond  H.  Griffith,  director  of  the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art,  was 
born  in  Knightstown,  Ind.,  June  11,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Collins  W. 
and  Katherine  (Conway)  Griffith.  Mr.  Griffith  is  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
being  descended  from  Lieut.  Thomas  Conway,  who  came  to  America 
with  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  and  served  as  an  officer  on  his  staff 
throughout  the  war  of  Independence  ;  he  later  settled  near  Hagers- 
town,  Md.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  Levi  Griffith, 
who  emigrated  to  America  from  England  with  the  colony  of  William 
Penn  and  settled  near  Philadelphia.  His  great-grandmother,  Emeline 
Burgoyne,  was  a  sister  of  the  English  General  Burgoyne,  who  surren- 
dered his  forces  to  the  Americans  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  Collins  W. 
Griffith,  the  father  of  the  subject,  was  a  lawyer  of  prominence,  and  for 
many  years  a  resident  of  Athens,  Ohio. 

Armond  H.  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Cin- 
cinnati and  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  later  was  a  student  at  Wesleyan  College, 

709 


subsequently  entering  Wittenburg  College  at  Springfield,  Ohio.  On 
account  of  the  death  of  his  father  he  was  obliged  to  leave  college 
and  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  Believing  in  his  possession 
of  artistic  talent,  some  friends  sent  him  to  Dusseldorf,  Germany,  to 
study  art.  After  many  wanderings  throughout  Europe,  and  realiz- 
ing that  his  future  as  an  artist  was  not  of  the  brightest,  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Franco- Prussian  war  he  returned  to  America,  and  subse- 
quently entered  the  employ  of  a  stationer  and  bookseller  of  Cincinnati. 
Owing  to  a  most  severe  attack  of  hay  fever  he  was  obliged  to  give  up 
his  position  and  paid  a  visit  to  Kelley's  Island,  Lake  Erie,  in  search  of 
relief.  While  on  a  trip  to  Detroit  he  was  offered  a  small  salary  to  act 
as  secretary  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art, 
but  instead  of  accepting  at  once,  went  "down  east"  where  he  wrote 
pot-boilers  for  newspapers;  returning  he  entered  upon  his  duties. 

He  has  seen  the  museum  grow  from  two  to  eleven  floors  and  has 
been  instrumental  in  raising  money  for  many  of  the  changes.  His  lec- 
tures on  art  have  proven  very  popular.  He  is  now  in  his  fifth  season, 
has  spoken  about  two  hundred  times,  and  is  now  in  demand  in  various 
parts  of  the  country.  The  lecture  course,  as  was  the  case  with  almost 
everything  else  in  his  life,  began  in  an  accidental  way,  one  Sunday, 
when  a  number  of  visitors  asked  for  a  little  special  instruction  about 
some  vases.  They  returned  the  following  Sunday,  and  with  them  a 
few  friends;  gradually  the  interest  grew,  and  Director  Griffith  was 
obliged  to  lecture  in  one  of  the  halls.  The  present  lecture  room  holds 
seven  hundred  visitors  and  is  jammed  to  the  doors  each  Sunday,  while 
fully  two  thousand  persons  wander  through  the  various  departments. 
From  Detroit  the  Sunday  lecture  movement  has  spread  to  various  parts 
of  the  country;  the  good  work  of  Director  Griffith  has  thus  become 
widely  known  and  recognized  as  adding  a  new  stimulus  to  art  work  in 
America.  His  style  of  discourse  is  pleasing.  He  blends  romance  and 
poetry  with  his  facts;  in  this  way  he  gains  and  holds  the  popular  atten- 
tion. As  the  servant  of  the  people,  his  work  requires  business  sense, 
tact  and  diplomacy.  That  he  has  made  himself  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  in  Detroit  shows  how  well  fitted  he  is  for  the  responsibility  he 
now  holds.  Director  Griffith  is  a  bachelor  and  makes  his  home  with 
his  mother. 


710 


ARTHUR    E.  CUE,  M.  D. 


ARTHUR  E.   GUE,   M.  D. 

Arthur  E.  Gue,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Anna  (Roberts)  Gue, 
was  born  in  Neponset,  111.,  April  29,  1861.  At  an  early  age  he  was 
placed  in  the  juvenile  department  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Normal,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  1871,  when  he  entered  Onarga 
Seminary  at  Onarga,  111.  After  six  years  spent  at  this  institution  he 
removed  in  1877  to  Peoria,  and  during  the  two  succeeding  years  was  a 
student  of  the  High  School  in  that  city.  In  1879  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  banking  house  of  C.  E.  &  C.  M.  Anthony,  but  was  compelled 
(through  ill  health)  to  resign  in  1882.  After  one  year  spent  in  regain- 
ing his  health  he  accepted  a  situation  with  the  Lancaster  Mining  Com- 
pany of  Peoria,  111.,  as  bookkeeper  and  paymaster,  serving  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Rock  Island  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway  as  station  agent. 

In  1888  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  entered  the  Homeopathic  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1891,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Im- 
mediately after  graduation  he  was  selected  as  one  of  the  house  physi- 
cians of  Cook  County  Hospital  at  Chicago  and  remained  in  that  capacity 
until  December,  1891,  when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment of  house  surgeon  in  Grace  Hospital,  at  Detroit,  Mich.  In  1893 
Dr.  Gue  resigned  from  the  hospital  staff  and  established  his  present 
practice,  in  which  he  has  met  with  well- merited  success.  In  1895  he 
was  appointed  city  physician  of  Detroit,  a  position  he  has  filled  with 
marked  ability.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  hospital  staff  of  Grace 
Hospital. 

Dr.  Gue  was  married,  October  4,  1893,  to  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam O.  and  Jane  (Penny)  Strong  of  Detroit.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Grace  S. 


OTTO   E.   C.  GUELICH. 

Otto  E.  C.  Guelich,  son  of  Carl  L.  and  Henrietta  Eleanora 
(Ravenclow)  Guelich,  was  born  on  his  father's  estates  near  Holster- 
bro,  Denmark,  October  18,  1834,  and  is  descended  from  one  of  the 
prominent  families  of  Gennany.  Mr.  Guelich  was  educated  by  his 
father,  who  acted  as  his  tutor  until  Otto  had  reached  the  age  of 
fourteen.     At  that  time  he  was  called  upon  to  assist  in  the  management 

711 


of  the  estate,  owing  to  the  political  confinement  of  the  older  Mr. 
Guelich  because  of  his  sympathy  with  the  rebellion  of  1848-1852.  His 
uncle,  Guido  Guelich,  held  the  office  of  president  of  the  Republic  of 
Schleswig-Holstein  during  this  period.  With  the  close  of  the  war  the 
family  were  exiled  and  came  to  America,  settling  at  Utica,  N.  Y. 

For  several  years  after  his  arrival  in  America  Mr.  Guelich  engaged  in 
farming  near  Utica,  and  in  1861  embarked  in  the  retail  meat  business 
at  that  place.  During  the  oil  excitement  in  Pennsylvania  Mr.  Guelich 
removed  to  Titusville  in  that  State,  and  for  one  year  was  active  as  a 
speculator  in  that  line.  In  1866  he  returned  to  Utica  and  resumed  his 
former  business,  to  which  he  added  in  1876  a  line  of  agricultural 
implements.  In  1884  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  agency  for  the 
dressed  beef  firm  of  George  H.  Hammond  &  Co.,  remaining  as  their 
representative  at  Utica  until  1887,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
there  and  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich  ,  where  he  formed  the  North- 
western Stone  and  Marble  Co.,  receiving  the  position  of  general 
manager.  In  1892  he  formed  the  Detroit  &  Bermudez  Asphalt  Co.,  of 
which  he  was  elected  first  president  and  general  manager.  This 
company  was  succeeded  by  the  Western  Bermudez  Co.  of  which  Mr. 
Guelich  was  made  vice-president  and  general  manager.  Mr.  Guelich 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  person  to  lay  Bermudez  ashpalt  in 
competition  with  the  trust.  Owing  to  the  absorption  of  the  Western 
Bermudez  Co.  by  the  Barber  Asphalt  Co.  in  December,  1894,  Mr. 
Guelich  became  associated  with  the  Alcatraz  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the 
present  western  manager. 

He  is  a  member  of  Yah  Num-Dah-Sis  Lodge,  Valley  of  Utica,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons.  Mr.  Guelich  has  been  married  twice,  first  to 
Lydia  A.  Cooley  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1865,  leaving  a  son, 
Charles  E.  Guelich.  In  1867  he  married  as  his  second  wife  Elizabeth 
D.  Cooley,  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children  : 
Lillah  H.  and  Amelia. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  and  dedication  of  the  battle 
monument  at  Oriskany,  N.  Y.,  which  occurred  August  5,  1884,  the 
dedication  oration  was  delivered  in  English  by  the  Hon.  William 
Dorsheimer,  and  in  German  by  Mr.  Guelich.  The  latter  spoke  as  the 
representative  of  the  German  societies  of  Utica  and  vicinity  which  had 
been  active  in  promoting  the  erection  of  the  monument.  The  news- 
papers of  that  time  complimented  Mr.  Guelich  very  highly  on  his 
eloquent  effort,  and  his  oration  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y. 

712 


REV.  CHARLES  F.  W.  HAASS. 


REV.   CHARLES  F.   W.   HAASS. 

Rev.  Charles  F.  W.  Haass,  son  of  Charles  and  Minnie  (Rieggert) 
Haass,  was  born  in  Niedereggenen  (Grand  Duchy  of  Baden),  Germany, 
January  10,  1825.  Rev.  Haass  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  place,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  ten,  and  later  in 
the  Gymnasium  at  Freiburg,  Baden.  In  1844  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Halle,  in  Prussia,  where  he  remained  until  1845,  when  he  en- 
tered the  University  of  Heidelberg,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1848.  He  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  August  of  that  year 
at  Carlsruhe,  and  shortly  afterward  came  to  America,  where  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  pastorate  of  Trinity  church  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  In  1852 
he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  old 
St.  John  church,  at  the  corner  of  Monroe  avenue  and  Farrar  street,  and 
remained  in  the  pulpit  of  that  edifice  until  1855.  In  the  latter  part  of 
that  year  he  was  assigned  to  missionary  work  at  Michigan  City,  Ind., 
at  that  time  a  mere  settlement,  where  he  gathered  a  congregation  and 
built  a  house  of  worship.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Addison,  111.,  and 
engaged  in  work  of  a  similar  character  as  in  Michigan  City.  In  1862 
he  was  recalled  to  his  old  congregation  of  St.  John  church  of  Detroit, 
and  in  1873  from  the  old  formed  a  new,  with  a  house  of  worship  at  the 
corner  of  Seventeenth  and  Rose  streets.  In  1874  he  erected  the  church 
over  which  he  now  presides,  on  Russell  street  between  Antietam  and 
Chestnut,  and  from  this  congregation  have  been  formed  those  of  St, 
Matthew  and  St.  Luke. 

Rev.  Haass  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1851,  to  Ellen  Lux  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1804;  and  in  18GG  he  married  as  his  sec- 
ond wife  Marie  Clippert  of  Detroit.  Rev.  Haass  is  the  father  of  thir- 
teen children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  One  son,  the  Rev.  Otto  Haass, 
resides  in  Detroit. 


JACOB  H.   HAHN. 

Jacob  H.  Hahn  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  December  1,  1847, 
whither  his  maternal  ancestors  came  in  1815,  from  Germany,  through 
the  Napoleonic  devastation.  His  father  was  a  physician,  and  a  gradu- 
ate of  Tubingen  University.  He  is  descended  from  an  ancestry  of 
poets,  divines  and  writers.      His  parents  were  ardent  lovers  of  music, 

713 


and  our  subject  manifested  a  remarkable  musical  talent  in  earliest 
childhood,  appearing  as  a  pianist,  in  public,  when  but  seven  years  of 
age. 

He  removed  to  Chicago  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  there  his 
musical  studies  were  continued  with  the  best  local  teachers,  and  where, 
later,  he  was  brought  into  contact  with  L.  M.  Gottschalk  and  James  M. 
Wehli,  profiting  greatly  by  the  encouragement  and  criticism  of  these 
two  most  prominent  pianists  of  that  period.  Subsequently  he  obtained 
his  first  insight  into  the  realm  of  classical  music  through  Dr.  F.  Zieg- 
feld  of  that  city.  During  his  residence  in  Chicago  his  services  were 
much  in  demand  as  a  pianist,  and  he  also  acted  as  musical  director, 
accompanist  and  soloist  in  various  concert  organizations.  His  progress 
in  the  art  was  rapid  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he  assumed  charge  of 
the  musical  department  of  the  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Coldwater,  Mich., 
remaining  there  three  years.  His  administration  of  the  affairs  of  this 
institution  met  with  notable  success  and  his  reputation  as  a  teacher  be- 
came well  known  throughout  the  State.  In  1869  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion to  take  further  instruction  abroad,  going  to  Leipsic,  Germany, 
where  he  studied  under  Louis  Plaidy  and  E.  F.  Richter. 

In  1872,  at  the  request  of  Prof.  J.  M.  B.  Sill,  he  assumed  charge  of 
the  musical  department  of  the  Detroit  Female  Seminary,  meeting  with 
instant  and  most  flattering  recognition.  Later  on  he  organized  the 
Detroit  Conservatory  of  Music,  and  has  continuously  remained  in  charge 
of  its  affairs  up  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Hahn  since  his  residence  in 
Detroit  has  attained  a  national  reputation  as  a  teacher  and  has  been 
foremost  among  the  leaders  in  the  musical  circles  of  Michigan.  In 
1885,  under  the  authority  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association, 
he  organized  the  Michigan  Music  Teachers*  Association,  of  which  he 
afterwards  became  president,  and  this  organization  has  unquestionably 
elevated  the  standard  of  instruction  very  materially  in  both  vocal  and 
instrumental  music  in  the  Peninsular  Commonwealth. 

The  Detroit  Conservatory  of  Music,  of  which  Mr.  Hahn  is  the  head, 
the  heart  and  the  soul,  maintains  an  undisputed  place  in  the  front  rank 
of  American  institutions  devoted  to  musical  instruction,  a  position  due 
to  the  fact  that  its  director  is  not  only  a  musician  of  high  repute 
throughout  the  nation,  but  an  indefatigable  worker;  a  worker,  too, 
who  is  equipped  with  superior  business  qualifications.  Surrounded  by 
a  faculty  of  thirty-two  instructors  of  broad  experience  and  recognized 
ability,  and  employing  none  but  the   most   advanced   and  progressive 

714 


methods  in  each  department,  through  his  personal  supervision  students 
are  thoroughly  prepared  for  high  class  teaching,  for  concert  playing  on 
all  instruments,  and  for  church,  oratorio,  concert  and  operatic  singing. 
He  has  had  students  from  every  State  in  the  Union,  besides  many 
graduates  from  foreign  conservatories,  and  enjoys  the  reputation  of 
having  aided,  instructed,  and  placed  in  lucrative  positions  more  de- 
serving people  than  any  single  teacher  in  America,  There  is  scarcely 
a  town  in  Michigan  where  his  good  work  has  not  left  its  impression, 
and  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  success  of  nearly  every  prominent 
pianist  and  teacher  in  the  State,  and  particularly  in  Detroit,  can  be 
traced  to  Mr.  Hahn's  judgment,  ability,  and,  in  many  instance,  unself- 
ish generosity. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association 
at  Cleveland  in  1884,  was  elected  vice-president  for  Michigan  at  New 
York  in  1885,  reelected  at  Boston  in  1886,  and  at  Indianapolis  in  1887; 
elected  a  member  of  the  Program  Committee  with  Calixa  Lavallee  and 
W.  W.  Gilchrist  at  Chicago  in  1888,  chairman  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee at  Philadelphia  in  1889,  and  president  of  the  association  at  Detroit 
in  1890.  Besides  contributing  freely  and  liberally  to  every  worthy  en- 
terprise calculated  to  advance  the  cause  of  good  music  in  Detroit  dur- 
ing the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  he  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Michigan  Music  Teachers'  Association  and  of  the  Detroit  Philharmonic 
Club,  a  member  of  the  National  Editorial  Association,  as  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  music  for  the  National  Encampment  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
as  member  of  the  committee  on  music  for  the  World's  Fair,  as  a  director 
of  the  Detroit  Musical  Society  and  as  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Sym- 
phony Association. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Hahn  has  been  broad  minded,  public  spirited  and 
progressive,  as  a  man  he  is  the  essence  of  integrity,  generosity  and 
right  living.  Prof.  E.  A.  MacDowell,  beyond  question  the  prime  min- 
ister of  American  composers,  demonstrated  the  esteem  in  which  Mr, 
Hahn  is  held  by  the  musical  fraternity,  when,  in  a  personal  letter,  he 
wrote : 

"  I  am  delighted  with  what  I  heard  in  your  conservatory.  Coming  entirely  unex- 
pected, I  heard  some  of  your  pupils,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  building,  play- 
surely  a  most  severe  test.  In  conservatories  I  have  often  heard  Bach,  Beethoven 
Weber,  Hummel,  Dussek  and  Herz  acceptably  played;  sometimes  Mendelssohn, 
Chopin  and  Shumann.  When  it  came  to  more  modern  writers,  however,  they  were 
generally  '  terra  incognita.'  Your  pupils  played  for  me  in  fine  style,  and  from  mem- 
ory, works  by  Chopin,  Bach,  Liszt,  Mendelssohn,  Nicode,   Raff,  etc.,  and   it  was  a 

715 


pleasure  to  me  to  offer  you  my  sincere  congratulations.  I  must  say  that  with  all  my 
experience  at  home  and  abroad,  I  know  of  no  conservatory  that  would  not  be  proud 
of  such  a  fine  showing." 

vSuch  a  tribute  as  the  above,  self-evident  as  to  its  spontaneity  and 
sincerity,  coupled  with  similar  estimates  from  such  masters  as  Theodore 
Thomas,  Arthur  Foote,  Constantin  Sternberg,  and  Emil  Liebling,  are 
most  potent  proofs  as  to  the  genuine  character  of  Mr.  Hahn's  lifework 
as  a  musician,  while  his  record  as  a  man  of  affairs  who  appreciates  and 
aids  the  general  welfare,  may  be  ascertained  by  any  prominent  citizen 
in  the  community  where  he  has  so  long  resided. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Detroit 
Athletic  Club  and  of  Corinthian  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 


HENRY  A.    HAIGH. 

Henry  A.  Haigh,  son  of  Richard  and  Lucy  B.  (AUyn)  Haigh,  was 
born  at  Dearborn,  Mich.,  March  13,  1854.  Richard  Haigh  was  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  and  itnmigrated  to  America  in  1820,  settling  in 
New  York  State,  where  he  engaged  in  the  wool  business.  In  1853  he 
decided  to  remove  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  while  on  the  way  from  New 
York  stopped  at  Detroit  to  visit  a  brother.  The  result  of  this  visit 
was  that  he  did  not  locate  in  Chicago,  but  subsequently  purchased  a 
large  farm  at  Dearborn,  now  on  the  western  outskirts  of  Detroit,  where 
he  still  resides.  On  this  farm  Henry  A.  was  born  and  reared.  He  at- 
tended the  district  school  at  Dearborn  and  later  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y, 
In  1871  he  entered  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  and  was  grad- 
uated therefrom  in  1874,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  Following  his  grad- 
uation he  taught  school  for  one  session,  then  received  an  appointment 
as  clerk  in  the  State  Health  Department  at  Lansing,  which  position  he 
occupied  for  one  year. 

He  had  determined  upon  a  professional  career  and  in  consequence, 
in  1876,  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1878  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  Dur- 
ing the  ensuing  year  Mr.  Haigh  sought  a  location  in  the  Western  States 
and  took  an  extended  tour  through  that  section.  He  returned  to  Mich- 
igan in  1879  and  associated  himself  with  present  Judge  W.  L.  Carpen- 
ter (who  had  been  a  classmate  in  the  University  of  Michigan)  at  Detroit. 
He  carried  on  a  general  law  practice  and    was  successful,  in  time  win- 

716 


HENRY    A.  HAIGH. 


ning  for  himself  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar,  which  he  has  since 
maintained. 

He  early  became  active  in  politics,  being  a  staunch  and  uncompro- 
mising Republican.  His  first  important  step  was  the  organization  in 
1884  of  the  Michigan  Republican  Club,  of  which  he  became  and  was 
for  six  years  the  secretary,  and  is  still  a  member  and  director.  From 
1889  to  1891  Mr.  Haigh  was  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Atkinson, 
Carpenter,  Brooke  &  Haigh,  and  from  the  latter  year  until  January  1, 
1897,  member  of  the  firm  of  Atkinson  &  Haigh,  Mr.  Brooke  having 
retired  and  Mr.  Carpenter  having  ascended  the  bench  of  the  Circuit 
Court  in  1801.  Since  January  1,  1897,  Mr.  Haigh  has  practiced  alone, 
and  has  also  become  quite  largely  interested  in  several  important  and 
successful  business  enterprises.  He  is  still  active  in  politics,  and  has 
gained  some  prominence  as  a  campaign  orator.  He  has  also  a  reputa- 
tion as  an  after  dinner  speaker. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club,  and  the  Michigan  State  Re- 
publican League,  of  which  organization  he  was  the  first  secretary.  In 
1887  he  was  prominently  identified  with  the  organization  of  the  National 
Republican  League,  of  which  he  was  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee for  four  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the 
Alger  Club,  the  Lincoln  League  and  the  Grande  Pointe  Club,  and  is 
president  of  the  McKinley  Club.  In  1892  he  was  a  presidential  elector 
for  Michigan,  and  was  chosen  by  his  colleagues  of  the  Electoral  Col- 
lege as  the  messenger  to  carry  the  vote  of  Michigan  to  Washington. 
Mr.  Haigh  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Governor  Rich  from  1892  to  1894, 
with  the  rank  of  captain  and  aide  de-camp.  He  was  alternate  delegate- 
at-large  from  Michigan  to  the  National  Republican  Convention  of  1896, 
at  St.  Louis. 

la  1884  he  published  a  book  entitled  "  Haigh's  Manual  of  Law," 
being  a  compilation  of  the  laws  applicable  to  farm  life  and  rural  dis- 
tricts, which  met  with  large  sale,  and  is  now  in  general  use  by  justices 
of  the  peace  in  many  sections  of  the  country.  He  is  also  the  author  of 
"  Labor  Laws  of  America,"  published  in  1888.  He  has  been  an  occa- 
sional contributor  to  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  has  an  attractive 
and  forceful  literary  style. 

Mr,  Haigh  was  married  in  1895  to  Caroline,  daughter  of  Andrew  W. 
Comstock,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Andrew  C. ,  and  Rich- 
ard Allyn  Haigh. 

717 


JOSEPH  G.  HAMBLEN. 

Joseph  G.  Hamblen,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Sarah  (Towle)  Hamblen, 
was  born  in  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  August  5,  1844.  He  was  graduated 
from  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  in  1866,  and  during  the  ensuing 
two  years  acted  as  general  manager  for  his  father,  of  Hamblen,  Baker 
&  Co.'s  packing  establishment  at  Fishing  Island,  Md.  In  1868  a  branch 
of  their  business  was  established  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  Mr.  Hamblen 
immediately  assumed  charge  and  carried  on  the  business  until  1880, 
when  he  branched  out  for  himself,  establishing  his  present  stand  as 
wholesale  dealer  in  fruits,  canned  goods  and  oysters.  He  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Kappa  Psi  fraternity  of  Dickinson  College,  and  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Detroit  Boat  Club. 

Mr.  Hamblen  has  been  married  twice,  first,  in  1865,  to  Sarah  Reif- 
snider  of  Newville,  Pa.,  who  died  in  1870,  and  second,  in  1871,  to 
Helena  Richards,  daughter  of  Professor  Richards  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  They  have  four  children:  Joseph  G.,  jr.,  Cornelius  2d, 
Ralph  and  Louis. 


WILLIAM  I.   HAMLEN,   M.   D. 

Dr.  William  I.  Hamlen,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (White)  Hamlen, 
was  born  May  14,  1858,  near  Dungannon,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada; 
he  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  native  country  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Goderich,  Ont.,  where  he  entered 
the  Collegiate  Institute,  remaining  until  1876.  He  was  successful  in 
passing  the  teacher's  examination  for  the  province,  and  was  steadily 
engaged  in  teaching  imtil  1879,  when  he  returned  to  the  Collegiate 
Institute  and  took  up  a  preparatory  course  for  Toronto  University.  In 
1880  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  Michigan  College  of 
Medicine,  receiving  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1883.  Upon 
graduation  Dr.  Hamlen  was  appointed  house  physician  at  the  hospital 
connected  with  the  college,  filling  that  position  until  October  of  that 
year,  when  he  resigned  to  enter  private  practice.  His  first  office  was  at 
28  Miami,  avenue,  Detroit.  In  April,  1885,  he  entered  Bellevue 
Hospital,  New  York  city,  where  he  received  a  partial  post-graduate 
course.      Returning  to  Detroit  he  resumed  his  former  practice. 

718 


Dr.  Hamlen  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  faculty  of  the 
Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery;  he  was  secretary  of  this 
institution  from  1891  to  1896,  and  now  occupies  the  position  of  professor 
of  chemistry  and  physics.  He  is  a  member  of  several  beneficial 
societies  and  insurance  companies.  He  is  a  member  of  several  recog- 
nized medical  societies. 

He  was  married,  October  30,  1886,  to  Emily  Pitcher,  granddaughter 
of  the  late  Dr.  Zina  Pitcher,  of  Detroit.  They  have  one  child, 
Kathleen  E.  Hamlen.     Their  present  home  is  at  20-1  Lafayette  avenue. 


WALTER  S.   HARSHA. 

Walter  S.  Harsha,  son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Cook)  Harsha, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  15,  1849.  He  received  all  his  early 
education  in  the  Detroit  public  schools  and  was  graduated  A.  B.  from 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1871,  and  in 
1875  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  While  a  student  at 
the  University  of  Michigan  he  also  read  law  in  the  office  of  C.  L  Walker 
at  Detroit,  and  following  his  graduation  was  made  depiity  clerk  of  the 
Recorder's  Court  at  Detroit,  retaining  that  position  for  about  two  years. 
Upon  the  establishment  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Detroit,  on  June  3, 
1873,  the  county  clerk  being  ex  officio  clerk  of  said  court,  Mr.  Harsha 
was  appointed  deputy  clerk  and  vested  with  the  full  power  of  organiza- 
tion of  the  court.  While  clerk  of  this  court  he  was  admitted  to  the 
practice  of  law  January  5,  1878.  On  January  1,  1879,  he  was  appointed 
as  deputy  in  charge  of  the  Wayne  county  clerk's  office,  which  position 
he  held  until  June  6,  1882,  when  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  posi- 
tion as  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern 
district  of  Michigan. 

Early  in  1891  Mr.  Harsha  elaborated  a  scheme  of  practice,  and  rules 
for  the  new  United  States  Circuit  Courts  of  Appeals  just  established, 
which  were  submitted  to  and  approved  by  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  and,  upon  their  recommendation,  duly  adopted  by  all  of  said 
Courts  of  Appeals  throughout  the  country,  and  a  uniform  system  of 
practice  thus  established,  which  up  to  this  time  remains  substantially 
unchanged.  In  recognition  of  these  valuable  services,  while  still  clerk 
of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Detroit,  he  was  appointed,  June 
16,  1891,  clerk  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  for  the 

719 


Sixth  Circuit  with  clerk's  office  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  continued  to 
hold  both  offices  until  he  resigned  from  the  Court  of  Appeals,  October 
2,  1894,  retaining  the  Detroit  office. 

During  his  service  in  the  Recorder's  Court  Mr.  Harsha  reorganized 
the  office  and  was  instrumental  in  the  adoption  of  the  system  now  in 
vogue  in  that  court.  He  also  reorganized  the  Wayne  Circuit  Court  and 
inaugurated  the  present  system  with  several  judges. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  gave  a  large  portion  of  his  time  to  the 
drafting  and  revision  of  the  legal  forms  used  in  Michigan,  the  perma- 
nent value  of  which  is  inestimable;  and  to  the  annotating  of  some  vol- 
umes of  Michigan  Supreme  Court  Reports,  which  work  was  subse- 
quently completed  by  others, 

Mr.  Harsha  is  a  member  of  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  College  fraternity; 
order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Detroit  Club ;  Country  Club ;  De- 
troit Boat  Club,  etc.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution. 

January  18,  1881,  Mr.  Harsha  married  Isabella  Mott  of  Detroit. 


CLARENCE  M.  HAYES. 

Clarence  M.  Hayes,  son  of  Enos  A.  and  Emma  (Griffith)  Hayes, 
was  born  in  Chardon,  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  March  31,  1862.  Mr. 
Hayes  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  which  he 
attended  until  the  age  of  seventeen.  In  1879  he  entered  the  employ  of 
H.  W.  Tibbals,  a  prominent  photographer  of  Painsville,  O.,  with  whom 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years,  on  conclusion  of  which  he 
removed  to  Detroit,  Mich  ,  where  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself. 
After  a  residence  of  six  years  in  Detroit,  he  removed  to  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
where  he  remained  one  year;  then  returned  to  Detroit  and  organized 
and  incorporated  the  firm  of  C.  M.  Hayes  &  Company,  photographers, 
of  which  he  is  president  and  manager.  Since  the  establishment  of  this 
firm  in  1891,  they  have  built  up  a  large  business  and  have  attained  to  a 
prominent  place  among  the  leading  photographers  of  the  United 
States. 

In  1895  Mr.  Hayes  was  elected  secretary  of  the  National  Photograph- 
ers' Association;  in  1896  to  the  office  of  treasurer,  and  in  1897  was 
elected  president  of  that  organization.  He  was  also  elected  to  the 
presidency   of  the   Michigan   State  Association  in  the  latter  year.     In 

720 


CLARENCE  M.  HAYES. 


GEORGE   HENDRIE. 


1896  the  exhibit  of  C.  M.  Hayes  &  Co.  at  the  German  National  Con- 
vention of  Photographers,  held  at  Trier,  Germany,  was  awarded  the 
first  medal,  with  a  diploma  for  a  foreign  exhibit.  In  1897  at  the  Ohio 
State  Convention  of  Photographers,  in  which  one  special  class  was  open 
to  the  photographers  of  the  United  States,  and  in  which  thirty-seven 
of  the  leading  firms  competed,  the  exhibit  of  C.  M.  Hayes  &  Co.  re- 
ceived the  first  prize,  a  gold  medal.  They  were  also  awarded  a  medal 
of  honor  by  the  National  Convention  of  the  Photographers  of  the  United 
States  in  1896.  On  March  15,  1898,  the  trustees  of  the  Detroit  Museum 
of  Art  passed  a  resolution  asking  Mr.  Hayes  to  furnish  that  institution 
with  a  set  of  photographs  of  some  four  hundred  well  known  and  prom- 
inent men  in  business,  professional,  military  and  social  life  of  Detroit; 
this  collection  to  be  placed  on  exhibition  for  all  time  at  the  Detroit 
Museum  of  Art. 

Mr.  Hayes  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  every 
grade  of  the  order  in  the  city.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Sicily  Lodge, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club. 

On  October  13,  1885,  he  married  Emma  L.,  daughter  of  H.  W.  Tib- 
bals  of  Painesville,  Ohio.     They  have  one  child,  Alberta  Ellen. 

A  large  number  of  the  portraits  of  prominent  men  in  this  work 
were  made  from  photographs  taken  by  Mr,  Hayes,  and  are  examples 
of  his  skill  as  a  cameratic  artist. 


GEORGE  HENDRIE. 

George  Hendrie,  the  son  of  John  Hendrie  and  Elizabeth  Strathearn, 
was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  February  9,  1834.  His  parents  came 
from  Ayrshire,  he  being  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  three  sons 
and  six  daughters.  His  education  was  received  in  the  Glasgow  High 
School.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Glasgow  & 
Southwestern  Railway,  and  one  year  later  that  of  the  Edinburgh  & 
Glasgow  Railway.  Subsequently  he  was  employed  by  Messrs.  George 
and  James  Burns  of  the  Glasgow  and  Liverpool  Steamship  line. 

In  1858  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Hamilton,  Canada,  where 
his  brother  William  had  preceded  him.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  cartage  firm  of  Hendrie  &  Shedden,  this 
firm  handling  all  freight  for  the  then  Great  Western  Railway  of  Can- 
ada at  Hamilton,   London  and  Toronto.     In  this  undertaking,  as  with 

721 


most  of  those  throughout  his  business  career,  Mr.  Hendrie  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother,  Mr.  William  Hendrie,  of  Hamilton,  Ont.,  with 
whom  he  also  retains  interests  in  Canada  in  the  cartage  business  of  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway,  and  the  conduct  of  the  Royal  Mail  service. 

On  April  1  of  the  following  year  Mr.  Hendrie  removed  to  Detroit, 
where,  after  many  difficulties,  he  established  a  cartage  business  on  the 
same  lines  as  that  in  which  his  brother  was  interested  in  Canada.  This 
venture  (the  pioneer  of  its  kind)  under  his  able  direction  was  soon  in 
successful  operation,  and  has  since  become  universally  adopted  in  all 
of  the  large  cities  of  the  United  States.  -This  was  the  parent  institu- 
tion of  the  many  enterprises  with  which  he  has  since  become  connected. 

On  May  1,  1866,  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  a  seven  years'  lease 
of  the  lines  of  the  old  Detroit  Street  Railway  Company,  at  that  time 
extending  on  Jefferson  avenue  from  the  foot  of  Third  street  to  Elm- 
wood  avenue;  on  Gratiot  from  Woodward  to  Dequinder  street;  on 
Michigan  avenue  from  Woodward  avenue  to  Woodbridge  Grove  (now 
Trumbull  avenue) ;  and  on  Woodward  avenue  from  Jefferson  to  Brady 
street.  The  many  extensions  on  these  lines  which  were  made  possible 
by  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city,  were  all  promoted  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Hendrie,  and  in  1876  he  and  his  associates  purchased  the  system, 
acquring  in  1890,  in  addition,  the  Grand  River  Street  Railway  Com- 
pany system,  retaining  control  until  1891,  when  the  business  of  the 
company  was  purchased  by  the  present  owners,  the  Citizens'  Street 
Railway  Company.  He  has  also  been  the  chief  organizer  and  prin- 
cipal owner  of  the  Hamtramck  &  Grosse  Pointe  Railway  (organized 
May  29,  1888);  the  Wyandotte  &  Detroit  River  Railway  (organized  in 
the  spring  of  1892),  and  of  the  Detroit  &  Pontiac  Railway  Company 
(organized  in  1895). 

In  1878  he,  with  Senator  James  McMillan,  W.  B.  Moran,  Hon.  J. 
S.  Newberry  and  Francis  Palms,  organized  what  is  now  the  Duluth, 
South  Shore  &  Atlantic  Railway  Company,  originally  running  from 
vSt.  Ignace  to  Marquette,  Mich  ,  and  incorporated  as  the  Detroit,  Mack- 
inaw &  Marquette  Railway  Company,  and  became  interested  in  the 
numerous  collateral  enterprises  growing  out  of  this  work,  Vulcan  Fur- 
nace Company,  Peninsular  Land  Company,  etc.,  all  tending  to  develop 
the  resources  of  the  Upper  Peninsula. 

Some  years  ago  with  the  late  William  B.  Moran,  Mr.  Hendrie  ac- 
quired the  title  to  a  large  tract  of  marsh  (known  the  Grand  Marais), 
lying  along  the  river  between  the  city  water  works  and  Grosse  Pointe. 

722 


After  securing  a  permit  from  the  government  this  was  dyked  and  some 
2,500  acres  reclaimed.  This  is  now  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  is  possibly  the  most  productive  land  in  the  State.  On  this  tract 
the  grounds  of  the  Detroit  Driving  Club  and  the  Wanakin  Golf  Links 
now  lie. 

After  some  opposition  from  those  who  preferred  a  site  on  the  main 
land,  Mr.  Hendrie,  with  several  others,  was  instrumental  in  having  the 
money  appropriated  for  the  purchase  of  Belle  Isle  as  a  public  park. 
The  beautifying  and  enriching  of  the  property  by  the  planting  of  shade 
trees  has  been  one  of  his  hobbies.  At  present  Mr.  Hendrie  is  inter- 
ested in  opening  a  boulevard  on  the  main  land,  to  begin  at  the  water 
works  and  follow  the  river  and  lake  by  the  water's  edge  for  several 
miles,  something  on  the  plan  of  the  avenues  in  Chicago  and  the  River- 
side Drive  in  New  York. 

Mr.  Hendrie  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  growth  and  de- 
velopments of  the  business  resources  of  Detroit  and  prominent  in  its 
social  and  religious  circles. 

The  many  enterprises  in  which  he  is  interested  as  a  stockholder  or  in 
an  official  capacity,  have  under  his  able  and  sagacious  direction  been 
almost  universally  successful,  a  fitting  tribute  to  his  sound  business 
judgment.  He  is  a  kind  and  affable  gentleman,  who  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  in  him  the  business 
interests  of  Detroit  have  a  staunch  and  powerful  supporter. 

He  is  president  of  the  Detroit  &  Pontiac  Railway  Company;  the  De- 
troit Omnibus  Line  Company;  the  Michigan  Avenue  Land  Company; 
the  Eureka  Iron  and  Steel  Works,  and  Hendrie  &  Company,  Limited. 
He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  Land  Company,  and  is  a  director  of 
the  Detroit  Savings  Bank,  the  Commercial  National  Bank,  the  Detroit 
and  Cleveland  Steam  Navigation  Company,  and  the  Wyandotte  Savings 
Bank  of  Wyandotte,  Mich.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Fel- 
lowcraft  Club,  Yondotega  Club,  the  Detroit  Driving  Club  and  the 
Country  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Commandery,  No. 
1,  Knights  Templar,  and  was  for  some  time  president  of  the  St.  An- 
drew's Society.     He  has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  Christ  church. 

On  October  31,  1865,  he  married  Sarah  Sibley,  daughter  of  the  late 
Hon.  Charles  C.  Trowbridge  (for  many  years  a  prominent  citizen  and 
in  1834  the  mayor  of  Detroit).  To  them  have  been  born  seven  chil- 
dren: Strathearn,  Katherine  Sibley,  Jessie  Strathearn,  George  Trow- 
bridge, Sarah  Whipple,  Margaret  and  William. 

723 


ALBERT  M.   HENRY. 

Albert  M.  Henky,  son  of  William  G.  and  Huldana  (Sqiiier)  Henry, 
was  born  in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  September  20,  1845.  Mr.  Henry, 
received  a  thorough  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Grand  Rapids  and  later  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867.  Subsequently 
he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Walker  &  Kent  at  Detroit 
and  later  with  Hon.  George  Gray  at  Grand  Rapids.  In  the  fall  of  1868 
he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  re- 
mained until  the  following  spring,  when  he  removed  to  Omaha,  Neb. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Omaha  in  the  summer  of  1869,  and 
practiced  before  the  courts  of  Nebraska  for  six  years,  winning  for  him- 
self and  maintaining  the  reputation  of  being  a  good  lawyer,  conscien- 
tious, painstaking  and  unflinchingly  honest  in  all  his  dealings.  In  1875 
he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  was  soon  afterward 
elected  a  member  of  the  first  City  Council. 

Since  becoming  a  resident  of  Detroit  Mr.  Henry  has  been  sought  after 
to  fill  various  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust,  but  has  preferred  to 
decline  the  same.  He  was  appointed,  in  1890  assignee,  and  subse- 
quently receiver,  by  the  United  States  Court,  of  the  estate  of  R.  G. 
Peters,  and  was  also  administrator  of  the  estates  of  Hon.  James  Burns 
and  his  wife,  Aurilla  A.  Burns.  Mr.  Henry  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Pardons  during  the  administration  of  Gen.  Russell  A.  Alger 
as  governor  of  Michigan. 

He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  been  honored  with  the  thirty-second 
degree;  is  a  member  of  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Michigan  Sover- 
eign Consistory,  and  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine; 
of  the  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity  of  the  University  of  Michigan;  the  Society 
of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution;  the  Michigan  Republican 
Club;  the  Detroit  Club;  the  Detroit  Riding  Club,  and  the  Country  Club 
of  Detroit.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Michigan  and  Detroit 
Clubs.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  vice  president  of 
the  Dime  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served 
as  its  attorney.      Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

724 


NEHEMIAH  C.  HINSDALE. 


Mr.  Henry  was  married  on  January  23,  1875,  to  Frances  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  James  Burns  of  Detroit,  Mich.  Mrs.  Henry  died  February 
1,  1879,  leaving  two  children:  Burns,  now  a  student  at  Yale  College, 
and  Edith  F.,  a  graduate  of  Miss  Porter's  School  at  Farmington,  Conn. 


NEHEMIAH  C.   HINSDALE. 

Nehemiah  C.  Hinsdale,  son  of  John  and  Deborah  (Bogardus)  Hins- 
dale, was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  February  28,  1834.  He  was  left 
an  orphan  at  the  age  of  seven,  and  was  compelled  at  the  age  of  eight 
to  seek  a  means  of  livlihood.  For  four  years  he  did  small  chores  on  a 
farm,  and  in  1846  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  stone  cutting. 
After  four  years'  apprenticeship  he  worked  as  a  journeymen  for  two 
years,  when  he  was  employed  in  an  official  capacity,  and  among  the 
many  structures  that  he  helped  to  build  were  the  Suspension  Bridge  at 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  for  the  use  of  the  Great  Western  (now  the  Grand 
Trunk)  Railroad,  and  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  and  Western  Rail- 
road Bridge  spanning  the  Schuylkill  River  at  Schuylkill  Falls,  Pa. 
His  first  contract  was  with  the  State  of  New  York,  at  Syracuse,  for  the 
sum  of  $30,000  (late  in  the  fifties).  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  army  as  a 
private  of  the  129th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  and  later  served  with  the  185th 
Regiment  from  the  same  State.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
in  May,  1865,  and  at  once  returned  to  Syracuse,  where  he  again  plied 
his  trade  for  three  years.  Mr.  Hinsdale's  war  record  shows  him  to 
have  been  a  brave  and  fearless  soldier,  and  the  many  wounds  he 
bears  are  proof  of  the  faithfulness  with  which  he  obeyed  orders. 

In  1867  he  removed  from  Syracuse  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  established 
himself  in  business  as  a  general  contractor  and  builder,  remaining  there 
until  the  great  fire  of  1872  caused  him  to  leave  that  city;  he  returned, 
however,  in  1875  and  helped  rebuild  Chicago,  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant structures  being  the  present  City  Hall.  From  1880  to  1884  he 
was  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  he  built  the  Cotton  and  Produce  Ex- 
changes and  several  other  large  buildings.  In  1884  he  returned  to 
Chicago,  remaining  until  1892,  and  while  there  he  erected  the  Audi- 
torium building  and  many  other  imposing  edifices,  which  stand  as  mon- 
uments of  his  skill.  During  the  erection  of  the  Auditorium  Mr.  Hins- 
dale was  precipitated  to  the  ground  from  the  elevation  of  forty-two 

725 


feet,  breaking  his  neck,  causing  internal  injuries  from  which  he  has 
never  fully  recovered.  From  1892  to  1894  he  resided  at  Indianapolis, 
Ind.,  and  in  the  latter  year  removed  to  Detroit,  which  he  has  made  his 
permanent  home.  Since  coming  here  Mr.  Hinsdale  has  made  a 
speciality  of  the  building  of  mausoleums,  two  notable  examples  of  this 
class  of  architecture  constructed  by  him  being  those  of  Col.  F.  J. 
Hecker  in  Woodward  Cemetery  and  the  Buhl  family  in  Elmwood  Ceme- 
tery. He  has  at  present  under  construction  one  for  Governor  Bush- 
nell,  of  Ohio,  to  cost  $50,000.  Mr.  Hinsdale's  reputation  as  a  builder 
needs  no  mention  here,  for  it  is  well  known  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  he  is  conceded  to  rank  among  the  leading-  men  in  his  pro- 
fession. Personally  he  is  genial  and  kindly,  a  thorough  American  and 
esteemed  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


HENRY  C.    HODGES. 

Henry  Clay  Hodges,  president  of  the  Detroit  Lubricator  Companj^ 
general  agent  of  the  Connecticnt  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hodges  Brothers, 
and  also  prominently  identified  with  other  important  interests  of  the 
city  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  South  Hero,  Grand  Isle  county,  Vt  ,  March 
2,  1828.  His  father  was  Nathaniel  Hodges,  a  native  of  New  York  State, 
who  was  born  in  Washington  county  in  1787,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812.  His  grandfather  on  his  father's  side,  Ezekiel  Hodges, 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  served  under  Gen.  Stephen  Van 
Rensselear,  who  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Killiaen  Van  Rensselaer, 
the  first  patroon  of  the  manor  of  Rensselaerwyck  in  the  colony  of  New 
Netherlands,  now  the  major  portion  of  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y. 
Ezekiel  Hodges  migrated  from  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  Mass.,  to  Wash- 
ington county,  N.  Y.,  a  few  years  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Clarissa  Phelps,  mother  of  Henry  Clay  Hodges,  was  born  in  South 
Hero,  Vt.,  in  1793,  and  was  a  descendant  of  the  early  Phelpses  of  Con- 
necticut, a  branch  of  which  family  migrated  from  the  vicinity  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  to  northern  Vermont  in  1783,  settling  on  Grand  Isle. 

Nathaniel  Hodges  and  Clarissa  Phelps  were  married  in  1813  at  South 
Hero,  Vt.,  and  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  Henry  Clay  being 
the  second  son  and  eighth  child.      He  attended  the  public  schools  of 

726 


Vermont  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  In  those  days  it  was  the  custom 
in  New  England  to  give  each  boy  a  specialty  as  a  pursuit  in  life.  Thus 
Alexander  P.  Hodges,  the  eldest  son,  became  a  lawyer;  Henry  C. 
Hodges,  the  subject  of  the  sketch,  was  put  to  learning  the  trade  of 
carriage  making;  C.  C.  Hodges,  the  brother  next  younger,  was  placed 
in  a  store  with  a  view  to  becoming  a  merchant;  the  brother  next 
younger.  Homer  P.  Hodges,  became  an  artist,  and  died  of  yellow 
fever  in  Havana,  Cuba,  in  1862;  and  W.  R.  Hodges,  the  youngest  son, 
went  into  the  granite  and  marble  business.  The  latter  also  served  in 
the  Union  army  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  as  captain  of  a  Wisconsin 
regiment,  marching  with  Sherman  to  the  sea;  and  he  is  now  com- 
mander of  Missouri  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  Missouri. 

Mr.  Hodges  left  his  father's  home  November  27,  1850,  for  the  West, 
arriving  in  Detroit  December  1,  following.  From  that  city  he  went 
to  Marshall,  Mich.,  as  clerk  and  cashier  of  the  railroad  eating  house 
there,  at  that  time  the  most  celebrated  between  New  York  and  Chicago. 
In  the  summer  of  1852  he  went  to  Huntington,  Ind.,  where  he  read 
law  with  Judge  James  R.  Slack,  in  the  winter  months  teaching  school 
in  connection  with  his  studies.  In  the  fall  of  1853  he  returned  to 
Michigan,  locating  at  Niles,  where  he  became  connected  with  the  firm 
of  J.  F.  Cross  &  Co.,  who  controlled  extensive  marble  quarries  in  Ver- 
mont. Mr.  Hodges  became  a  member  in  the  firm  and  went  to  Fon  du 
Lac,  Wis.,  where  he  remained  until  1862. 

In  April,  1863,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  C.  C. 
Hodges,  and  another,  under  the  name  of  Barker,  Hodges  &  Bro.,  as 
general  agents  for  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  for  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  In 
1868  the  Hodges  Brothers  sold  their  interest  in  the  States  of  Iowa  and 
Minnesota  to  the  company,  but  still  retained  control  of  the  States  of 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  and  in  1869  added  to  their  territory  the  prov- 
ince of  Ontario,  Canada.  They  have  also  dealt  largely  in  real  estate, 
but  handling  their  own  property  only. 

To  Henry  Clay  Hodges  are  largely  due  the  many  improvements  in 
building  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  he  having  originated  the  idea  of  build- 
ing restrictions,  compelling  those  who  purchased  lots  of  him  to  build 
of  brick,  at  suitable  distances  apart  and  equally  distant  from  the  street. 
The  Hodges  Brothers  purchased  the  present  Hodges  building,  for 
many  years  known  as  "The  Brunswick,"  one  of  the  most  famous 
hotels  in  Detroit,  while  it  was  still  in  course  of  construction  in  1871. 

727 


In  1889  and  1890  they  reconstructed  it,  adding  two  stories  and  convert- 
ing it  into  a  substantial  and  handsome  modern  office  building.  In  1879 
they  purchased  the  plant  of  John  R.  Grout,  manufacturer  of  lubricating 
devices  for  stationary  and  locomotive  engines  and  other  machinery, 
and  incorporated  the  Detroit  Lubricator  Company,  of  which  Henry  C. 
Hodges  is  president;  C.  C.  Hodges  is  secretary  and  treasurer;  and 
Clarence  B.  Hodges,  son  of  Henry  C,  manager.  They  have  enlarged 
and  improved  the  plant  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  to  day  the  largest  of 
its  kind  in  the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world.  Theirs  was  the  first 
concern  in  the  world  to  successfully  place  a  sight- feed  lubricator  upon 
a  locomotive,  and  their  appliances  are  now  in  use  on  nearly  every  rail- 
road in  the  world.  They  also  manufacture  globe,  angle  and  other 
valves  and  many  other  steam  appliances. 

In  1873  Mr.  Hodges  became  vice-president  and  one  of  the  man- 
aging directors  of  the  Wyandotte  Rolling  Mills,  serving  in  that  dual 
capacity  for  several  years.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Arizona  Copper  Mining  Company,  of  which  E.  B.  Ward  was  president 
and  which  is  still  extensively  worked.  In  1882  the  Hodges  Brothers 
organized  the  Detroit  Steam  Radiator  Company  and  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  the  Detroit  radiator  (for  purposes  of  steam  heating). 
This  type  of  radiator  was  then  unknown,  but  since  that  time  it  has  be- 
come the  standard  type  of  radiator  wherever  steam  heating  is  known. 
This  company  sold  its  business  to  a  concern  subsequently  organized, 
called  the  Detroit  Radiator  Company,  which  was  afterward  merged 
into  the  American  Radiator  Company,  composed  of  the  Detroit  Radi- 
ator Company,  the  Michigan  Radiator  Company,  and  the  Pierce  Radi- 
ator Company  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Of  this  company  Henry  C.  Hodges's 
son,  Charles  H.,  is  treasurer,  and  another  son,  Frederick  W.,  is 
mechanical  engineer.  This  concern  is  now  the  largest  manufacturer 
of  steam  radiators  and  hot  water  boilers  in  the  world,  and  one  of  the 
largest  employers  of  labor  in  the  United  States.  It  has  two  extensive 
plants  in  Detroit,  employing  many  hundreds  of  men,  and  a  large  plant 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  which  employs  half  a  thousand  or  more  men. 

Mr.  Hodges  always  had  great  faith  in  the  future  of  Detroit,  even  at 
a  time  when  many  of  his  friends  in  business  were  strongly  inclined 
toward  conservatism  in  building  and  other  improvements.  In  18G8 
the  Hodges  Brothers  bought  a  sixty  foot  front  lot  on  Woodward  avenue, 
just  north  of  the  Grand  River  avenue,  paying  $200  a  foot  therefor  and 
erecting  a  five-story  building,  which  they  sold  in  1879.      Their  friends 

728 


thought  they  were  taking  great  chances  in  purchasing  so  far  from 
the  business  portion  of  the  city,  but  the  rapid  development  of  De- 
troit since  that  time  shows  their  great  foresight.  In  1872  Hodges 
Brothers  bought  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  northern  suburbs  of  the 
city  and  laid  out  Lincoln  avenue.  Trumbull  avenue  then  was  but 
sixty  feet  wide,  but  through  Mr.  Hodges's  efforts  it  was  made  eighty. 
There  he  paved  streets,  built  many  fine  brick  residences,  set  out  shade 
trees,  laid  water  pipes  and  instituted  many  other  improvements,  largely 
at  his  own  expense,  before  the  city  could  be  induced  to  do  so.  The 
project  of  a  boulevard  in  Detroit  was  the  joint  conception  of  Mr. 
Hodges  and  the  late  D.  M.  Richardson,  and  though  a  different  location 
was  then  contemplated,  the  interest  excited  by  the  idea  finally  culmi- 
nated in  the  present  magnificent  driveway  around  the  city. 

He  was  one  of  the  principal  actors  in  securing  the  removal  of  the  site 
of  the  post-ofiEice  building  to  its  present  location  when  it  was  decided 
by  the  government  to  erect  a  new  structure. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  a  Republican  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  party.  He  voted  for  John  C.  Fremont  for  president  in 
1856;  and  so  fully  was  he  imbued  with  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  that  when  it  was  found  that  James  Buchanan  had  been  elected  in 
the  fall  of  1856,  he  wrote  on  a  column  in  front  of  his  office  that  that 
election  probably  meant  the  dissolution  of  the  Union.  In  September, 
1855,  he  attended  a  Republican  convention  which  met  at  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.  Among  the  prominent  speakers  present  was  Henry  Wilson, 
who  subsequently  became  vice-president  of  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Wilson's  address  occupied  two  hours  or  over.  The  day  was  hot  and 
dusty.  At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Wilson's  speech  the  chairman  of  the 
convention  arose  and  announced  that  there  was  present  an  ex-congress- 
man from  Illinois,  a  man  of  the  people,  who  had  floated  flat  boats  down 
the  Mississippi  River  and  split  rails,  and  that  he  took  pleasure  in  intro- 
ducing Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois.  At  that  time  Lincoln  was  so 
little  known  outside  of  the  State  of  Illinois  that  Mr.  Hodges  turned  to 
a  friend  and  said:  "  Let  us  leave  the  ground ;  we  have  no  time  to  hear 
a  rail  splitter  talk."  Thus  he  lost  the  opportunity  of  seeing  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  hearing  him  speak. 

Mr.  Hodges  participated  in  the  convention  which  nominated  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  May,  1860.  He  was  then  an  ardent  Seward  man,  and  when 
the  ballots  were  counted  and  it  was  found  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  nom- 
inated, he  felt,  in  common  with  many  others,  that  a  great  mistake  had 

739 


been  made.  He  has  long  since  realized,  however,  that  these  men 
builded  wiser  than  they  knew,  and  believes  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
the  only  man  who  could  have  conducted  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
through  to  a  successful  issue. 

]\Ir.  Hodges  was  married  on  October  10,  1854,  to  Julia,  daughter  of 
Judge  Bidwell  of  Hastings,  Mich.,  and  they  have  five  children: 
Clarence  B.,  Clara  D.,  Charles  H.,  Frederick  W.  and  Cora  V.  Mr. 
Hodges  is  a  staunch  adherent  of  the  Unitarian  faith.  He  is  a  broad- 
minded,  liberal  man,  and  affable  and  companionable  at  all  times.  He 
is  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  nobility  of  character,  and  there  is  that  in 
his  entire  personality  which  instantly  commands  respect  and  admi- 
ration.. His  record  is  one  that  will  cause  his  name  to  live  forever  as 
one  of  the  grand  old  men  of  Detroit. 


WILLIAM    L.   HOLMES. 

William  L.  Holmes,  president  of  the  Detroit  Telephone  Company, 
w^as  born  in  Huron  county,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  July  13,  1859, 
and  is  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Martha  (Lane)  Holmes.  When  six  years 
of  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Birmingham,  Mich.,  and  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  place  received  his  education.  In  1875  he  entered 
the  employ  of  J.  M.  Arnold,  bookseller  and  stationer  of  Detroit,  where 
he  served  in  the  capacity  of  clerk.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  accepted 
a  similar  position  with  C.  R.  Mabley,  but  after  a  short  time  returned 
to  his  former  employer,  taking  the  position  of  bookkeeper.  In  1878  he 
accepted  a  situation  with  Allan  Shelden  &  Co.,  acting  as  bookkeeper 
for  that  firm  until  1881,  when  he  accepted  a  similar  position  with  the 
saddlery  hardware  house  of  Peter  Hayden  &  Co.  In  1883  he  was 
urgently  solicited  by  the  publishing  house  of  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  of 
New  York  city,  to  take  the  management  of  their  business  in  the  State 
of  Michigan.  Resigning  his  position  with  Allan  Shelden  &  Co.  he  ac- 
cepted the  offer  of  Appleton  &  Co.,  and  continued  in  charge  of  their 
business  in  Michigan  until  1890,  when,  having  accumulated  sufficient 
funds,  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business.  His  efforts  in  this  line 
have  met  with  substantial  success.  He  has  established  a  large  and 
profitable  business,  is  an  expert  on  realty  values  and  is  prominently 
identified  with  the  real  estate  interests  of  the  city. 

In  1896  he  with  others  organized  the  Detroit  Telephone  Company,  and 

730 


IRA    G.    HUMPHREY. 


of  which  company  he  was  made  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  in  1897  elect- 
ed president.  In  1897  he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  New 
State  Telephone  Company  and  became  its  first  president,  and  is  still  re- 
tained in  that  capacity.  The  organization  of  the  former  corporation  and 
its  subsequent  opposition  to  the  Michigan  (Bell)  Telephone  Company,  re- 
sulted in  the  enjoyment  of  greatly  improved  service  by  the  people  of  De- 
troit and  vicinity,  and  needs  no  mention  here.  The  establishment  and 
direction  of  the  business  of  these  two  most  popular  corporations  has  been 
borne  to  a  great  extent  by  Mr.  Holmes,  who  has  proved  by  his  able 
manag-ement,  his  possession  of  rare  executive  ability,  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  business  enterprise  of  a  high  order.  He  is  president  of  the 
Detroit  Switchboard  and  Telephone  Construction  Co.,  a  trustee  of 
Albion  College,  a  member  of  the  Lincoln  Avenue  M.  E.  church,  and 
served  for  three  years  as  president  of  the  M.  E.  vSunday  School  Alli- 
ance of  Detroit.      Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 

He  was  married  on  April  27,  1881,  to  Emma  L.,  daughter  of  Aaron 
Wheeler  of  St,  Louis,  Mich.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children : 
Harold  Wheeler,  Florence  Julia,  Helen  and  Ruth. 


IRA  G.   HUMPHREY. 

CoL.  Ira  Grosvenor  Humphrey,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Triphena 
(Gibson)  Humphrey,  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Mich.,  February  22, 
1860.  Colonel  Humphrey  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Monroe  and  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  in  Rockford,  III,  where  he  re- 
sided with  his  brother- in-law.  Gen.  Russell  Hastings.  Following  his 
return  to  Michigan,  in  1874,  he  took  a  special  course  imder  private 
tutors,  and  later  taught  school  for  three  sessions  in  Monroe  county. 
While  teaching  his  leisure  time  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  law,  and 
he  afterward  spent  two  years  in  the  law  office  of  Col.  Ira  R.  Grosvenor, 
for  whom  he  was  named.  In  1880  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Mon- 
roe, Mich.,  and  in  the  same  year  was  elected  as  circuit  court  commis- 
sioner, holding  that  office  for  two  terms,  as  he  was  re-elected  in  1 882 
He  was  also  last  to  hold  office  as  injunction  master  of  Monroe  county, 
that  office  being  abolished  in  1884. 

Mr.  Humphrey  practiced  his  profession  at  Monroe  until  1894,  and  in 
April  of  that  year  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  ever  since  been 
associated  with  ex-Circuit  Judge  William  Look,  under  the  style  of  Look 

731 


&  Humphrey,  in  general  practice.  Prior  to  locating  permanently  in 
Detroit  Mr.  Humphrey  had  been  frequently  called  to  that  city  in  the 
prosecution  of  his  cases  and  had  built  up  a  substantial  practice,  and 
while  yet  a  member  of  the  Monroe  bar  he  was  for  a  number  of  years 
associated  with  Judge  Gouverneur  Morris.  From  1890  to  1892  he 
served  as  aid-de-camp  with  the  rank  of  colonel  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Winans  of  Michigan.  Mr.  Humphrey  is  a  prominent  Mason,  being 
honored  with  the  thirty- second  degree,  is  past  master  of  Monroe  Lodge 
No.  27,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  a  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  State 
and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  b)'  the  entire 
community  of  Detroit. 

In  1887  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Judge  Gouverneur  Alorris  of 
Monroe,  Mich. 


WELLINGTON  Q.   HUNT. 

Wellington  Q.  Hunt,  son  of  George  Wellington  and  Louise  Quelos 
Hunt,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August  31,  1860.  He  is  of  English 
ancestry,  being  descended  from  Col.  Sir  William  Hunt,  who  was  chief 
of  artillery  in  the  Royal  ariny  at  the  battle  of  Marston  Moor,  and  who 
afterwards  made  his  escape  from  the  Cromwell  forces  and  emigrated  to 
America,  settling  in  Weymouth,  Mass.  His  descendant,  Capt.  Thomas 
Hunt,  was  an  officer  under  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  and  removed  with 
his  family  to  Detroit  in  1796,  being  afterwards  elevated  to  the  rank  of 
colonel  and  was  for  a  time  commandant  of  the  post  at  Detroit.  His 
son,  William  B.  Hunt,  held  various  positions  of  an  official  nature  in  the 
city  and  was  prominent  in  the  early  development  of  its  resources. 
George  Wellington,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was,  during  his  early 
life,  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  later  studied  law  and  in  1879 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  subsequently  engaging  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness.    His  death  occurred  in  1881. 

Wellington  Q.  Hunt  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city,  and  upon  thej  death  of  his  father  in  1881,  with  practically  no 
business  training,  he  took  upon  himself  the  management  of  his  father's 
affairs,  and  for  the  six  succeeding  years  carried  on  the  business  with 
marked  success.  In  1886  he,  with  John  W.  Leggett,  formed  the  real 
estate  firm  of  Hunt  &  Leggett.      vSince  their  establishment  in  this  line 

732 


WELLINGTON    Q.  HUNT. 


they  have  met  with  continued  success,  handhng  with  abihty  some  of 
most  important  transfers  in  realty  in  this  section  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Hunt  is  possessed  with  indomitable  energy,  great  aggressiveness,  and 
is  withal  conservative,  and  his  keen  business  foresight  and  calm  judg- 
ment has  done  much  to  place  his  firm  in  the  front  rank  among  its 
neighbors.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  and  the  Detroit  Boat 
Club,  and  is  popular  alike  in  business  and  social  circles. 

On  November  21,  1888,  he  married  Mabel  T.,  daughter  of  Maj.  John 
S,  Loud,  3d  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.  To  them  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren:  Harriet  M.,  Wellington  L.  and  John  L. 


JERE  C.   HUTCHINS. 

Jere  C.  Hutchins,  vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the  Detroit 
Citizens'  Street  Railway,  was  born  in  Carroll  Parish,  La.,  October  13, 
1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Anthony  W.  and  Mary  B.  (Chamberlain)  Hutchins. 
Mr.  Hutchins  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Lexington,  Mo., 
where  he  removed  with  his  parents  while  yet  an  infant.  On  comple- 
tion of  his  education  he  studied  civil  engineering  with  the  corps  of 
Milton  MorriSjC.  E.,  of  Missouri,  gaining  his  first  practical  experience 
in  that  profession  during  the  construction  of  the  Missouri  division  of 
the  Gulf  and  Lexington  Railw^ay.  He  was  afterward  connected  suc- 
cessively with  the  Kansas  Pacific;  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas;  and 
Texas  Pacific  Railway  Companies,  as  construction  engineer.  In  1876 
he  removed  to  Waco,  Texas,  where  he  accepted  a  reportorial  position 
on  the  Waco  Examiner  and  subsequently  became  editor  of  that  paper. 
During  his  residence  in  Waco  he  acted  as  political  correspondent  in 
Texas  for  the  New  York  city  and  New  Orleans  papers.  In  1881  Mr. 
Hutchins  returned  to  the  world  of  railroading,  serving  successively 
during  the  ensuing  thirteen  years  with  the  New  Orleans  and  Pacific; 
Missouri,  Kansas  and  Texas;  Louisville,  New  Orleans  and  Texas;  and 
Illinois  Central  Railway  Companies. 

In  1894  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office  of  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  the  Detroit  Citizens'  Street  Railway,  in  which  company  he 
is  a  heavy  stochkolder.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Detroit,  Fort 
Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Railway,  and  vice-president  of  the  Detroit 
Electric  Railway.  He  is  prominent  as  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of 
Michigan     Sovereign     Consistory  ;      Detroit      Commandery,     Knights 

733 


Templar;  and  Waco  (Texas)  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit,  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Country  Club, 
and  is  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Mr.  Hutchins  was  married  in   April,    1881,   to  Anna  M.    Brooks  of 
Waco   Texas,  and  they  have  one  child,  Martha. 


PERCY  IVES. 

Percy  Ives,  artist,  son  of  Lewis  T.  and  Margaret  (Leggett)  Ives,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  5,  1864.  Mr.  Ives  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  sixteen, 
when  he  became  a  student  in  the  Art  Academy  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
After  a  four  year  course  of  study  in  this  institution  he  returned  to  De- 
troit, crowned  with  honors,  and  accompanied  by  his  father,  made  an 
extended  tour  of  Europe ;  later  remaining  six  months  in  Rome,  where 
they  profited  by  study  in  the  famous  schools  of  that  city.  Subse- 
quently Mr.  Ives  went  to  Paris  and  entered  Academy  Julien,  where 
he  was  a  student  of  the  famous  artists,  Bouguereau,  Lefebvre  and 
Boulanger.  Earnest  application  to  study  soon  brought  the  reward  of 
merit,  and  several  of  his  works  were  placed  on  exhibition  in  the  Salon,  a 
noted  museum  of  art.  With  the  exception  of  a  short  visit  to  Detroit  in 
1888  and  another  in  1890  (when  he  marrid  Elise  Caron,  of  Windsor, 
Ontario,  on  June  16),  Mr.  Ives  remained  in  Paris,  and  in  1892  passed 
the  examination  of  Beaux  Arts.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  Detroit, 
which  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  where  he  has  successfully  fol- 
lowed his  profession  of  art,  and  attained  a  prominent  place  among  the 
portrait  painters  of  America.  In  1896  Mr.  Ives  was  appointed  dean  of 
the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ives  have  one  son,  Lewis  T. 


COL.  OSCAR  A.  JANES. 

Col.  Oscar  A.  Janes,  United  States  pension  agent,  Detroit  Agency, 
was  born  in  Johnstown,  Rock  county.  Wis.,  July  6,  1843,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  E.  and  Esther  (Bagley)  Janes.  Col.  Janes  is  of  English  an- 
cestry, being  descended  from  William  Janes,  who  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land to  America  in  1637.      He  was  a  member  of  the  colony  of   Rev. 

734 


PERCY    IVES. 


John  Davenport.  The  voyage  was  made  in  the  ship  "  Hector,"  and 
after  a  short  stay  in  Boston,  they  jourueyed  south  and  founded  the 
present  city  of  New  Haven,  Conn.  William  Janes  was  for  many  years 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  colony  and  a  leading-  teacher.  Later  he 
removed  to,'  and  founded  Holyoke,  Mass.  Elijah  Janes,  the  great - 
great  grandfather  of  the  subject,  was  one  of  the  minute  men  of  the 
Colonial  war  and  served  throughout  the  war  for  Independence,  being 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  of  dragoons.  ■  John  E.  Janes,  the 
father  of  the  subject,  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Wisconsin  in  1838  (at  that  time  an  unsettled  section),  and 
for  many  years  was  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and  devel- 
opment of  that  section  of  the  State. 

Colonel  Janes  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Johnstown,  and  later  attended  the  Milton  (Wis.)  Academy.  In  1863 
he  entered  Hillsdale  College  at  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  where  he  remained 
but  a  short  time  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Michigan  Infantry  as 
a  private.  He  served  until  wounded,  at  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  Va., 
which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  his  left  arm,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  in  1864.  Subsequently  he  resumed  his  studies  at  Hillsdale 
College  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1868.  On  completion  of  his 
education  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Gen,  C.  J.  Dickerson  at  Hills- 
dale, where  he  began  the  study  of  his  future  profession.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1871,  and  associating  himself  with  L.  N.  Keating, 
formed  the  law  firm  of  Keating  &  Janes,  a  partnership  which  endured 
until  the  removal  of  Mr.  Keating  to  Muskegon,  Mich.,  in  1875. 

During  his  residence  in  Hillsdale,  Colonel  Janes  served  the  city  and 
county  in  an  official  capacity  for  several  years,  filling  the  following  of- 
fices: city  clerk  from  1871  to  1876,  city  attorney  from  1872  to  1876, 
circuit  court  commissioner  from  1872  to  1876,  alderman  from  the  Second 
ward,  from  1876  to  1878,  judge  of  the  Probate  Court  (two  terms)  from 
1876  to  1884.  In  1884  he  was  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of  Hills- 
dale College  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1888.  Subsequently  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  law,  and  in  1890,  with  H.  G.  Bailey,  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Bailey  &  Janes,  with  which  he  continued  until  1897.  In 
1885  he  was  appointed,  by  Governor  Alger,  paymaster-general  of  the 
Michigan  National  Guard,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1887.  In 
1895  he  was  elected  from  the  Sixth  district  of  Michigan  (comprised  of 
the  counties  of  Hillsdale,  Branch  and  St.  Joseph)  to  the  State  Senate 
for  a  term  of  two  years.      On  conclusion  of  his  term  of  service  he  was 

735 


renominated,  but  failed  of  re-election,  owing  to  the  strong  free  silver 
sentiment  in  a  portion  of  his  district. 

While  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  he  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittees on  Constitution,  Judiciary,  Soldier's  Home,  Mining,  Schools, 
and  Roads  and  Bridges.  He  was  the  father  of  the  bill  compelling  the 
display  of  the  national  flag  from  all  school  buildings  in  the  State,  and  of 
that  appropriating  $10,000  for  a  statue  of  the  late  Gov.  Austin  Blair  to 
be  placed  on  the  Capitol  grounds  at  Lansing.  Since  1881  he  has  served 
as  a  trustee  of  Hillsdale  College  and  as  auditor  of  that  institution  since 
1894. 

On  March  8,  1897,  he  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  to  his 
present  office  of  pension  agent  at  Detroit.  This  appointment  was  the 
first  made  by  the  president  after  the  selection  of  his  cabinet,  and  the 
nomination  of  Colonel  Janes  was  confirmed  by  Congress  in  the  short 
time  of  five  minutes.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Detroit  Post  No.  384,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
U.  S.  Grant  command  of  Detroit,  Union  Veterans'  Union.  He  has 
served  as  commander  of  the  Department  of  Michigan,  G.  A.  R. ;  as 
inspector-general  of  the  United  States  of  the  same  order;  as  depart- 
ment commander  of  the  Union  Veterans'  Union;  as  grand  trustee  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  Michigan,  K.  P.  ;  as  grand  master  of  the  Michigan 
Grand  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  and  as  grand  representative  in  the  Sover- 
eign Grand  Lodge  of  the  United  States.  Colonel  Janes  was  elected 
chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Convention  of  1896,  which  elected 
delegates  to  the  Republican  National  Convention  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Colonel  Janes  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1873,  to  Miss  Vinnie 
E.  Hill  of  Hillsdale,  Mich.,  who  died  in  1875.  In  1878  he  married  as 
his  second  wife,  Miss  Julia  M.  Mead  of  Hillsdale,  and  they  have  three 
children:   Marie  E.,  Henry  M.  and  John  E. 


S.   OLIN  JOHNSON. 

Stephen  Olin  Johnson,  son  of  Philo  and  Eliza  (English)  Johns  n, 
was  born  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  June  15,  1847.  The  grandmother  on  the 
paternal  side,  Pamelia  Dudley,  was  a  descendant  of  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Dudley,  who  came  to  Massachusetts  Bay  as  first  deputy  governor  in 
1830,  and  was  second  governor  in  1634-35,  also  governor  in  1640-46 
and   1650-51.     The  genealogy  of  the   Dudley  family,  as  compiled   by 

736 


S.  OLIN   JOHNSON. 


Dean  Dudley  of  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1848,  traces  the  ancestry  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  Dudley  to  the  family  whose  most  illustrious  members  were 
Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester,  and  Lord  Guildford  Dudley,  who  mar- 
ried Lady  Jane  Gray  in  1553.  The  subject's  great-grandfather,  Samuel 
Johnson,  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  army  and  served  until  the  close 
of  hostilities  in  1783.  His  grandfather,  William  Johnson,  was  born  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  August  4,  1779. 

Stephen  Olin  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New 
York  city  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  the  employ  of  William  P. 
Kittredge  &  Co.,  New  York  city,  manufacturers  of  tobacco.  As  an  in- 
stance of  the  remarkable  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  employers 
is  the  fact  that  after  the  first  year  he  received  no  stipulated  salary,  but 
was  allowed  to  place  an  estimate  on  his  own  services.  In  1871  Mr.  E. 
L  Horsman,  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers  of  toys  and  novelties  in 
the  United  States,  made  Mr.  Johnson  a  most  flattering  offer,  which  he 
accepted,  resigning  his  former  position.  After  the  second  year  he  was 
given  a  fifth  interest  in  the  business  and  continued  his  connection  with 
this  house  until  1877,  when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
sign and  seek  the  milder  climate  of  Colorado.  After  nearly  two  years 
of  rest,  resulting  in  a  return  to  good  health,  he  resumed  his  former  line 
of  business  in  the  city  of  Denver,  where  he  remained  until  1884,  when 
he  was  asked  to  accept  the  position  of  manager  of  the  Detroit  Knitting 
and  Corset  Works  of  Detroit,  Mich. 

On  taking  charge  of  this  industry  in  April,  he  found  that  it  had  been 
a  losing  venture  during  the  six  years  of  its  existence,  the  losses  having 
aggregated  between  $55,000  and  !|60,000.  He  immediately  turned  the 
tide  of  affairs,  and  was  able  to  show  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  a  net 
profit  of  $9,000.  Three  years  later  he  was  instrumental  in  effecting  its 
sale  to  the  Schilling  Corset  Company  of  this  city,  at  a  large  bonus. 

In  1886,  subsequent  to  his  connection  with  this  establishment,  he, 
with  others,  who  took  no  active  part  in  the  business,  organized  the 
Penberthy  Injector  Co.,  of  which  he  was  elected  treasurer  and  general 
manager.  He  served  in  this  capacity  for  six  years,  and  in  1892  was 
elected  to  his  present  office  of  president  of  the  company.  Mr.  Johnson, 
seeing  the  possibilities  in  the  new  enterprise,  began  the  same  in  a  room 
twenty  feet  by  thirty  feet,  with  one  man  and  one  lathe.  From  these 
small  quarters  of  twelve  years  ago  the  establishment  has  grown  to  its 
present  proportions,  namely,  a  four-story  building  one  hundred  feet  by 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  a  factory  in  Windsor,  Canada.     About 

737 


one  hundred  men  are  employed,  and  the  output  of  injectors  is  the  larg- 
est in  the  world.  The  trade  extends  to  nearly  all  foreign  countries  and 
the  products  are  the  standard  in  point  of  merit.  The  success  of  this 
industry  is  due  solely  to  the  judicious  management  of  Mr.  Johnson,  who 
has  proven  by  his  successful  direction  of  this  and  other  enterprises,  his 
title  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  leading  business  men  of  Detroit. 

Aside  from  his  interest  in  the  above  company,  Mr.  Johnson  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Pastime  Lawn  Mower  Co.  and  the  International  Specialty 
Co.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Michigan 
Sovereign  Consistory;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine; 
Mistletoe  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Rushmere 
Club. 

On  June  5,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Lilla  Louise,  daughter  of  George 
and  Sarah  Sturtevant  of  New  York  city.  They  have  four  children : 
Homer  Sturtevant,  Alice  Gertrude,  Claire  Olin,  and  Charles  -Bissell. 


CHARLES  D.  JOSLYN. 

Charles  D.  Joslyn,  assistant  corporation  counsel  of  the  city  of  De- 
troit, was  born  in  Waitsfield,  Vt.,  June  20,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late 
Ezra  O.  and  Eliza  (Durant)  Joslyn.  Mr.  Joslyn  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  subsequently  attending 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Barre,  and  later  entered  Dartmouth  College 
where  he  remained  for  a  time.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  State  Reform  School  (Vermont),  and  .served  in 
that  capacity  two  years.  The  ensuing  two  years  were  spent  at  home, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  study  of  law,  and  later  he  entered  the  law 
offices  of  Governor  Dillingham,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874. 

Removing  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
and  in  1878,  with  Charles  H.  Freeman  as  his  associate,  he  formed  the 
firm  of  Joslyn  &  Freeman,  which  was  dissolved  at  the  end  of  two  years. 
During  the  years  1885  to  1887  inclusive  Mr.  Joslyn  occupied  the  posi- 
tion of  clerk  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Detroit,  and  from  1890  to  1893 
was  United  States  consul  at  Windsor,  Ontario,  Canada.  In  July,  1894, 
he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  of  assistant  corporation  coun- 
sel, which  he  has  since  filled  with  marked  ability. 

Mr.  Joslyn  has  always  been  a  Republican,  has  borne  an  active  part 
in  the  campaigns  of  the  past  twenty  years,  and  has  exercised  a  potential 

738 


CHARLES   D.  JOSLYN. 


influence  in  the  ranks  of  the  party  in  Michigan.  He  is  an  assiduous 
student,  a  strong  and  able  man  before  both  courts  and  jury,  and  is 
a  recognized  authority  on  municipal  law.  Mr.  Joslyn  is  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Bar  Association,  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Detroit  Yacht 
Club  and  the  B.  P.  O.  E. 

Mr.  Joslyn  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1873,  to  Julia,  daughter 
of  Alpha  Atherton  of  Waterbury,  Vt.,  who  died  in  1883,  leaving  him 
three  children :  Max  A.,  Alice  E,  and  Louise  D.  He  married  as  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Fannie  Cooper,  daughter  of  Richard  Hart. 


JAMES  F.  JOY. 

Hon.  James  F.  Jov,  late  of  Detroit,  son  of  James  and  Sarah  (Picker- 
ing) Joy,  was  born  at  Durham,  N.  H.,  December  3,  1810.  James  Joy 
was  a  manufacturer  of  farming  implements.  He  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant from  Samuel  Joy,  one  of  the  founders  of  Durham,  in  the 
parish  of  Dover,  county  of  Stratford,  province  of  New  Hampshire,  in 
1732,  where  the  members  of  the  Joy  family  lived  for  more  than  a 
century.  Sarah  Pickering  Joy,  was  descended  from  the  historic  Pick- 
ering family  of  New  Hampshire. 

James  F.  Joy  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native  village  until 
fourteen  years  of  age,  then  took  a  two  years'  course  of  instruction 
preparatory  to  entering  college,  and  in  1828  entered  Dartmouth  College 
and  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1833.  During  his  attendance  at 
Dartmouth  he  determined  to  become  a  lawyer,  and  in  pursuance  of 
that  purpose,  immediately  after  his  graduation  entered  the  Harvard 
Law  School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  which  was  then  in  charge  of  the 
famous  professors.  Judge  Story  and  Mr.  Greenleaf.  After  one  year's 
attendance  in  the  law  school  he  was  compelled  by  circumstances  to 
relinquish  his  studies  for  the  time  being,  and  accept  the  position  as 
principal  of  the  academy  at  Pittsfield,  N.  H.,  whither  his  parents  had 
removed.  He  remained  in  that  position  but  a  few  months,  later  becom- 
ing tutor  in  Latin  in  Dartmouth  College,  filling  that  chair  for  one  year, 
when  he  returned  to  the  Harvard  Law  School  and  remained  for  another 
year.  He  was  then  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Boston,  Mass., 
but  in  September,  1836,  turned  his  face  toward  Detroit,  Mich.,  which 
was  ever  afterward  his  home.  He  entered  the  offices  of  Hon.  Augustus 
S.    Porter,    who    was  soon    afterwards   elected    to    the    LTnited    States 

739 


Senate  and  there  remained  until  May,  1837,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  Detroit,  and  at  once  opened  an  office  and  became  an  active 
practitioner  of  the  law.  Later,  in  the  same  year,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  George  F.  Porter,  under  the  style  of  Joy  &  Porter. 

Mr.  Joy's  character  gave  him  standing  in  the  community  and  his 
industry  and  careful  attention  to  business  soon  won  him  clients.  No 
cause  was  ever  carried  into  court  by  him  before  he  had  given  it  the 
most  careful  study,  and  the  law  applicable  to  it  thorough  investigation. 
He  had  come  to  Michigan  without  capital,  without  powerful  connec- 
tions and  without  established  pecuniary  credit;  he  had,  however,  the 
powers  and  qualities,  formed  by  habit  and  education,  which  made  him 
independent  of  either  capital,  connections,  or  credit — a  clear  head, 
sound  judgment,  quick  perceptions,  and  a  mind  the  most  comprehensive 
and  masterly  in  grasping  legal  and  business  propositions.  To  these 
high  intellectual  powers  were  joined  a  great  moral  force  of  character,  a 
resolute  will,  self-reliant  and  firm,  combined  with  strict  integrity, 
inspiring  confidence  and  patient  perseverance,  insuring  success.  The 
practice  of  economy,  self-denial  and  industry,  a  proper  pride  in  his 
professional  business  obligations  and  punctuality  in  all  engagements, 
laid  the  foundation  and  guarantied  that  prosperity  and  usefulness  which 
his  subsequent  life  developed.  To  these  characteristics  must  we  look 
for  the  elements  which  conceived  and  successfully  consummated  those 
great  enterprises  which  have  secured  for  Michigan  and  the  vStates  west 
of  it  that  material  prosperity  which  they  to-day  enjoy. 

Not  to  any  accident  of  birth  or  fortune,  or  any  external  circumstances 
or  conditions,  can  we  trace  the  extraordinary  results  achieved  through 
the  influence  of  James  F.  Joy.  In  addition  to  the  qualities  named,  the 
only  advantages  of  that  kind  which  he  inherited  and  which  he  retained 
to  the  day  of  his  death,  were  his  fine  personal  appearance  and  com- 
manding and  impressive  address.  It  was  always  a  practice  with  Mr. 
Joy  to  carefully  consider  and  digest,  pro  and  con,  all  plans  conceived 
by  him,  hence  when  his  decisions  were  reached  he  was  firm  in  seeing 
them  executed.  From  the  very  beginning  the  firm  of  Joy  &  Porter 
enjoyed  an  extended  and  lucrative  practice;  they  became  attorneys,  in 
1837,  for  the  old  Bank  of  Michigan,  and  for  ten  years  Mr.  Joy,  as  the 
legal  head  of  the  firm,  was  the  confidential  counsel  for  the  Messrs. 
Dwight,  owners  of  that  bank,  and  numerous  others  in  different  States. 
In  the  complications  which  followed  upon  the  Bank  of  Michigan 
becoming  insolvent,  Mr.   Joy  had  occasion  to  meet  in  the  courts  and 

740 


elsewhere  the  most  g-ifted  and  distinguished  minds  in  the  nation.  As  a 
practitioner  before  the  Federal  and  State  Courts,  he  was  considered  as 
the  peer  of  any. 

From  1836  to  1846  the  State  of  Michigan  had  undertaken  the  con- 
struction of  railroads  and  a  canal  across  the  State,  but  had  failed  dis- 
astrously and  become  utterly  bankrupt.  Its  condition  had  become 
hopeless  so  far  as  any  further  prosecution  of  its  public  works  was  con- 
cerned. Among  others  Mr.  Joy  discussed,  through  the  press  and  other 
mediums,  the  questions  connected  with  them  and  advised  the  sale  of 
its  railroads  to  companies  who  would  complete  them.  This  was  the 
important  question  of  that  day,  and  to  it  may  be  attributed  the  reason 
of  Mr.  Joy's  being  drawn  wholly  out  of  the  law  and  into  the  construc- 
tion and  management  of  railroads.  When  the  Legislature  of  1845-46 
came  together,  Mr.  Joy,  in  connection  with  Mr.  John  W.  Brooks, 
afterward  chief  engineer  and  president  of  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road Co.,  prepared  the  charter  of  that  company,  which  also  provided 
for  the  sale  of  the  road  to  that  company,  and  submitted  it  to  the 
Legislature.  After  a  whole  winter's  discussion  it  finally  passed  the 
Legislature  in  the  way  in  which  it  now  stands  upon  the  statute  books. 
Through  the  efforts  of  Messrs.  Brooks,  Joy  and  Porter,  a  company  was 
formed  who  took  the  property,  paying-  the  price  agreed  upon  (two 
million  dollars),  and  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Co.  came  into 
existence,  Joy  &  Porter  being  retained  as  counsel  and  attorneys  for  the 
company. 

The  progress  of  the  road  west,  which  occupied  several  years,  was 
attended  with  much  litigation  in  Indiana  and  Illinois,  especially  at 
Chicago,  where  its  interests  were  united  with  those  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Co.,  and  through  all  this  Mr.  Joy  figured  prominently 
as  counsel  for  both  roads.  In  securing  the  entrance  of  the  Michigan 
Central  Railroad  into  Chicago,  the  litigation  was  both  extensive  and 
important  and  largely  controlled  Mr.  Joy's  time,  taking  him  away  from 
his  practice  in  Michigan.  Finally  it  absorbed  all  of  his  time  and  atten- 
tion and  commanded  all  his  ability  for  a  number  of  years.  From  that 
period  until  the  time  of  his  sudden  death  (on  September  24,  1806,  from 
heart  disease,  at  his  home  in  Detroit),  he  was  identified  with  the  rail- 
way interests  of  Michigan,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Nebraska  and 
Canada.  He  was  the  projector  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  system,  which,  cross- 
ing the  States  of  Illinois  and  spanning  the  Mississippi  River  at  Ouincy 
and  the  Missouri  River  at  Kansas  City,  made  its  connection  with  the 

741 


Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  thence  extending  a  branch  to  Fort 
Kearney  (Neb.),  and  Fort  Scott  (Indian  Ter.),  establishing  a  con- 
tinuous line  from  Detroit  to  the  point  named.  Mr.  Joy  extended  the 
Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  building  the  first 
iron  bridge  at  that  place;  he  also  built  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  and 
Gulf  Railroad  from  Kansas  City  to  the  Indiart  Territory,  and  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad  from  Kansas  City  to 
Council  Bluffs.  In  Michigan  he  built  the  Detroit,  Lansing  &  Northern 
Railroad,  the  Detroit  &  Bay  City  Railroad,  the  Air  Line,  the  Jackson, 
Lansing  &  Saginaw  Railroad,  the  Chicago  &  West  Michigan  Railroad, 
the  Kalamazoo  &  South  Haven  Railroad,  and  the  Wabash.  Up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  Mr.  Joy  was  president  of  the  Detroit  Union  Depot 
Co  ,  and  himself  planned  the  new  Union  Depot  Building,  which  cost 
over  two  million  dollars.  From  184G  Mr.  Joy  was  the  chief  factor  in 
the  construction  in  Michigan  of  over  2,210  miles  of  railway,  and  in 
other  States  was  chief  promoter  in  over  6,000  miles  of  railway,  directly 
connected  with,  and  entering  the  city  of  Detroit. 

He  possessed  the  happy  faculty  of  throwing  off  the  cares  of  business 
when  he  left  his  office  and  his  well  stocked  library  was  the  diversion 
and  the  pleasure  of  all  his  leisure  time,  when  not  occupied  with  the  en- 
joyments of  his  family  and  social  life.  He  was  not  an  office  seeker, 
neither  would  he  accept  the  nomination  for  any  political  position;  once 
only  did  he  vary  from  this  course.  In  18G0,  when  it  became  evident 
that  the  difficulties  growing  out  of  slavery  would  result  in  a  Civil  war, 
he  allowed  himself  to  be  elected  to  the  Legislature  to  help  prepare  the 
State  for  the  exigencies  of  the  coming  war.  He  was  always  a  Re- 
publican and  was  a  delegate-at-large  to  the  Republican  National  Con- 
vention in  1880,  being  chosen  to  present  James  G.  Blaine's  name  as  a 
candidate  for  the  presidency. 

Mr.  Joy  was  twice  married;  his  first  wife  was  Martha,  daughter  of 
Hon.  John  Reid,  for  many  years  a  member  of  congress  from  Massa- 
chusetts.     His  second  wife  was  Mary  Bourne  of  Hartford,   Conn. 


WILLIAM  C.    JUPP. 

William  C.  Jupp,  one  of  the  most  esteemed  of  Detroit's  younger 
business  men,  was  born  in  Detroit  July  23,  1859.  After  attending  the 
public  schools  he   entered   the  employ  of  Stephen  F.    Smith  &    Co., 

742 


WILLIAM  C.  JUPP. 


wholesale  dealers  in  boots  and  shoes,  as  salesman.  In  1883  he  visited 
Dakota,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres,  which  he  still  owns. 
A  year  later  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  became  associated  as  book- 
keeper with  the  firm  of  John  B.  Price  &  Co.,  dealers  in  paper  and 
printer's  supplies.  Showing  great  proficiency  in  the  business  he  was 
admitted  to  partnership  January  1,  1890.  In  the  same. year  he  married 
Fannie  B.  Bartlett  of  Detroit,  daughter  of  James  W.  Bartlett  of  Con- 
cord, Mass.,  a  direct  descendant  of  Governor  Bradford.  Mr.  Price 
retired  from  business  in  1894,  when  Mr.  Jupp  purchased  the  entire 
business.  The  location  at  No.  123  Jefferson  avenue  becoming  in- 
adequate to  the  demands  of  his  increasing  business,  he  moved  to  the 
new  and  commodious  premises  at  No.  48  and  50  Larned  street  west. 
On  December  27,  1897,  his  establishment  was  completely  destroyed  by 
fire,  necessitating  a  removal  to  his  pre  ent  quarters  in  the  Case  Power 
building  at  No.  45  Congress  street  west,  where  he  has  secured  one  of 
the  most  modern  as  well  as  commodious  sales  and  stock  rooms  in 
Michigan.  Under  his  careful  management  the  business  has  grown  to 
large  proportions,  and  he  carries  everything  in  the  wholesale  paper 
line,  especially  in  flat  and  book  papers. 

Mr.  Jupp  is  an  ardent  lover  of  all  amateur  manly  sports,  and  as  such 
has  a  national  reputation.  For  five  years  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Detroit  Boat  Club.  He  is  also  president  of  the  National  Association 
of  Amateur  Oarsman  and  vice  commodore  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
Amateur  Rowing  Association,  and  has  been  for  seven  years  continu- 
ously secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Northwestern  Amateur  Rowing 
Association.  He  is  also  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Detroit 
Athletic  Club.  Mr.  Jupp  is  popular  in  both  social  and  business  circles, 
ranking  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  among  the  younger  generation 
of  Detroit's  business  men.  His  family  consists  of  his  wife  and  three 
children:    Fannie  B.,  William  B.  and  Stanley  D. 


WILLIAM  J.   KEEP. 

William  John  Keep,  son  of  Rev.  Theodore  John  and  Mary  A. 
(Thompson)  Keep,  was  born  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  June  3,  1842.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Oberlin,  at  Oberlin  Col- 
lege and  in  Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  graduating  from  the 
latter  institution  in  1865,  after  completing  the  course  in  civil  engi- 
neering. 

743 


Immediately  following  his  graduation  Mr.  Keep  was  made  superin- 
tendent of  the  stove  manufacturing  plant  of  Fuller,  Warren  &  Com- 
pany at  Troy,  N.  Y,,  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  1876,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  same  line  of  business  on  his  own  account.  Since  1884  he 
has  been  superintendent  of  the  large  stove  works  of  The  Michigan 
Stove  Company  at  Detroit, 

He  is  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science;  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers; 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers;  the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute 
(England);  International  Association  for  Testing  Materials;  American 
Foundrymen's  Association;  Franklin  Institute,  and  Detroit  Engineering 
Society.  He  is  honorary  member  of  the  Rensselaer  Society  of  Engi- 
neers, and  of  the  Philadelphia  Foundrymen's  Association.  He  is  an 
elder  in  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  Mr.  Keep  is  the  author  of  a  large  number  of  scientific 
papers,  which  may  be  found  in  the  transactions  of  the  above  societies. 

For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  original  in- 
vestigation of  the  properties  of  cast  iron.  He  discovered  a  mechanical 
analysis  for  cast  iron,  which  has  been  called  "Keep's  Test,"  which  is 
largely  used  in  the  United  States  and  other  countries  in  place  of  chem- 
ical analysis.  Mr.  Keep  also  manufactures  a  variety  of  testing  machines 
for  cast  iron. 

In  1866  he  married  Frances  S.,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  G.  and  Han- 
nah I.  (Stewart)  Henderson,  of  Middlesex,  Pa.  They  have  had  four 
children,  two  of  whom  survive,  Helen  E.  and  Henry. 


RONALD  KELLY. 

Ronald  Kelly,  son  of  Rev.  John  and  Isabella  (Scott)  Kelly,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  January  1,  1843.  His  paternal 
ancestors  were  Scotch  Highlanders,  and  inhabited  the  island  of  Isla, 
one  of  the  Scottish  Isles. 

His  great-grandfather,  John  Kelly  (or  Kellie,  as  he  signed  his  name), 
was  gardener  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  eventually  removed  to  the 
main  land,  so  called.  He  was  called  Ian  More,  being  a  large  man, 
meaning  "Big  John."  His  wife  was  born  in  Kintyre,  Argyleshire. 
They  spoke  little  or  no  English,  Gaelic  being  their  native  and  only 
speech,  English  being   in  little  use  in  the  Highlands  at  that  period. 

744 


RONALD   KELLY. 


They  had  three  sons,  named  respectively,  Dugald,  Colin  and  Ronald ; 
the  last  named  was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
for  whom  he  was  named. 

His  grandfather,  Ronald  Kelly,  was  a  physician  and  scientist  in  Glas- 
gow, and  wasapioneer  in  electrical  experiments,  succeeding  in  lighting 
his  work  room  with  the  subtle  fluid  in  1824.  He  married  Christina 
Brown,  whose  family  dwelt  at  Strathlachlan,  Loch  Fyne  Side,  near 
Inverary,  they  also  speaking  Gaelic.  They  had  two  sons,  Lachlan  and 
John;  the  latter  being  the  father  of  Mr.  Kelly. 

His  father,  the  Rev.  John  Kelly,  now  a  resident  of  Detroit,  was 
closely  identified  with  the  Chartist  movement  in  Great  Britain,  which 
had  for  its  object  the  enforcement  of  political  reforms  in  the  British 
government,  that  have  since  been  granted  as  a  result  of  that  movement. 
Although  a  young  man  at  that  time  he  was  in  the  fore  front  of  the 
struggle,  and  strenuously  preached  the  motto  displayed  upon  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Chartists,  "  Peaceably  if  we  can,  forcibly  if  we  must."  After 
the  treason  of  Peter  Bussey,  one  of  the  Committee  of  Three  for  the 
United  Kingdom,  who  disclosed  their  plans  to  the  government,  and 
through  whose  treason  the  rising  in  Wales  was  prematurely  begun,  and 
many  lives  were  sacrificed ;  and  after  the  sentence  of  John  Frost,  Zephi- 
niah  Williams  and  William  Jones,  the  leaders  of  the  rising  in  Wales, 
was  commuted  from  capital  punishment  to  simple  banishment,  he  left 
Scotland,  and  came  to  the  United  States.  While  in  Glasgow  he  was  a 
great  admirer  of  Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  being  familiar  with  his  career  as 
soldier  and  statesman.  Mr.  Kelly's  father  located  in  Sanilac  county  on 
first  coming  to  America,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  but  event- 
ually entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was 
so  engaged  for  thirty  years.  He  is  now  a  hale,  hearty  man,  full  of 
reminiscences  of  a  busy  life. 

Mr.  Kelly's  maternal  ancestors  inhabited  the  Lowlands  of  wScotland, 
and  were  land  owners,  or  what  are  known  there  as  lairds.  His  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Robert  Scott,  lived  in  Falkirk  upon  his  estate, 
where  Isabella  Scott,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born, 
and  who,  according  to  the  habit  and  custom  of  her  class,  was  carefully 
educated  by  private  tutors  at  her  father's  home.  Through  the  dishon- 
esty of  a  supposed  friend  and  partner,  which  involved  him  in  a  large 
debt,  Robert  Scott  voluntarily  disposed  of  his  estates,  paid  in  full  his 
liabilities,  and  subsequently  removed  with  his  family  to  Glasgow. 

Ronald  Kelly  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Glasgow,  and  in 

745 


the  summer  season  lived  with  his  Highland  relatives  in  Gourock,  Roth- 
say  (on  the  isle  of  Bute),  and  Dunoon.  He  then  came  to  Michigan, 
where  his  father  had  preceded  him.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began 
teaching  school,  following  that  occupation  in  several  towns  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Huron,  and  eventually  entered  the  Michigan  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Ypsilanti,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  classical 
course,  intending  at  that  time  to  remain  in  the  teacher's  profession. 

As  the  result  of  overwork  as  a  student,  Mr.  Kelly  was  compelled  by 
advice  of  his  physician  to  abandon  for  a  time  professional  work,  and 
represented,  as  attorney  and  manager  for  the  State  of  Michigan,  the 
Charter  Oak  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  for  a  period 
of  seven  years,  during  which  time  the  receipts  of  the  company  for  Mich- 
igan increased  from  $5,000  to  nearly  $100,000  annually.  On  regaining 
his  health,  he  resumed  the  study  of  law  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B. , 
and  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Detroit. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit,  Michigan  State,  and  American  Bar 
Associations  and  his  practice  is  in  the  State  and  Federal  Courts.  He 
is  much  attached  to  his  profession,  and  enjoys  the  mental  activity  of 
the  lawyer,  entering  into  the  contest  of  a  case  with  all  the  proverbial 
Scotch  tenacity,  which  seems  fully  developed  in  him,  and  he  knows  no 
time  to  quit,  and  as  a  result  of  industry  and  well  directed  effort  in  his 
profession,  he  is  reported  to  have  achieved  a  well  deserved  independ- 
ence. He  has  ever  been  a  Republican  in  politics,  aud  is  a  member  of 
the  Michigan  Republican  Club,  and  of  Detroit  Lodge  of  F.  &  A.  M. 

He  was  married,  December  26,  1866,  to  Miss  Lucy  A.  Jenness, 
daughter  of  Hon.  John  S.  and  Lucy  M.  Jenness  of  Detroit.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kelly  have  a  daughter.  Brownie,  wife  of  C.  A.  Newcomb,  jr.,  of 
the  firm  of  Newcomb,  Endicott  &  Co.  of  Detroit. 

Mr.  Kelly  has  one  brother,  John  Kelly,  jr.,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  University  of  Michigan,  receiving  the  degrees  A.  B.  and  M.  D., 
now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


WILLIAM  H.   KESSLER. 

William  H.  Kessler,  dentist,  son  of  Abram  P.  and  Mary  L.  (Wirt) 
Kessler,  was  born  in  Elkhart  county,  Ind.,  November  19, 1849.  Dr.  Kess- 
ler received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  place, 

746 


and  during  the  years  of  18GG-G7  was  a  student  in  the  Goshen  (Ind.) 
Colleg-iate  Institute.  Subsequently  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry 
with  Dr.  W.  G.  Cummins  at  Sturgis,  Mich.,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1873.  In  1875  Dr.  Kessler  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since 
become  one  .of  the  most  prominent  men  in  his  profession,  and  has  es- 
tablished a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  The  disastrous  fire  of  October 
6,  1897,  which  destroyed  the  Detroit  Opera  House  building,  in  which 
Dr.  Kessler  had  his  offices,  caused  him  severe  loss  and  a  removal  to 
his  present  quarters  at  1-41-143  Woodward  avenue.  His  dental  parlors 
are  among  the  finest  in  the  country  and  are  models  of  elegance  and 
taste. 

Dr.  Kessler  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity;  a 
member  of  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar,  of  which  he 
is  at  present  junior  warden ;  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine;  Peninsular  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  which  he  is  princi- 
pal sojourner;  and  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Michigan  State  Dental  Association,  of  the  Detroit  Dental  Society, 
the  Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club  and  the  Grande  Pointe 
Club. 

Dr.  Kessler  was  married  in  November,  1870,  to  Mary  E.  Huylar  of 
Three  Rivers,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Allen 
D.,  D.  D.  S.,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Michigan  (class  of  1894), 
now  associated  with  his  father  in  his  practice;  William  H.,  jr.,  at  pres- 
ent in  the  employ  of  Wright,  Kay  &  Co.,  jewelers  of  Detroit,  and  J. 
Horton,  a  student  in  Detroit  High  School. 


STEPHEN  H.   KNIGHT. 

Stephen  Herrick  Knight,  M.  D.,  son  of  Edward  Hale  and  Mary 
Meek  (Russell)  Knight,  was  born  in  Salem,  Mass.,  October  31,  18G2. 
Dr.  Knight  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Salem, 
and  later  entered  Harvard  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1883.  Deciding  upon  a  course  of  medicine,  he  removed  to  New  York 
city,  where  he  entered  the  New  York  Homeopathic  College  and  Free 
Hospital,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  188G.  In  addition  to  this  he 
studied  for  six  months  in  the  Hahnemann  Hospital  at  New  York,  and 
then  assumed  charge  of  the  private  surgical  hospital  of  Dr.  William 
Tod  Helmuth.      Upon  the  establishment  of  Grace  Hospital  at  Detroit, 

747 


Mich.,  in  1889,  Dr.  Knight  was  offered  and  accepted  the  position  of 
house  surgeon  in  that  institution,  remaining  in  that  capacity  until  1890. 
Subsequently  he  established  a  personal  practice,  although  remaining  a 
member  of  the  visiting  staff  of  surgeons  of  Grace  Hospital.  In  1896 
the  Detroit  College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M. 

Since  coming  to  Detroit  Dr.  Knight  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive practice,  and  is  recognized  as  among  the  prominent  members  of 
the  medical  profession.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and  is  a 
member  of  Detroit  Commandery,  No.  1,  Knights  Templar,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Michigan  Society,  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars.  He  is  president  of  the  Detroit 
Homeopathic  Society  and  editor  of  the  Medical  Counselor. 

In  1890  Dr.  Knight  married  Sarah  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rufus  B. 
Gifford,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Hale  and 
Rufus. 

Dr.  Knight  is  of  English  ancestry,  being  descended  from  John  Knight, 
who  emigrated  from  England  to  America  in  1635,  settling  in  Newbury, 
Mass.  Through  this  relationship  he  holds  his  membership  to  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution. 


OTTO  LANG,   M.  D. 

Otto  Lang,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  and  Margaret  (Zobel)  Lang,  was 
born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  December  4,  1849.  In  1851  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  his  early  education  was  received  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of 
twelve.  After  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  the  print- 
er's trade  and  five  years  at  the  machinist's  trade,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  F,  X.  Spranger  of 
Detroit,  with  whom  he  remained  five  years.  Subsequently  he  spent 
one  year  in  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  at  New  York  city,  and 
in  1880  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Pulte  Medical  College  at 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Immediately  following  his  graduation  Dr.  Lang  re- 
turned to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since 'practiced  his  profession  continu- 
ously and  with  gratifying  success.  He  is  consulting  physician  to  Grace 
Hospital  of  Detroit,  and  a  member  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons. 

In  1875  Dr.  Lang  married  Ida,  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  F.  X.  Spranger, 
and  they  have  two  children:  Olive  M.,  and  Otto,  jr. 

748 


JOSEPH    LATHROP,  SR. 


JOSEPH  LATHROP,   Sr.,   D.  D.  S. 

Joseph  Lathrop,  sr.,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  West  Springfield, 
Mass.,  June  10,  1834,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of  Solomon  and  Sophia 
(Poraeroy)  Lathrop.  Dr.  Lathrop  is  descended  on  both  sides  of  the 
family  from  a  long  line  of  professional  men.  His  grandfather,  Rev. 
Joseph  Lathrop,  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  West 
Springfield,  Mass.,  for  more  than  sixty  years.  His  father,  Solomon, 
was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  a  lawyer  of  recognized  ability,  who 
practiced  his  profession  in  Massachusetts  until  183G,  when  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Macomb  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming. 

Dr.  Lathrop  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Macomb  county 
and  later  entered  the  academy  at  Romeo,  Mich.,  then  a  branch  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1849.  On 
completion  of  his  education  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  New 
England,  and  shortly  after  entered  the  employ  of  his  uncle,  Calvin 
Townsley,  a  general  merchant  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  and  later  removed 
to  Clinton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  same  capacity.  In 
185G  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry  in  the  office  of  Dr.  C.  F.  Horn  at 
Clinton,  remaining  one  year.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  Michigan 
and  located  at  East  Saginaw  where  he  engaged  in  the  jewelry  business 
with  his  brother  Solomon. 

On  February  1,  1859,  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  again  took  up  his 
dental  studies  in  the  offices  of  the  old  established  firm  of  Whiting  & 
Benedict.  The  following  year  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
and  has  since  been  continuously  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  established  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  close  and  untiring  student,  a 
careful  and  thorough  workman,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading- 
members  of  the  dental  profession  in  the  United  States.  His  present 
quarters  at  271  Woodward  avenue  (overlooking  Grand  Circus  Park)  are 
modern  in  their  appointments  and  furnished  in  a  tasteful  and  elegant 
manner. 

Dr.  Lathrop  is  president  of  the  Detroit  Numismatic  Society;  sec- 
retary of  the  old  North  Channel  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club,  and  has 
served  in  that  capacity  for  twenty  years;  the  Michigan  State  Dental 
Society,  of  which  he  has  been  president;  the  Detroit  Dental  Society; 
and  the  American  Dental  Association.  He  is  a  member  of  Morning 
Star  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Worcester,  Mass.      He  is  also  a  member  of 

749 


the  Delta  Sigma  Delta  Fraternit}^  (dental)  of  the  University  of 
Michig-an,  having  been  elected  as  one  of  the  original  honorary  members 
of  the  Alpha  Chapter  in  1886,  and  is  also  president  of  the  Detroit 
Auxiliary  Delta  Sigma  Delta.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
always  been  actively  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  Dr. 
Lathrop  has  for  many  years  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  gathering  of 
curios  and  antiques  and  his  collection  in  this  line  is  of  great  value  and 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  who  see  it. 

In  1SG3  Dr.  Lathrop  married  Ada  M.,  daughter  of  Henry  P.  Pulling 
of  Detroit,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children  :  Joseph,  jr., 
a  graduate  of  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan; 
Clara,  wife  of  Walter  Cook  of  Detroit,  and  Ada  M. 


GEORGE  C.   LAWRENCE. 

George  C.  Lawrence,  auditor  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  was  born  in 
Franklin,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  April  20,  1851,  and  is  the  only  son 
of  William  C.  and  Catharine  (Dawe)  Lawrence.  Mr.  Lawrence  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Redford,  and 
later  became  a  student  in  the  Cass  School  at  Detroit,  which  he  left  in 
1867  to  enter  the  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  During  the  next  ten  years  his  summers  were  spent  in 
assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  his  farm,  and  the  winter 
months  in  teaching  school.  In  December,  1888,  he  was  appointed  su- 
perintendent of  the  poor  for  Wayne  county,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  August,  1889,  when  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Luce  to  fill 
the  unexpired  term  of  County  Auditor  W.  C.  Mahoney.  The  Repub- 
lican party,  holding  that  Mr.  Lawrence's  appointment  by  the  governor 
entitled  him  to  the  full  term  of  office,  did  not  place  a  candidate  in  nom- 
ination in  the  election  of  1890.  Mr.  David  Trombl}'  was  placed  in 
nomination  (for  the  office  held  by  Mr.  Lawrence)  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  elected,  owing  to  the  absence  of  a  Republican  candidate. 

On  conclusion  of  his  term  of  service  as  auditor  Mr.  Lawrence  asso- 
ciated himself  with  John  A.  Dick,  under  the  style  of  John  A.  Dick  & 
Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  maintaining  this  con- 
nection until  the  fall  of  1892.  In  that  year  he  was  placed  in  nomina- 
tion on  the  Repuublin  ticket  for  auditor,  and  elected  for  a  term  of  three 
years,  and  in  1895  was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  a  like 

750 


THOMAS  LEDBETER. 


term.  ]\Ir.  Lawrence  began  his  political  career  ere  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  being  placed  in  nomination  for  member  of  his  township 
school  board  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and  was  defeated  on  a  tie  vote  in  a 
township  having  a  Democratic  majority  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
votes. 

Mv.  Lawrence  is  a  man  of  sterling  character,  of  unimpeachable  in- 
tegrity and  marked  executive  ability,  and  his  appointment  by  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  is  a  public  recognition  of  his  value  as  a  public  official. 
He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Michigan 
Sovereign  Consistory ;  Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  Moslem 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  Ashlar  Lodge,  No.  91,  F.  & 
A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees,  and  of  the  Detroit  Bowling  Club. 

He  was  married,  October  23,  1879,  to  Ella  C,  daughter  of  Elijah  B. 
Spencer,  of  Redford,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
William  C,  Bessie  C,  and  George  C,  jr. 


THOMAS  LEDBETER. 

Thomas  Ledbeter,  son  of  Thomas  and  Christian  Ledbeter,  was  born 
in  Campcien,  Gloucestershire,  England,  June  10,  1812.  Mr.  Ledbeter 
was  apprenticed  at  an  early  age  to  the  stone  mason's  trade,  and  for  many 
years  followed  that  calling.  Previous  to  his  coming  to  America,  in 
1850,  he  was  for  eight  years  superintendent  of  the  stone  work  in  the 
construction  of  the  Parliament  Houses,  in  London,  England.  On  his 
arrival  with  his  family  at  New  York,  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
coming  by  the  way  of  the  Erie  Canal  and  one  of  the  early 
packet  steamers  then  running  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit.  Sub- 
sequent to  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he  entered  the  stone  trade  and  soon 
became  engaged  in  sewer  contracting,  and  under  his  direction  many  of 
the  largest  of  those  in  the  city's  early  system  were  constructed.  Early 
in  the  '70's  he  branched  out  into  the  paving  business,  in  partnership 
with  Andrew  Stewart,  and  his  son,  John  Stewart. 

In  1885  Mr.  Ledbeter  retired  from  active  business,  and,  until  his 
death  on  September  4,  1897,  was  engaged  in  the  management  of  his 
various  private  affairs.  Mr.  Ledbeter  was  a  lifelong  Republican,  and 
though  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  was  adverse  to  holding  office. 

751 


He  was  a  member  of  the  "  Old  Guard  "  of  Detroit  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar;  Monroe  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Peninsular  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M. ;  and  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  acted  as  treasurer  of 
the  last  named  organization  for  fourteen  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  church,  having  joined  that  body  some  sixty-nine  years  ago, 
and  was  active  in  general  benevolent  work. 

His  immediate  family  included  nine  children,  thirty-three  grand- 
children, and  six  great-grandchildren.  His  surviving  children  are  : 
Mary,  widow  of  the  late  Capt.  William  H.  Wilson  (whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere) ;  Christian  Elizabeth,  widow  of  John  Palmer;  Har- 
riet, widow  of  James  P.  Cook;  and  Jane,  wife  of  John  Downie  of 
Detroit.  Mr.  Ledbeter's  funeral  occurred  from  his  late  residence,  759 
Fort  street  west,  September  7,  1897,  the  body  being  interred  in  Elm- 
wood  Cemetery. 


JOHN  W.   LEGGETT. 

John  W.  Leggett  was  born  in  Waterford,  Mich.,  in  1864,  and  is  the 
son  of  William  H.  and  Annie  B.  (Beardslee)  Leggett.  Mr.  Leggett  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Waterford  and  later 
became  a  student  at  the  Hagerstown,  (Maryland)  Academy,  which  he 
attended,  until  the  age  of  fourteen.  Subsequently  he  returned  to 
Michigan  and  entered  the  employ  of  E.  B.  Smith  &  Co.,  booksellers 
and  stationers  of  Detroit,  and  later  accepted  a  situation  with  Morris 
&  Davenport,  insurance  agents.  In  1880  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  Detroit  Telephone  Company,  and  was  the  first  to  operate  the  tele- 
phone of  that  company  in  the  city.  After  a  connection  lasting  six 
years  with  this  company,  he,  with  Wellington  Q.  Hunt,  formed  the 
firm  of  Hunt  &  Leggett  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  and 
by  aggressive,  untiring  and  conservative  methods  they  built  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  business,  ranking  among  the  most  prominent  firms  of 
Detroit  in  their  line.  Aside  from  their  real  estate  interests,  they  rep- 
resent some  of  the  most  widely-known  insurance  companies  of  the 
world.  Mr.  Leggett  is  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
of  the  Freeman,  Delemater  Co.  (dealers  in  hardware),  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Detroit  Club. 

In  1892  he  married  Grace  E.  Frue,  daughter  of  the  late  Wilham  B. 
Frue  of  Detroit,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Wilhelmina. 

752 


JOHN    WHEELER    LEGGETT. 


JOHN    LENNANE. 


JOHN  LENNANE. 

John  Lennane,  son  of  Patrick  and  Ann  (Flynn)  Lennane,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  15,  1854:.  Mr.  Lennane  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered  upon  his 
business  career.  After  a  year  at  the  printer's  trade  and  a  short  service 
as  weighmaster  in  the  grain  elevator  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway 
Company  at  Detroit,  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  book- 
keeper for  the  Detroit  Central  Flouring  Co.,  and  retained  that  situation 
until  1877.  During  the  ensuing  year  he  was  engaged  in  the  flour  and 
feed  business  on  his  own  account  and  in  1881  was  appointed  rodsman 
of  the  corps  of  the  city  engineer  of  Detroit,  later  becoming  assistant 
city  engineer.  In  1890,  in  company  with  his  brother,  W.  E.  Lennane, 
he  established  his  present  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Lennane 
Brothers,  and  engaged  in  dealing  in  railroad  ties  and  fence  posts  and 
as  general  contractors  for  railway  and  street  paving  work. 

Mr.  Lennane  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  has  been  actively 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  party.  In  April,  1897,  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  board  of  Fire  Commissioners  for  the  city  of  Detroit 
for  a  term  of  four  years.  Mr.  Lennane  joined  the  Montgomery  Rifles 
in  1878,  and  in  1881  he  was  elected  second  lieutenant  of  Company  E  of 
that  organization,  serving  until  1884,  when  he  was  elected  first  lieu- 
tenant and  served  two  years.  During  the  absence  of  the  captain  of  the 
company  in  1886  he  acted  in  that  officer's  place.  He  resigned  in  1888. 
Mr.  Lennane  is  a  member  of  Wayne  Lodge  No.  104,  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias; Branch  1,  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians;  and  is  a  director  in  the 
Builders'  and  Traders'  Exchange. 

He  was  married  in  1882,  to  Mary  White  of  Detroit,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  six  children:  Lauretta  M.,  John  R.,  Elizabeth,  Florence, 
Harold  A.  and  Ellen. 


OSCAR   Le  SEURE,  M.  D. 

Oscar  Le  Seure,  M.  D.,  son  of  Prosper  Le  Seure,  and  Elizabeth 
(Wilhoit)  Le  Seure,  was  born  in  Danville,  III.,  January  27,  1851.  His 
early  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  he  afterward  attended  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1873  he 
was  graduated  from  the  medical  and  surgical  department  of  that  Uni- 

753 


versity.  He  then  served  six  months  as  house  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  Marine  Hospital  at  Detroit.  In  March,  1874,  he  took  a  degree 
from  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  at  New  York,  and  returned 
in  the  same  year  to  Danville,  111.,  where  he  practiced  until  1886. 
Being  ambitious  to  become  a  more  thorough  surgeon,  and  desirous  to 
work  in  a  broader  field  than  that  afforded  him  in  Danville,  he  made  a 
trip  to  Europe  and  spent  one  year  in  the  study  of  surgery,  being  for  six 
mimths  of  that  time  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Paul  Reclus  in  the  Hotel 
Dieu  at  Paris,  France,  where  he  obtained  much  valuable  knowledge 
relating  to  his  profession. 

He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1887,  locating  in  Detroit,  where 
he  gave  special  attention  to  surgery  and  gynaecology.  He  was  ap- 
pointed surgeon  and  gynaecologist  to  Grace  Hospital  upon  the  opening 
of  that  institution  in  1889,  and  now  ranks  as  its  senior  surgeon.  In 
1892  he  again  went  abroad,  attending  hospitals  in  Edinburgh  and  Lon- 
don. In  February,  1895,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Rich  as  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health,  and  in  June  of  the  same  year, 
was  appointed  professor  of  surgery  in  the  homoeopathic  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan.  He  was  elected  president  of  the  Homoeo- 
pathic Society  of  the  State  of  Michigan  in  May,  1894,  and  a  member  of 
the  Prismatic  Club  of  Detroit  the  same  year.  In  1897  he  was  elected 
to  the  presidency  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health  and  also  a  member  of 
the  Fellowcraft  Club.  Dr.  Le  Seure  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Homoeopathy  and  a  number  of  medical  societies. 


ALEXANDER  LEWIS. 

Hon.  Alexander  Lewis,  ex-mayor  of  Detroit,  is  a  native  of  Sand- 
wich, Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  was  born  on  October  24,  1822.  He  is 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Jeannette  (Velaire)  Lewis.  Mr.  Lewis  was  ed- 
ucated in  a  private  school  at  Sandwich,  which  he  attended  until  arriv- 
ing at  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  E.  W.  Cole 
&  Co.  of  Detroit,  as  clerk,  remaining  in  this  position  two  years.  He 
then  accepted  a  .situation  with  the  drug  firm  of  G.  &J.  G.  Hill,  at  that 
time  leading  merchants  in  their  line  in  Detroit,  continuing  with  them 
until  1841,  when  he  removed  to  Pontiac.  After  a  residence  of  two 
years  in  the  latter  place  he  returned  to  Detroit,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Gray  &  Lewis,  the  firm  consisting  of  his  brother,  Samuel  Lewis,  and 
Horace  Gray. 

754 


In  1845,  when  in  his  twenty-third  year,  Mr.  Lewis  branched  out  into 
business  for  himself,  forming  a  partnership  with  H.  P.  Bridge,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Bridge  &  Lewis,  and  engaged  in  the  forwarding  and 
commission  business,  their  place  of  business  being  located  at  the  foot 
of  Bates  street.  This  partnership  continued  for  seventeen  years.  In 
1862  Mr.  Lewis  embarked  in  the  flour  and  grain  business  at  44  to  48 
Woodbridge  street  west,  where  he  remained  until  1884.  In  that  year 
he  retired  from  active  participation  in  that  line  of  business  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  care  of  various  property  interests. 

Mr.  Lewis  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  in  1863,  as  police 
commissioner  from  1865  to  1875,  and  as  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
Detroit  Public  Library  from  1881  to  1887.  In  1876  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  Detroit  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  serving  one  term.  He  is  a 
director  in  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company  and  the 
Detroit  National  Bank,  and  is  president  of  the  Detroit  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married,  June  10,  1850,  to  Elizabeth  J.  Ingersoll, 
daughter  of  Justus  Ingersoll.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children: 
Ida  Frances,  wife  of  W.  P.  Healey  of  Marquette,  Mich.  ;  Edgar  L.  of  Bos- 
ton; Josephine,  wife  of  Clarence  Carpenter;  Harriet,  wife  of  Cameron 
Currie;  Harry  B. ;  Julia  Velaire,  wife  of  James  M.  McMillan;  ]\Iarion, 
wife  of  H,  K.  Muir;  and  Alexander  Ingersoll  Lewis,  now  a  student  at 
Yale  College. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Lewis  has  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
influential  factors  in  the  commercial  circles  of  Detroit.  His  judgment 
in  business  matters  is  sound,  and  is  based  on  a  long  service  of  success- 
ful ventures.  His  administration  of  the  mayoralty  office  was  character- 
ized by  the  same  discretion  aud  sagacity  which  he  invariably  brought 
to  bear  upon  his  private  business  transactions,  and  to  this  fact  is  due 
the  honorable  success  which  attended  such  administration.  Mr.  Lewis 
is  a  thoroughly  representative  man,  and  justly  occupies  a  high  posi- 
tion among  the  landmarks  of  Detroit. 


WILLIAM  LIVINGSTONE,  Jr. 

Hon.  William  Livingstone,  jr.,  was  born  in  Dundas,  Ontario,  Jan- 
uary 21,  1844,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  of  which  city  he 
has  since  been  a  continuous  resident.      He  received  an  academical  edu- 

755 


cation  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist.  In  1861  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  shipping:  interest,  and  from  year  to  year  increased  his 
business,  and  also  made  large  investments  in  real  estate,  in  lumber, 
street  railroads,  and  other  manufacturing  enterprises  and  industries, 
thereby  contributing  greatly  to  the  material  growth  of  the  city  and 
State.  As  a  public  man  Mr.  Livingstone  has  been  prominent  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1875  he  was  elected  to  represent  Detroit  in  the 
vState  Legislature,  and  has  been  from  time  to  time  chaii-man  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Committee.  He  was  appointed  by  President  Arthur 
collector  of  customs  at  Detroit,  which  he  held  until  the  election  of 
President  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Livingstone  is  at  present  general  manager  of  the  Percheron 
Steam  Navigation  Company  and  the  Michigan  Navigation  Company, 
which  own  the  large  steamers  T.  W.  Palmer  and  Livingstone.  Among 
vessel  men  Mr.  Livingstone  is  held  in  high  estimation  for  his  earnest 
and  effective  advocacy  of  all  measures,  means  and  influences  tending  to 
advance  and  protect  their  interests,  and  has  been  president  of  the  Lake 
Carders'  Association.  He  was  the  president  of  the  Park  and  Boulevard 
Commissions  of  the  city,  president  of  the  St.  Andrews'  Society  several 
years,  and  is  also  connected  with  other  educational  and  charitable 
institutions  and  benevolent  organizations,  devoting  much  time  and 
money  in  aiding  the  successful  accomplishment  of  their  respective  aims 
and  objects.  At  present  he  is  the  manager  and  publisher  of  the  Detroit 
Journal. 


FRANK   T.   LODGE. 

Frank  T.  Lodge,  son  of  John  J.  Lodge,  a  retired  merchant  of 
Madison,  Ind.,  now  a  resident  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Madison,  Ind. 
Mr.  Lodge  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  later  attended  the  High  School,  being  graduated 
therefrom  in  187G.  Shortly  after  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
offices  of  Porter,  Harrison  &  Fishback,  and  in  1873.  when  Mr.  Porter 
was  appointed  as  comptroller  of  the  United  States  Treasury,  he  became 
Mr.  Porter's  confidential  clerk  and  remained  as  such  until  the  following 
year,  when  he  was  made  a  Treasury  expert.  Mr.  Lodge  retained  that 
position  until  the  election  of  Mr.  Porter,  in  188G,  as  governor  of 
Indiana,    when    he   was    offered    the    position   of  private   secretary   to 

756 


FRANK  T.   LODGE. 


Governor  Porter,  but  declined.  He  subsequently  accepted  the  position 
of  law  clerk  to  Judge  William  Lawrence,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Porter  as 
first  comptroller  of  the  Treasury,  and  until  1881  he  represented  the 
first  comptroller's  office  before  the  different  committees  of  Congress  and 
the  executive  departments.  In  1881  he  was  sent  to  Kansas  as  the  agent 
of  Judge  William  Lawrence  and  Jeremiah  S.  Black  to  straighten  out 
the  troubles  with  the  railroad  companies  in  the  "Osage  (Indian) 
Ceded  Lands"  case.  He  resigned  that  position  in  1882  and  returned  to 
Indiana,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  entered  the  Indiana 
Asbury  University,  as  a  member  of  the  class  of  1884,  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  B.  A.,  and  taking  first  honors  in  modern  languages. 
While  in  his  senior  year  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  professor  of 
modern  languages  during  the  absence  in  Europe  of  the  professor  of  that 
department  of  study,  and  in  1837  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
M.  A. 

Mr.  Lodge  was  admitted  to  the  Michigan  bar  in  1884,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  established  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  prominent  in  social  circles  in  Detroit,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  (Republican)  Club,  the  Wayne  Club,  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club.  He  is  also  a  prominent 
Mason,  being  now  (1898)  deputy  grandmaster  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  the  State  of  Michigan.  As  a  lawyer  he  brings  to  the 
thorough  preparation  of  his  cases  a  strong  legal  mind;  he  is  a  strong, 
forceful  and  logical  speaker  before  court  and  jury.  He  has  also  done  a 
large  practice  in  several  prominent  corporations,  having  also  handled 
several  extensive  street  railway  deals,  and  a  large  number  of  railway 
and  industrial  corporations  having  been  organized  through  him.  In 
1893-95,  as  attorney  for  the  receiver,  he  operated  the  Owosso  and 
Corunna  Street  Railway  Company.  He  was  uniformly  successful  in  a 
large  amount  of  hotly  contested  litigation,  finally  reorganizing  and  re- 
equipping  the  road.  For  the  past  five  years  he  has  been  professor  of 
medical  jurisprudence  in  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 
He  makes  a  specialty  of  medico  legal,  corporation  and  insurance  litiga- 
tion, and  is  general  counsel  for  the  Preferred  Masonic  Mutual  Accident 
Association  and  local  counsel  for  a  large  number  of  foreign  insurance 
companies.  Mr.  Lodge  excels  as  a  campaign  orator;  he  has  won  an 
enviable  reputation,  having  "  taken  the  stump"  during  ever}-  political 
campaign  since  his  coming  of  age. 


757 


CHARLES  D.   LONG. 

Hon.  Charles  D.  Long,  chief  justice  of  the  vSupreme  Court  of  Michi- 
gan, was  born  at  Grand  Blanc,  Mich.,  June  14,  1841,  a  son  of  Peter 
Long-.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Flint, 
Mich.,  and  in  the  latter  town  received  a  course  of  instruction  prepara- 
tory to  his  entering  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1861,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  he  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  Co.  A,  of  the  8th  Mich.  Infantry, 
but  remained  in  the  service  only  eight  months,  having  received  at  the 
battle  of  Wilmington  Island,  Ga.,  two  severe  wounds,  one  necessitat- 
ing the  amputation  of  his  left  arm,  and  the  other  a  rifle  ball  which  pene- 
trated his  body  through  the  hip,  lodging  in  the  groin,  where  it  still 
remains.  This  latter  wound  has  never  healed  and  requires  careful 
dressing  every  day. 

Upon  returning  home  Mr.  Long  at  once  began  the  study  of  law  at 
Flint,  and  in  1864  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  clerk,  and  was 
afterwards  thrice  re  elected,  holding  that  office  four  terms.  He  spent 
much  time  in  careful  study,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  the  ex- 
piration of  his  term  as  county  clerk.  In  1874  he  was  elected  as  prose- 
cuting attorney  of  Genesee  county  and  twice  re-elected  thereafter,  hold- 
ing that  office  three  successive  terms,  aggregating  six  years. 

In  1880  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  supervisors  of  the  U.  S.  Cen- 
sus for  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  in  1887  was  elected  as  associate 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  a  term  of  ten  years,  and  entered  upon 
his  judicial  service  on  January  1,  1888.  He  was  appointed  as  judge 
advocate  by  Governor  Jerome,  with  the  rank  of  colonel,  as  a  member 
of  the  governor's  staff.  While  Gen.  R.  A.  Alger  was  governor.  Judge 
Long  was  a  member  of  the  Military  Board  of  the  State,  and  held  the 
rank  of  colonel  on  the  governor's  staff.  He  has  held  the  oflfice  of  pres- 
ident of  the  Detroit  College  of  Law  since  its  organization,  and  few  men 
are  better  known  and  none  more  widely  popular.  In  the  spring  of 
1897  he  was  re-elected  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and 
at  that  election  received  a  majority  vote  of  about  72,000. 

Judge  Long  was  married  in  December,  1863,  to  Alma  A.  Franklin 
and  they  have  three  children. 


758 


WILLIAM    LOOK. 


WILLIAM  LOOK. 

Hon.  William  Look,  lawyer  and  ex  circuit  judge  of  Wayne  county, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  16,  1857.  He  is  a  son  of  Arnold 
Nickolas  Look,  a  native  of  Cleve  (Rheinish  Prussia),  in  the  district 
of  Dusseldorf,  Germany,  which,  previous  to  the  congress  of  Vienna  in 
1815,  belonged  to  Holland,  and  a  grandson  of  Jean  Look,  a  veteran  of 
Napoleon's  wars,  who  followed  the  great  military  leader  in  his  penin- 
sular campaign,  taking  part  in  many  of  the  memorable  battles  that  con- 
vulsed continental  Europe  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century.  He 
also  served  under  Marshal  Davoust,  Prince  of  Eckmiehl,  Massena  and 
Sault,  taking  part  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  campaign  that  ter- 
minated with  the  first  abdication  of  Napoleon.  He  came  to  America  in 
1850,  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  upon  the  anni- 
versary at  Detroit,  in  1869,  of  the  birth  of  Napoleon,  Jean,  the  oldest 
living  veteran  of  Napoleon,  was  chosen  president  of  the  day.  He  died 
in  October,  1876,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years,  respected  and  honored  by 
all.  His  mother,  Catherine  (Canto)  Look,  was  a  daughter  of  Biasius 
Canto,  a  native  of  Belfort,  in  the  province  of  Lorraine,  France,  who 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1823,  and  died  on  his  farm  on  the 
border  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

William  Look,  the  subject,  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  the  responsibility  of  maintaining 
the  family  devolved  in  a  great  measure  upon  his  shoulders.  He  first 
entered  the  large  banking  and  real  estate  offices  of  his  uncle,  Judge 
Joseph  Kuhn,  at  Detroit,  serving  as  office  boy,  and  two  years  later, 
having  evinced  such  marked  aptitude  in  mastering  the  details  of  an  ex- 
tensive and  intricate  business,  his  uncle  made  a  tour  of  Europe,  leaving 
William  in  sole  charge,  and  he  so  ably  acquitted  himself  in  every  par- 
ticular as  to  call  forth  the  warmest  praises  from  all  under  whose  obser- 
vation he  came.  In  these  trying  days  he  had  the  helpful  advice  of  the 
Hon.  William  B.  Wesson,  a  man  of  large  affairs,  yet  who  was  never  so 
busy  that  he  could  not  find  time  to  lend  assistance  to  the  conscientious, 
prudent  lad.  Judge  Look's  education  was  gained  by  diligent  night 
study  and  reading  during  leisure  moments  in  his  uncle's  office.  He 
also  took  up  the  study  of  law  alone,  and  frequently  sought  the  advice 
of  such  men  as  Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,  Col.  Edwin  F.  Conely,  Otto 
Kirchner,  William  C.  Maybury  and  James  A.  Randall,  who  helped  him 
to  straighten  out  many  knotty  problems.      He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 

759 


in  1880^  and  practiced  independently  until  1885,  when  he  was  elected 
to  the  Board  of  Councilmen  (a  body  now  defunct)  to  fill  an  unexpired 
term,  and  became  at  once  such  an  earnest  opponent  of  the  loose  rela- 
tions between  the  corporation  contractors  and  the  city  government, 
that,  in  1885,  he  was  re  elected  for  the  full  term  of  four  years  by  an 
overwhelming-  majority. 

It  was  also  due  to  the  stand  that  Judge  Look  took  while  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Councilmen  (regarding  the  act  of  1885  governing  the 
appointment  of  boards  of  registration  and  election)  that  the  act  was  de- 
clared unconstitutional  by  the  Supreme  Court  at  the  October  term  in 
1885.  In  1887  the  Legislature  passed  a  bill  abolishing  the  Board  of 
Councilmen,  and  Judge  Look  was  then  nominated  and  elected  by  a 
handsome  majority  as  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Wayne  County  Circuit 
Court.  He  took  his  place  on  the  bench,  one  of  the  youngest  men  who 
had  ever  filled  that  important  position,  and  so  rapidly,  yet  so  thor- 
oughly did  he  dispose  of  the  cases  assigned  to  him,  as  to  excite  the  sur- 
prise and  gratification  of  both  the  bar  and  public.  Since  retiring  from 
the  bench  Judge  Look  has  built  up  for  himself  one  of  the  largest  law 
practices  in  Detroit,  many  of  his  clients  being  of  German  nationality. 

In  April,  1894,  he  associated  with  him  Col.  Ira  G.  Humphrey,  under 
the  style  of  Look  &  Humphrey,  attorneys  at  law  in  general  practice. 
His  ability  as  a  lawyer  and  his  integrity  of  character  have  secured  for 
Judge  Look  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  bar  and  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  is  a  member  of  several  fraternal  organizations,  including  several 
German  societies,  in  which  he  holds  a  prominent  place. 

Judge  Look  was  married  on  July  22,  1879,  to  Christina,  daughter  of 
Martin  Andretsch,  the  founder  of  the  first  pottery  in  Michigan.  They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children :  Cordelia  Look,  Florence  M.  Look,  Viola 
B.  Look.  Edwin  Eugene  Look,  and  Virginia  S.  Look. 


GEORGE  V.   N.   LOTHROP. 

Hon.  George  V.  N.  Lothrop,  son  of  Howard  Lothrop,  was  born  in 
North'  Easton,  Mass  ,  August  8,  1817.  His  early  education  was  gotten 
in  the  public  schools,  and  later,  after  a  thorough  preparatory  course, 
he  entered  Brown  University,  and  was  graduated  with  high  honors,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  During  the  same  year  he  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  Harvard  University,  where  he  enjoyed  the  advantage   of 

7  GO 


instruction  under  Joseph  Storey  and  Simon  Greenleaf,  who  held  pro- 
fessorships in  the  college  at  that  time.  Ill  health  compelled  him  to 
abandon  his  studies  for  a  time  and  he  removed  to  Michigan,  stopping 
for  a  while  with  his  brother  on  his  farm  in  Kalamazoo  county.  In  1843, 
his  health  being  restored,  he  located  in  Detroit  and  entered  the  law 
offices  of  Joy  &  Porter,  where  he  resumed  his  study  of  law. 

It  is  significant  that  he  argued  his  first  case  prior  to  his  admission  to 
the  bar.  It  was  the  celebrated  case  of  the  Michigan  State  Bank  vs. 
Hastings  and  others,  and  young  Lothrop  appeared  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State,  special  permission  having  been  granted.  It  was  an 
incident  long  to  be  remembered,  a  young  man,  not  yet  a  lawyer,  argu- 
ing before  the  most  august  court  of  Michigan.  His  brilliant  talents 
asserted  themselves ;  he  arose  to  the  occasion  and  made  a  masterly  pre- 
sentation of  the  case.  In  fact,  so  well  was  his  task  performed  that  the 
members  of  the  court  indulged  in  open  commendation,  and  saw  in  the 
effort  a  bright  promise  for  the  future,  a  promise  which  was  more  than 
realized,  for  the  young  student  who  achieved  such  success  before  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  rapidly  went  to  the  front,  until  he  won  for  himself 
a  position  in  the  foremost  rank  of  attorneys  and  was  regarded  with  the 
highest  respect  and  admiration  for  remarkable  oratorical  powers. 

In  1844  he  formed  a  partnership  with  D.  Bethune  Duffield,  which 
existed  for  twelve  years.  In  the  same  year  (1844),  he  was  appointed 
master  in  chancery  for  Wayne  county,  and  in  1848  became  attorney- 
general  for  the  State  of  Michigan  and  held  that  office  until  1851.  In 
1860  he  was  made  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Charleston,  S.  C.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  inspectors 
of  the  Detroit  House  of  Correction,  serving  for  nine  years,  and  in  1880 
was  made  commissioner  of  the  Public  Library  for  a  term  of  six  years. 
In  1885  Mr.  Lothrop  was  appointed  as  envoy  exti-aordinary  and  min- 
ister plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of  Russia,  which  position  he  most 
ably  filled  for  three  and  one-half  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
tendered  his  resignation  and  returned  home,  where  he  remained  in 
private  life  until  his  death  on  July  12,  1897. 

For  many  years  he  was  counselor  for  the  Michigan  Central  and  other 
leading  railroads  of  the  country  and  other  large  corporations.  From 
1879  to  1896  Mr.  Lothrop  was  the  president  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Asso- 
ciation and  in  the  latter  year  peremptorily  declined  renomination. 

He  was  married  at  Detroit,  May  13,  1847,  to  Almira,  daughter  of 
Gen.  Oliver  Strong  of  Rochester,  N.Y.,  and  they  had  seven  children,  four 

761 


of  whom  survive:  Henry  B., Cyrus  E.,  Annie,  the  wife  of  Baron  Barthold 
Hoyningen  Huene,  of  the  Chevalier  Guard  of  Her  Majesty,  the  Empress 
of  all  the  Russias;  and  Helen,  wife  of  Rev.  William  Prall,  D.  D.,  rec- 
tor of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church,  Detroit.  Mrs.  Lothrop  died  April 
18,  1894. 


GEN.   HENRY  B.   LOTHROP. 

Gen.  Henry  B.  Lothrop,  son  of  George  Van  Ness  Lothrop  and  Al- 
mira  (Strong)  Lothrop,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  July  8,  1855.  Mr. 
Lothrop  received  a  thorough  preparatory  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Detroit,  and  in  1873  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1877.  On  completion  of  his  education  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company  in  a  minor  ca- 
pacity, and  later  accepted  a  position  with  the  wholesale  hardware  house 
of  Buhl,  Du  Charme  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1881 
he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  situation  with  the  Griffin  Car  Wheel  Co., 
remaining  with  that  corporation  until  the  following  year,  when  he  be- 
came a  stockholder  in  the  Michigan  Carbon  Works,  as  well  as  taking  a 
position  in  the  office  of  that  company. 

On  the  appointment  of  his  father,  G.  V.  N.  Lothrop,  to  be  minister 
to  Russia,  he  resigned  his  position  with  that  concern  to  take  charge  of 
his  various  business  interests.  Since  the  death  of  his  father  he  has 
been  the  manager  of  his  estate.  Mr.  Lothrop  has  been  an  enthusiastic 
member  of  the  State  Militia,  having  been  actively  connected  with  va- 
rious organizations  for  the  past  twenty  years.  He  joined  the  Detroit 
Light  Guard  in  1875,  and  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry  in  1877.  In  the 
latter  year  he  was  elected  second  lieutenent  of  Company  D,  and  in  1888 
first  lieutenant,  and  the  same  year  elected  captain.  He  was  appointed 
inspector-general  by  Governor  Winans  in  1891  with  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier-general. On  conclusion  of  his  term  of  office  he  re- enlisted  in  Com- 
pany D,  Light  Infantry,  and  was  elected  during  that  year  captain  of 
Company  H. 

He  is  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Hargreaves  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  a  trustee  of  Elmwood  Cemetery.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Detroit  Yacht  Club,  the  Country  Club, 
the  Harmonic  Society,  the   Benevolent   and  Protective  Order  of   Elks, 

7G2 


ALEXANDER  I.  McLEOD. 


and  the   National  Guard  Association  of  Michii^an.      Politicall}'  he  is  a 
Democrat.      Mr.  Lothrop  is  unmarried. 


JOHN  McGregor. 

John  McGregor,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Buchanan)  McGregor,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  27,  1849.  Mr.  McGregor  acquired 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until 
the  age  of  fifteen,  and  at  Goldsmith's  Business  College,  which  he  left 
in  1867  to  enter  his  father's  employ.  In  1870  the  firm  of  John  McGre- 
gor &  Sons  was  formed,  John  and  his  brother  Thomas  being  taken 
into  partnership  with  their  father,  this  firm  continuing  until  the  death 
of  Mr.  McGregor,  sr. ,  in  1897.  Since  his  death  the  business  has  been 
conducted  under  the  old  name,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the 
senior  member. 

Mr.  McGregor  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican  and  has  always  been 
actively  engaged  in  furthering  his  party's  interests.  In  August,  1893, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  office  of  boiler  inspector  by  Mayor  Pingree,  a 
position  he  has  since  filled  with  marked  success,  his  administration 
having  been  so  thoroughly  satisfactory  as  to  cause  much  public  com- 
ment favorable  to  himself.  He  has  also  been  prominent  in  aquatic  cir- 
cles, having  beem  a  member  of  several  of  the  leading  boat  clubs  of 
Detroit  and  the  winner  of  several  medals.  He  is  a  member  of  Pales- 
tine Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Mr.  McGregor  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Foulds  of  Sarnia,  Ontario, 
Canada,  April  1,  1883.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children;  Grace 
C,  Jean  B.  and  John  F. 


ALEXANDER   I.    McLEOD. 

•Hon.  Alexander  I.  McLeod,  treasurer  of  Wayne  county,  i\Iich., 
was  born  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  August  2,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Janet  (Reid)  McLeod.  His  father  was  a  native  of  the  High- 
lands of  Scotland,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  worked  his  passage  to 
America  on  a  sailing  ship,  settling  in  Nova  Scotia.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  ship   carpenter  and  marine  draftsman,  which  he  followed  all 

763 


his  life,  on  land  and  sea,  making  numberless  voyages  to  all  parts  of 
the  world.  When  the  financial  crash  of  1857  came  he  was  a  prosperous 
shipbuilder  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  in  common  with  others,  lost  the 
bulk  of  his  hard  earned  accumulations.  In  1858  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Mt.  Clemens,  Wayne  county,  where  he 
plied  his  trade  of  ship  builder,  later  removing  to  Detroit,  where  he  was 
for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  ship  yard  of  Campbell  &  Owen, 
afterwards  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co. 

Alexander,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  eighteen. 
Inheriting  from  his  father  a  love  of  the  sea,  he  shipped  before  the  mast 
on  a  lake  schooner.  Later  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Advertiser  and  Tribune  as  "printer's  devil"  for  a  short 
time,  subsequently  serving  on  the  reportorial  and  editorial  staff  of  the 
paper. 

In  1873  he  was  appointed,  by  Judge  George  S.  Swift,  clerk  of  the 
Recorder's  Court,  and  retained  that  position  until  1877,  when  he  be- 
came one  of  the  incorporators  of  a  stock  company  for  the  manufacture 
of  wood  chemicals,  of  which  H.  M.  Pierce  (the  inventor)  was  made 
president,  and  upon  the  completion  of  their  plant,  he  was  made  assist- 
ant superintendent,  serving  in  that  capacity  one  year.  During  the 
following  three  years  he  was  associated  with  Capt.  A.  C.  Donnelly  of 
Cincinnati  in  the  running  of  a  line  of  steamers  on  the  Ohio  River,  but 
returned  to  Detroit  in  1882  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Evening 
News  Co.,  where  he  remained  until  1889,  being  city  editor  of  that 
paper  the  latter  four  years  of  his  service.  From  1890  to  1895  he 
served  as  private  secretary  to  Mayor  Pingree  of  Detroit. 

In  1894  Mr.  McLeod  was  elected  treasurer  of  Wayne  county  on  the 
Republican  ticket  and  re  elected  to  that  office  in  189G.  He  has  mau- 
gurated  a  system  in  the  treasurer's  office  which  is  pronounced  by  experts 
to  be  one  of  the  very  best  methods  in  use  anywhere  in  the  country. 
Mr.  McLeod  is  prominently  identified  with  the  shipping  and  telephone 
interests  of  Detroit,  being  vice-president  of  the  Progress  Transporta- 
tion Company,  a  director  in  the  Detroit  Telephone  Company  and  vice- 
president  of  the  New  State  Telephone  Company. 

He  is  an  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  a  member  of  the  Detroit,  West  End 
and  Citizens'  Yacht  Clubs,  and  is  the  possessor  of  many  beautiful  tro- 
phies which  attest  his  prowess  in  this  sport.  He  is  now  commodore  of 
the   Inter-Lake   Yachting  Association,  which  is  composed  of  the  yacht 

764 


clubs  of  Lakes  Erie  and  St.  Clair  and  the  Detroit  River.  He  is  promi- 
nent in  Masonic  circles;  a  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine;  Damascus  Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  King- Cyrus 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Oriental  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  "Michigan  Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.,  Myrtle  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  and 
the  Harmonic  and  Concordia  Singing,  Societies,  the  Fellowcraft  Club 
of  Detroit,  the  Detroit  Wheelmen,  and  various  other  social  and  political 
organizations.  During  his  service  as  treasurer  Mr.  McLeod  has  shown 
himself  a  faithful,  honest,  upright  and  painstaking  official,  and  he  is 
deservedly  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles. 

In  1876  he  married  Frances  A.,  daughter  of  John  Millington  of  New 
York  city. 


JAMES  McMillan. 

In  1834  William  and  Grace  McMillan  came  to  America  from  Scot- 
land, with  the  intention  of  settling  in  Illinois.  With  some  of  their 
friends,  however,  they  decided  to  locate  at  Hamilton,  Ontario.  There 
Mr.  McMillan  interested  himself  in  railroads  and  other  enterprises; 
and  he  became  one  of  the  influential  citizens  of  that  thriving  city.  He 
continued  to  reside  in  Hamilton  until  his  death  in  1874.  The  original 
plan  of  the  parents  to  come  to  the  United  States  was  carried  out  by 
their  sons.  The  second  son,  James,  who  was  born  May  12,  1838,  came 
to  Detroit  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  He  had  a  thorough 
grammar-school  education  and  two  years'  experience  in  a  hardware 
business;  and  he  soon  found  employment  with  the  wholesale  hardware 
firm  of  Buhl  &  Ducharme.  Then,  through  the  influence  of  his  father, 
he  was  appointed  purchasing  agent  of  the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road at  Detroit.  Upon  the  extension  of  that  line  to  Grand  Haven, 
Mich  ,  he,  then  less  than  twenty  years  of  age,  was  engaged  by  the 
contractor  as  his  confidential  man,  his  duties  being  to  look  after  his  em- 
ployer's financial  interests,  purchase  supplies  and  take  charge  of  the 
men  employed  in  the  construction  of  the  new  portion  of  the  road.  Upon 
completion  of  the  work  he  was  offered  and  declined  a  similar  situation 
on  a  road  then  building  in  Spain,  preferring  to  return  to  his  former 
position  of  purchasing  agent  of  the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  Railway. 

In  1864  he,  with  others,  organized  the  Michigan  Car  Company.      Sub- 

765 


sequently  he  purchased  the  car  works  at  St.  Louis,  Mo,,  and  later  estab- 
lished companies  at  Cambridge,  Ind.,  and  London,  Ont.  His  brother 
William  took  charge  of  the  St.  Louis  works  and  later  purchased  them, 
becoming  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  that  city.  Several  years 
ago  the  Michigan  Car  Company  and  the  Peninsular  Car  Company  were 
consolidated,  and  now  form  the  largest  car  works  in  the  world,  with  a 
daily  capacity  of  100  freight  cars.  Mr.  McMillan  also  became  interested 
in  lake  transportation,  both  freight  and  passenger;  and  in  shipbuilding. 
Largely  through  his  endeavors,  the  Duluth,  South  Shore  and  Atlantic 
Railroad  was  built  to  connect  the  upper  and  lower  peninsulas  of  Michi- 
gan. 

Increase  in  worldly  goods  brought  increased  gifts  to  charitable  and 
educational  objects.  In  connection  with  his  business  partner,  Hon. 
John  S.  Newberry,  he  established  Grace  Hospital  in  Detroit.  To  the 
University  of  Michigan  he  gave  one  of  the  most  complete  Shaksperian 
libraries  in  the  United  States,  and  also  McMillan  Hall.  To  the  Agri- 
cultural College  of  Michigan  he  gave  the  Teper  collection  of  insects; 
to  the  Mary  Allen  Seminary  of  Crockett,  Texas,  a  school  for  the  edu- 
cation of  colored  girls,  he  gave  the  $16,000  needed  to  complete  the 
endowment.  To  Albion  College  he  gave  the  McMillan  Chemical  Lab- 
oratory. 

At  the  death  of  Zachariah  Chandler,  Mr.  McMillan  became  chairman 
of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committe,  and  since  that  day  he  has 
been  one  of  the  recognized  political  leaders  in  Michigan.  In  1889  he 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  to  succeed  Hon.  Thomas  W. 
Palmer,  having  received  the  unanimous  caucus  nomination.  Six  years 
later  he  was  re  elected  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Legislature.  In 
the  Senate  he  is  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia, the  chairman  of  the  Joint  Select  Committee  on  the  Charities  of  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  the  chairman  of  the  Republican  caucus  com- 
mittee on  the  Committee  of  the  Senate.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Commerce  and  on  Naval  Affairs. 

In  1860  he  married  Miss  Wetmore,  of  Detroit;  they  have  four  sons 
and  one  daughter.  The  sons  all  graduated  at  Yale;  two  are  actively 
engaged  in  business  in  Detroit;  one  is  a  lawyer  in  Detroit  and  was  re- 
cently appointed  a  captain  in  the  volunteer  army;  and  the  other  is  a 
member  of  the  New  York  bar. 


766 


WILLIAM  c.  McMillan. 

William  C.  McMillan,  son  of  James  and  Mary  L.  (Wetmore)  McMillan 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  1,  1861.  After  a  thorough  preparatory 
education  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  he  entered  (in 
1880)  Yale  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1884  with  the 
degree  of  B.  A.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  education  he  returned  to 
Detroit,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Car  Company  in 
a  subordinate  position.  On  conclusion  of  three  years'  service,  in  which 
he  showed  marked  executive  ability,  he  was  appointed  general  manager 
of  the  compan3\  His  executive  and  managerial  ability  while  in  this 
responsible  position  came  to  be  keenly  appreciated  and  he  exhibited 
business  qualifications  which  won  admiring  recognition.  In  1892  he 
was  instrumental  in  effecting  the  consolidation  of  the  Michigan  and 
Peninsular  Car  Companies  and  was  elected  one  of  the  two  managing 
directors  of  the  new  company. 

Previous  to  his  attaining  the  age  of  thirty,  he  was  offered  a  director- 
ship in  one  of  the  largest  trust  companies  of  New  York;  a  compliment 
very  few  young  men  in  America  have  ever  been  given.  The  same 
year  he  was  offered  the  presidency  of  one  of  Detroit's  national  banks, 
the  directors  attempting  for  several  days  to  persuade  him  to  reconsider 
his  refusal.  A  partial  list  of  the  various  offices  he  holds  in  connection 
with  the  financial  and  manufacturing  interests  of  Detroit  is  an  index  of 
his  versatility,  as  well  as  of  the  business  burdens  he  carries.  He  is  first 
vice  president  of  the  LTnion  Trust  Co.,  a  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  the  State  Savings  Bank,  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co.,  the  Detroit 
Gas  Co.,  is  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Steam  Navigation 
Co.,  and  a  director  in  other  corporations  chiefly  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing, and  in  which  he  and  his  father  hold  large  interests. 

Mr.  McMillan  is  a  member  of  the  Union  Club,  the  LTniversity  Club, 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  and  the  Down  Town  Club,  all  of  New  York 
city;  of  the  Algonquin  Club  of  Boston,  Mass. ;  of  the  Detroit  Club  and 
the  Yondotega  Club  of  Detroit. 

767 


He  was  married,  July  15,  1884,  to  Miss  Louise  Thayer,  daughter  of 
Frank  N.  Thayer  of  Boston,  Mass.  They  have  two  children:  Thayer 
Mc:\Iillan  and  Doris  McMillan. 


ALEXANDER    McVITTIE. 

Alexander  ]\IcVittie,  vice-president  and  manager  of  the  Detroit 
Dry  Dock  Company,  was  born  in  Duntocher,  Scotland,  May  16,  1842, 
and  is  a  son  of  Walter  and  Mary  (Taylor)  McVittie.  During  his  infancy 
he  removed  with  his  parents  .to  Glasgow,  and  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  city  he  received  his  early  education.  In  1852  the  family  emigrated 
to  America,  settling  at  London,  Ontario,  Canada.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen Mr.  McVittie  began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  general 
merchandising  store,  serving  in  that  capacity  several  years.  He  then 
took  up  the  trade  of  mechanic,  and  in  1867  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
where  he  entered  the  employ  of  Campbell,  Owen  &  Co.,  ship  builders, 
as  bookkeeper.  He  remained  in  that  position  until  the  organization  of 
the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Company  in  1872,  this  company  succeeding  to 
the  business  of  the  former  firm,  and  he  was  made  secretary  and  man- 
ager. In  1890  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  company,  and  is  at 
present  acting  in  that  capacity  as  well  as  manager. 

Aside  from  his  interest  in  the  above  corporation,  he  is  vice-president 
and  manager  of  the  Dry  Dock  Engine  Works,  and  is  also  an  officer  of 
several  transportation  companies.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Peninsular 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  McVittie  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1864,  to  Irene  C, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Collier,  of  Bolivar,  Ohio,  who  died  in  BothwelU 
Ont.,  in  1867.  In  1872  he  married  as  his  second  wife,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Alexander  McLeod  of  Detroit.  Mr.  McVittie  has  eight 
children:  Nellie,  wife  of  Kenneth  Anderson  of  Detroit;  Jessie,  Agnes, 
Walter  S.,  Isabel,  Archibald  J.,  Ruth  and  Alice. 

His  long  service  as  manager  of  one  of  Detroit's  largest  industrial 
establishments,  the  success  of  which  is  in  a  great  measure  due  to  his 
untiring  energy  and  pronounced  executive  ability,  has  prominently 
identified  him  with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  shipping  in- 
terests of  the  city,   and  his  personality  is  such  that  he  is  esteemed  by 

768 


FERDINAND    W.  MARSCHNER. 


all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Mr.  McVittie  is  a  member  of  the 
Cass  Avenue  M.  E.  church,  of  which  his  family  are  regular  attendants. 
Politically  he  is  a  Prohibitionist. 


FERDINAND  W.  MARSCHNER. 

Ferdinand  W.  Marschner,  registrar  of  deeds  of  Wayne  county,  and 
a  son  of  Ferdinand  and  Amelia  (Keitzmann)  Marschner,  was  born  in 
Brandenburg,  Germany,  June  18,  1857.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  America,  settling  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
which  has  since  been  his  place  of  residence.  Mr.  Marschner  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  upon  completion  of 
which  he  learned  the  trade  of  wood  carver,  a  calling  he  followed  until 
his  appointment,  in  1886,  as  weighmaster  for  the  Eastern  district  of 
Detroit.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  a  deputy  sheriff  of  Wayne  county, 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  1891,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  col- 
lector of  customs,  port  of  Detroit,  retaining  that  position  until  1894, 
being  in  charge  of  the  outside  force  during  the  latter  two  years  of  his 
service. 

Mr.  Marschner  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  campaigns  and  is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  the 
city.  In  1895  he  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  ofitice  of  registrar  of 
deeds  of  Wayne  county  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  re-elected  for  a 
like  term  in  1897.  The  administration  of  affairs  by  Mr.  Marschner 
since  he  became  an  incumbent  of  this  office  has  been  stamped  with 
public  approval,  and  his  re-election  is  a  well  deserved  tribute  to  his 
value  as  an  official.  He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  mem- 
ber of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory ;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  and  Schiller  Lodge  No.  263,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  an 
enthusiastic  Turner,  a  member  of  the  Harmonic  and  Concordia  Singing 
Societies,  and  is  president  of  the  latter;  a  member  of  Olive  Branch, 
I.  O.  O.  F. ;  Detroit  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  and  Olympia  Lodge, 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  Detroit. 

In  1882  he  married  Miss  Charlotte  Barrs,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr. 
Barrs,  and  they  have  three  children:  Ferdinand  W.,  jr.,  George  L. 
and  Charlotte. 


769 


WALES  C.   MARTINDALE. 

Wales  C.  Martindale,  son  of  George  G,  and  Clarissa  (Howard) 
Martindale,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  July  15,  1862.  Mr.  Martin- 
dale  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  was 
graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1882.  Subsequent  to  his  gradua- 
tion he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  schools  at  Delray,  where  he 
remained  until  1885,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  was  made  princi- 
pal of  the  Clinton  School.  Mr.  Martindale  served  as  principal  of  the 
Clinton,  Williams  and  Eastern  High  Schools,  covering  a  period  of  some 
twelve  years.  In  July,  1897,  in  recognition  of  his  great  executive 
ability  and  sterling  worth  as  an  instructor,  he  was  appointed  to  his 
present  office,  that  of  superintendent  of  public  schools.  Mr.  Martin- 
dale was  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed,  in  1896,  to  report 
changes  in  the  course  of  study,  and  was  instrumental  in  readjusting 
the  work  relative  to  special  studies. 

Superintendent  Martindale,  though  probably  the  youngest  man  in 
the  United  States  holding  a  like  position  in  any  city  rating  with  Detroit 
in  point  of  population,  holds  a  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  great 
army  of  practical  educators  of  America.  To  his  efforts  many  of  the 
most  meritorious  reforms  in  the  educational  system  in  use  in  Detroit 
are  due.  In  the  deliberations  of  school  superintendents  and  principals 
his  counsel  is  a  potent  factor.  He  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Com- 
mandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar,  and  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine. 

Superin^ndent  Martindale  was  married,  in  1887,  to  Clara  Henderson 
of  Greenfield,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children :  Frederick 
C,  Wales  G  ,  Clarissa  L.  and  Edwina. 


AUGUST  MARXHAUSEN. 

It  is  not  very  often  a  man  lives  to  spend  fifty  years  at  the  printing 
and  newspaper  business.  Mr.  August  Marxhausen,  publisher  of  the 
Abend  Post,  had  this  rare  pleasure  on  May  5,  1897.  It  was  fifty  years 
on  that  day  since  Mr.  Marxhausen  was  apprentied  to  the  printing  busi- 
ness He  was  born  April  2,  1833,  in  Cassel,  Germany.  His  father 
died  early,  leaving  a  widow  with  a  large  family  of  children.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  was  confirmed,  and  being  able  to  present  such  cer- 
tificates and  diplomas  he  had  no  trouble  in  getting  a  position  with  the 
Allgemeine  Casseler  Zeitung.      In  those  days  trades  and  professions 

770 


were  organized  after  the  medieval  fashion,  and  Mr.  Marxhausen  was 
obliged  to  go  through  elaborate  ceremonies  and  pass  a  severe  examina- 
tion, after  which  he  was  solemly  declared  "  knight  of  the  black  art." 
His  first  work  was  proofreading,  his  mother  being  obliged  to  pay  $225 
annually  as  a  premium.  He  remained  with  the  paper  four  years,  ob- 
taining a  practical  training  in  all  branches. 

In  1851  he  followed  his  elder  brother  to  New  York,  where  they  es- 
tablished the  New  York  Handels  Zeitung,  a  still  prosperous  weekly. 
A  year  later  they  were  induced  to  come  to  Detroit,  at  the  solicitation 
of  a  prominent  physician,  who  advertised  for  practical  newspaper  men 
to  establish  a  German  paper  in  that  city,  the  Michigan  Democrat  being 
started.  The  two  brothers  did  not  like  the  policy  of  the  paper,  which 
was  in  favor  of  slavery,  and  when  the  Abolition  party  was  founded  they 
established  the  Michigan  Journal,  the  first  German  daily  in  the  State. 
It  was  strictly  Republican  and  anti-slavery. 

In  1866  the  two  brothers  separated  and  August  Marxhausen  estab- 
lished the  Abend  Post.  Detroit  had  a  population  of  15,000  Germans  at 
that  time,  and  the  struggles  of  this  journalistic  newcomer  form  an  in- 
teresting part  in  his  history.  In  speaking  of  this  the  gentleman  said  : 
"I  have  worked  hard  and  toiled  early  and  late  to  make  the  paper  a 
success;  I  have  traveled  all  over  the  State,  walking  from  one  town  to 
another  in  search  of  subscribers  and  business."  To-day  the  Abend 
Post  is  the  leading  German  daily  in  the  State.  The  paper  owns  a 
handsome  building,  has  all  modern  improvements,  including  typeset- 
ting machines  and  an  electric  light  plant  of  its  own. 

Personally  Mr.  Marxhausen  is  modest  and  retiring,  devoting  all  his 
time  to  business.  He  has  kept  aloof  from  politics,  excepting  that  of 
serving  as  a  member  the  Park  Commission.  He  attends  strictly  to 
business,  but  has  taken  a  most  active  part  in  all  the  happenings  of  Ger- 
man life  in  this  city,  and  is  at  present  president  of  the  most  prominent 
German  society  of  this  city. 

The  employees  and  friends  of  Mr.  Marxhausen  did  not  let  this  anni- 
versary pass  by  without  a  proper  celebration.  On  this  day,  after  the 
paper  was  sent  out  a  little  earlier,  the  gentleman  gathered  all  his  em- 
ployees about  him  and  gave  them  a  luncheon,  at  which  also  represen- 
tatives of  all  the  papers  were  present.  Not  a  happier  man  was  found 
on  this  day  when  he  was  mingling  with  those  who  had  toiled  with  him 
the  past  half  century  to  make  the  paper  a  success,  and  many  were  the 
reminiscences  he  related  of  the  days  gone  by,  when  there  was  not  the 
power  press  of  to-day,  nor  typesetting  machines,  and  when  it  was  a 

7n 


harder  task  to  issue  a  paper  than  at  present.  Mr.  Marxhausen  is  known 
as  a  kind  and  considerate  employer,  and  he  has  with  him  employees 
who  have  with  him  become  old  men.  It  has  often  been  remarked  in 
this  city  that  were  there  more  such  kind-hearted  employers  there  would 
never  be  any  occasion  for  trouble  between  employer  and  employee. 
The  esteem  the  gentleman  is  held  in  as  a  citizen  was  also  manifested 
when  a  complimentary  reception  was  tendered  him  by  several  hundred 
of  our  citizens. 


WILLIAM  C.   MAYBURY. 

Hon.  William  C.  Mayrury,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Cot- 
ter) Maybury.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools 
and  later  in  the  High  School  of  Detroit,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1866.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  upon  graduation  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  same  institution,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors  in 
1871.  In  1880  the  degree  of  A.  M.  v/as  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  in  1871  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the 
same  source.  Following  his  graduation,  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  at 
once  entered  the  law  offices  of  the  Hon.  G.  V.  N.  Lothrop,  "  Detroit's 
Grand  Old  Man."  After  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Maybury 
formed  a  partnership  with  Col.  E.  F.  Conely,  this  association  being  dis. 
solved  in  1882.  Later  he,  with  John  D.  Conely  and  Alfred  Lucking, 
formed  the  firm  of  Conely,  Maybury  &  Lucking.  Upon  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.  Conely  in  1 892,  the  style  of  the  firm  became  Maybury  & 
Lucking. 

He  served  as  city  attorney  from  1875  to  1880 ;  and  represented  the 
First  Congressional  district  in  the  Forty- eighth  and  Forty-ninth  Con- 
gresses. While  serving  as  a  member  of  that  body,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means. 
The  site  for  the  new  Post  Office  building  was  purchased  and  work  on  the 
same  begun  while  he  was  serving  in  this  capacity,  and  the  passage  of 
the  bill  by  Congress  allowing  the  building  of  the  Belle  Isle  Bridge 
(which  was  drawn  by  Mr.  Maybury)  was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  his 
earnest  efforts  in  its  behalf. 

Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  returned  to  Detroit  and 
resumed  the  practice  of  law.  Upon  the  election  of  Hazen  S.  Pingree 
to  the  office  of  governor,  Mr.  Maybury  was  elected  on  April  10,  1897, 

772 


DAVID    PORTER   MAYHEW. 


to  fill  his  unexpired  term  as  mayor  of  Detroit,  and  re-elected  on  No- 
vember 5,  1897,  for  the  full  term  of  two  years.  Mr.  Maybury  is  a  most 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  every 
grade  in  the  order,  and  has  been  honored  with  the  thirty-third  degree, 
and  is  at  present  commander-in  chief  of  the  Scottish  Rite  Bodies  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  Michigan.  He  is  also  an  active  chiirch  worker,  and  is 
senior  warden  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  church  and  a  director  in  St 
Andrew's  Brotherhood.      Mr.  Maybury  has  never  married. 


DAVID  P.  MAYHEW. 

David  Porter  Mayhkw  (deceased),  late  of  Detroit,  was  born  March 
7,  1817,  at  Spencertown,  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  and  died  May  28, 
1887,  after  a  well-spent  life,  and  one  whose  influence  no  man  can  esti- 
mate. About  1630  Thomas  Mayhew  emigrated  from  England  to  Amer- 
ica, and  in  1641,  bearing  a  king's  patent  to  the  islands  on  the  coast,  set- 
tled on  Martha's  Vineyard.  His  ideas  were  liberal,  and  he  decided  to 
live  amicably  with  the  Indians,  whom  he  hoped  to  christianize.  His 
son  was  returned  to  the  mother  country  for  education,  and  while  en 
route  home  was  lost  at  sea,  and  as  he  was  expected  to  preach  to  the  In- 
dians, his  father  took  up  the  work  himself,  and  until  his  ninetieth  year 
was  found  preaching  to  them  with  a  force  and  enthusiasm  rarely  found 
in  those  of  younger  years. 

Preachers  and  teachers  have  been  abundant  in  the  Mayhew  family 
ever  since,  not  the  least  illustrious  being  he  whose  career  we  are  treat- 
ing. He  was  prepared  for,  college  by  him  for  whom  he  was  named, 
the  venerable  David  Porter,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  and  in  1837  was  graduated 
from  Union  College.  The  academy  was  then  the  leading  educational 
institution  of  New  York,  and  the  one  at  Lowville  had  a  reputation 
second  to  none.  He  remained  nearly  fifteen  years  as  its  principal, 
meantime  reading  law,  thinking  that  it  would  be  his  chosen  profession. 
Removing  to  Ohio,  he  was  one  year  in  the  Cleveland  school  and  one 
year  was  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  at  Columbus. 

Apropos  of  his  inclination  to  the  law,  he  visited,  at  the  invitation  of 
a  legal  friend,  a  court  where  a  case  was  to  be  conducted  by  this  friend. 
It  was  found  that  the  defendant  had  no  counsel,  so  his  friend  asked  the 
judge  to  request  young  Mayhew  to  conduct  the  defense.  He  entered 
into  the  case  and  succeeded  in  securing  a  verdict  for  his  client,  though 
he  felt  that  he  was  guilty.      Realizing  that  the  lawyer  could  not  always 

773 


in  justice  to  his  client  plead  on  the  side  of  right,  and  with  strong  de- 
termination never  to  plead  the  cause  of  what  he  knew  was  wrong,  he 
left  the  profession  forever  and  devoted  himself  to  teaching,  for  here  he 
was  not  hampered  by  narrow  lines,  but  the  truth  was  ever  open. 

In  1850  he  came  to  Ypsilanti  in  charge  of  the  Model  School.  His 
work  for  the  ensuing  fifteen  years  was  in  the  Normal  School  as  pro- 
fessor and  principal,  his  engagement  there  ending  in  January,  1871. 
From  that  time  his  home  was  in  Detroit.  Here  he  was  a  tireless 
worker.  He  delighted  to  spend  his  time  experimenting  in  the  labora- 
tory. He  always  came  before  his  classes  fully  prepared.  His  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject,  his  enthusiasm,  and  his  affectionate  regard  for  his 
pupils,  always  secured  the  closest  attention.  But  in  the  memories  of 
those  who  were  his  pupils  and  associates,  nothing  remains  brighter 
than  his  cheerful  and  hopeful  disposition.  He  was  always  the  same. 
He  could  make  no  one  his  enemy;  he  made  every  one  his  friend.  New 
students,  appearing  lonely  or  discouraged,  became  the  objects  of  his 
thoughtful  care.  He  loved  children,  and  understood  and  sympathized 
with  child  nature.  The  children  of  the  practice  school  always  greeted 
his  entrance  with  demonstrations  of  pleasure,  for  the}'  knew  that  with 
him  came  mirth  and  jollity.  In  society  he  was  a  leading  spirit.  Gifted 
with  fluent  speech,  and  always  ready  with  entertaining  thoughts,  he 
talked  and  others  listened.  He  spoke  without  self-assertion,  because, 
in  that  respect  at  least,  his  was  the  master  mind.  Sitting  in  company, 
with  his  head  thrown  back,  eyes  turned  upward,  the  fingers  of  his  right 
hand  habitually  twirling  his  hair,  he  delighted  the  company  with  his 
discourse. 

At  about  the  time  when  he  left  the  Normal  be  began  an  educa- 
tional work  which,  considering  its  novelty  and  originality,  was  perhaps 
the  most  important,  certainly  the  most  interesting,  of  his  life.  When 
vigorous  effort  began  for  the  education  of  criminals  confined  in  the  Re- 
formatory at  Detroit,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  teaching  them  the  prin- 
ciples of  psychology  as  the  best  educating  agency.  He  held  that,  in 
general,  this  study  should  be  introduced  into  primary  classes,  and  not 
left  until  near  the  completion  of  an  educational  course.  His  success 
in  elevating  morally  the  heterogeneous  class  of  criminals  that  is  gath- 
ered into  the  Detroit  House  of  Correction,  is  best  told  in  the  words  of 
Superintendent  Brockway,  now  of  the  New  York  State  Reformatory, 
formerly  of  the  Detroit  institution : 

"The  remarkable  success  of  Prof.  Mayhew's  efforts  was  apparent  in  the  records 
and  also  in  the  remarkable  interest  the  whole  crowd  of  prisoners  had  in  the  lectures 

774 


themselves.  The  opening  lecture  of  that  course  of  twenty-four  or  more  is  now,  after 
these  many  years,  vivid  in  memory.  I  was  somewhat  solicitous  about  the  experi- 
ment, so  unique,  of  teaching  persons  of  all  ages,  without  culture  or  very  much  edu- 
cation, the  high  topic  Prof.  Mayhew  was  to  take  up;  but  all  anxiety  was  gone  the 
moment  Prof.  Mayhew,  in  his  characteristic  way,  stepped  forward  to  the  front  of 
the  platform  and  after  a  moment  of  meditation,  with  closed  eyes  said:  '  What  do  I 
do  when  I  think?'  The  interest  of  the  audience  was  aroused,  and  in  his  conduct  of 
the  inquiry  for  the  hour  and  a  quarter,  the  interest  was  sustained  and  increased  to 
the  finish.  One  stormy  night  when  the  train  from  Ypsilanti  had  been  delayed  so 
that  we  had  given  up  the  idea  of  having  a  lecture  at  all,  and  the  men  had  most  of 
them  retired,  through  the  driving  snow  the  professor.drove  up  at  9  o'clock.  So  much 
confidence  had  I  in  the  interest  of  the  prisoners  in  the  lectures  that  we  aroused  them 
all,  and  after  9  o'clock  assembled  them  in  the  lecture  hall  or  chapel.  When  Prof. 
Mayhew,  in  company  with  myself,  went  upon  the  platform  he  was  received  with  a 
round  of  applause,  the  heartiness  of  which  showed  that  the  prisoners  were  glad  to 
be  aroused  and  gathered  to  hear  him,  even  at  that  unusual  hour.  Years  after  this 
Detroit  experiment,  when  I  came  to  Elmira,  I  summoned  Prof.  Mayhew,  who,  with 
the  same  intei-est  and  good  success,  delivered  two  courses  of  lectures  on  the  same 
general  topic  to  the  inmates  of  this  reformatory.  Prof.  Mayhew  was  genuine ;  his 
love  for  the  low  down  was  inspired  from  above;  he  was  a  scientific  and  skillful 
teacher,  a  born  teacher,  a  trained  teacher.  He  had  a  conscious  existence  in  a  higher 
and  better  environment  than  surrounds  ordinary  men  in  this  common  life.  His 
genuineness,  his  skill,  his  resources  of  spiritual  powers  constitute  him,  in  my  judg- 
ment, the  most  remarkable  teacher  I  ever  met,  and  my  acquaintance  with  him  has 
inspired  a  fervent  affection  ever  to  be  treasured  in  my  memory." 

In  character  he  was  gentle,  yet  strong.  He  was  honest  in  the  truest 
sense  of  the  word.  He  was  unassuming  and  seldom  spoke  of  himself. 
He  was  a  teacher  who  loved  his  work,  and  in  that  love  found  inspira- 
tion. His  attachment  to  his  pupils  remained  undiminished  to  the  end, 
and  in  accordance  with  his  dying  request,  his  pall  bearers  were  selected 
from  them.  The  esteem  of  his  most  intimate  friends  may  be  expressed 
in  the  words  of  one  who  writes:  "  His  character  makes  me  think  of  the 
beatitude,  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God."  Few 
men  can  be  like  him;  all  may  emulate  him. 

He  was  a  delightful  after  dinner  speaker,  always  extempore,  but  so 
widely  read  that  he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  something  entertaining  to 
his  auditors.  His  was  a  personality  seldom  met;  he  had  faith  in 
human  nature  and  lived  to  bring  out  the  better  things  he  knew  men 
were  capable  of.  His  was  a  world-wide  philosophy,  full  of  that  opti- 
mism that  could  see  a  world  growing  better.  He  taught  not  only  that 
there  is  light  but  how  to  reach  it. 

Mr.  Mayhew  was  married  twice;  first,  in  184G,  to  Sarah  Collins  of 
Watertown,  N.  Y.,  who  died  the  same  year.  In  1SG3  he  married  as 
his  second   wife,    Florence,    daughter  of    :\Ielchiah    Brindel    of    West 

775 


Springfield,  Pa.,  and  niece  of  Eber  B.  and  "Aunt"  Emily  Ward  of 
Detroit.  His  widow  and  two  children  survive  him:  David  Porter 
Mayhew,  M.  D.,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  both  in 
the  literary  and  medical  departments,  which  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Ph.  M.  and  M.  D.,  at  present  a  practicing  physician  of  De- 
troit; and  Emily  Ward,  wife  of  Frederick  C.  Sutter  of  Pittsburg,  Pa. 


JOHN    D.    MEHAN. 

John  D.  Mehan,  was  born  in  the  township  of  Conway,  Livingston 
county,  Mich.,  on  the  1st  day  of  March,  1847,  where  he  received  his 
elementary  education,  in  the  district  schools.  Naturally  of  an  am- 
bitious temperament  he  soon  outgrew  the  limitations  of  a  country 
home  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  J.  H.  Whittemore  who  conducted  an  extensive  music  business 
at  179  Jefferson  avenue  In  1869  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  musical  instruments,  embracing  at  the  same  time  every 
possible  opportunity  to  cultivate  his  voice.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he  left 
Chicago  and  went  to  London,  Eng.,  where  he  studied  under  C.  H. 
Deacon  of  the  Royal  Academy  and  Robert  Mason  of  the  Queen's 
Chapel,  remaining  there  a  few  years,  devoting  himself  to  voice  culture 
and  laying  the  foundation  of  his  peculiarly  special  knowledge  of  the 
principles  that  underlie  the  culture  and  development  of  the  voice.  He 
afterwards  returned  to  America  and  settled  in  Philadelphia  where  he 
was  engaged  in  church  and  concert  singing  and  teaching.  After  an- 
other trip  to  Europe  in  1884  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  Detroit  School  of  Music.  In  1887  he  established  .the 
Mehan  School  of  vocal  art  of  which  he  is  a  director.  Mr.  Mehan  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  his  profession  and  maintains  a  place 
among  the  leading  vocal  instructors  in  the  United  States.  Among  his 
students  are  and  for  years  have  been  many  persons  who  have  studied 
in  Europe  with  some  of  the  most  celebrated  teachers.  These  singers 
unite  in  the  broad  statement  that  Mr.  Mehan's  methods  of  instruction 
embrace  about  all  that  is  good  in  the  methods  of  the  others.  Through 
constant  persistence  in  following  out  his  special  theory  of  voice  culture, 
the  result  of  many  years  of  practical  and  scientific  observation,  Mr. 
Mehan  has  placed  himself  in  the  front  rank  of  vocal  instructors  in  the 
United  States,  combining  as  he  does  in  his  method  the  best  essentials 
of  the  theories  of  the  various  masters  under  whom  he  has  studied,  with 

776 


JOHN    D.  MEHAN, 


ALFRED  E.  MEIGS. 


the  practical  application  of  the  same  in  such  a  way  that  the  essential 
spirit  or  soul  tone  of  the  voice  is  brought  forth  and  cultivated  to  an  ex- 
tent not  dreamed  of  under  other  conditions.  It  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe in  detail  the  theory  under  which  Mr.  Mehan  so  successfully 
brings  out  all  the  latent  possibilities  of  his  pupils,  as  his  strong  person- 
ality so  predominates  each  lesson  that  it  becomes  in  part  an  interesting 
psychological  experiment — his  bringing  out  the  various  emotional 
tone  colors  and  so  causing  the  pupil  to  develop  his  natural  voice  instead 
of  an  acquired  voice,  that  is  too  often  brought  out  and  cultivated  under 
other  conditions  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  singer.  This  result  is 
largely  attained  through  an  original  system  that  has  its  foundation  in 
the  modification  of  vowel  sounds,  by  which  Mr.  Mehan  is  able  to  con- 
trol all  desirable  muscular  action  in  proportion  to  the  acceptability  of 
the  pupil  to  discriminate  in  the  matter  of  tone  color.  W.  S.  B. 
Mathews,  the  famous  musical  critic,  in  an  article  entitled  "An  Ameri- 
can Master  of  Singing,"  says  of  Mr.  Mehan  :  "  With  Mr.  Mehan  the 
first  essential  of  a  singer  is  tone ;  a  tone  musical,  soft,  penetrating, 
capable  of  being  thrown  out  with  the  ringing  timbre  which  great 
artists  use  in  moments  of  greatest  climax,  yet  essentially  an  easy  tone 
for  the  singer  to  produce.  Moreover  every  singer  has  a  natural  quality 
of  voice  which,  if  secured,  will  be  more  easy  for  the  singer  and  more 
effective  for  the  hearer."  Mr.  Mehan,  although  a  member  of  several 
clubs,  rarely  spends  an  evening  outside  of  his  own  home.  He  is  fond 
of  entertaining  friends  whether  professional  or  plain  law  abiding  citi- 
zens, but  much  dislikes  the  extreme  formalities.  Being  a  very  busy 
man  he  has  little  time  for  recreation,  but  such  time  as  he  does  find  for 
pleasure  is  given  to  driving.  He  is  a  great  lover  of  horses  and  dogs 
and  his  horses  are  among  the  best  to  be  found  in  the  city. 


ALFRED  E.   MEIGS. 

Alfred  E.  Meigs,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Bowler)  Meigs, 
was  born  in  South  China,  Maine,  April  21,  1847.  At  an  early  age  Mr. 
Meigs  was  placed  in  Fairfield's  Select  School  at  Dirigo,  Me.,  an  insti- 
tution with  a  limited  attendance  and  no  special  classes  and  the  only  one 
of  its  kind  ever  established.  In  1861  he  entered  a  Quaker  seminary  at 
Vassalboro,  Me.,  remaining  there  until  1866,  when  he  entered  the 
classical  department  of  Colby  University   at  Waterville,  Me.,  and  was 

777 


graduated  with  honor  and  the  degrees  of  A.  B.,  and  A.  M.  in  1870. 
On  completion  of  his  education  he  removed  to  the  West,  and  for  the 
two  succeeding  years  was  engaged  in  herding  cattle  on  the  plains  of 
Missouri  and  Indian  Territory,  becoming  a  typical  cow  boy. 

In  1872  he  returned  to  the  East  and  accepted  a  reportorial  position  on 
the  Daily  Whig  and  Courier  of  Bangor,  Me.  In  1880  Mr.  Meigs  re- 
moved to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  was  managing  editor  of  the  Palla- 
dium three  years.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  and  for  one 
year  was  managing  editor  of  the  Omaha  Bee.  In  1884  the  Western 
Newspaper  Union,  recognizing  Mr.  Meigs's  newspaper  ability,  secured 
his  services.  He  established  the  Lincoln,  Neb.  branch  for  the  union 
prior  to  his  removal  to  Detroit  in  November,  1884,  where  he  has  since 
remained  in  the  employ  of  the  Western  Newspaper  Union  as  branch 
manager.  Mr.  Meigs  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  was  honored  with  the  thirty-third  degree.  He  is  first  lieutenant 
commander  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  a  Knight  Templar;  a 
member  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine,  and  of  the  Royal  Order  of 
Scotland. 

Mr.  Meigs  was  married,  June  6,  1880,  to  Ellen  R.  Moore  of  Lisbon, 
Me.     They  are  the  parents  of  two  children :   Hilda  and  Moore. 


MERRILL  I.   MILLS. 

Hon.  Merrill  Isaac  Mills,  son  of  Isaac  and  Asenath  (Merrill) 
Mills,  was  born  in  Canton,  Hartford  county,  Conn.,  November  4,  1819. 
Isaac  Mills  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Canton,  where  he  was  for  many 
years  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  that 
section  of  his  State,  and  was  a  leading  business  man  of  his  town.  His 
death  occurred  on  the  9th  of  December,  1861,  and  that  of  his  wife  on 
the  22d  of  June,  1871.  The  parents  of  Isaac  Mills  were  also  natives  of 
Canton. 

Merrill  I.  Mills  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  later  attended,  for  a  time,  the  Connecticut  Literary  Institute,  at 
Suffield,  where  he  prepared  to  enter  Yale  College.  Deciding  that  his 
tastes  were  more  in  accord  with  a  business  career,  he,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder. 
After  five  years  spent  in  this  line  he  was  sent  as  the  representative  of 
his  father,    and   assumed   charge   of  a   mercantile    house   in    southern 

778 


Alabama,  in  which  his  father  was  interested.  Two  years  later,  owinjj;- 
to  the  failing  health  of  his  father,  he  returned  to  Canton,  where,  until 
1845,  he  was  engaged  in  the  management  of  his  father's  various  inter- 
ests. Desiring  to  engage  in  a  more  expansive  field,  late  in  the  fall  of 
1845  he  removed  to  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  at  that  time  enjoying  a  prosper- 
ous growth,  owing  to  the  recent  opening  of  the  Wabash  Canal. 

Previous  to  .starting  for  the  West,  he  had  forwarded  a  stock  of 
merchandise;  the  early  closing  of  navigation  that  fall  caused  his  goods 
to  be  detained  at  Detroit,  necessitating  his  going  to  that  point.  His 
keen  business  instinct  caused  him  to  see  the  great  natural  advantages 
possessed  by  that  city  as  a  coming  distributing  center,  and  he  decided 
to  locate  there,  where  he  opened  a  store,  dealing  in  general  merchan- 
dise. His  operations  soon  extended  over  a  large  territory,  and  in 
certain  sections  he  found  it  of  great  advantage  to  exchange  merchandise 
for  furs.  Eventually  his  business  in  this  line  assumed  large  propor- 
tions, and  he  became  a  shipper  of  furs  to  European  markets.  In  1801 
he  organized  the  firm  of  Nelvin  &  Mills,  for  the  manufacture  of 
tobacco.  Some  eleven  years  previous  he  had  commenced  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars,  and  had  succeeded  in  building  up  an  extensive  trade 
throughout  the  West.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Nelvin  in  1878,  an  inter- 
est in  the  business  was  purchased  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Tefft,  and  the  business 
was  reorganized  and  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Banner 
Tobacco  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Mills  was  made  president  and 
manager.  His  establishing  of  the  cigar  and  tobacco  manufacturing 
industry  in  Detroit,  his  factory  being  one  of  the  first,  undoubtedly  led 
others  to  invest  in  the  same  line,  and  to-day  Detroit  ranks  among  the 
leading  cities  of  the  United  States  in  the  manufacture  of  both  cigars 
and  tobacco. 

In  1864  he,  with  William  H.  Tefft  and  Jeremiah  Dwyer,  organized 
the  Detroit  Stove  Company,  and  in  1872,  with  the  late  Charles 
Ducharme  and  Jeremiah  Dwyer,  organized  and  incorporated  the 
Michigan  Stove  Company,  which  is  to-day  the  most  extensive  manu- 
facturer of  stoves  in  the  world.  Mr.  Mills  served  as  vice-president  of 
the  former  company  and  as  treasurer  of  the  latter,  as  vice  president  of 
the  Frankfort  Furnace  Company,  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insur- 
ance Company,  and  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Belle  Isle  Park. 
He  was  also  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  Transit  Railway 
Company  of  Detroit  and  held  the  office  of  president  in  that  company. 
He    was   president    of   the    Eldredge    Sewing    Machine    Company    of 

779 


Chicago,  111.,  and  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Detroit.  He 
was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  in  1866,  serving  two  years,  was  a  candidate 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  member  of  congress  in  1868,  and  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  the  Centennial  Exposition  from  Michigan. 

During  the  Civil  war  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  recruiting  of 
troops  and  gave  material  assistance  to  the  Union  cause.  In  1876  he 
was  a  delegate- at  large  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  which  nominated  Samuel  J.  Tilden  for  president.  During 
his  lifetime  he  was  prominently  identified  with  the  business,  social  and 
religious  life  of  the  city,  ever  ready  to  extend  his  assistance  toward  the 
successful  accomplishment  of  any  project,  which  promised  advantage  to 
the  interests  of  Detroit  and  its  citizens.  He  enjoyed  to  the  fullest  extent 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  associates  and  the  public,  and  his 
charities  v^ere  numerous  and  varied,  but  always  given  in  an  unostenta- 
tious manner. 

Owing  to  the  advice  of  his  physician,  he  paid  a  visit  to  Manitou 
Springs,  Col.,  in  1881,  but  returned  in  a  few  months  in  feeble  health. 
Previous  to  the  journey  he  retired  from  active  business,  and  his  large 
interests  were  given  in  charge  of  his  only  son,  Merrill  B.  Mills. 
Gradually  failing  health  terminated  in  his  decease  on  September  14, 
1882.  His  death  deprived  Detroit  of  one  of  her  most  progressive  busi- 
ness men,  who,  during  his  thirty-seven  years'  residence  in  the  city  was 
constantly  engaged  in  the  development  and  success  of  many  of  her 
leading  industries,  and  to  such  men  as  he  is  due  the  reputation  Detroit 
now  possesses  as  a  manufacturing  center. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  to  Cynthia  A. ,  daughter  of  Samuel  P.  Barbour 
of  Canton,  Conn.  To  them  were  born  two  children:  Merrill  B.,  and 
Ella  B.,  who  married  G.  H.  Burt  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Burt  died  in 
Detroit  in  September,  1897.  His  widow  and  only  son,  Merrill  B.  Mills 
(whose  sketch  appeare  elsewhere  in  this  work),  survive  him. 


MERRILL  B.   MILLS. 

Merrill  B.  Mills,  president  of  the  Banner  Tobacco  Company,  and 
a  well  known  business  man  of  Detroit,  is  the  only  son  of  Merrill  I.  and 
Cynthia  A.  (Barbour)  Mills,  and  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October 
12,  1854.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  private  school  of 
the  late  Philo  Patterson,  and  later  he  attended  that  of  Prof.  H.  S.  Jones. 

780 


In  1870  he  entered  the  Cheshire  MiHtary  Academy  at  Cheshire,  Conn., 
where  he  prepared  for  Yale  College.  Deciding;  that  his  tastes  were 
altogether  of  a  business  tendency,  he  abandoned  his  idea  of  entering 
Yale,  returned  to  Detroit,  and  took  a  course  in  Matthew's  Business 
College. 

Upon  completion  of  the  works  of  the  Michigan  vStove  Company,  in 
which  his  father  was  a  large  stockholder,  he  accepted  the  position  of 
shipping  clerk  and  timekeeper.  He  served  successively  in  the  capacity 
of  shipping  clerk,  traveling  salesman  and  purchasing  agent,  and  upon 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  1882,  succeeded  him  as  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany and  continues  in  that  position  at  the  present  time.  He  also  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  the  office  of  president  of  the  Banner  Tobacco  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  largest  institutions  of  its  character  in  the  country,  as 
well  as  other  corporations  of  less  importance.  In  1888  he  organized 
the  Banner  Cigar  Company,  which  has  since  become  one  of  the  leading 
manufacturers  of  high-grade  domestic  cigars  in  the  West.  Of  this 
company  he  was  the  first  and  has  been  the  only  president. 

Mr.  Mills  is  naturally  capacitated  for  the  management  of  business 
affairs,  possessing  executive  abilities  of  a  high  order,  and  the  numerous 
large  enterprises  of  which  he  is  the  manager  and  director  attest  to  his 
prudent  and  conservative  business  methods.  He  has  recently  been 
instrumental  in  the  organization  and  incorporation  of  the  Detroit,  Lake 
Shore  and  Mt,  Clemens  Railway  Company,  and  is  the  president  of  that 
corporation.  Aside  from  the  above-mentioned  interests  he  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Detroit  Transit  Railway,  the  Mt.  Clemens  Traction 
Company,  and  the  Mesaba  Iron  Company,  Duluth,  Minn.  ;  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Highland  Park  Club,  the  Sylvan  Lake  Improvement 
Company,  the  Sylvan  Lake  Inn  Company,  the  Star  Cigar  Manufac- 
turing Company,  the  E.  R.  Calk  Company,  a  director  of  the  Detroit 
Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company  and  the  Michigan  Fire  and 
Marine  Insurance  Company.  He  is  prominent  socially  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club,  the  Detroit 
Boat  Club,  the  Detroit  and  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club, 
and  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry.  He  is  also 
prominently  identified  with  aquatic  affairs,  was  commodore  of  the 
Michigan  Yacht  Club  in  1893,  and  his  superb  steam  yacht  "Cynthia" 
(built  in  1895)  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  speedy  on  inland  waters. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  gentleman  in  whom  are  united 
many  excellent  and  conspicuous  characteristics,  being  genial,  sociable, 
modest  and  unassuming. 

781 


GEORGE  WILLIAM  MOORE. 

Hon.  George  William  Moore  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  Mich., 
September  9,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  George  Washington  Moore,  retired 
and  a  resident  of  the  village  of  Romulus,  Wayne  county.  George  Will- 
iam was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  and  later  in  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1872.  His  studies  in  the  law  were  completed  under  Judge 
Chauncey  Joslin  of  Ypsilanti,  and  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872, 
at  which  time  he  formed  his  present  partnership  with  George  Whitney 
Moore  of  Detroit,  to  which  latter  city  he  had  removed  in  that  year. 
The  law  firm  of  Moore  &  Moore  is  too  well  known  throughout  many 
States  to  need  further  mention. 

In  politics  Mr.  Moore  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  exercised  a  potential 
influence  iu  the  ranks  of  the  party  in  Detroit  and  the  State.  He  is  an 
eloquent,  logical  and  forceful  speaker  before  the  court  and  jury,  or  at 
the  hustings  in  the  political  campaigns  in  which  he  has  borne  a  part. 
The  practice  of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  confined  to  the 
civil  courts  and  is  varied  and  general,  and  includes  constitutional,  cor- 
porate and  commercial  law. 

In  1885  Mr.  Moore  was  married  to  Katherine  De  Mill,  daughter  of 
Peter  E.  De  Mill  of  Detroit,  Mich,     They  have  one  child,  Katherine. 


JOHN  J.  MULHERON,   M.   D. 

John  J.  Mulheron,  M.  D.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Margery  (Hicks)  Mul- 
heron,  was  born  in  London,  Ontario,  Canada,  May  31,  184G.  Thomas 
Mulheron  was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1842,  settling  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  and  Margery 
Hicks  Mulheron  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England.  John  J.  was  the 
second  child  and  eldest  son  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Waterloo,  Ontario, 
and  later  became  a  student  in  the  Rockwood  (Ont.)  Academy.  In  18G7 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which^he  was  graduated  in  1869  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Returning 
to  Canada,  he  passed  the  required  examination  and  took  his  degree 
from  the  Toronto  School  of  Medicine.  For  one  year  he  practiced  his 
profession  at   Mitchell,  Ontario,    and  located  permanently  in   Detroit, 

782 


J.  J.  MULHERON,  M.  D. 


Mich.,  in  1870.  He  has  built  up  a  large  general  practice,  and  has  de- 
voted himself  since  1893  to  the  diseases  of  women,  to  which  branch  of 
medicine  his  practice  is  now  chiefly  confined,  and  for  which  he  has  es- 
pecially fitted  himself  through  European  (particularly  Vienna)  study. 

Dr.  Mulheron  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association ; 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Associa- 
tion; and  is  president  of  the  Detroit  Gynaecological  Society.  He  is  con- 
sulting physician  to  Harper  Hospital  at  Detroit;  and  clinical  professor 
of  medicine  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  From  1874  to  1877  he 
served  as  city  physician  of  Detroit  and  as  county  physician  of  Wayne 
county  from  1887  to  1889.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  United  States 
sanitary  inspector  at  Detroit,  serving  until  1893.  In  1886  he  was  elect- 
ed as  alderman  from  the  First  ward,  being  president  of  the  Common 
Council  in  1887,  and  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Detroit 
in  the  same  year. 

He  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  having  been  honored  with  the 
thirty-second  degree,  is  past  grand  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  past  commander  of  Acomoetai  Council  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He 
is  also  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 

He  was  married,  in  1870,  to  Miss  Annie  Morton  of  Windsor,  Ontario, 
Canada,  from  which  union  there  were  nine  children,  five  of  whom  sur- 
vive: Hugh,  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  class  of  1897,  and  now  associated  with  his  father  in  his 
practice;  Annie  M.  .Thomas  S.,  Mary  O.  and  Margery  N.  Mrs.  Mulheron 
died  in  January,  1897,  and  in  the  spring  of  1898  the  doctor  wedded  Mrs. 
Beartha  C.  Hansen  of  Detroit. 


CYRENIUS  A.   NEWCOMB. 

Cyrenius  a.  Newcomb,  son  of  Col.  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  was  born  in 
Cortland,  N.  Y.,  November  10,  1837.  His  grandfather,  Hezekiah 
Newcomb,  was  a  well  known  and  influential  citizen  of  Northwestern 
Massachusetts,  and  represented  Bernardstown  and  Leyden  in  the 
State  Legislature,  or  General  Court,  of  Massachusetts  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  His  father.  Col.  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  also  served  in 
the  same  capacity.  He  was  a  widely-respected  teacher  and  later  was 
commissioned  as  colonel  of  one  of  the  regiments  of  the  New  York 
militia.      His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rounds.      The  ancestry  of  the 

783 


Newcomb  family  is  easily  traced  for  hundreds  of  years.  The  Harlein 
manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum  give  the  names  of  the  Newcombs 
of  Devonshire  from  the  year  1189. 

The  early  historv  of  the  Newcombs  in  this  country  is  connected  with 
various  portions  of  New  England  and  Eastern  Canada.  In  the  family 
connection  is  the  name  of  Abigail  Mather,  daughter  of  the  noted  Rev. 
Increase  Mather.  Her  mother  was  the  daughter  of  the  celebrated  Rev. 
John  Cotton.  The  earliest  known  American  member  of  the  family, 
Capt.  Andrew  Newcomb,  lived  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1663,  and  probably 
emigrated  there  from  Wales  or  Devonshire.  The  family  at  an  early 
day  were  large  landowners  at  Martha's  Vineyard  and  in  other  parts  of 
New  England  and  even  in  Acadia,  being  drawn  there  by  the  King's 
Proclamation  of  1761.  They  occupied  some  of  the  lands  from  which 
the  French  were  so  remorselessly  driven.  The  old  town  records  of  the 
far  East  disclose  the  fact  that  different  members  of  the  family,  at  vari- 
ous periods,  held  all  the  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  people.  The 
Newcombs  were  originally  loyal  church  members  of  the  old  Puritan 
stock,  but  in  later  years  seme  of  them  became  prominent  members  of 
the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches.  Several  were  college  grad- 
uates at  an  early  day,  and  the  ministerial,  editorial  and  educational 
professions,  as  well  as  the  guild  of  authors,  are  all  represented  in  the 
connection,  and  some  of  the  family  have  made  large  gifts  to  schools  and 
colleges.  Travelers  and  scientists  of  note  are  also  in  the  genealogical 
list.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  some  members  of  the  family  served 
in  the  patriot  ranks,  and  others  under  the  British  colors.  Among  the 
soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  also  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  they 
are  also  represented. 

After  receiving  the  usual  education  afforded  by  the  schools  of  New 
England,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  began  his  business  career  in  Hanni- 
bal, N.  Y.,  but  when  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  Taunton,  Mass., 
where  for  about  nine  years  he  served  as  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  stores  of 
N.  H.  Skinner  &  Co.,  and,  becoming  a  partner,  continued  two  years 
longer.  In  1868  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  with  Mr.  Charles  Endicott 
purchased  the  dry  goods  establishment  of  James  W.  Farrell;  and  under 
the  firm  name  of  Newcomb,  Endicott  &  Co.  the  business  remained  in 
the  Merrill  block,  at  the  stand  occupied  by  their  predecessors,  for  one 
year.  To  the  surprise  of  the  citizens  generally,  the  following  year  the 
firm  led  the  march  of  business  up  Woodward  avenue,  by  moving  to  and 
occupying  the  ground  floor  of  the  then  new  Detroit  Opera  House  build- 

784 


ing,  facing  the  Campus  Martius.  Remaining  here  ten  years,  in  1879 
they  again  led  the  van  in  the  march  northward,  and  moved  to  the  large 
building  erected  for  their  occupancy  by  Mr.  D.  M.  Ferry,  on  the  east 
side  of  Woodward  avenue,  just  below  State  street. 

Mr.  Newcomb  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Universalist  church, 
and  contributed  largely  toward  the  erection  of  the  fine  edifice  now  occu- 
pied by  that  society.  He  maybe  depended  upon  as  interested  in  what- 
ever concerns  the  moral  welfare  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and,  in  a  practi- 
cal way,  to  futher  every  institution  that  promises  to  be  an  advantage 
to  the  city.  He  is  pronounced  in  his  temperance  sentiments.  In  the 
campaign  of  1887,  in  favor  of  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  prohib- 
iting the  manufacture  or  sale  of  liquor,  he  was  an  active  and  influential 
factor.  As  a  business  man  he  is  modest,  sensible  and  successful,  con- 
scientiously endeavoring  to  fulfill  the  duties  belonging  to  good  citizen- 
ship. 

In  1867  Mr.  Newcomb  married  Mary  E.  Haskell,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Reynolds  Haskell  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Their  children  are  named 
William  Wilmon,  Cyrenius  Adelbert,  Mary  Queen  and  Howard  Rounds. 
Mrs.  Newcomb's  death  occurred  November  17,  1887. 


REV.   WILLIAM  X.  NINDE. 

Rev.  Willia?*!  Xavier  Ninde,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  resident  bishop  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  was  born  in  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  June  21,  1832. 
He  is  a  son  of  Rev.  William  W.  and  Mary  (Moore)  Ninde,  and  is  of 
English  descent.  His  grandfather,  Rev.  William  Ninde,  emigrated 
from  England  to  America  in  early  manhood,  and  at  one  time  was  rector 
of  St.  Ann's  Episcopal  church  at  Annapolis,  Md.  His  father  was  a 
minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  spent  his  entire  minis- 
terial life  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Bishop  Ninde  was  educated  in 
Lowville  (N.  Y.)  and  Rome  (N.  Y.)  Academies,  and  in  the  Wesleyan 
University  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  which  he  entered  in  1853.  He  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1855  with  the  degree  of  A.  B. 

In  1856  he  entered  the  ministry,  and  two  years  later  was  ordained  at 
Weedsport,  N,  Y.  Prior  to  his  ordination  he  was  assigned  as  pastor  of 
a  church  at  Fulton,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1856.  After  laboring  as 
pastor  in  several  places  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he  was  transferred 
to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  becoming  pastor  of  Trinity  church.      He  remained 

785 


in  Cincinnati  until  1870,  when  he  removed,  assuminjj^  the  pastorate  of 
the  Central  M.  E.  church  of  Detroit.  In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  practical  theology  in  Garrett  Bibical  Institute  at  Evanston,  III, 
remaining-  there  until  1876,  when  he  returned  to  the  pastorate  of  his 
former  church  in  Detroit.  In  1879  he  was  elected  president  of  Garrett 
Institute  and  returned  to  Evanston,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1884, 
at  which  time  he  was  elected  to  the  bishopric  at  the  General  Conference 
held  in  Philadelphia.  From  1884  to  1892  he  resided  in  Topeka,  Kas. 
In  the  latter  year  Detroit  was  made  an  Episcopal  residence  and  he  then 
removed  to  this  city.  In  1874  Bishop  Ninde  received  the  degree  of 
D.  D.  from  Wesleyan  University.  In  1892  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, at  Evanston,  111.,  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 

Bishop  Ninde  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  S,  Falley,  daughter  of 
the  Hon.  Frederick  Falley  of  Fulton,  N.  Y.  They  have  a  family  of 
four  children:  Mary  Louise,  Edward  S,,  George  F.,  and  Frederick  W. 
Ninde.  Bishop  Ninde  has  been  an  extensive  traveler  in  foreign  lands. 
In  May,  1894,  he  left  for  a  tour  (on  official  duty)  of  the  East,  traveling 
through  China,  Japan  and  Korea.  While  on  his  visit  to  that  quarter 
of  the  globe  war  broke  out  between  China  and  Japan,  and  during  the 
entire  period  of  its  existence  he  traveled  through  those  countries.  He 
was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  of  his  sons,  George  F.  and  Fred 
erick  W.,  and  they  passed  through  many  thrilling  experiences  during 
their  temporary  residence  in  the  Orient. 


ORVILLE  W.   OWEN,   M.   D. 

Orville  W.  Owen,  M.  D.,  son  of  Benjamin  F.  Owen,  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  who  launched  the  first  steamer  into  Lake  Superior,  and 
Abba  (Ward)  Owen,  a  sister  of  the  late  Capt.  Eber  B.  Ward,  of  De- 
troit, and  a  daughter  of  Eber  Ward,  who  settled  in  Michigan  in  1817, 
was  born  in  Bell  River  Mills,  Mich,  (now  Marine  City),  at  one  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  Sunday,  January  1,  1854.  Shortly  after  his  birth  his 
mother  died,  and  he  was  placed  in  the  family  of  his  aunt,  Emily  Ward, 
whose  name  has  been  for  5'ears  a  password  in  literary  and  social  circles 
throughout  the  State  of  Michigan. 

After  a  preparatory  education  received  in  Detroit  he  entered  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1873, 
siibsequently  entering  the  employ  of  the  Burlington  and  Southwestern 

786 


ORVILLE    W.  OWEN,  M.  D. 


Railway  (now  the  C,  B.  and  0.  route),  as  assistant  superintendent. 
After  a  service  of  three  years  with  this  company,  he  returned  to  De- 
troit and  for  a  time  was  closely  identified  with  his  uncle,  Capt.  Eber 
Ward,  a  widely-known  business  man  of  this  city.  Later  he  entered  the 
Detroit  Medical  College,  and  was  graduated  in  1881  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  began  the  practice  of  the  pro- 
fession in  Detroit,  in  which  he  makes  a  specialty  of  gynaecology  and 
has  attained  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  members  of  his  profession, 
as  well  as  the  establishing  of  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

Dr.  Owen  early  developed  a  desire  for  scientific  studies.  The  recent 
works  of  his  pen  have  brought  him  into  international  notice,  especially 
so  in  the  case  of  his  discovery,  deciphering  and  publishing  of  the 
"Cipher  Story"  of  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  and  other  writings  of  that 
famous  author  and  playright.  Twelve  days  subsequent  to  his  gradu- 
ation from  the  Detroit  Medical  College  he  was  tendered  and  accepted 
the  position  of  lecturer  on  physiology  in  that  institution,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  became  professor  of  physiology,  and  retained  the  chair  for 
five  years.  During  the  years  1882-87  inclusive  he  was  the  correspond- 
ing secretary  for  the  European  Microscopic  Club,  and  for  two  years 
assistant  editor  of  the  Detroit  Clinic,  a  journal  of  medicine.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  all  the  various  medical  associations  and  societies, 
but  owing  to  pressure  of  his  literary  and  medical  work,  retains  a  mem- 
bership in  but  one — the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association.  He  is 
a  prominent  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  Peninsular  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  for  many  years  has  been  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Players'  Club  of  New  York  city. 

Dr.  Owen  was  married  in  February,  1893,  to  Mabel  Van  Camp,  of 
Adrian,  Mich.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Gladys  Ward 
Owen  and  Gwendolyn  Van  Camp  Owen. 


GEORGE    H.    PAINE. 

George  H.  Paine,  son  of  Asa  H.  and  Jane  (Hutchinson)  Paine,  was 
born  in  Saginaw,  Mich.,  January  18,  1858.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  then  entered  the  law  offices  of  Wis- 
ner  &  Draper  at  Saginaw  as  clerk  and  student.  After  three  and  a 
half  years  of  .service  with  that  firm  Mr.  Paine  was  appointed  deputy 
clerk   of  Saginaw  county  and  acted  as  court  clerk.     In  1879  he  was 

787 


admitted  to  the  bar,  and  a  year  later  was  appointed  assistant  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Saginaw  county.  In  1<SS2  he  removed  to  Detroit  where  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Early  in  his  law  practice  in  Detroit  Mr.  Paine  had  as  a  partner  Frank 
T.  Lodge,  and  under  the  style  of  Paine  &  Lodge  in  a  very  brief  time 
they  won  for  themselves  an  enviable  position  at  the  bar.  Upon  the 
organization,  in  1889,  of  the  National  Loan  and  Investment  Company 
of  Detroit,  Mr.  Paine  retired  from  his  law  practice  and  became  secre- 
tary of  the  corporation.  From  a  very  small  beginning  the  National 
Loan  and  Investment  Company,  through  the  keen  foresight  and  ad- 
mirable business  methods  of  its  executive  officers,  has  grown  to  be  one 
of  Detroit's  leading  financial  institutions.  Aside  from  his  interest  in 
the  above  enterprise,  Mr.  Paine  is  president  of  the  Firestone  Rubber 
Tire  Co.  of  Chicago,  111.,  vice  president  of  the  Benton  Harbor  and  St. 
Joseph  Gas  Co.  of  Benton  Harbor,  Mich.,  and  a  stockholder  in  other 
industrial  corporations. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club,  the  Country  Club, 
the  Fellowcraft  Club,  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club, 
and  the  Huron  Mountain  Club.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Driving  Club  and  the  Detroit  Fading  Club,  and  is  a  well  known  con- 
noisseur of  fine  saddle  and  harness  horses.  At  his  Cherry  Tree  farm, 
near  the  city,  he  breeds  annually  a  few  trotters  of  the  bluest  blood  and 
prides  himself  on  the  quality  of  his  Jersey  cows.  As  a  business  man  he 
is  recognized  as  possessing  rare  executive  ability  and  sound  business 
sense,  to  which  he  brings  indomitable  energy  and  push.  He  is  highly 
esteemed  by  his  business  associates  and  the  public  and  has  attained  to 
a  prominent  place  among  Detroit's  business  men. 


THOMAS  W.   PALMER. 

Hon.  Thomas  W.  Palmer,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  A.  (Witherell) 
Palmer,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  on  January  25,  1830.  He  was  ed- 
ucated in  a  private  school  in  the  village  of  Palmer,  Mich,  (now  the  city 
of  St.Clair),  and  was  well  advanced  in  a  literary  course  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  when  ill  health  compelled  him  to  leave  school.  He 
then  decided  upon  a  visit  to  the  Old  World,  and  a  pedestrian  trip  through 
Spain  afforded  him  the  opportunity  of  recuperation,  and  a  chance  to 
observe  the  characteristics  of  the  people  of  that  country,  which  proved 

788 


invaluable  to  him  in  later  years.  After  touring  Spain  he  spent  some 
months  in  travel  in  South  America,  and  returned  to  the  United  States 
and  to  Detroit  in  1853.  Following  his  return  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  afterward  became  a  partner  of  the  late  Charles  Merrill, 
owner  of  extensive  pine  lands  in  Northern  Michigan.  Under  the  style 
of  C.  Merrill  &  Co.  they  carried  on  one  of  the  largest  lumber  businesses 
in  the  world.  They  associated  with  them  Mr.  J.  A.  Whittier,  and  upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Merrill,  some  years  later,  Mr.  J.  B.  Whittier  was  ad- 
mitted to  partnership,  the  firm,  however,  retaining  its  original  name; 
Mrs.  Palmer  (formerly  Lizzie  P.  Merrill),  having  inherited  her  father's 
interest  in  the  business.  Their  headquarters  have  always  been  at  East 
Saginaw,  in  the  heart  of  the  lumber  district  of  Michigan. 

Aside  fiom  the  lumber  business  Mr.  Palmer  is  identified  with  many 
of  the  leading  business  institutions  of  Detroit  and  elsewhere,  among 
them  being  the  American  Exchange  National  Bank,  the  Wayne  County 
Savings  Bank,  the  Security  and  Safe  Deposit  Co.,  the  Gale  Sulky- 
Harrow  Co.,  the  Detroit  Steam  Navigation  Co.,  the  Michigan  Lake 
Navigation  Co.,  the  Frontier  Iron  Works,  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  and  the  Leadville  (Col.)  Iron-Silver  Mine  Co.  Mr 
Palmer  is  the  the  proud  possessor  of  three  beautiful  homes — a  palatial 
mansion  at  Washington,  D.  C,  a  magnificent  residence  in  Detroit,  and 
his  "Log  Cabin  "  at  Greenfield,  Mich.,  upon  which,  and  the  farm  of  a 
mile  square  surrounding  it,  he  has  expended  thousands  of  dollars. 
Upon  the  farm,  which  he  keeps  well  stocked,  are  to  be  found  some 
valuable  specimens  of  the  French  Percheron  horse,  the  Guernsey,  Al- 
derney,  and  other  cattle,  and  all  the  branches  of  the  barnyard  family. 
The  "  Log  Cabin,"  surrounded  as  it  is  by  beautiful  green  fields,  shadv 
woods,  and  well-kept  walks,  is  the  pride  of  and  a  favorite  resort  with 
Detroiters,  thousands  of  people  visiting-  it  annually  during  the  pleasant 
months  of  the  year. 

Mr.  Palmer  did  not  enter  public  life  voluntarily,  being  urged,  or 
pushed  into  it,  by  degrees.  His  first  office  was  as  a  member  of  the 
first  Board  of  Estimates  of  Detroit,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1873. 
In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  from  the  city  of  Detroit, 
and  while  a  member  of  that  body,  in  company  with  the  Hon.  E.  W. 
Cottrell,  he  had  the  bill  passed,  providing  for  the  present  boulevard 
which  encircles  Detroit. 

In  1883  he  was  elected  to  the  L^nited  States  Senate,  to  succeed  Hon. 
Thomas  W.  Ferry,  and  during  his  term  gained  distinction  as  one  of  the 

789 


best  speakers  and  most  influential  members  of  that  body.  In  his  ad- 
dresses and  arguments  his  language  was  always  clear,  choice,  forcible 
and  elegant;  and  especially  noticeable  for  the  numerous  classical  al- 
lusions, and  ready  historical  references.  His  thoughts  and  words  have 
always  been  full  of  brightness  and  beauty,  and  abundant  in  sentiment 
and  sagacity.  He  is,  by  turn,  humorous,  grave,  and  pathetic.  He  has 
always  been  "the  friend  of  the  soldier,"  and  was  the  first  to  suggest 
the  erection  of  a  Soldiers'  Monument  at  Detroit.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  president  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals. 

In  social  matters  Mr,  Palmer  is  an  excellent  conversationalist,  and 
entertains  generously.  He  is  patriotic  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term  and 
broadly  philanthropic,  and  has  vast  numbers  of  friends  and  followers. 
In  1SS9  Mr.  Palmer  was  appointed,  by  President  Harrison,  minister  to 
Spain,  but  resigned  that  position  after  two  years,  and  returned  to  the 
United  States  and  to  private  life.  In  1893  he  was  elected  as  president 
of  the  World's  Fair  Commission  at  Chicago,  and  ably  administered  the 
duties  of  that  office. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  champion  of  "Woman's  Suffrage,"  and  during  his 
term  as  United  States  senator  he  delivered  one  of  the  most  powerful 
and  stirring  speeches  that  has  ever  been  made  on  that  subject  in  this 
country. 

In  October,  1855,  Mr.  Palmer  married  Miss  Lizzie  P.  Merrill,  at 
East  Saginaw,  but  no  children  have  been  born  to  this  union. 


HERVEY  C.   PARKE. 

Hervey  Coke  Parke,  president  of  the  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  inc.,  was 
born  at  Bloomfield,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  December  13,  1827,  a  son 
of  Ezra  Smith  Parke,  M.  D.,  and  Rhoda  (Sperry)  Parke. 

Robert  Parke,  the  progenitor  of  the  New  England  branch  of  the 
family,  was  born  in  Preston,  Eng.,  near  Liverpool,  in  1585,  and  came 
first  to  America  in  1630,  returning  to  England  in  the  same  year.  The 
exact  date  of  his  final  settlement  in  America  is  not  known,  but  he  died 
at  Pequot  (New  London),  Conn.,  in  1665,  being  eighty  years  old.  The 
line  of  descent  from  Robert  Parke  to  Hervey  Coke  Parke,  is  clearly 
traced  as  follows:  Thomas,  third  son  of  Robert;  Nathaniel,  third  son 
of  Thomas;  Joseph,  third  son  of  Nathaniel;  Joseph,  second  of  the  name 

790 


and  eldest  son  of  Joseph,  sr. ;  John,  youngest  son  of  Joseph,  second  of 
the  name;  Ezra  Smith,  second  and  youngest  son  of  John;  Hervey 
Coke,  second  son  and  third  child  of  Ezra  Smith. 

Ezra  Smith  Parke,  M,  D.,  was  born  at  Middle  Haddam,  Conn.,  April 
4,  1793,  removed  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan  in  1823,  settled  in  Bloom- 
field,  Oakland  county,  and  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
as  a  physician  until  his  death  on  January  18,  1840.  He  married  RIkkUi 
Sperry,  and  their  children  were  Cornelia,  Francis  Asbury,  Hervey 
Coke,  Ira  Sperry,  Sarah  Abigail  and  Lyman  Curtiss. 

Hervey  Coke  Parke  had  as  preceptors  in  a  private  academy  at  Bloom- 
field,  Mich.,  the  late  J.  D.  Standish  of  Detroit,  and  present  Judge  A, 
C.  Baldwin  of  Pontiac,  Mich.  During  the  winter  of  18-43-44,  he  at- 
tended the  High  School  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  lat- 
ter year  entered  the  employ  of  Garrett  V.  Mooney,  one  of  the  leading 
upholstering  dealers  of  that  city,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the 
autumn  of  1845.  During  the  ensuing  year  he  taught  in  a  private  school 
in  Oakland  county  and  the  public  schools  of  West  Bloomfield,  Mich. 
From  1846  to  1848  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  hardware  store  of  George  L. 
Bidwell  at  Adrian,  Mich. ;  from  1848  to  1850  clerk  in  the  general  store 
of  W.  M.  McConnell  at  Pontiac,  Mich.  ;  from  1850  to  1853  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  North  American  Mining  Co.  at  Eagle  River,  Lake  Superior, 
Mich.  ;  from  1852  to  1861  cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  the  Pittsburg  and 
Boston  Mining  Co.  at  the  Cliff  mines  in  the  northern  peninsula  of 
Michigan;  from  1861  to  1865  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Parke  & 
Rainey,  retail  hardware,  at  Hancock,  Mich.  ;  and  in  1865  he  removed 
to  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  city  has  ever  since  been  his  home  and  the 
headquarters  of  his  business  operations. 

In  removing  to  Detroit  in  August,  1865,  Mr.  Parke  took  passage  with 
his  family  on  the  ill-fated  steamer  Pewabic,  which  was  sunk  in  Thunder 
Bay  in  collision  with  the  steamer  Meteor.  The  latter  vessel  was  little 
damaged  and  succeeded  in  rescuing  all  hands  from  the  Pewabic  and 
transferring  them  to  the  steamer  Mohawk  bound  from  Chicago  to  De- 
troit. 

In  1866  he  purchased  the  interest  of  the  junior  partner  of  the  firm  of 
Duffield  &  Conant  (of  which  Dr.  Samuel  P.  Duffield,  the  former  health 
officer  of  Detroit,  was  senior  member),  in  the  manufacture  of  pharma- 
ceuticals, etc.,  the  firm  name  being  then  changed  to  Duffield,  Parke  & 
Co.  In  1870  a  company  was  organized  by  Mr.  Parke  with  George  S. 
Davis  and  others,  and  Mr.  Duffield's  interest  in  the  business  having 

791 


been  purchased,  the  firm  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Company  came  into  exist- 
ence; in  1875  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  was  incorporated  as  a  stock  company 
with  a  fully  paid  up  capital  of  $100,000,  subsequently  increased  to  $1,- 
200,000,  Mr.  Parke  being  chosen  as  its  president;  George  S.  Davis, 
vice-president  and  general  manager;  and  H.  A.  Wetzel,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  H.  C.  Parke,  presi- 
dent; D.  C.  Whitney,  vice-president;  H.  A.  Wetzel,  secretary;  J.  H. 
Smedley,  treasurer;  and  William  M.  Warren,  general  manager. 

This  enterprise  has  done  more  toward  making  the  name  of  Detroit 
familiar  in  the  marts  of  the  world  and  likewise  to  establish  the  city 
itself  as  a  commercial  center,  than  any  other  institution.  Their  con- 
nections are  the  most  important  and  their  scops  the  widest  of  any  con- 
cern of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Besides  their  laboratories  at  Detroit,  they 
have  establishments  at  Walkerville,  Ontario,  New  York  city,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  and  London,  Eng.,  and  distributing  agencies  in  every  sec- 
tion of  the  civilized  world.  The  home  factory  and  laboratory  at  Detroit 
is  equipped  in  the  most  complete  manner  with  the  latest  and  best 
appliances  for  manufactiiring  pharmaceutical  products.  They  employ 
about  1,500  people,  including  one  hundred  traveling  salesman  in  North 
America.  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  have  also  done  much  toward  exploring 
the  flora  of  the  world  and  through  their  efforts  and  investigations 
numerous  valuable  new  drugs  have  been  added  to  the  materi  medica. 

Mr.  Park  has  been  identified  since  1865  with  St.  John's  Episcopal 
church  of  Detroit,  for  many  years  one  of  its  vestrymen  and  -since  the 
death  of  Governor  Baldwin  in  1894-  has  been  senior  warden  of  that 
church.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club. 

Mr.  Parke  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  18G0,  to  Frances  A.  Hunt, 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  James  B.  Hunt,  M.  C.  ;  she  died  in  1867, 
leaving  him  five  children,  three  of  whom  survive:  Sarah  C. ,  Mary  E., 
wife  of  Mr.  Le-Vert  Clark  of  Mobile,  Ala.,  and  James  Hunt  Parke  of 
California.  In  1872  Mr.  Parke  married  Mary  M.  Mead  of  Detroit, 
daughter  of  James  E.  Mead,  and  they  have  four  children,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter:  Hervey  Coke,  jr..,  Lyman  M.,  Ira  Sperry  and  Marie 
Louise.  Personally,  ]\Ir.  Parke  is  a  dignified,  polite  and  courteous 
gentleman,  of  strictest  integrity  of  character  and  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all. 


792 


AARON  A.  PARKER. 

Aaron  A.  Parker,  president  of  the  Detroit  River  Savings  Bank  of 
Detroit,  Mich.,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  State,  having  been  born  on  a 
farm  in  Erie  county,  near  Buffalo,  March  1,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of 
Horace  and  Virginia  (Whitaker)  Parker.  He  worked  on  the  home 
farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  attending  district  schools  during  the 
winter  months.  In  18G1,  in  company  with  several  of  his  neighbors,  all 
of  them  older  than  he,  he  removed  to  the  locality  of  Oil  Creek,  Venango 
county,  Pa.,  where  they  secured  the  option  of  a  lease  and  prepared  to 
drill  for  oil.  Aaron  had  no  ready  capital,  in  lieu  of  which  his  father 
purchased  for  him,  to  secure  him  his  right  as  a  member  of  the  company, 
a  small  drilling  engine.  Work  was  begun  at  once,  and  very  soon  after- 
ward oil  was  struck,  but  the  decrease  in  the  price  of  the  crude  material 
so  disheartened  his  companions  that  they  withdrew  and  returned  home, 
leaving  him  with  a  single  helper,  with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership. 
He  had  gone  in  to  win,  and  win  he  did.  The  price  of  oil  crept  steadily 
upward,  and  by  the  advice  of  a  traveling  prospector  Mr.  Parker  and 
his  partner,  known  then  as  the  Hamburg  Oil  Co.,  erected  a  refinery, 
and  soon  after  found  a  ready  market  for  their  products. 

In  1862  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  continued  to  operate, 
with  hired  help,  the  oil  wells  which  were  upon  the  site  of  the  Storry 
farm,  Venango  county.  Later  he  bought  the  right  to  other  wells  and 
worked  them  all  successfully,  finding  himself  in  1864  the  possessor  of  a 
fortune  of  sixty  thousand  dollars,  before  reaching  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  In  September,  1864,  he  sold  his  interest  in  one  well  to  the  Flow- 
ing Well  Co.  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  for  twenty  thousand  dollars  cash, 
and  in  1866  closed  out  his  entire  interest  in  both  wells  and  refinery. 

During  the  winter  of  1866-67  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  uncle,  Byron 
Whitaker,  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  city  that  in 
the  following  year  he  located  there  permanently.  Until  1871  he  was  a 
partner  of  his  uncle  in  the  shipping  business  and  operation  of  a  large 
saw  mill,  the  partnership  being  dissolved  in  1871,  Mr.  Parker  assuming 
ownership  of  the  saw  mill  in  the  final  settlement.  In  1875  he  sold  the 
mill  and  engaged  in  the  business  of  shipping  coke,  coal  and  sand,  which 
has  ever  since  been  a  factor  in  his  income,  handling  annually  over  fifty 
thousand  tons  of  these  materials. 

In  1878  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  Byron  W.  Parker, 
under  the  style  of  A.  A.  Parker  &  Brother,  since  which  time  the  busi- 

793 


ness  has  been  under  the  management  of  the  junior  member.  Mr. 
Parker  first  became  known  as  a  vessel  owner  through  his  purchase,  in 
1878,  of  the  schooner  Eagle  Wing,  and  later  of  the  schooner  Columbia 
both  of  which  he  afterward  sold,  when  newer  ships  were  built  for  him. 
His  purchase  in  1879  of  the  steamer  Annie  Smith,  for  $40,000,  brought 
him  into  prominence  in  shipping  circles,  and  he  has  each  year  added  to 
his  fleet,  until  to-day  he  is  one  of  the  prominent  vessel  owners  and  best 
known  agents  in  the  United  States. 

He  is  secretary  and  manager  of  the  Pridgeon  Transit  Co.,  steamer 
A.  A.  Parker  and  schooner  B.  W.  Parker;  president  and  manager  of 
the  Parker  Transportation  Co  ,  schooners  Red  Wing  and  San  Diego; 
president  and  manager  of  the  Peninsular  Transit  Co.,  steamer  John 
Oades;  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Buffalo  and  Duluth  Transporta- 
tion Co.,  steamer  B.  W.  Blanchard;  secretary  and  manager  of  the  vState 
Transit  Co.,  steamer  John  Pridgeon,  jr. ;  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
Swain  Wrecking  Co.,  tug  Saginaw;  president  of  the  Red  Star  Line, 
passenger  steamer  City  of  Toledo ;  treasurer  of  the  Tashmoo  Park  Co. 
Ltd. ;  managing  owner  of  the  schooner  Saveland  of  Detroit,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Detroit  River  Savings  Bank.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Parker  &  Millen,  fire  and  marine  insurance  agents,  representing 
at  Detroit  twenty- five  of  the  leading  companies  of  the  world.  Politically 
he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  has  been  a  prominent  and  active  mem- 
ber of  that  party  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum, 
the  National  Union,  and  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 

October  23,  1868,  Mr.  Parker  married  Mrs.  Mary  L,  Dennis  (mother 
of  Harry  E.  Dennis,  proprietor  of  the  Imperial  Cap  Co.  of  Detroit), 
and  they  have  one  child,  born  June  15,  1878. 


DAYTON  PARKER,   M.   D. 

Dayton  Parker,  M.  D.,  son  of  Morgan  and  Rosetta  (Breningstall) 
Parker,  was  born  in  Dundee,  Mich.,  January  17,  1846.  His  early 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  Dundee,  and  later  at 
Petersburg,  Mich.,  where  he  removed  with  his  parents  in  1855.  From 
the  latter  place,  in  1863,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Sixth  Michigan 
Heavy  Artillery,  serving  with  that  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war 
in  1865.  Upon  his  being  mustered  out  of  the  service,  he  returned  to 
Michigan  and  during  the  ensuing  six  years  was  engaged  in  the  study  of 

794 


medicine  with  Dr.  J,  J.  Littlefield  at  Petersburg.  In  the  winters  of 
1873-73  he  attended  lectures  in  the  medical  department  of.  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  following-  which  he  removed  to  Ogden  and  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  vSubsequently  he  entered  the  Detroit 
Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876,  witli  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  ^ 

Following  his  graduation  Dr.  Parker  settled  in  Blissfield,  Midi., 
where  for  several  years  he  was  associated  with  Dr.  Hal  C.  Wyman, 
now  of  Detroit,  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1880,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Dr.  Charles  Rynd,  he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
the  first  Board  of  Pension  Examiners  for  Lenawee  county,  and  served 
successively  as  chairman  and  president  of  that  body  until  1885.  He 
was  also  for  several  years  president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the 
village  of  Blissfield. 

In  1887  Dr.  Parker  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  and  since  becom- 
ing a  resident  of  that  city  has  held  numerous  positions  of  responsibility. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  professor  of  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
the  Michigan  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  since  1895  has 
filled  the  chair  of  professor  of  gynaecology  in  the  same  institution;  being 
also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  He  is  consulting  physician  to 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Detroit  Emergency  Hospital ;  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association;  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society; 
the  Tri  State  Medical  Society;  Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  and 
Michigan  Surgical  and  Pathological  Society. 

Dr.  Parker  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Mt. 
Vernon  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Dundee,  Mich.  ;  of  Blissfield  Lodge  No, 
214,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Blissfield,  Mich.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organi- 
zers and  first  commander  of  Scott  Post  No.  243,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Blissfield, 
Mich.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 

Dr.  Parker  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1875,  to  Ida  E.  Cogs- 
well, of  Deerfield,  Mich.,  who  died  in  Bay  View,  leaving  five  children: 
Bertha,  wife  of  Carson  M.  Jacobs,  a  prosperous  ranch  owner  of 
Chinook,  Mont,  (they  have  one  child,  a  son,  named  for  its  maternal 
grandparents,  Parker  Jacobs);  Burton  D.,  a  graduated  physician  and 
associated  in  practice  with  his  father;  Brace  Morgan,  Alma  E.,  and 
Beatrice.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Belle  (Gould)  Bissell  of  Eaton 
Rapids,  Mich.,  whom  he  married  December  28,   1890. 


795 


RALZEMOND    A.  PARKER. 

Rat.zemond  a,  Parker  was  born  in  Genesee  county,  Mich.,  Febru- 
ary 17,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Asher  B.  and  Harriet  N.  (Castle)  Parker. 
The  ancestry  is  wholly  from  New  England  and  antedates  the  Revolu- 
tion. On  his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from  William  Parker,  one  of 
Hooker's  congregation  which  settled  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  progenitor 
of  the  Hartford  and  New  England  branches  of  the  family.  In  the  im- 
mediate line  many  of  his  ancestors  on  both  his  father's  and  mother's 
sides,  served  in  the  wars  of  Independence  and  1812.  In  1844  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Royal  Oak,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  where  they  have 
since  resided. 

The  subject  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  the  Birm- 
ingham (Mich.)  Academy  and  the  Michigan  State  Normal  School.  In 
1860  he  began  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Oscar  Wisner  at  Pontiac, 
and  later  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1872.  Prior  to  the  beginning  and 
during  his  studies  of  law  Mr.  Parker  was  prominent  in  State  politics 
and  filled  the  following  offices:  From  1866  to  1868,  deputy  county 
clerk  of  Oakland  county;  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  township  of  Royal 
Oak  from  1868  to  1873;  and  inspector  of  schools  in  that  township  for 
two  terms. 

Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  removed  to  Detroit,  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  by  becoming  attorney  of  the  then 
Detroit  and  Milwaukee  Railway  Company.  During  the  last  ten  years 
of  his  practice  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  patent  law  and  has  prosecuted 
many  noted  cases  of  that  nature  before  the  United  States  Circuit  and 
Supreme  Courts,  and  has  been  unusually  successful  in  this  practice,  in 
in  which  he  has  become  widely  known.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michi- 
gan State  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations,  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E,  Seventeenth  Michigan  Infantry,  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  and 
served  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  1863.  For  several  years  he 
was  president  of  the  Detroit  Microscopical  Association,  and  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  associated  charities  of  Detroit  for  about  fifteen  years  and 
is  now  president  of  that  body.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Michigan  (Republican)  Club  and  is  still  a  member  of  that  organization. 
He  is  a  member  of  Fairbanks  Post,  Department  of  Michigan,  G.A.  R., 
and  was  one  of  the  State  Council  of  Administration  for  three  years, 
judge  advocate  for  one  year,  delegate-at-large  from   iMichigan  to  the 

790 


RALZEMOND  A.  PARKER. 


National  Encampment  at  Boston  in  1802,  and  is  at  present  chief  mus- 
tering officer.  He  is  also  professor  of  "Patent  Trade-mark"  and 
"Copyright  law  "  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Law. 

In  the  spring  of  1897  Mr.  Parker  was  a  popular  candidate  for  the 
position  of  commissioner  of  patents  at  Washington,  but  retired  from 
the  candidacy  for  that  office  because  of  the  personal  feeling  of  the 
president  toward  the  late  commissioner,  Hon.  Benjamin  Butterworth 
of  Ohio,  deceased.  Mr.  Parker  is  now  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Parker  &  Burton,  attorneys,  Detroit,  Mich.,  Charles  F.  Burton  being 
his  associate. 

Mr.  Parker  was  married  in  ISGO  to  Sarah  E.  Drake,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Flemon  Drake  of  Royal  Oak,  Mich.,  and  a  niece  of  Judge  Thomas 
Drake  of  Pontiac,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Marion  S.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  engineering  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  1895  (being  the  first  of  her  sex  to  pass  the 
rigid  examination  in  that  branch  of  study),  and  is  now  employed  in  the 
New  York  office  of  Purdy  &  Henderson,  civil  engineers  of  Chicago  and 
New  York;  Mina  L.,  Grace  E.  and  Ralzemond  D, 


JOHN  E.   PATTERSON. 

John  E.  Patterson,  son  of  James  and  Margaret  E.  (McDonald) 
Patterson,  was  born  in  Shelby,  Ohio,  March  12,  1854.  Mr.  Patterson 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  where 
he  removed  with  his  parents  when  an  infant;  subsequently  attending 
St.  John's  College  at  Fordham,  N.  Y.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he 
assumed  a  half  ownership  in  the  Patterson  Coal  Company  of  Columbus, 
of  which  his  father  was  president.  During  the  first  three  years  of  his 
connection  with  this  industry  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  super- 
intendent of  their  mines  at  Straitsville,  Ohio,  and  from  1878  until  1882 
he  was  in  charge  of  their  city  trade  at  Columbus.  From  1882  to  1883 
he  was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  coal  business  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  removed  to  Detroit,  iNTich.,  which  city 
he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  the  headquarters  of  his  business 
operations. 

He  at  once  established  himself  in  the  real  estate  business,  in  which 
he  was  successfully  engaged  until  1889,  when,  after  a  short  service  in 
the  First  National  Bank,  at  the  solicitation  of  Mr.  Alfred  E.   Brush,  he 

797 


accepted  the  management  of  his  business  with  power  of  attorney  in  all 
transactions,  and  also  acts  as  agent  of  the  Brush  estate.  Mr.  Patterson 
is  a  stockholder  in  the  Michigan-Peninsular  Car  Co.,  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Boat  Club,  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats  and  the  Country 
Club  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  business  man  of  great  ability  and  commands 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  contemporaries.  Although  much  sought 
after,  he  has  avoided  all  connection  with  politics,  never  allowing  his 
name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  public  office. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  married  in  1878  to  Annie  E.,  daughter  of  John  G. 
Neil  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  Two  children  survive  this  union  :  Louisa  B. 
and  John  Neil.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  his  family  are  regular  attendants. 


HAZEN  S.   PINGREE. 

As  THE  nineteenth  century  draws  to  a  close  a  review  of  the  noted  men 
of  the  age  discloses  how  few  there  are  who  gain  lasting  fame  in  time 
of  peace.  Great  events  bring  forth  great  men,  is  a  truism,  when  we 
trace  the  sources  which  brought  forth  Washington,  Lincoln,  Grant  and 
others.  The  absorbing  c[uestions  of  to-day  are  questions  of  economics 
and  social  science.  As  we  look  over  the  field  one  man's  personality 
strikes  us  forcibly — partisanship  is  to  quite  an  extent  obliterated,  pa- 
triotism shines  forth  and  brings  to  the  toiling  masses  promises  of  a 
joyous  awakening,  and  a  breaking  of  the  fetters  of  slavery,  permitting 
them  to  once  more  breath  the  pure  air  of  social  freedom  and  to  enjoy 
the  rights  and  privileges  accorded  their  forefathers  under  the  glorious 
constitution  of  the  United  States. 

The  Lincoln  who  is  to  deliver  the  oppressed  from  their  bondage  is 
recognized  by  all  such  as  being  none  other  than  the  present  governor 
of  the  State  of  Michigan,  Hazen  S.  Pingree. 

A  farm  boy,  cotton  mill  hand,  factory  operative,  soldier,  prisoner  of 
war,  shoemaker,  manufacturer,  bank  director  until  his  zeal  for  the  toil- 
ing masses  became  detrimental  to  corporate  greed,  when  he  was  re- 
moved, head  of  a  large  manufacturing  industry,  mayor  of  Detroit  four 
terms,  governor  of  Michigan,  champion  of  the  common  people,  and 
more  than  a  possibility  for  presidential  honors,  such  is  an  epitome  of 
the  career  of  one  who  is  now  pointed  out  as  The  Man  of  Destiny. 

Hazen   S.   Pingree  was  born  at   Denmark,  ]\Iaine,  August  30,  184:0, 

798 


being  the  fourth  son  of  Jasper  and  Adaline  (Bryant)  Pingree.  His  an- 
cestors emigrated  from  England  to  this  country,  the  first  known  Amer- 
ican forefather  being  Moses  Pingree,  who  arrived  here  and  settled  at 
Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  in  1640.  Many  of  his  descendants  have  be- 
come distinguished  in  colonial  and  national  affairs,  among  whom  may 
be  mentioned  Samuel  Everett  Pingree,  who  was  governor  of  Vermont, 
1884-1886. 

Hazen  lived  with  his  parents  and  attended  school  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Saco,  Maine,  and  began  life  on  his 
own  account  as  an  employee  in  a  cotton  mill.  In  1860  he  began  the 
trade  of  cutter  in  a  shoe  factory  at  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  remaining  there 
until  August  1,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  F.,  1st  Massachu- 
setts Heavy  Artilley,  for  the  unexpired  three  years'  term,  and  after- 
wards re-enlisted  on  the  battlefield  for  three  years  or  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run 
and  in  the  battles  of  Fredericksburg  road,  Harris  farm,  Cold  Harbor, 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  North  Anna  and  South  Anna.  While 
guarding  a  wagon  train  he  was  captured  by  General  Mosby,  the  noted 
guerrilla,  in  1864,  and  was  sent  a  prisoner  of  v^ar  to  Lynchburg,  Va. , 
being  transferred  to  Salisbury,  N.  C,  and  from  there  to  Andersonville, 
where  he  was  confined  four  months.  Next  he  was  sent  to  Savannah, 
Ga.,  and  in  turn  was  transferred  co  Milan,  Ga.  ;  he  was  finally  exchanged 
at  West  Pulaski  and  rejoined  his  regiment.  During  all  this  time  he 
was  never  under  shelter  of  any  kind.  He  was  engaged  in  the  expedi- 
tion to  the  Weldon  Railroad  and  also  participated  in  the  battles  of  Boyd- 
ton  road,  Petersburg,  Sailor's  Creek,  Farmville,  and  Appomattox  Court 
House,  being  finally  mustered  out  in  August,  1865. 

Pingree's  first  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president  while 
a  prisoner  of  war  at  Andersonville.  The  confederates  in  charge,  want- 
ing to  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  prisoners  upon  the  election  of 
Lincoln  or  McClellan,  ordered  an  election  among  them,  giving  them 
black  and  white  beans  to  represent  Lincoln  and  McClellan  respectively. 
Pingree's  vote  was  a  black  bean,  and  the  total  showed  a  majority  for 
Lincoln  of  3,500.  Since  that  first  vote  with  a  black  bean  to  represent 
the  true  republican  doctrine  as  propounded  by  Lincoln,  his  every  act 
has  been  in  the  way  of  something  to  perpetuate  those  principles  of 
"  Equal  rights  to  all  and  special  privileges  to  none." 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  went  to  Detroit  and  secured 
employment  in  the  shoe  manufactory  of  H.  P.  Baldwin  &  Co.,  remain- 

799 


ing  with  them  about  one  year.  He  was  ambitious  to  engage  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  however,  and  in  December,  1866,  with  Charles 
H.  Smith,  he  established  the  shoe  firm  of  Pingree&  Smith.  The  orig- 
inal capital  invested  was  $1,360,  while  the  number  of  employees  was 
eight.  To  day  more  than  seven  hundred  employees  are  on  the  pay-roll, 
while  the  annual  sales  aggregate  more  than  one  million  dollars. 

For  years  the  affairs  of  the  city  of  Detroit  had  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  Democratic  party,  they  carrying  every  election  by  a  large  majority. 
Ring  rule  prevailed  in  every  branch  of  the  municipal  government, 
offices  were  farmed  out  to  the  highest  bidder,  contracts  for  street  pav- 
ing, public  lighting,  public  building  and  supplies  of  every  description, 
were  the  source  of  spoil  and  corruption  among  the  municipal  officials. 
Dishonesty  was  so  prevalent  that  to  obtain  a  franchise  it  was  merely  a 
question  of  consideration  with  the  members  of  the  Common  Council, 
and  the  question  of  improvements  for  the  city  was  not  even  thought  of. 
The  city  pavements  were  in  a  deplorable  condition  and  the  charges  for 
municipal  lighting  were  outrageous.  The  Fire  Department  was  sadly 
deficient,  and  the  Police  Department  corrupt.  The  motto  of  municipal 
officials  was,  "  How  much  is  there  in  it  for  me?  "  Such  was  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  previous  to  the  campaign  of  1889. 

It  was  believed  that  the  city  needed  a  business  administration,  and  on 
that  platform  Mr.  Pingree  was  nominated  for  mayor,  and  after  one  of 
the  greatest  campaigns  known  in  Detroit,  was  elected.  His  administra- 
tion was  productive  of  so  much  good  as  to  result  in  his  re-election  three 
times  consecutively,  by  the  following  majorities:  1889,  2,338;  1891, 
6,318;  1893,  5,800;  1895,  10,952;  holding  his  office  until,  upon  his 
accession  to  the  gubernatorial  chair,  his  office  was  declared  vacant  by 
the  Supreme  Court.  His  administration  of  the  office  of  mayor  was 
such  as  to  bring  him  into  national  prominence,  and  the  many  reforms, 
he  advocated  and  carried  out  have  been  followed  by  every  city  of 
prominence  in  the  country.  During  his  four  terms  as  mayor  the  city  of 
Detroit  was  transformed  from  its  old  fogyism  into  the  live  metropolitan 
city  of  to-day,  known  far  and  wide  as  the  Convention  City  of  America. 
Victory  is  nearly  always  tinged  with  bitterness,  however,  and  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Pingree  this  was  no  exception.  Nominated  by  the 
prominent  business  men  of  the  city  to  give  a  clean  and  honest  ad- 
ministration to  the  people  of  Detroit  who  voted  for  him,  he  early  found 
himself  assailed  by  the  same  men  who  had  nominated  him. 

By  compelling  the  Gas  Company  to  reduce  the  price  of  gas  from  $1.50 

800 


to  $1.00  per  thousand  for  illuminating  purposes,  and  to  80  eents  for 
fuel  purposes,  he  trod  upon  the  toes  of  some  of  his  friends  and  was  im- 
mediately called  a  scoundrel. 

By  advocating  three  cent  fares  for  street  cars  he  again  touched  some 
of  his  friends  in  a  tender  spot,  and,  although  he  won  his  fight,  he  was 
berated  and  belittled  by  the  money  class,  they  going  so  far  as  to  even 
attempt  to  block  him  in  his  private  business  enterprise. 

He  saved  the  city  of  Detroit  $80,000  per  annum  by  establishing  a 
municipal  lighting  plant,  and  more  of  his  friends  who  were  interested 
in  supplying-  the  city  with  light,  forsook  him. 

To  supply  food  for  the  poor  he  originated  the  famous  Pingree  Potato 
patch,  which  plan  has  been  adopted  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

The  criminal  courts  were  resorted  to  by  him  in  order  to  wipe  out  the 
corruption  existing  in  the  School  Board. 

The  banks  holding  city  funds  were  compelled  tu  return  a  large 
amount  of  interest  money  they  had  illegally  withheld. 

For  these  and  other  reforms  he  was  removed  from  the  directory  of 
one  of  the  largest  national  banks  in  Detroit'  which  he  helped  to  organize- 
His  firm's  account  was  refused  at  others,  assaults  upon  his  personal  and 
business  credit  were  attempted ;  he  was  even  embarrassed  in  his  freedom 
of  divine  worship;  he  was  hampered,  threatened,  and  all  conceivable 
methods  were  resorted  to  in  attempts  to  ruin  him  and  his  business.  All 
this  because  he  had  simply  done  his  duty.  And  when  all  this  failed  to 
force  Mayor  Hazen  S.  Pingree  to  swerve  from  the  path  of  duty,  bribery 
was  attempted.  Large  sums — one  hundred  thovisand  dollars — were 
held  up  to  him  as  a  bait;  promises  of  political  preferment,  backed  by 
the  party  machine,  were  inducements  held  out  to  him,  but  all  to  no 
purpose. 

By  this  time  Mayor  Pingree  had  become  known  to  followers  of  good 
government  throughout  the  State.  At  the  State  Republican  convention 
in  August,  1896,  his  friends  and  admirers,  believing  that  a  man  should 
be  at  the  head  of  their  ticket  who  could  inspire  courage  and  activity  in 
the  faint  hearted,  and  whose  presence  and  record  would  carry  them  on 
to  victory,  nominated  him  for  governor  of  Michigan.  That  their 
opinion  was  justified,  the  result  shows.  In  a  State  in  which  the  condi- 
tions were  so  peculiar,  he  was  elected  by  the  magnificent  plurality  of 
83,000  votes  and  a  majority  of  60,000  over  all,  running  ahead  of  the 
presidential  ticket  by  more  than  26,000  votes.  He  continued  to  hold 
the   office  of  mayor  of  Detroit  after  his  inauguration  as  governor  of 

801 


Michigan,    until  the  Supreme  Court  decided  that  the  two  offices  were 
iucompatible  and  declared  the  office  of  mayor  vacant. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  at  the  special  election  for  mayor  to  fill  the 
vacancy,  as  well  as  at  the  next  regular  election,  a  Democrat  was  elected, 
being  the  first  to  occupy  the  office  of  mayor  since  Mr.  Pingree's  election 
in  1889. 

A  resume  of  the  administration  by  Mayor  Pingree  will  show  that  in 
addition  to  the  reforms  already  mentioned,  taxes  were  increased  on 
vacant  lots  until  all  the  lands  in  the  city  were  assessed  according  to 
their  equitable  value;  secret  sessions  of  boards  and  commissions  made 
public ;  conduit  systems  for  all  wires  inaugurated ;  street  car  strikes 
arbitrated  and  compromised ;  toll  gates  ousted  from  the  city ;  all  depart- 
ments compelled  to  advertise  for  supplies;  paving  combine  broken; 
public  credit  of  Detroit  raised ;  mayor  granted  veto  power  over  school 
board  proceedings;  formation  of  independent  telephone  company  in 
opposition  to  the  Bell  company,  prices  being  thus  reduced  from  $72  and 
$150  to  $25  and  $40,  respectively,  per  annum;  street  car  company  com- 
pelled to  sell  workingmen's  tickets  at  a  low  rate ;  price  of  water  reduced 
one-half;  and  a  number  of  other  reforms. 

The  condition  of  affairs  confronting  Governer  Pingree  in  the  State  is 
the  same  as  he  had  to  meet  when  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Detroit. 
Being  still  opposed  and  fought  on  every  hand  by  the  party  machine, 
as  governor  he  has  as  yet  been  unable  to  mete  out  and  inaugurate  the 
reforms  near  to  his  heart.  With  a  persistency  and  honesty  of  purpose 
to  be  found  in  the  character  and  make-up  of  Governor  Pingree,  we  yet 
hope  that  his  guardianship  of  the  State  of  Michigan  will  be  as  produc- 
tive of  as  much  good  to  the  State  at  large  as  his  administration  of  may- 
or was  to  the  city  of  Detroit.  He  hopes  to  be  able  to  place  upon  the 
tax  rolls  the  railroads  and  other  property,  comprising  more  than  one- 
third  of  all  the  taxable  property  in  the  State,  which  has  heretofore 
evaded  payment  of  any  tax.  As  he  has  reduced  the  street  car  fare  in 
the  city  of  Detroit  from  five  to  three  cents,  he  hopes  to  reduce  the  rail- 
road fare  in  the  State  from  three  to  two  cents  per  mile. 

To  even  mention  the  addresses  made  by  Governor  Pingree  would  re- 
quire too  much  space,  for  during  the  years  he  has  been  in  public  life  he 
has  spoken  before  many  of  the  most  distinguished  audiences  in  the 
country.  In  his  address  of  welcome  to  the  American  Bankers'  Asso- 
ciation in  1897,  his  remarks  were  very  pertinent  and  suggestive.  "At 
the  present  time,"  he  said,  "forty-five  per.   cent  of  the  gold  mined  in 

802 


this  country  is  used  in  the  fine  arts.  It  is  only  a  question  of  time  when 
there  will  be  an  insufficient  amount  of  gold  coined  as  the  quantity  used 
yearly  in  the  arts  is  steadily  increasing-.  Should  such  a  contingency 
arise,  an  increased  stringency  in  the  gold  market  would  occur.  The 
principle  of  remonetizing  silver  is  to  increase  the  available  supply  of 
redemption  money.  A  tax  levied  upon  manufactured  gold  in  the  shape 
of  jewelry,  gold  leaf,  etc.,  might  prevent  the  increasing  use  of  gold  in 
the  fine  arts."  Governor  Pingree  also  advocated  the  estabhshment  of 
an  assay  office  at  the  Klondike  where  the  gold  dust  could  be  delivered 
and  in  exchange  certificates  issued  by  the  government.  His  speech 
before  the  Nineteenth  Century  Club  in  New  York  city  was  favorably 
commented  on  by  the  leading  men  of  the  country.  The  truths  con- 
tained therein  are  brought  directly  to  the  minds  of  his  hearers  and  can- 
not fail  to  impress  them,  and  will  set  the  intelligent  citizen  to  thinking. 
Governor  Pingree  is  not  a  polished  orator;  he  is  too  intensely  practical 
to  devote  his  time  to  such  attainments,  but  he  is  so  clear,  forcible  and 
convincing  that,  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject,  as  well  as  his 
sincerity  and  honesty,  cannot  but  impress  his  listeners  with  a  truth 
contained  in  his  statements. 

His  fearlessness  in  attacking  what  is  wrong,  no  matter  where  found, 
has  endeared  him  to  all  classes  of  people  who  believe  that  truth  is 
mighty  and  will  prevail.  And  "Ping,"  as  he  is  affectionately  styled, 
can  always  depend  upon  the  God-fearing  citizens  for  support  in  any- 
thing he  may  desire  to  undertake.  How  few  others  there  are  who  can 
do  the  same! 

In  home  life  Governor  Pingree  finds  his  greatest  enjoyment.  Sur- 
rounded by  his  wife  and  children  in  his  residence  on  Woodward  avenue, 
he  enjoys  rest  and  relaxation  from  the  cares  and  worry  of  public  life. 
Patriotic  and  public  spirited,  he  is  ever  foremost  in  responding  to  the 
call  of  duty,  and  is  ready  and  eager  to  devote  his  time  and  money  for 
the  improvement  of  the  people  of  his  city  and  country,  as  he  was  when 
he  responded  to  the  call  of  his  country  in  the  Civil  war. 

With  the  motto,  "  Equal  rights  to  all,  special  privileges  to  none,"  at 
all  times  his  guide,  he  may  truly  be  said  to  be  one  of  the  Republicans 
who  believe  in  the  principles  and  doctrine  of  the  party  as  laid  down  by 
the  immortal  Lincoln. 


803 


ORRIN    J.   PRICE. 

Orrin  J.  Price,  son  of  JefEerds  and  Almira  (Morehouse)  Price,  was 
born  in  Lapeer  county,  Mich.,  November  30,  1847.  He  attended  the 
Lapeer  county  district  schools  until  ten  ydars  of  age,  and  during  the 
ensuing  ten  years  served  as  clerk  in  the  general  store  owned  and  con- 
ducted by  his  father,  who  was  a  prosperous  merchant,  at  the  same  time 
attending  school  at  Oakwood,  Oakland  cotmty.  From  18G7  to  1877  he 
was  engaged  in  the  drug  and  jewelry  business  in  Oakland  county,  and 
during  that  time  he  occupied  his  leisure  moments  in  reading  medicine 
with  Dr.  Egbert  Burdick  at  Oxford,  Mich.  In  1877  Mr.  Price  removed 
to  Detroit,  where  he  established  his  headquarters  as  general  agent  of 
Michigan,  Ohio  and  Indiana,  for  J.  W.  Tufts,  soda  fountain  and  silver 
plated  ware  manufacturer  of  Boston,  Mass.  In  the  autumn  of  1877  he 
entered  the  Detroit  Medical  College,  taking  a  course  of  three  years. 

In  1889  the  business  of  J.  W.  Tufts  passed  under  the  control  of  a 
stock  company  know  as  the  American  Soda  Fountain  Co.,  Mr.  Price 
being  one  of  the  stockholders.  He  is  also  proprietor  of  the  Royal  Oak 
(Mich.)  Mineral  Water  Springs,  from  which  he  distributes  (wholesale) 
millons  of  gallons  of  water  annually.  Mr.  Price  is  an  extensive  owner 
of  and  carries  on  a  general  real  estate  business  in  addition  to  his  other 
enterprises.  During  his  twenty  years'  connection  with  J.  W.  Tufts  and 
the  American  Soda  Fountain  Co.,  he  has  closely  watched  and  studied 
the  workings  of  each  new  fountain  when  placed  on  the  market,  and  the 
outcome  being  his  present  invention  of  the  Eskimo  Soda  Water  Appa- 
ratus,"with  Radical  Syrup  Can,  which  experts  pronounce  the  perfection 
of  soda  fountains.  Mr.  Price  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  having  been  honored  with  the  thirty-second  degree,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

He  was  married  in  1872  to  Ella  Z.,  daughter  of  James  L.  Dove  of 
Oxford,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Arthur  J.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Detroit  High  School  (class  of  '97),  now  a  student  of  theology  in  the 
Albion  (Mich.)  College,  and  Ray  Dove.  Mrs.  Price  is  a  lineal  descend- 
ent  of  Thomas  Josselyne,  husbandman,  who  came  from  London,  Eng- 
land, to  New  England,  in  the  ship  Increase,  April  17,  1635.  He  was  a 
proprietor  and  inhabitant  of  Hingham  and  Lancaster,  Mass.,  and  is 
conceded  to  have  been  the  founder  of  the  Josselyn  (also  Joslin,  Josslyn, 
Joslen  and  Joseline)  family  in  the  old  Plymouth  colony.  Her  mother, 
Fanny  M.  Cole,  was  the  daughter  of  Newell  Cole,  and  married  James 

804 


ORRIN  J.  PRICE. 


Hinderman  Dove  July  8,  1853,  at  Chesterfield,  Mich.     James  L.  Dove 
died  at  Oxford,  Mich.,  December  8,  1879. 


WILLIAM  E.   OUINBY. 

Hon.  William  Emory  Qumnv,  son  of  Daniel  F.  and  Arazina  (Reed) 
Quinby,  was  born  in  Brewer,  Me.,  December  14,  1835.  A  year  after 
his  birth  his  parents  removed  to  Li.sbon,  Me.,  and  Mr.  Quinby's  early 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  In  1850  he 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  and  here  attended  the  old  Capitol 
High  School,  and  later  the  private  college  conducted  by  John  M.  Greg- 
ory, where  he  was  prepared  for  college.  He  entered  the  University  of 
Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1854,  being  graduated  therefrom  in  1858, 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  Three  years  later  the  degree  of  A.  M.  was 
conferred  upon  him.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  collegiate  course  Mr. 
Quinby  entered  the  law  office  of  Walkers  &  Russell,  of  Detroit,  as  a 
student  and  in  the  fall  of  1859,  after  examination  before  the  full  bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  private  practice  of  the  law  during  the  two  years  followinq- 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  he  reported  the  court  proceedings  for  the  De- 
troit Free  Press,  establishing  what  was  known  as  the  "Court  Column." 

In  1861  he  was  engaged  as  acting  city  editor  and  subsequently,  im- 
mediately following  the  sale  of  Wilbur  Story's  interest  in  the  Free 
Press,  he  became  city  editor.  In  1863  he  became  managing  editor  and 
purchased  a  small  interest  in  the  paper,  and  at  every  subsequent  oppor- 
tunity he  acquired  various  interests  in  the  Free  Press;  in  1872  he  be- 
came its  editor- in  chief  and  in  that  year  acquired  enough  additional 
stock  to  hold  a  controlling  interest. 

When  the  Free  Press  building  at  the  corner  of  Griswold  and  Wood- 
bridge  streets  was  burned,  Mr.  Quinby  immediately  ordered  its  recon- 
struction. The  plant  was  maintained  in  that  location  until  1884,  when 
it  was  removed  to  the  commodious  building  at  the  corner  of  Shelby  and 
Larned  streets.  In  1894  the  present  home  of  the  Free  Press  on  Lafay- 
ette avenue  was  purchased. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Quinby,  as  editor-in-chief,  shaped  the  policy  of 
the  Free  Press,  and  his  efforts  were  crowned  with  recognition  of  that 
paper  as  one  of  the  great  dailies  of  the  United  States,  In  1881  the 
London,  Eng. ,  Free  Press  (weekly)  was  established  and  it  has  received 

805 


a  liberal  patronage  among  the  English  speaking  people  on  the  eastern 
hemisphere.  For  years  it  has  been  esteemed  by  the  public  as  a  news- 
paper of  the  highest  class.  Mr.  Quinby  was  the  first  to  introduce  the 
the  web  perfecting  press  in  Michigan  and  the  first  in  America  to  suc- 
cessfully operate  the  typesetting  machines. 

Once,  only,  since  1872  has  he  released  his  active  control  and  guidance 
of  the  Free  Press,  and  that  was  on  May  24,  1893,  when  President  Cleve- 
land appointed  him  to  the  post  of  minister  plenipotentiary  and  envoy 
extraordinary  to  the  Netherlands.  In  189G  he  returned  from  Holland 
to  attend  the  reorganization  of  the  Free  Press.  During  his  visit  the 
honorary  title  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of 
Michigan.  He  returned  with  his  family  from  his  post  in  the  Nether- 
lands on  August  21,  1897,  and  again  assumed  control  of  the  paper. 

During  his  career  in  the  newspaper  field  he  was  always  alive  to  the 
value  of  a  writer.  Among  the  famous  contributors  engaged  by  him 
were  Charles  B.  Lewis  (M.  Quad),  Robert  Barr  (Luke  Sharp),  Charles 
Follen  Adams  and  George  P.  Goodale,  the  dramatic  critic.  All  these 
gentlemen  did  their  first  w^ork  on  the  Free  Press. 

April  4,  1860,  Mr.  Quinby  married  Adeline  Frazier  of  Detroit,  and 
they  have  six  children:  Theodore  E.,  managing  editor  of  the  Free 
Press;  Harry  W.,  business  manager;  Herbert  M.,  exchange  editor; 
Winifred,  Florence  and  Evelyn. 


GEORGE  W.   RADFORD. 

George  W.  Radford,  son  of  James  and  Lydia  (Zimmerman)  Rad- 
ford, was  born  in  Baldwinsville,  Onondaga  pounty,  N.  Y.,  April  27, 
1853.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  General  Radford,  an 
English  officer  w^ho  became  famous  during  the  Polish  wars  and  for 
whom  the  town  of  Radford,  in  Nottingham,  England,  was  named.  His 
grandfather,  John  Radford,  helped  to  build  Fulton's  "Clermont,"  the 
first  ship  propelled  by  steam.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is  a  descendant, 
in  the  fourth  generation,  from  Peter  Snell,  the  only  survivor  of  the 
eight  Snell  brothers  who  fought  together  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany  Falls 
during  the  Revolution.  Peter  Snell  married  Anna  Kiltz,  the  girl  who 
furnished  the  red  petticoat,  from  which  were  made  the  stripes  of  that 
color  for  the  first  American  flag  which  floated  over  Fort  Willett,  Mont- 
gomery county,  N.  Y.,  during  the   Revolution.      Conrad  Zimmerman, 

806 


ALEXANDER    B.   RAYMOND,   C.  E. 


the  subject's  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  corporal  of  infantry  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  1814  at  Sackett's 
Harbor. 

George  W.  Radford  attended  the  district  schools  and  after  a  thorough 
preparatory  course  entered  Olivet  College,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1874  with  the  degrees  of  B.  S.  and  B.  A.,  and  in  1877  had  con- 
f erred  upon  him  by  that  institution  the  degree  of  M.  A.  He  attended 
the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Michigan  during  the  winter  of 
1874-75,  and  completed  his  legal  studies  in  the  offices  of  Walker  &  Kent 
at  Detroit.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Mich- 
igan in  1876,  and  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Detroit,  in  which  city  he  has  since  remained. 

Mr.  Radford  is  a  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  wState  and  Local 
Bar  Associations,  and  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  legal  standing. 
His  clientage  represents  large  moneyed  interests  and  his  practice  has 
taken  him  into  many  circuits  outside  of  Detroit,  as  well  as  in  eighteen 
other  States,  besides  which  he  has  appeared  before  three  of  the  United 
States  Circuit  Courts  of  Appeal.  For  nine  years  Mr.  Radford  was  at- 
torney for  the  Home  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  and  is  now  counsel  for 
and  a  director  in  that  institution.  He  is  now  (1898)  serving  his  third 
term  as  a  trustee  of  his  alma  mater.  Olivet  College.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  every  grade  in  that  order  in 
the  city,  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Lodge  No.  6,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  the 
only  lawyer  in  the  city  belonging  to  Constantine  Conclave  No.  8,  Knights 
of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine;  and  is  also  a  prominent  officer  in  the 
Imperial  Council  of  that  order.  Mr.  Radford  is  prominent  socially, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Bankers',  Detroit  and  Rushmere  Clubs  of  De- 
troit. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational  church  of  De- 
troit, and  has  been  for  many  years  a  regular  attendant  at  the  services 
of  that  church. 

In  October,  1880,  Mr.  Radford  married  Laura  F.,  daughter  of  George 
E.  Doolittle  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  five  children;  George  S.,  Hal 
M.,  Evert  A.,  Fritz  L.,  and  Marjorie. 


ALEXANDER  B.   RAYMOND. 

Alexander  B.  Raymond,  C.  E.,  son  of  William  A.  and  Minerva  E. 
(Nash)  Raymond,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  13,  1850.    Upon 

807 


the  death  of  his  father  in  1854  Alexander  removed  with  his  mother  to 
the  home  of  her  parents  at  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  in  that  city  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  twelve  years  of  age.  They  returned  to 
Detroit  in  18G3,  and  completing  his  public  school  education  in  the  lat- 
ter city,  Mr.  Raymond  entered  the  scientific  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  being  graduated  C.  E.  in  1871.  During  the  follow- 
ing two  years  he  was  employed  by  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany as  civil  engineer,  laying  out  for  them  a  double  track  road  bed  be- 
tween Detroit  and  Ypsilanti,  and  from  New  Buffalo  to  Porter's  Station, 
Mich.  From  1873  to  1875  he  was  engaged  in  laying  out  part  of  the 
work  for  the  four  track  road  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, having  his  headquarters  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  and  superintending 
the  construction  for  six  miles  on  either  side  of  that  city. 

In  1875  he  returned  to  Detroit,  and  after  two  years'  service  in  the 
city  engineer's  office  he  resigned  his  position  and  entered  the  grocery 
business,  in  which  he  continued  for  nearly  twenty  years.  In  June, 
1897,  Mr.  Raymond  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  sanitary 
engineer  to  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health,  and  in  which  he  has  served 
with  marked  ability.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Association  of 
Civil  Engineers,  and  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fraternity  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan.  He  is  also  a  member  and  an  active  worker  in  the 
Westminster  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit,  having  served  as  elder 
since  1884,  now  being  the  oldest  incumbent  of  that  office  in  term  of 
service. 

In  June,  1877,  Mr.  Raymond  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Col.  Henry 
Whiting,  of  St.  Clair,  Mich.,  and  they  have  four  children:  Williametta 
Orton,  Henry  Whiting,  Anna  Belle,  and  William  Whiting. 


JOHN    T.   RICH. 

Hon.  John  T.  Rich,  son  of  John  W.  and  Jerusha  (Treadway)  Rich, 
was  born  in  Conneautville,  Pa.,  April  33,  1841.  In  1846  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Shoreham,  Vt.,  where  a  year  later  his  mother 
passed  away.  In  1848  John  went  west  to  reside  with  his  uncle,  on  his 
farm  in  the  town  of  Elba,  Mich.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and 
later  took  a  term  in  the  Clarkston  Academy,  and  afterward  attended 
the  public  schools  at  Lapeer,  Mich.,  returning  from  school  to  farm 
work  in  18G1.     The  farm  was  a  large  one  and  well  stocked  and  young 


Rich  found  plenty  to  do.  For  five  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
Northeastern  Agricultural  Society  and  one  year  as  president  of  the 
State  Agricultural  Society.  In  1809  he  was  elected  as  supervisor  of  his 
township  and  was  re-elected  for  three  succeeding  terms.  During  the 
last  two  years  of  his  service  in  that  capacity  he  was  chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  the  county. 

In  the  autumn  of  1872  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  and  re- 
elected for  three  successive  terms.  While  a  member  of  that  body  Mr. 
Rich  was  the  last  speaker  in  the  old  Capitol  and  the  first  one  in  the 
new.  In  1881  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  taking  his  .seat  on 
January  1,  1882;  in  the  following  March  he  resigned  his  office  to 
accept  the  nomination  as  representative  to  the  United  States  Congress, 
to  which  body  he  was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  He  was  renomi- 
nated the  following  year  but  defeated  at  the  polls.  In  1886  he  was  ap- 
pointed, by  Governor  Luce,  commissioner  of  railroads  for  the  State  of 
Michigan  and  reappointed  to  that  position  in  1888. 

In  the  fall  of  1892  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  party  and 
elected  governor  of  the  State  of  Michigan  by  a  majority  of  about  six- 
teen thousand  and  reelected  in  1894  by  a  majority  of  100,392,  being 
the  largest  ever  given  a  governor  of  Michigan.  This  is  the  only  in- 
stance in  which  a  governor  of  the  State  of  Michigan  has  been  re-elected 
by  a  larger  majority  than  that  received  in  the  first  election. 

In  1898  he  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  as  collector  of  cus- 
toms for  the  port  of  Detroit  and  took  office  i\Iarch  1,  of  that  year.  In 
1881  Mr.  Rich  became  identified  with  the  Delta  Lumber  Company  of 
Detroit  (one  of  the  the  largest  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the  Northwest) 
as  a  stockholder  and  director;  he  later  became  treasurer  of  the  com- 
pany and  still  retains  that  position.  He  was  president  of  the  Lapeer 
County  Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  for  a  number  of 
years  and  has  always  been  more  or  less  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  and  State. 

Although  not  a  graduated  attorney,  during  his  service  as  railroad 
commissioner  Mr.  Rich  appeared  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  ably  prose- 
cuted cases  in  which  the  interests  of  the  State  were  involved.  Follow- 
ing upon  the  death  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  Rich  purchased  the  farm  at  Elba, 
Mich.,  which  he  still  maintains  as  his  residence.  He  takes  especial 
pride  in  the  standard  bred  live  stock  with  which  he  keeps  his  farm  sup- 
plied; he  has  always  been  particularly  fond  of  sheep  and  has  in  his 
flock  some  of  the  direct  descendants  of  the  early  Spanish  Merino  sheep, 

809 


brought  to  Vermont  in  1812.  Mr.  Rich  is  a  connoisseur  of  wool  and  at 
one  time  served  in  company  with  Edward  A.  Green  of  Philadelphia, 
Nicholas  Mauger  of  New  York,  and  John  Houston  of  Connecticut,  on 
the  National  Commission  which  selects  the  samples  of  wool  for  the  cus- 
tom house  authorities  from  all  sections  of  the  civilized  world.  Person- 
ally Mr.  Rich  is  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men;  genial,  modest 
and  unpretentious  in  his  social  intercourse,  he  gains  the  friendship  and 
holds  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

He  was  married  in  18G3  to  Lucretia  M.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Winship 
of  Atlas,  Genesee  county,  Mich. 


FORDYCE  H.   ROGERS. 

FoRDYCE  H.  Rogers,  son  of  George  W.  and  Jane  (Emmons)  Rogers, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  12,  1840.  He  is  of  English  an- 
cestry, being  descended  from  Russell  Rogers,  who  emigrated  from 
England  to  America  about  1750,  settling  in  Vermont.  He,  as  well  as 
other  members  of  the  family,  were  ardent  patriots,  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Rogers  comes  from  Revolu- 
tionary stock  on  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides.  George  W.  Rogers, 
the  father  of  the  subject,  was  a  manufacturer  of  stoves  at  Vergennes, 
Vt.,  but  removed  to  Michigan  in  1840,  locating  shortly  after  at  Pontiac, 
where  he  established  and  conducted  for  many  years  a  general  merchan- 
dising business.  His  wife,  Jane  C.  Emmons,  was  a  daughter  of 
Adonijah  Emmons,  and  a  sister  of  Judge  H.  H.  Emmons,  a  distin- 
guished member  of  the  Detroit  bar,  and  one  of  the  circuit  judges  of  the 
United  States  Court. 

Fordyce  H.  Rogers,  the  subject,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Pontiac,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  employ  of  T.  H.  &  J. 
A.  Hinchman,  wholesale  druggists  of  Detroit.  A  year  later  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Eagle  &  Elliott,  clothiers,  remaining  until  1858.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year  he  removed  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  where  an  elder 
brother,  George  E.  Rogers,  had  preceded  him,  and  during  the  follow- 
ing year  he  was  engaged  in  mining.  He  returned  to  Michigan  in  18G1 
and  was  the  first  man  to  join  Col.  Thornton  F.  Brodhead  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  First  Michigan  Cavalry,  was  commissioned  second  lieu- 
tenant, and  shortly  afterward  became  first  lieutenant  and  battalion 
adjutant.      He  rendered  valuable  service  to  his  country,  serving  in  all 

810 


ROBERT  C.  SAFFORD. 


of  the  eng-agements  in  which  his  regiment  took  part,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  service  vSeptember  11,  1802.  Subsequently  he  declined  the  offer 
of  a  commission  as  major  in  both  a  New  York  and  Michigan  regiment. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Rogers  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he 
engaged  in' various  enterprises.  In  1865  he  was  offered  and  accepted 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  Pacific  Bank  at  San  Francisco,  and 
shortly  after  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  paying  teller.  In  1867  he 
was  made  cashier,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1872.  From  1872 
until  1879  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  stock  brokerage,  and  at  one 
time  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  thirty  mining  corporations.  In 
1879  he  returned  to  the  East,  and  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Mining  Board  in  New  York  city  until  1880.  In  that  year  he  purchased 
the  business  of  the  Detroit  White  Lead  Works,  an  industry  which  was 
established  in  1865,  and  associating  Ford  D.  C.  Hinchman  and  Horace 
M.  Dean  in  the  enterprise,  the  business  was  incorporated,  retaining  the 
original  title,  and  Mr.  Rogers  was  elected  treasurer  and  manager. 

For  several  years  previous  to  the  purchase  of  the  business  by  Mr. 
Rogers,  the  industry  had  been  unprofitable,  but  owing  to  the  liberal 
policy  and  business  methods  of  the  new  management,  in  a  remarkably 
short  time  the  reputation  of  the  corporation  was  established  on  a  firm 
basis,  which  has  resulted  in  the  building  up  of  a  large  and  prosperous 
business,  the  establishment  ranking  among  the  largest  of  its  kind  in 
country,  and  owning  the  finest  plant  in  the  world.  Mr.  Rogers  is  a 
member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  a 
prominent  Mason. 

He  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1868,  to  Eva  Adams,  daughter 
of  Dr.  Samuel  Adams,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  a  pioneer  drug  merchant 
of  that  city,  and  a  niece  of  Rev.  Nehemiah  Adams,  D.  D. ,  for  forty- 
four  years  pastor  of  the  old  Essex  Street  church,  Boston,  Mass.  She 
died  in  January,  1892.  In  May,  1895,  he  married  as  his  second  wife. 
Miss  Grace  J.  Haynes,  lady  principal  of  Olivet  College. 


ROBERT   C.   SAFFORD. 

Robert  Crawford  Safford,  president  of  the  First  National  Ex- 
change Bank  of  Plymouth,  ]\Iich.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Canton  on 
the  farm  that  he  still  owns,  the  21st  of  March,  1833.  His  parents  were 
Rufus  and  Elethear  {Crawford)  Safford;  he  in  1830  came  from  Canter- 

811 


bury,  Windora  county,  Conn.,  bought  land  and  two  years  later  made 
his  permanent  home  in  Canton.  He  was  born  June  1,  1800,  and  passed 
away  on  his  homestead  June  11,  1884.  His  wife,  who  was  b  )rn  in  Sar- 
atoga county,  N.  Y.,  October  30,  1803,  came  to  Michigan  in  company 
with  her  brother  in  1832;  she  died  in  1890  at  the  age  of  eighty  six. 
They  were  a  remarkable  couple  and  widely  noted  for  their  many  ex- 
cellent traits  of  character.  Preserving  his  faculties  to  the  last  Rufus 
Crawford  kept  his  farming  operations  in  his  own  hands,  and  not  being 
distracted  by  ambitions  for  public  honor,  was  content  to  live  the  unob- 
trusive life  of  a  successful  agriculturist,  taking  commendable  pride  in 
the  excellent  farm  he  had  conquered  from  the  wilderness.  After  ex- 
periencing the  vicissitudes  so  inseparable  with  pioneer  life  in  the  early 
days  of  a  new  State,  but  which  he  did  his  share  in  developing  into  one 
of  the  most  productive,  he  lived  to  see  it  equal  to  any  of  the  older  ones 
in  all  the  elements  and  advantages  of  an  advanced  civilization. 

Robert's  early  years  were  passed  on  the  farm,  attending  the  Plymouth 
schools  and  one  year  at  Ypsilanti  Normal  School.  In  1864  he  came  to 
his  present  home  in  Plymouth,  one  mile  distant  from  the  parental  home, 
and  has  devoted  himself  almost  exclusively  to  farming  pursuits.  His 
is  one  of  the  most  carefully  tilled  farms  in  the  town,  being  kept  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  thoroughly  fertilized,  drained  and  fenced,  and 
supplied  with  well-equipped  barns  and  outbuildings,  to  maintain  the 
best  results  in  whatever  line  of  agriculture  its  owner  cares  to  direct  it. 
To  the  traveler  whose  keen  eye  observes  the  varying  condition  of  land- 
scape and  notes  the  improvement  of  man  or  the  few  remaining  groves 
left  in  natural  condition,  this  farm  presents  a  most  pleasing  and  agree- 
able spectacle.  One  can  but  be  impressed  with  the  handsome  and 
commodious  residence,  the  shrubbery  and  various  objects  that  add  to 
the  attractiveness  of  the  place  to  make  it  an  ideal  rural  home.  He  op- 
erates the  homestead,  which  makes  him  the  owner  of  over  a  half  sec- 
tion of  the  best  land  in  Wayne  county. 

Mr.  Safford  was  chosen  president  of  the  First  National  Exchange 
Bank  five  years  ago,  and  in  this  position  the  wisdom  of  the  board  went 
not  amiss.  While  not  caring  for  official  life  Mr.  Safford  has  identified 
himself  actively  with  the  Prohibition  party,  and  of  the  principles  of 
which  he  is  an  earnest  advocate.  Himself  and  wife  are  Universalists 
in  their  religious  faith. 

January  29,  18G3,  he  married  Elizabeth  Murray,  daughter  of  Archi- 
bald Y.  and  Abigail  (Horton)  ]\Iurray,  who  came  from   near  Goshen, 

812 


REV.  JAMES    SAVAGE. 


Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1826,  they  being  another  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  Wayne  county.  Mr.  Safford  has  two  children:  Homer  E.  Saf- 
ford,  M.  D.,  of  Detroit,  and  Ada  M.,  a  student  in  tlic  class  of  1900, 
University  of  Michigan. 


REV.  JAMEvS  SAVAGE. 

Rev.  James  Savage,  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Meade)  Savage,  was 
born  in  Sylvan  township,  Washtenaw  county,  Mich.,  Januarys,  184G. 
Rev.  Savage  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
Sylvan  township,  which  he  attended  until  thirteen  5^ears  of  age,  when 
he  began  taking  lessons  from  a  private  tutor  at  Dexter,  Mich.,  remain- 
ing under  his  instruction  until  1863.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered 
St.  Mary's  Seminary  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  ¥.,  where  he  remained  one 
year,  then  entered  Milwaukee  Seminary  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1869,  and  ordained  by  Archbishop  Purcell 
on  July  2,  of  that  year. 

Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  was  assigned  as  assistant  pastor  of 
Holy  Trinity  church,  Detroit,  officiating  in  that  capacity  until  1878, 
when  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  church,  at  Grattan 
Mich.  In  1881  he  was  appointed  by  Bishop  Borgess  as  pastor  of  Our 
Lady  of  Help  church,  and  continued  in  charge  of  that  parish  until  1887. 
His  next    assignment    was    to  his  present    parish    of    Holy   Trinity,' 

'  Most  Holy  Trinity  church,  the  first  church  erected  for  the  English  speaking  Catholics  of 
Detroit,  was  built  in  1835,  on  the  corner  of  Bates  street  and  Cadillac  square,  its  pastor  being  Rev. 
Bernard  O'Cavanaugh.  Its  congregation  embraced  the  entire  city  of  English  speaking  Catholics. 
Father  O'Cavanaugh's  successor  was  the  Rev.  Martin  Kendig,  the  hero  of  the  cholera  plague. 
Its  other  pastors  were  Revs.  Lawrence  Kilroj',  Ed.  Dillon,  John  Farnam  and  M.  E.  Shawe, 
successively. 

When  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  Cathedral  (present  Jesuit  church)  was  erected  "  Trinity  "  was 
temporarily  closed.  In  1849,  having  obtained  permission  to  retain  the  name  of  "Most  Holy 
Trinity,"  and  to  remove  the  church  edifice,  the  people  of  the  then  western  part  of  Detroit  planted 
Trinity  church  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Porter,  with  Rev.  Father  L'Eterneauas  pastor.  This 
temporary  structure  served  as  a  place  of  worship  until  1855,  when  the  corner  stone  of  the  present 
brick  edifice  was  laid.  During  its  sixty-odd  years  of  existence  this  congregation  has  been 
wonderfully  prosperous,  and  has  always  taken  a  leading  part  in  all  Catholic  enterprises. 

Scarcely  had  Trinity  people  located  their  church  on  its  present  site,  when  the  first  foundation 
for  the  now  flourishing  parochial  school  was  laid.  From  its  humble  beginning  in  the  basement 
of  the  old  church  in  1850,  when  Mr.  John  O'Connell  had  charge  of  the  boys,  the  girls  being  in- 
structed by  a  Miss  Fay,  Trinity  school  advanced  and  grew  until  to-day  it  ranks  among  the  fore- 
most educational  institutions  of  Detroit.  Since  1874  the  school  has  been  in  charge  of  the  Sisters 
of  the  Immaculate  Heart  of  Mary  of  Monroe,  Mich. 

The  pastors  of  Most  Holy  Trinity,  in  regular  succession,  since  ISSO,  have  been  Rev.  Patrick 
Donohue,  who  succeeded  Father  L'Eterneau  ;  Rev.  Francis  Peters,  whose  gentle  life  was  sacri- 

813 


Detroit,  in  which  he  has  labored  eleven  years  with  commedable  success. 
His  genial  and  affable  manners  endear  him  not  onl}^  to  his  parishioners, 
but  to  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  an  indefatigable 
worker,  and  has  always  been  a  close  student.  The  study  of  archaeology 
has  claimed  some  of  his  attention,  and  he  has  one  of  the  finest 
archaeological  collections  in  the  city.  Father  Savage  is  of  Irish 
ancestry  and  his  friends  are  proud  of  his  sterling  Americanism  and 
patriotism.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  by  Bishop  Foley,  dean  of  the 
Western  District  of  Detroit. 


JOHN  A.   SCHMID. 

John  A.  Schmid,  clerk  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Monroe, 
Mich.,  March  10,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  John  N.  Schmid.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  his  father  emigrating  from  Germany  to  America  in  1850 
and  settling  in  Monroe,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and 
stone-mason  work.  Mr.  Schmid  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Monroe,  but  at  the  age  of  twelve  was  forced  to  leave  school 
and  support  himself,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father  from  an  illness 
contracted  while  defending  his  adopted  country  in  the  late  Civil  war. 

Removing  to  Detroit  in  1876,  Mr.  Schmid  soon  secured  employment, 
and  later  entered  the  mercantile  business,  which  he  followed  with  suc- 
cess until  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  deputy  city  clerk  in  1892. 
Three  years  later  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  the  Republican 
party  to  the  office  of  city  clerk,  receiving  the  largest  majority  of  any 
previous  official  in  that  office.  On  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office 
he  was  renominated  and  elected  for  a  second  term  and  is  still  serving 
in  that  capacity.  During  his  incumbency  his  administration  of  affairs 
has  been  such  as  to  cause  much  public  comment  favorable  to  himself, 
and  his  election  to  a  second  term  is  a  well  merited  reward  for  his  faith- 
ful performance  of  his  duties,  as  well  as  a  public  recognition  of  his 
value  as  a  public  official. 

Mr.  Schmid  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Detroit  Scott  Guards 
and  at  the  time  of  his  retirement  was  first  lieutenant  of  that  organiza- 
tion, having  been  a  member  for  ten  years.      He  is  prominent  in  Masonic 

ficed  to  the  pest;  Rev.  Aloysius  P.legenberg:,  to  whose  zenl  and  abilitj'  much  of  the  successful 
development  of  the  parochial  school  is  due;  Rev.  R.  F.  Doman,  and  its  present  pastor,  Very 
Rev.  James  Savage,  first  dean  of  the  Western  Deanery  of  Detroit,  who  is  irremovable. 

814 


JOHN    A.  SCHMID. 


circles,  being  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  Moslem 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  and  Zion  Lodge  No.  1,  F.  &  A.  :\I. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  No.  G,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen ; 
Riverside  Lodge  No.  304,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  Detroit 
Lodge  No.  34,  and  Bennett  Tent  No.  887,  K.  O.  T.  M. ;  B.  P.  O.  E.  ; 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle;  Concordia  Singing  Society;  the  Alger 
Republican  Club  and  the  Marshland  Club  of  Detroit  and  Detroit  Yacht 
Club. 

Mr.  Schmid  was  married  in  1882  to  Rosa,  daughter  of  PhiHp  Erlen- 
bach  of  Detroit,  Mich.     They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Gertrude. 


JOHN  T.  SHAW. 

John  T.  Shaw,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Detroit,  was 
born  in  Plymouth,  Mich.,  July  30,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Maiden)  Shaw.  He  is  of  English  ancestry,  being  descended  from 
Thomas  Shaw  who  emigrated  from  England  to  America  in  183G  and 
settled  at  Plymouth,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  His  son 
John  (the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch)  sti.ll  lives  on  the  old 
homestead  at  that  place,  and  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
growth  and  development  of  that  section  of  Wayne  county. 

John  T.  Shaw,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Plymouth  and  Northville  (Mich.),  which  he  at- 
tended until  the  age  of  nineteen.  In  187G  he  removed  to  Detroit  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  First  National  Bank  in  the  capacity  of  mes- 
senger. His  services  with  that  institution  has  been  continuous  since, 
through  promotion  rising  from  grade  to  grade  until  in  1892  he  became 
cashier,  and  is  still  an  incumbent  of  that  position.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Detroit;  a  member  of  the  Bankers'  Club, 
Detroit  Club,  Country  Club,  "  Old  Club  "  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.,  and 
St.  John  Episcopal  church  of  Detroit.      Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

October  4,  1894,  Mr.  Shaw  married  Adelle,  daughter  of  Charles  Bur- 
ton and  Sopha  (Webber)  Pomeroy  of  Troy,  Pa. 


ELLIOTT  T.   SLOCUM. 

Elliott  Truax  Slocum,  financier,  Detroit,  Mich.,  was  born  in  Tren- 
ton, Wayne  county,  Mich.,  May  15,  1839,  and  is  the  only  son  of  Giles 

815 


Bryan  Slocum,  formerly  a  resident  of  New  York  vState,  but  later  a  useful 
and  widely  known  citizen  of  Michigan.  On  the  paternal  side  Mr,  Slocum 
can  trace  his  line  back  ten  generations  to  Anthony  Slocum,  one  of  the 
forty-six  "first  and  ancient"  purchasers  of  the  territory  of  Cohannet, 
now  Massachusetts.  Next  came  Giles  Slocum,  the  common  ancestor 
of  all  the  Slocums  whose  American  lineage  has  been  found  to  date  from 
the  seventeenth  century,  who  was  born  in  Somersetshire,  England,  and 
settled  in  Portsmouth  township,  R.  I  ,  in  1638,  dying  there  in  1682. 
Then  followed  respectively  Samuel,  Giles,  Joseph,  Jonathan,  Giles, 
Jeremiah  and  Giles  B.  Slocum.  Frances  Slocum,  "The  Lost  Sister  of 
of  Wyoming,"  whose  life,  wanderings  and  death  are  so  interestingly 
set  forth  in  a  work  on  her  life  by  John  F.  Meginness,  was  a  sister  of 
Giles  Slocum,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Sophia  Maria  Brigham  Truax,  mother  of  Elliott  Truax  Slocum,  is  a 
native  of  Michigan  and  a  daughter  of  Col.  Abraham  Caleb  Truax,  who 
came  to  this  State  in  1800  from  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  and  served  as  a 
volunteer  in  the  United  States  army  at  the  time  of  Hull's  surrender; 
he  became  a  prominent  merchant  in  Detroit  in  1808.  He  was  a  cousin 
of  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  the  Patroon  of  Albany,  and  a  descendant 
of  Aernondt  (Arnold)  Du  Truex,  the  first  white  child  (of  which  there 
is  any  record)  baptized  in  New  Netherlands  (New  York). 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  prepared  for  his  higher  education  with  the 
Rev.  Moses  Hunter  of  Grosse  Isle,  Mich.,  and  graduated  from  Union 
College  in  1862.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  then  president,  signed 
Mr.  Slocum's  diploma  as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  this  being  one  of  the  last  to 
which  that  celebrated  divine  affixed  his  autograph.  In  1869  Mr.  Slo- 
cum received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  the  University  of 
Michigan,  where  his  studies  included  a  course  in  civil  engineering  and 
surveying.  He  immediately  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  manage- 
ment of  extensive  land,  lumber  and  farming  interests,  including  the 
largest  sheep  farm  in  Michigan.  Meanwhile,  as  a  born  American,  Mr. 
Slocum  became  more  or  less  interested  in  politics  and  familiarized  him- 
self especially  with  questions  relating  to  economics.  His  investigations 
proved  of  value  to  him  in  reaching  intelligent  views,  by  which  to  regu- 
late his  own  actions  and  those  of  others  in  public  affairs. 

In  1869  the  Republicans  of  the  Third  district,  which  had  been 
strongly  Democratic,  elected  Mr.  Slocum  to  the  Legislature,  and 
although  the  youngest  senator  in  the  State,  he  took  a  prominent  posi- 
tion in  the  State  capital  and  served  with  honor  to  himself  and  the  satis- 

816 


faction  of  his  constituency.  Mr.  Slocum  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
many  other  important  senatorial  contests.  In  1886  he  was  appointed  a 
park  commissioner  of  Detroit  and  was  in  turn  commissioner,  vice- 
president  and  president  of  the  board  for  several  years. 

During  several  trips  to  Europe  Mr.  Slocum  was  naturally  attracted 
by  the  wonderful  dykes  of  Holland,  which  have  enabled  the  Dutch  to 
reclaim  vast  tracts  of  low  lands  from  the  sea,  and  he  spent  some  time 
studying  the  methods  and  results  of  the  Dutch  engineers.  The  knowl- 
edge came  into  useful  play  in  the  smaller  field  of  Belle  Isle  Park. 

He  succeeded  his  father  as  trustee  of  the  Saratoga  Monument  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York,  and  with  George  William  Curtis,  Samuel  S.  Cox, 
John  H.  Starin  and  others,  took  an  active  interest  in  the  erection  of 
one  of  the  finest  monuments  in  the  world  on  the  battlefield  of  Burgoyne's 
surrender  at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,  near  the  home  of  his  father's  family. 

Mr.  Slocum  was  one  of  the  first  directors  of  the  Chicago  &  Canada 
Southern  Railroad  and  did  much  to  secure  the  right  of  way.  It  is  now 
a  part  of  the  Michigan  Central  system. 

In  the  management  of  his  extensive  business  interests  and  in  the 
creation  and  development  of  new  projects,  Mr.  Slocum  has  displayed 
courage,  activity  and  good  judgment  and  has  been  uniformly  successful. 
He  has  made  frequent  trips  to  different  parts  of  the  State,  examined 
many  pieces  of  property  and  promoted  mercantile,  banking  and  manu- 
facturing enterprises.  He  is  now  largely  interested  in  lands  in  Wayne, 
Muskegon,  Oceana,  Newaygo  and  Kent  counties,  Mich.,  and  is  the 
owner  of  large  tracts  in  upper  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  richly  supplied 
with  timber  and  mineral  deposits,  which  through  the  development  of 
railroads  have  become  valuable.  The  village  of  Slocum's  Grove,  in  a 
large  tract  of  his  timber  in  Muskegon  county,  owes  its  creation  to  his 
energy.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  and  the  vice-president  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Whitehall,  a  stockholder  in  several  of  the  leading 
banks  and  corporations  throughout  the  State,  and  is  a  director  in  the 
Union  Trust  Company  of  Detroit.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  several 
business  blocks  and  dwelling  houses  in  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of 
all  the  prominent  clubs  and  societies,  and  by  virtue  of  his  lineage  a 
a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  and 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Historical  Association. 

He  was  married,  July  30,  1872,  to  Charlotte  Gross,  daughter  of  the 
late  Ransom  E.  Wood,  an  old  resident  and  wealthy  capitalist  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.     Mrs.  Slocum  died  at  Dresden,  Germany,  June  6,  1891. 

817 


Mr.  Slocum  has  two  homes,  one  in  Detroit  and  the  other  on  Slocum's 
Island  near  Trenton,  in  Wayne  county.  Those  who  know  Mr.  Slocum 
appreciate  him  for  his  independence,  his  high  sense  of  honor,  and  the 
courteous  frankness  with  which  he  presents  his  views  without  demand- 
ing that  others  shall  endorse  or  adopt  them.  Public  life  and  private 
enterprise  have  given  him  a  wide  personal  acquaintance  and  secured 
for  him  the  esteem  of  all. 


JOHN  H.  SMEDLEY. 

John  H.  Smedley,  treasurer  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Company,  was  born 
in  Sandiacre,  Derbyshire,  England,  January  26,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of 
Abraham  and  Mary  Ann  (Barker)  Smedley.  Mr.  Smedley  attended 
the  Risley  Grammar  School  at  Sandiacre  until  attaining  the  age  of  six- 
teen years,  receiving  a  substantial  education.  In  1873  he  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  America,  they  locating  at  Detroit,  Mich.  In  1878 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Company,  afterwards 
accepting  a  position  with  the  firm  of  Burrell  &  Whitman,  In  this 
latter  position  he  remained  until  1885,  when  he  resigned  to  become 
cashier  of  the  home  office  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Company,  manufacturing 
chemists,  and  after  ten  years'  service  he  was  promoted  to  his  present 
office  as  treasurer  of  the  company.  Mr.  Smedley  possesses  executive 
ability  of  a  high  order,  energy  and  enterprise,  and  is  recognized  as 
prominent  among  the  younger  business  men  of  the  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  prominent  in  the  order;  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Club  and  other  social  organizations.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Democrat. 

On  November  7,  1880,  he  married  Carrie  M.,  daughter  of  the  late 
Richard  Shute  of  Detroit.  To  them  have  been  born  five  children, 
three  of  whom  survive:  George  Edwin,  Hazel  Mary  and  Raymond 
Barker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smedley  are  active  members  of  Mary  Palmer 
Memorial  M.  E.  church. 


JOHN  H.  SMEDLbV 


HAMILTON  E.   SMITH,   M.    D. 

Hamilton  E.  Smith,  M.  D.,  son  of  Alexander  and  Mary  (Stevenson) 
Smith,  was  born  in  BufTalo,  N.  Y.,  January  22,  1840.  At  an  early  age 
he  removed  with  his  parents  to  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  where 
he  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  entered  Victoria  College  at 
Toronto.  During  the  winter  of  1857-58  he  studied  medicine  with  the 
late  Dr.  Jamin  Strong,  the  celebrated  neurologist  and  physician  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  was  a  member  of  the  "  Guiteau  trial  board,"  and 
superintendent  of  the  Northern  Ohio  Asylum  for  the  Insane.  In  1801 
Dr.  Smith  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  University  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  for  a  short  time  following  he  practiced  medicine  at  Lex- 
ington, Mich. 

In  1862  he  entered  the  army  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  27th  Mich- 
igan Infantry,  and  was  promoted  in  November,  1863,  to  the  rank  of 
surgeon,  and  served  in  that  capacity  on  the  staffs  of  Generals  Hartranft 
and  Wilcox,  and  from  early  in  1865  until  the  close  of  the  war  was  med- 
ical inspector  of  the  army  at  Taneytown,  Md.  He  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  August,  1865,  having  been  the  first 
officer  mustered  in  and  the  last  mustered  out  in  his  regiment,  and  was 
also  the  youngest  surgeon  in  point  of  years  who  served  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion. 

Since  1865  Dr.  Smith  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in 
Detroit,  and  has  attained  to  a  most  prominent  place  among  the  leading 
men  of  his  calling  in  Michigan.  During  the  years  1872-73  he  was  med- 
ical pension  examiner  at  Detroit,  and  after  a  year  spent  in  California 
was  made  president  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health,  in  which  position 
he  served  for  one  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  the  Michigan  State  and  the  old  Wayne  County  Medical 
Societies,  and  was  president  of  the  latter  society  for  one  term.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers. 

Dr.  Smith  makes  a  specialty  of  surgery  and  the  diseases  of  women 
and  children,  although  he  has  a  large  general  practice.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit;  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States,  affiliating  with  Michigan  Commandery,  his  mem- 
bership number  being  3,735;  and  of  Fairbanks  Post,  G.  A.  R.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  director  in  the  Eureka  Iron  Company,  and  is 

819 


at    present    prominently    identified    with    numerous    business    enter- 
prises. 

Dr.  Smith  has  been  married  twice;  first,  in  1869,  to  Adelia  Ward, 
who  died  in  1876.  In  1887  he  married  as  his  second  wife,  Frances 
Jewett,  daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  P.  Jewett  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Hamilton  j.  and  Lawrence  D. 

During  the  late  war  Dr.  Smith  was  highly  recommended  to  head- 
quarters in  the  reports  of  the  battle  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  for  having 
saved  the  life  of  Assistant  Surgeon  Vickery  of  the  2d  Mich.  Infantry, 
who  was  thought  to  be  mortally  wounded  by  a  minnie  bullet  which 
penetrated  the  thigh,  severing  the  femoral  artery.  Dr.  Smith  stayed 
the  hemorrhage  and  Dr.  Vickery  recovered  and  has  since  become  one 
of  the  first  surgeons  of  America.  Dr.  Smith  has  enjoyed  the  advantage 
of  medical  study  abroad,  having  spent  the  years  1886-87  in  scientific 
studies  in  the  great  medical  centers  of  Europe,  Edinburgh,  London, 
Vienna,  Berlin,  Paris  and  Rome.  He  has  also  traveled  extensively  for 
recreation  in  Europe  and  America.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  culture  and 
refinement,  and  long  has  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful physicians  and  surgeons  of  Michigan. 


EDWARD  S.   SNOW,  M.   D. 

The  loss  of  no  other  man  has  been  so  keenly  felt  in  the  community 
as  that  of  the  whole-souled,  big-hearted,  genial  gentleman,  Edward 
Sparrow  Snow,  M.  D.  No  one  had  wider  or  warmer  acquaintances; 
no  one  was  a  more  welcome  visitor  and  no  one  brought  more  sunshine 
and  hope  into  homes  sometimes  darkened  with  the  dreaded  shadows. 
His  life  was  one  long  benediction,  and  fortunate  were  the  people  of 
Dearborn  to  have  so  broad-minded  and  liberal  a  man  as  their  medical 
adviser.  Dr.  Snow  was  born  in  Austinburg,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio, 
July  5,  1820,  his  parents  being  Sparrow  and  Clara  (Kneeland)  Snow, 
both  natives  of  Massachusetts.  They  were  married  September  10,  1811, 
and  settled  in  Ohio  in  1817. 

Edward  S.  remained  at  home  till  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  at- 
tended Grand  River  Institute  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1842. 
He  taught  school  for  two  years  at  Palmyra  and  Jefferson,  Ohio,  and 
then  read  medicine  with  his  old  friend.  Dr.  O.  K.  Hawley,  at  Austin- 
burg, and  in  1847  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the  West- 

820 


m?" 


EDWARD  SPARROW  SNOW   M. 


era  Reserve  College  at  Cleveland.  That  same  year  he  came  to  Dear- 
born and  was  acting  assistant  surgeon  for  one  year  to  the  Detroit  Ar- 
senal, then  actively  used  by  the  government.  After  some  interval  he 
was  reinstated  in  the  same  position  in  1852,  by  Jefiferson  Davis,  then 
secretary  of  war,  and  so  served  until  the  arsenal  was  dismantled.  He 
early  became  interested  in  military  affairs  and  was  a  member  of  the 
First  Rifle  Regiment,  Second  Brigade,  Ohio  Division,  and  served  as 
its  adjutant  for  two  years. 

He  was  one  of  the  best  known  physicians;  and  was  one  of  the  well- 
remembered  members  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Association.  He 
attended  several  sessions,  notably  those  at  Cincinnati  in  1871,  New 
York,  Buffalo  and  Louisville,  of  the  North  America  Medical  A.ssocia- 
tion,  and  always  took  active  and  creditable  part  in  the  discussions.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  medical  alumni  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity. Always  alive  to  the  adavncement  of  literary  and  educational 
tastes  he,  in  1874,  was  elected  president  of  the  Dearborn  Literary  So- 
ciety, and  always  took  a  live  interest  in  making  it  productive  of  good 
in  the  community.  Ever  a  Republican,  he  was  not  conspicuous  in 
political  life,  preferring  the  more  quiet  and  independent  career  of  a 
successful  practitioner,  in  which  he  had  no  superiors  and  few  equals. 

Dr.  Snow  passed  away  July  18,  1892,  after  a  protracted  illness,  in 
which  the  amiable  and  Christian  spirit  shone  forth  as  never  before. 
At  that  time  but  one  other  physician  in  the  State  had  been  in  practice 
so  long.  Space  precludes  entering  into  the  encomiums  of  praise  that 
the  life  of  this  gentleman  so  well  merits. 

Dr.  Snow  was  married,  October  22,  1851,  to  Elizabeth  Austin  of 
Austinburg,  Ohio,  whose  ancestors  were  the  founders  of  that  town. 
Judge  Eliphalet  Austin  having  been  one  of  Ohio's  foremost  citizens  in 
the  early  part  of  the  century.  Mrs.  Snow  still  retains  her  delightful 
rural  residence  at  Dearborn,  and  is  passing  the  evening  of  life  sur- 
rounded by  many  friends  in  whose  companionship  she  finds  the  solace 
that  is  so  necessary  after  the  bereavement  incident  to  the  loss  of  hus- 
band and  two  respected  sons,  Herbert  Montgomery  Snow  and  Edward 
Auchmuty  Snow;  the  latter,  having  just  entered  upon  the  preparation 
for  his  father's  profession,  was  stricken  down  at  the  early  age  of  twenty- 
one  on  the  8th  of  September,  1884. 


821 


HERBERT  M.   SNOW. 

Herbert  Montgomery  Snow  was  born  July  26,  1858,  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1882  of  the  State  University  Law  department,  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Detroit,  but  soon  devoted  himself  more  fully 
to  a  business  life  in  connection  with  the  real  estate  interests  of  his 
father  in  Detroit.  Snow's  subdivision  on  Forest  avenue  demanded 
his  attention;  and  he  was  the  owner  of  the  Corronado  Flats.  The  de- 
tails of  his  death  are  fresh  in  the  memory  of  his  friends,  having- 
occurred  October  27,  1897.  He  had  realized  for  some  years  that  a 
heart  affection  existed  and  physicians  had  cautioned  him  touching  it. 
He  was  full  of  life  and  ambition  and  found  pleasure  in  athletic  sports, 
especially  becoming  an  enthusiast  on  the  use  of  the  wheel.  Over  exer- 
tion had  given  him  some  apprehension,  but  not  so  as  to  cause  him  to 
abandon  his  favorite  amusement.  He,  with  some  friends,  was  making 
a  run  to  Ypsilanti,  Ann  Arbor  and  other  points,  and  on  the  return  trip 
while  near  Ypsilanti  he  got  off  his  wheel  on  account  of  dizziness,  and 
when  reached  by  his  companions  life  was  extinct.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Delta  Phi  society  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  He  was  a  young  man  whose  life  held  many  pleas- 
ing features  and  to  whom  the  outlook  was  only  of  the  brightest. 

He  was  married,  September  12,  1883,  to  Mary  L.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Dark)  Martyn  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Dearborn. 


FRANK  E.   SNOW. 

Frank  E.  Snow,  son  of  Edward  and  Sophia  (Simpson)  Snow,  was 
born  in  Bangor,  Maine,  June  2,  1847.  Mr,  Snow  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  removed  with  his  parents  in  1854. 
Upon  conclusion  of  his  common  school  education  he  took  a  course  at 
Patterson's  private  school  at  Detroit.  In  1862  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Co.,  serving  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  in 
the  local  freight  office.  In  1866  he  was  promoted  to  a  clerkship  in  the 
office  of  the  superintendent,  where  he  remained  until  1868,  when  he 
was  appointed  general  agent  for  the  Michigan  Central  and  Great  West- 
ern Railroad  Companies,  with  headquarters  at  Detroit.  After  a  service 
of  six  years  at  Detroit,  he  was  appointed  as  general  western  agent  at 

822 


HERBERT  MONTGOMERY  SNOW. 


Chicago  of  the  same  roads.  In  1875  he  was  made  general  passenger 
and  ticket  agent  of  the  Canada  Southern  Railroad  at  Detroit,  and  re- 
mained in  their  employ  until  the  completion  of  the  Wabash  Railway  in 
1881,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  general  agent  of  the 
latter  company  at  Detroit. 

In  1884  he  resigned  that  office  to  engage  in  the  real  estate  business, 
and  in  which  he  has  since  continued  with  flattering  success.  In  1885 
he  built  the  Highland  Park  Electric  Railway  at  Detroit,  and  in  1887 
the  East  Detroit  and  Grosse  Pointe  Electric  Railway,  both  of  which  he 
sold  to  the  Citizens'  Street  Railroad  Company  in  1893  and  ]894  re- 
spectively. He  is  at  present  president  of  the  Kokomo  City  Street  Rail- 
way Co.  and  of  the  Citizens'  Light  and  Power  Co.  of  Kokomo,  Ind. 
Mr.  Snow  is  the  owner  of  considerable  valuable  real  estate  in  Detroit. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Frances  Burtenshaw,  daughter  of 
James  Burtenshaw,  of  Detroit.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Muir  B.,  Neil  W.,  Frank  E.,  jr.,  Margaret,  and  Barrett  H. 


WILLIAM    C.   SPRAGUE. 

William  C.  Sprague,  president  of  the  Sprague  Correspondence 
School  of  Law,  at  Detroit,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  Malta, 
February  25,  1860.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools  and  High  Schools  of  McConnellsville,  Ohio,  and  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  He  is  a  son  of  Hon.  William  P.  Sprague,  long  and  favor- 
ably known  in  public  life  in  Ohio,  and  an  ex  member  of  congress  from 
that  State.  William  C.  Sprague  was  a  page  in  the  National  Capitol 
while  his  father  was  a  member  of  congress,  and  while  yet  a  mere  boy 
he  determined  upon  adopting  a  professional  career.  In  pursuance  of 
this  decision  he  entered  the  Denison  University  at  Granville,  Ohio, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1881,  and 
two  years  later  took  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  Cincinnati  Law 
School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  once  and  removed  to  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  where  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  Hon.  William  Foulke, 
under  the  style  of  Foulke  &  Sprague,  and  practiced  for  two  years. 

In  1885  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  resumed  practice,  and  in 
1887,  with  Charles  H.  Cary,  he  formed  the  law  firm  of  Sprague  & 
Cary.       In  1889  Mr.   Cary  removed   to  Portland,   Ore.,    Mr.    Sprague 

823 


continuing-  the  practice.  He  was  the  founder  and  is  president  of  the 
Sprague  Correspondence  School  of  Law,  and  also  conducts  the  publi- 
cation of  two  popular  (monthly)  law  journals,  "The  Collector  and 
Commercial  Lawyer  "  and  the  "Law  Student's  Helper."  The  growth 
of  Mr.  Sprague's  school  has  been  such  as  to  claim  his  entire  attention, 
necessitating  his  retirment  from  the  practice  of  law.  His  system  is  for 
the  benefit  of  young  men  who  cannot  attend  college  and  is  based  upon 
the  correspondence  system  of  instruction  as  first  generally  used  by  the 
Chautauqua  Institute  and  by  Dr.  Harper  of  Chicago  University,  and 
more  recently  by  the  Cosmopolitan  University. 

Mr.  Sprague  is  the  author  of  several  works  of  a  legal  and  semi-legal 
character,  among  them  an  Abridgement  of  Blackstone,  numerous  law 
"quiz  books,"  "  Eloquence  and  Repartee  in  the  American  Congress," 
"Flashes  of  Wit  from  Bench  and  Bar,"  and  the  "  After-Dinner 
Speaker."  He  was  influential  in  the  organization  of  the  Commercial 
Law  League  of  America,  which  includes  among  its  m.embers  a  great 
number  of  the  leading  country  lawyers,  and  of  which  he  was  chosen 
first  president,  and  is  now  (1898)  chairman  of  the  executive  committee. 

Mr.  Sprague  is  a  prominent  Mason,  is  a  past  master  of  Corinthian 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Detroit,  is  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Phi  fra- 
ternity, and  was  for  years  an  editor  of  the  National  Magazine  of  that 
fraternity.  He  is  also  active  in  Christian  work,  and  for  the  past  seven 
years  has  been  leader  of  the  second  largest  class  of  young  men  and 
women  in  the  world.  Their  regular  Sunday  afternoon  meetings  are 
philanthropic  in  their  purpose,  and  much  good  has  been  wrought 
through  them. 

In  1885  Mr.  Sprague  married  Caroline  Ellis  of  Urbana,  Ohio,  and 
Ihey  have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  William  G.  and 
Marion. 


OSCAR  M.   SPRINGER. 

Oscar  M.  Springer,  son  of  Edward  R.  and  Nancy  N.  (Shaw)  Springer 
(Nancy  Shaw  Springer  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Daniel  De  Foe,  dis- 
tinguished as  the  author  of  Robinson  Cruso),  was  born  in  Lynn,  St. 
Clair  county,  Mich.,  November  7,  1859.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is 
descended  from  Carl  Springer,  who  settled  in  Wilmington,  Del  ,  in 
1670,  and  who  traces  his  descent  from  Louis  II,  Count  of  Thuringia. 

824 


WILLIAM    STAGEY. 


In  1865  his  parents  removed  to  Oil  Springs,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  there 
he  received  his  early  education.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Petrolia,  Ont, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  until  1875,  subsequently  attending 
the  Grammar  School  of  Forrest,  Ont,,  where  he  remained  until  1880. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  law  office 
of  Edmund  Hall,  where  he  began  the  study  of  his  future  profession. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1881,  but  remained  with  Mr.  Hall  un- 
til 1884,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  law  clerk  in  the  office  of  Fred. 
A.  Baker.  After  a  two  years'  service  in  this  capacity,  in  1886  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Edmund  Haug,  which  continued  until  the  election 
of  Mr.  Haug  to  the  office  of  police  justice,  when  the  firm  was  dissolved, 
Mr.  Springer  continuing  private  practice.  In  1890  he  was  appointed 
assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of  Wayne  county,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  two  years.  Subsequently  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  and 
has  achieved  an  eminent  position  among  the  members  of  the  bar,  as 
well  as  established  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  is  an  active  and  indefatigable  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  Monroe  Chapter,  R,  A.  M.  ;  Union  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club. 

He  was  married,  October  28,  1886,  to  Emma  A.,  daughter  of  William 
Wreford  of  Detroit,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Elizabeth  W. 


WILLIAM  STACEY. 

William  Stagey,  son  of  William  Stacey,  was  born  in  Perth  county, 
Ontario,  Canada,  October  7,  1859,  and  comes  of  good  Irish  stock,  a  fact 
of  which  he  is  justly  proud.  His  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  and  High  School  at  St.  Mary's,  Ont  ,  and  in  1878  he  was 
graduated  with  honors  from  the  Normal  School  at  Toronto.  He  began 
teaching,  almost  immediately  after  his  graduation,  in  the  Essex  county 
public  schools,  but  at  the  end  of  one  year  removed  to  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work  another  year.  From  1880  to 
1885  he  taught  school  in  Marquette  and  Mackinaw  counties,  Mich.,  and 
later  became  a  member  of  the  Mackinaw  County  Board  of  School  Ex- 
aminers. 

While  teaching  he  made  a  close  and  careful  study  of  the  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1886.  Afterward  he  practiced  his  profession  for 
a  number  of  months  in  Luce  county,    and  finally  settled  in  Detroit,  in 

825 


1888,  wheie  he  has  practiced  continuously  since,  with  splendid  success. 
Mr.  Stacey  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the 
Foresters  and  the  Knights  of  Maccabees.  Mr.  Stacey  has  always  been 
a  staunch  Democrat  and  takes  an  active  part  in  politics,  though  he  has 
never  been  a  candidate  for  public  office. 

In  October,  1882,  he  married  Mary  L.  Wigle  of  Leamington,  Ont., 
who  is  of  German  descent,  and  they  have  three  children:  Edwin 
vStanley,  Edith  Mildred  and  William  JefEerson. 


JOHN  D.   STANDISH. 

John  Dana  Standish,  son  of  Samuel  Standish,  was  born  in  North 
Granville,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1817.  Mr.  Standish  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  that  most  striking  figure  of  the  times 
of  the  Pilgrims.  Of  the  six  children  of  the  sturdy  Puritan  soldier, 
Josiah,  the  third  son,  after  passing  the  greater  part  of  his  active  and 
influential  life  in  Eastern  Massachusetts,  finally  removed  with  his 
family  to  Preston,  Conn.  His  son  Samuel  and  his  grandson  Samuel 
remained  in  that  State,  but  his  great-grandson,  also,  Samuel,  removed 
to  Stockbridge,  Mass.  He  served  in  the  Colonial  army,  engaging  in 
considerable  border  fighting,  and  was  once  captured  by  the  British,  and 
while  detained  by  them  as  a  prisoner  was  a  witness  of  the  murder  of 
Jane  McCrea,  by  the  Indians,  at  Fort  Edward.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  war  he  removed  to  Vermont,  and  later  to  North  Granville,  N.  Y. 
There  was  born  his  only  child,  the  fourth  Samuel,  who  became  a  lead- 
ing resident  of  Northern  New  York,  holding,  during  his  long  life,  many 
positions  of  local  importance,  including  the  office  of  surrogate  of  Wash- 
ington county.  The  youngest  of  his  children  and  seventh  in  descent 
from  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  was  John  Dana  Standish,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Mr.  Standish  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  a  wise  home  training  and 
later  entered  the  academy  of  Dr.  Samuel  Town,  a  classical  institution 
of  high  standing  in  its  day.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  concluded  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  in  a  growing  State  and  re- 
moved to  Michigan.  While  in  Detroit  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
S.  V.  R.  Trowbridge,  and  at  his  suggestion  established  a  select  school 
at  Birmingham,  Oakland  county.     Here  he  remained  three  years,    and 

826 


amonof   his  pupils  were  many  who  have  since  attained   to   positions  of 
influence  and  honor. 

In  1841  Mr.  Standish  began  his  business  career  as  a  merchant  at 
Pontiac,  which  he  continued  in  Ionia  and  Romeo  with  varying  success. 
In  1856  his  entire  property  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  shortly  after  he 
removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  later  became  one  of  its  most  prominent 
and  successful  business  men.  For  a  short  time  after  his  arrival  in  De- 
troit he  was  employed  as  a  clerk,  but  the  opportunity  presenting  itself, 
he  entered  the  commission  business,  dealing  in  pork,  provisions  and 
wool.  This  venture  proved  exceedingly  successful  and  he  rapidly 
extended  his  operations  in  a  variety  of  directions. 

He  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  paints  and  lumber,  in- 
vested heavily  in  pine  lands,  and  in  city  real  estate,  and  held  stock  in 
many  industrial  and  financial  corporations.  He  laid  out  and  founded 
the  town  of  Standish  in  Arenac  county,  and  built  and  operated  the  first 
saw  mill  in  Otsego  county.  In  1872  he  transferred  his  provision  business 
to  his  eldest  son  James,  and  practically  retired  from  active  life,  and 
until  his  death  in  November,  1884,  was  engaged  in  the  management  of 
his  large  private  interests. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Market  Bank,  and  a 
director  in  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company.  Mr. 
Standish  was  originally  a  Democrat,  but  radically  anti-slavery  in  his 
opinions,  and  during  the  political  upheaval  attending  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  struggle,  he  became  a  Republican.  In  1869  he  received  that- 
party's  nomination  for  mayor,  and  although  defeated,  ran  largely  ahead 
of  the  ticket.  Subsequently  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Estimates  and  in  1880  was  appointed  city  assessor.  In  1883  he  was 
made  a  member  of  the  new  Board  of  Assessors  for  the  long  term  and 
was  the  first  president  of  that  body. 

Mr.  Standish  became  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  early  life,  and 
during  his  residence  in  Romeo  was  a  leading  member  of  the  church  at 
that  place  and  later,  on  his  removal  to  Detroit,  joined  the  Lafayette 
(now  Woodward)  Avenue  Baptist  church.  Of  the  last  named  society, 
he  was  president  of  the  board  of  deacons,  and  was  also  president  of  the 
Baptist  Social  Union  of  Detroit  His  death  ended  an  industrious, 
honorable  and  prosperous  life,  crowned  with  an  enviable  memory. 

Mr.  Standish  was  married  in  1841  to  Emma  L.  Darrow  of  Lyme, 
Mass.,  who  died  in  July,  1884.  Four  children  survive  this  union  : 
Mary,  wife  of  William  C.  Colburn;   Eva,    wife  of  Charles  K.    Backus; 

827 


James  D.    Standish  (whose  sketch   appears    elsewhere),  and    Fred    D. 
Standish. 


JAMES  D.   vSTANDISH. 

James  Darrow  Standish,  son  of  John  Dana  and  Emma  D.  (Darrow) 
Standish,  was  born  in  Pontiac,  Mich.,  November  12,  1849.  Mr.  Stan- 
dish is  a  Uneal  descendant  of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  famed  as  the  com- 
mander of  the  forces  of  the  Puritans  in  the  settlement  of  their  colony 
at  Plymouth,  Mass.  In  1858  Mr.  Standish  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Detroit,  where  he  became  a  student  in  the  public  schools,  and  later 
entered  Kalamazoo  College  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  In  1867  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Standish  &  Ives,  dealers  in  provisions  and  wool,  and  of 
which  his  father  was  the  senior  member.  During  the  two  years  in 
which  he  remained  as  an  employee  of  this  firm  he  served  respectively 
as  clerk,  collector,  bookkeeper,  salesman  and  traveling  representative. 
In  1869,  in  recognition  of  his  marked  ability  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  business,  and  although  yet  a  minor,  he  was  given  a  working  in- 
terest in  the  firm,  which  became  Standish  &  Co. 

In  1872  Mr.  John  D.  Standish  retired  from  the  firm,  and  James  D. 
Standish,  with  George  H.  Hammond  and  Sidney  B.  Dixon,  formed  the 
firm  of  Hammond,  Standish  &  Co.  At  this  time  the  greater  part  of 
Mr.  Hammond's  attention  was  given  to  the  development  of  the  refrig- 
erator car,  Mr.  Dixon  to  the  retail  department,  and  Mr.  Standish  to  the 
enlargement  of  the  wholesale  and  shipping  trade.  In  1880  the  firm 
was  incorporated  under  the  old  style,  Mr.  George  H,  Hammond  being 
made  president,  Mr.  Dixon  vice-president,  and  Mr.  Standish  secretary 
and  treasurer,  which  position  he  still  retains. 

In  1881,  in  order  to  more  satisfactorily  manage  the  immense  business 
which  had  been  built  up  by  this  firm,  Mr.  George  H.  Hammond  formed 
the  stock  company  of  George  H.  Hammond  &  Company,  and  Mr.  Stan- 
dish was  made  its  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  1886  Mr.  Hammond  died 
and  in  1890  an  English  syndicate  purchased  the  interest  of  the  Ameri- 
can stockholders,  and  for  several  years  the  chief  responsibility  of  the 
financial  management  has  rested  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Standish.  How 
great  this  responsibility  is  may  be  gathered  from  the  facts,  that  its  cap- 
ital stock  is  $4,000,000,  that  it  employs  eighteen  hundred  men,  requir- 
ing for  its  slaughtering  two  huge  establishments  in  Omaha,  Neb.,  and 

828 


GEOR(3H  A.   STARKWEATHER. 


in  Hammond,  Ind.  ;  that  it  owns  over  one  thousand  refrigerator  cars 
and  operates  in  its  yards  over  five  miles  of  track;  that  it  maintains  over 
eighty  distributing  houses,  scattered  over  the  United  States  and  Eng- 
land; and  that  its  yearly  transactions  amount  to  thirty  million  of  dol- 
lars. 

Aside  from  his  interest  in  the  above-mentioned  business,  Mr.  Standish 
is  a  large  stockholder  in  various  industrial  enterprises.  He  is  president 
of  the  Cattle  Feeders'  Loan  Company  of  South  Omaha,  Neb.,  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  Hammond,  vStandish&  Co.,  and  of  the  Hammond  Pack- 
ing Company  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  a  director  in  the  Preston  National  Bank, 
the  Union  Trust  Company  and  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit, 
and  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Hammond,  Ind.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club,  the  Country  Club,  and  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and 
Shooting  Club,  and  also  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  churchy 

Mr.  Standish  was  married.  May  22,  1873,  to  Jane  Chittenden  Hart, 
only  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  Hart  of  Adrian,  Mich.  Tliey  are  the 
parents  of  two  children :  Jane  Hart  and  James  Darrow,  jr. 


GEORGE  A.  STARKWEATHER. 

Among  the  oldest  citizens  of  this  section  of  the  vState  is  George  A. 
Starkweather,  who  was  born  February  20,  1826,  in  the  township  of 
Plymouth.  He  was  the  second  white  child  born  in  Plymouth  and  his 
mother  was  the  first  white  woman  to  reside  in  the  township,  which  then 
included  what  is  now  Canton.  She  and  William  Starkweather  were 
married  at  New  London,  Conn.,  and  at  once  came  to  the  Great  West, 
securing  from  the  government  the  land  on  which  the  greater  part  of  the 
village  is  now  built.  He  died  in  Plymouth  at  the  age  of  forty-eight; 
his  wife  survived  him  but  two  years.  Of  the  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter born  to  them,  John  F.  lives  in  Stockton,  Cal.,  having  been  a  farmer 
and  public  official  in  Plymouth  until  recent  years;  Albert  Oscar  and 
Dwight  both  died  at  an  early  age;  and  Helen  :M.,  wife  of  ]\Iark  A. 
Moser,  resides  in  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

George  was  about  eighteen  years  old  when  the  death  of  both  his 
father  and  elder  brother  in  the  same  year  threw  the  burden  of  the  fam- 
ily's support  upon  him  and  he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  his 
father  having  secured  the  land  upon  which  George  now  resides.  When  but 
twenty-three  he  w^as  chosen  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  filled  that  office 

829 


for  sixteen  years.  His  tastes  being  in  the  direction  of  logical  thought, 
he  read  law  and  soon  began  to  attend  to  the  legal  demands  of  his  friends 
who  early  learned  the  wisdom  of  his  advice  and  counsel.  Most  of  the 
legal  drafting  of  wills,  deeds  and  other  documents  came  to  him,  and  he 
soon  became  the  legal  adviser  of  his  townsfolk,  and  for  upwards  of 
thirty  years  has  continued  in  that  relation.  He  has  invariably  coun- 
seled peaceable  adjustment  of  disputes  rather  than  resort  to  legal  con- 
test; much  of  his  practice  has  been  before  the  Probate  Court  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  estates,  although  his  legal  attainments  and  ability  are 
recognized  in  all  other  branches  of  the  law,  and  he  is  welcomed  in 
other  courts  by  both  judges  and  fellow  practitioners. 

His  actions  are  not  circumscribed  by  the  circle  of  any  one  profession, 
but  he  is  also  well  known  in  mercantile  circles,  having  been  a  merchant 
in  Plymouth  for  about  thirty  years,  his  retirement  from  that  line  of 
business  having  occurred  but  four  years  ago.  A  large  portion  of  the 
original  homestead  has  been  subdivided  into  village  lots,  on  which  have 
been  erected  solid  and  permanent  business  and  residence  property. 

In  1854  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  serving  one  term,  and  subsequently  filled  the  office  of  super- 
visor for  four  terms.  In  March,  1898,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
village  of  Plymouth  and  a  week  later  to  his  former  office  of  supervisor. 
His  connection  with  the  banking  interests  of  Plymouth  has  covered 
many  years  and  his  able  direction  of  those  interests  have  won  for  him 
recognition  and  esteem  among  the  financiers  of  his  State.  He  served 
as  president  of  the  old  First  National  Bank  seven  years,  and  of  its  suc- 
cessor, the  First  National  Exchange  Bank,  for  four  years.  While  many 
years  of  his  life  have  been  spent  in  professional  and  mercantile  pur- 
suits, farming  has  ever  been  his  means  of  recreation,  from  which  he 
has  drawn  rest  from  his  other  labors.  Of  strong  individuality  and 
marked  character,  he  is  a  man  of  warm  friendships  and  impulses.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  Tonquish  Lodge  No.  32,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  in  which 
he  was  active  for  many  years. 

On  August  19,  1861,  he  married  Amelia,  daughter  of  Jehiel  Davis  of 
Plymouth,  Mich.  Two  daughters  have  been  born  to  them  :  Mary  K., 
wife  of  Lewis  W.  H.  Kilmer  of  Plymouth,  and  Blanche,  who  resides 
with  her  parents. 


830 


ELLIOTT    G.    STEVENSON. 

Elliott  G.  Stevenson,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (McMurray)  Ste- 
venson, was  born  in  Middlesex  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  May  18,  1850. 
He  is  of  Irish  descent,  his  father  being  born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  his 
mother's  home  being  also  near  that  place.  He  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Port  Huron  when  a  child,  and  there  he  received  the  best  in- 
struction offered  by  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  Later  he  attended 
the  academy  at  London,  Ontario,  returning  to  Port  Huron  in  1S72. 
Subsequently  he  began  the  study  of  law  with  O'Brien  J.  Atkinson,  re- 
maining under  his  instruction  three  years,  when  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Atkinson,  under  the  farm  name 
of  Atkinson  &  Stevenson.  This  relation  lasted  for  eight  years,  during 
which  time  Mr.  Stevenson  became  well  known  to  the  profession  and 
established  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 

In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership  with  P.  H.  Phillips,  under  the  style 
of  Stevenson  &  Phillips,  and  continued  in  this  relation  until  his  re- 
moval to  Detroit  in  1887,  where  he  succeeded  Judge  George  S.  Hosmer 
in  the  firm  of  which  Don  M.  Dickinson  was  the  head,  the  style  being- 
Dickinson,  Thurber  &  Stevenson.  In  1878  he  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  of  St.  Clair  county,  being  the  first  Democratic  official  returned 
since  the  late  war.  He  was  re  elected  in  1880.  He  was  urged  by 
his  party  to  accept  the  nomination  for  Congress  in  1882  and  again  in 
1886,  but  declined  to  accept,  although  he  was  assured  of  election.  In 
1885  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Port  Huron  and  served  one  term.  He 
also  served  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  in 
1894-95.  In  1896  he  was  elected  first  delegate  at  large  to  represent 
Michigan  in  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at  Chicago.  He  was 
chosen  because  of  his  sound  money  views  and  made  a  strong  fight  in 
the  committee  on  credentials,  for  the  cause  he  espoused  and  for  the 
right  of  himself  and  colleagues  to  sit  in  the  convention,  a  majority  of 
the  convention  holding  adverse  views  and  the  contest  being  relentless, 
while  he  held  his  seat,  a  sufficient  number  of  his  associates  were  ousted 
to  seat  contesting  advocates  of  the  free  and  unlimited  coinage  of  silver, 
to  give  the  entire  vote  of  Michigan,  under  the  unit  rule,  to  the  oppo- 
sition. After  due  deliberation  he  decided  to  support  the  nominees  of 
that  convention,  and  thereupon  a  dissolution  of  partnership  between 
Mr.  Dickinson,  Mr.  Thurber  and  himself  followed. 

Mr.  Stevenson  has  always  been  a  general  practitioner,  equally  quali- 

831 


fied  for  the  defense  or  prosecution  of  a  person  indicted  for  crime,  and 
the  management  of  a  civil  action,  involving  the  rights  of  property  or 
any  other  questions  of  law  and  fact.  Since  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he 
has  been  the  regular  representative  of  the  Evening  News  and  Tribune, 
and  at  times  of  the  Free  Press  and  Journal.  His  solid  and  practical 
attainments  in  the  law  are  probably  not  excelled  by  those  of  any 
lawyer  of  his  age  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Stevenson  was  married  in  1879  to  Emma  A  Mitts  of  Port  Huron, 
Mich.,  and  they  have  a  family  of  three  children:  George  E.,  Helen 
and  Kenneth.  Mr.  Stevenson  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club 
and  the  Detroit  Club. 


G.   DUFFIELD  STEWART,   M.   D. 

G.  DuFFiELD  Stewart,  M.  D.,  son  of  Dr.  Morse  Stewart  and  Isabella 
G.  (Duffield)  Stewart,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  21,  1855. 
Dr.  Stewart  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and  later 
was  a  student  in  the  Detroit  High  School.  Equipped  with  a  thorough 
preparatory  education  he  entered  the  Detroit  Medical  College  in  1874, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1878.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1881-82  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Chicago 
Medical  College  at  Chicago,  111.,  which  was  followed  by  one  year  spent 
in  Europe,  where  he  further  perfected  himself  for  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

On  conclusion  of  his  medical  education  he  returned  to  Detroit,  where 
he  has  since  built  up  for  himself  a  large  and  lucrative  practice,  and  at- 
tained a  most  prominent  place  among  the  leading  men  in  his  profes- 
sion. Dr.  Stewart  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
holding  that  position  from  1887  to  1889,  as  city  physician  from  1883 
until  1885,  and  as  county  physician  from  1887  until  1888,  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society,  the  Michigan  State 
Medical  Society,  and  various  other  medical  associations.  He  is  still  a 
bachelor  and  prominent  socially,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


832 


G.  DUFFIELD    STEWART,  M.  D. 


FREDERICK  C.   STOEPEL. 

Frederick  C.  Stoepel,  son  of  William  and  Kathcrine  (Koehlcr)  Stoe- 
pel,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Heldrungen,  Saxony,  Germany,  June  3, 
1846.  At  an  early  age  he  emiorated  with  his  parents  to  America,  settling 
at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  they  remained  one  year.  In  1852  they  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  they  located  permanently.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  in  1859  he 
became  a  parcel  boy  for  the  large  dry  goods  establishment  of  Campbell, 
Linn  &  Company,  at  Detroit.  In  the  course  of  years  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  salesman,  and  after  eleven  years  of  faithful  service 
he  severed  his  connection  with  that  concern  and  identified  himself  as  a 
clerk  with  the  wholesale  house  of  Allan,  Shelden  &  Company,  in  the 
same  line  of  business,  from  1872  to  1875. 

In  the  latter  year,  with  J.  K.  Burnham  and  A.  H.  Munger,  he  organ- 
ized the  firm  of  J.  K.  Burnham  &  Company,  wholesale  dry  goods  mer- 
chants of  Detroit.  In  1887  the  stock  and  good  will  of  the  large  whole- 
sale dry  goods  house  of  Tootle,  Hanna  &  Company,  at  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  was  purchased,  and  the  firm  of  Burnham,  Hanna,  Munger  &  Com- 
pany came  into  existence  in  that  city.  Messrs  J.  K.  Burnham  and  A. 
H.  Munger  removed  to  Kansas  City  to  assume  control  of  that  business, 
in  which  Mr.  Stoepel  is  also  a  general  partner;  in  the  same  year  the 
style  of  the  Detroit  firm  was  changed  to  Burnham,  Stoepel  &  Company, 
and  J.  J.  Crowley  and  James  Wilson  were  admitted  to  partnership  in 
the  Detroit  firm.  These  two  establishments  are  among  the  largest  of 
their  kind  in  the  country,  their  trade  extending  throughout  the  interior 
and  Western  States  in  this  country  and  Dominion  of  Canada. 

Mr.  Stoepel  is  a  director  of  the  Detroit  National  Bank  and  is  other- 
wise identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational  church 
at  Detroit,  and  for  a  number  of  years  past  has  been  a  member  of  its 
board  of  trustrees. 

July  13,  1881,  Mr.  Stoepel  married  Anna  R.,  daughter  of  N.  M.  Sut- 
ton of  Tecuraseh,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children,  Frederick  S.  and 
Ralph  N.  Mr.  Stoepel's  father  died  in  Detroit,  January  17,  1894,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  years ;  his  mother  still  resides  in  this  city  at 
the  advanced  age  of  seventy-six. 


833 

105 


HENRY  H.   SWAN. 

Hon.  Henry  H.  Swan,  judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  at 
Detroit,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  2,  1840,  a  son  of  Joseph 
G.  Swan,  who  settled  in  Detroit  about  1835.  Henry  H.  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  later  attended  the  private  school  conducted 
by  S.  L.  Campbell  and  the  late  Dr.  C.  F.  Soldan;  in  the  latter  school 
he  was  prepared  for  college  and  in  1858  entered  the  University  of 
Michigan.  In  the  private  schools  referred  to  he  had  as  classmates  Mr. 
H.  M.  Duffield,  the  late  Dr.  D.  O.  Farrand,  Henry  B.  Ledyard  and 
other  men  who  since  have  attained  high  positions  in  the  commercial 
and  professional  world.  Just  prior  to  his  graduation  examinations  he 
left  the  university  and  went  to  California,  where  he  spent  five  years 
engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  Rivers. 
His  spare  time  he  devoted  to  the  study  of  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  California  in  1867. 

In  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  law  office  of 
D.  B.  &  H.  M.  Duffield,  and  in  October,  1869,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan.  April  15,  1870,  he  was  appointed 
assistant  United  States  district  attorney  at  Detroit  and  held  that  posi- 
tion for  seven  years,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  the  late  A.  B. 
Maynard,  who  was  at  that  time  United  States  attorney  for  the  judicial 
district.  This  partnership  existed  until  January  13,  1891,  when  Mr. 
Swan  was  appointed  judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court. 

Judge  Swan  enjoys  in  an  unusual  degree  the  esteem  and  affection  of 
the  bar  and  the  public.  He  has  long  been  recognized  as  among  the 
ablest  representatives  of  the  bar  of  Michigan,  a  State  which  has  pro- 
duced some' of  the  most  noted  jurists  of  the  land.  In  his  private  prac- 
tice, in  presenting  a  cause  before  court  or  jury  he  brought  to  bear  a 
thorough  understanding  of  the  philosophy  of  the  law  and  its  application 
to  the  case  at  issue.  He  possesses  a  keen,  analytical  mind,  which  is 
rendered  stronger  by  erudition  in  the  law.  He  is  also  a  pleasing,  elo- 
quent and  forcible  speaker.  Since  ascending  to  the  Federal  bench  he 
has  repeatedly  demonstrated  his  eminent  fitness  for  the  high  position 
to  which  he  was  called. 

April  30,  1873,  he  married  Jennie  E.,  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Clark, 
a  retired  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  they  have  two  children:  William 
M.  and  Mary  C. 


834 


T.  E.  TARSNEY. 


TIMOTHY  E.   TARSNEY. 

Hon.  Timothy  E.  Tarsney,  attorney  and  prominent  member  of  the 
Detroit  bar,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Hillsdale  county,  Mich.,  February 
4,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Timothy  and  Mary  A.  (Murray)  Tarsney.  His 
father  was  born  in  County  Sligo  and  his  mother  in  County  Westmeath, 
Ireland.  In  1831  they  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  Tarsney  engaged  in  farming  and  blacksmithing. 
In  1844  they  removed  to  Ransom,  Hillsdale  county,  Mich.,  where  they 
established  a  permanent  residence. 

Timothy  spent  his  early  days  at  Hudson,  where  he  was  apprenticed 
to  the  machinist's  trade.  At  the  call  for  troops  in  1861  four  of  his 
brothers  enlisted,  and  he  soon  afterward  went  to  the  front,  where  he 
was  employed  as  locomotive  fireman  of  a  train  engaged  in  the  trans- 
portation of  ammunition  to  the  army.  At  Franklin,  Tenn.,  the  engine 
was  lost,  and  Timothy,  purchasing  a  mule  for  one  dollar,  rode  back  to 
Nashville.  He  remained  with  the  Union  army,  serving  in  various 
capacities  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  Michigan.  Of 
his  four  brothers,  James  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness; 
John  C.  was  imprisoned  for  seventeen  months  in  Andersonville,  Belle 
Isle  and  Milan;  Thomas  carried  the  colors  of  his  regiment  at  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  and  later  was  appointed  adjutant-general  of  Colorado. 
John  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Kansas  City  district  of  Missouri, 
and  subsequently  appointed  to  his  present  office  of  United  States  dis- 
trict judge  of  Oklahoma. 

On  his  return  to  Hudson,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  Timoth}-  secured 
emplo37ment  in  a  mill,  and  later  removed  to  Saginaw,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  steam  mill  for  some  time.  Subsequently  he  became  an  en- 
gineer of  a  steamboat,  a  calling  he  followed  for  seven  years.  During 
the  time  he  was  engaged  in  steamboating  his  leisure  moments  were 
spent  in  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1870  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1872. 
On  completion  of  his  law  course  he  returned  to  his  former  occupation 
as  engineer,  which  he  followed  until  the  summer  of  1873,  when  he  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  at  East  Saginaw. 

Mr.  Tarsney  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  is  among  the  most 
prominent  members  of  that  party  in  the  State.  In  1874  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  the  only  one  on  his  party's  ticket  securing  an 
election.     In  1875   he  was  elected  city  attorney  of  East  Saginaw  and 

835 


served  luitil  1878.  In  1879  he  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of 
Tarsney  &  Weadock,  a  copartnership  which  lasted  for  twelve  years. 
In  1880  he  was  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for  member  of 
congress  from  the  Saginaw  district,  and  although  defeated  by  Roswell 
G.  Hoar,  he  ran  two  thousand  votes  ahead  of  the  electoral  ticket.  In 
1884  he  again  became  the  nominee  of  his  party  and  defeated  his  former 
opponent,  Mr.  Hoar.  In  1886  he  was  opposed  for  a  third  time  by  Mr. 
Hoar,  and  succeeded  in  defeating  him  for  the  second  time.  In  1884  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  National  Convention,  and  served  as  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  resolutions. 

Mr.  Tarsney  removed  to  Detroit  in  1893,  and  since  establishing  his 
practice  in  the  city  has  gradually  withdrawn  from  active  politics,  though 
still  taking  a  prominent  place  in  the  deliberations  of  his  party.  Since 
his  arrival  in  Detroit  he  has  been  eminently  successful  in  the  practice 
of  law,  and  his  large  practice  is  indicative  of  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  the  public  at  large.  Mr.  Tarsney  has  a  large  admiralty 
practice  in  the  United  States  courts  at  Detroit,  Buffalo  and  Duluth. 
As  a  public  speaker,  he  has  filled  a  most  important  field,  and  during 
the  campaign  of  1896,  his  silvery  tongue  drew  many  under  his  party's 
banner.  His  intuitions  are  strong,  his  prespicacity  remarkable,  sensi- 
bilities impressionable,  sympathies  easily  touched,  imagination  lively, 
and  his  mental  pictures  are  instantaneous  as  well  as  brilliant.  Ready 
with  Irish  wit,  quick  in  repartee,  infectious  in  style,  yet  refraining  from 
giving  offense  to  his  adversaries,  he  makes  an  appeal  or  assault  with 
acdentia  verba. 


ELISHA  TAYLOR. 

Hon.  Elisha  Taylor,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  was  born  at  Charlton, 
Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  May  14,  1817.  His  ancestor  was  the  Norman 
Baron  Taillefer,  who  accompanied  William  the  Conqueror,  and  was 
honored  with  a  place  close  to  his  person,  in  his  invasion  of  England  and 
was  slain  in  the  presence  of  his  chief  in  the  van  of  his  army  at  the 
battle  of  Hastings,  on  October  14,  1066.  The  family  received  from  the 
Conqueror  large  landed  estates  in  the  County  of  Kent,  England. 
Hanger  Taillefer,  his  descendant,  held  lands  in  the  tenure  of  Os- 
pringe.  County  of  Kent,  England,  A.  D.,  1256,  and  from  him,  about 
one   hundred  years  later,    we  have  John  Taylor  in  tlie  homestall   in 

836 


Schodoschurst,  Kent  county,  and  from  him  the  possession  is  perfectly 
traced  through  William,  John  William,  John  (1),  John  (2),  John  (3), 
Mathew,  to  Edward  Taylor  of  Brio-gs  House,  York  county,  England, 
residing  in  London,  who  came  with  his  family  to  America  in  1092  and 
settled  at  Middletown,  Monmouth  county,  N.  J.,  and  became  a  large 
landholder.  John  Taylor,  of  the  fifth  generation,  from  and  including 
the  emigrant  Edward,  removed  from  Freehold,  N.  J.,  to  the  new 
country  in  the  State  of  New  York  in  1774  and  settled  at  Charlton,  vSara- 
toga  county.  He  was  a  judge  of  the  County  Court  from  1808  to  1818, 
and  died  April  20,  1829,  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Hon.  John  W.  Taylor, 
who  was  a  member  of  congress  from  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  for 
twenty  consecutive  years  (1813  to  1833),  and  twice  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.' 

EHsha  Taylor,  son  of  William  and  Lucy  (Harger)  Taylor,  and  a 
grandson  of  Judge  John  Taylor,  prepared  for  college  in  the  Hamilton 
Academy,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  Union  College  at 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  September,  1833.  Upon  his  graduation  from 
that  institution  in  1837,  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  society  (the  highest  honor).  He  was  at  once  appointed  as 
principal  of  a  select  school  at  Athens,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  and  con- 
tinued there  until  May  1838,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  via 
Niagara  Falls,  by  railroad,  canal  boat,  stage  and  steamboat.  He  had 
no  acquaintances  in  Detroit,  and  although  provided  with  strong  letters 
of  recommendation  from  President  Eliphalet  Nott,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. ; 
Alonzo  Potter,  D.  D.  ;  his  uncle,  Hon.  John  W.  Taylor,  and  others  of 
New  York,  he  positively  refused  to  use  them,  determined  to  begin  at 
the  bottom  round  of  the  ladder  and  work  his  way  up. 

He  purchased  a  pony  and  for  two  months  rode  over  the  settled  por- 
tion of  the  lower  peninsular  of  Michigan  in  search  of  proper  employ- 
ment, and  being  unsuccessful,  returned  to  Detroit.  He  entered  the 
office  of  P.  Morey,  esq.,  the  attorney-general  of  Michigan,  as  clerk  and 
student,  in  August,  1838,  and  as  he  earned  money  he  made  payments 
on  a  farm  at  Grand  Blanc,  Genesee  co  ,nty,  ^Nlich.,  one-tenth  of  which 
he  had  inherited,  and  worked  at  farming  a  part  of  each  5'ear  for  twenty 
years,  doing  a  large  portion  of  the  work  with  his  own  hands.  In  the 
office  at  Detroit  he  had  plenty  of  hard  work  to  do,  which  was  always 
finished  satisfactorily. 

1  See  genealogy  of  Judge  John  Taylor,  and  his  descendants  in  possession  of  EHsha  Taylor. 

837 


In  May,  1830,  Mr.  Taylor  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  a  practicing  at- 
torney and  became  a  partner  of  the  attorney- general  in  the  same  year. 
From  then  on  honors  came  to  him,  and  he  has  filled  many  positions  of 
responsibility  and  trust.  He  was  city  attorney  of  Detroit  in  1843; 
member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education  1843  to  1845;  master  in 
chancery  1843  to  1846;  register  of  United  States  Land  Office  at  Detroit 
1843  to  1847;  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan  1848  to  1850; 
circuit  court  commissioner,  injunction  master  (an  office  now  abolished), 
and  judge  at  chambers  1846  to  1850;  receiver  of  the  United  States 
Land  Office  at  Detroit  1853  to  1857;  United  States  agent  for  payment 
of  pensions  at  Detroit  1854  to  1855;  United  States  depository  of  public 
moneys  collected  in  Michigan,  northern  Ohio  and  Indiana  1853  to  1857: 
an  elder  in  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  at  Detroit  1856  to 
the  present  time;  a  commissioner  from  the  Presbytery  of  Detroit  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  United  States  at 
Harrisburg,  in  1868,  at  Saratoga  Springs  in  1884  and  at  Detroit  in 
1891;  president  of  the  Presbyterian  Alliance  of  Detroit  1879  to  1885; 
and  president  of  the  Detroit  City  Mission  Board  1866  to  1867,  an 
organization  by  the  churches  and  charitable  societies  for  the  moral  and 
physical  improvement  of  the  poor  and  afflicted  in  Detroit. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  months  of  illness  in  1851,  which  for  a 
time  compelled  him  to  abandon  his  professional  duties,  Mr.  Taylor  has 
hardly  known  a  sick  day  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  Of  dignified  and  fine  personal  appearance,  a  man  of  the 
strictest  integrity  of  character,  exacting  full  faith  and  performance 
from  others,  he  is  as  well  fair-minded  and  fully  entitled  to  the  high 
position  he  occupies  in  the  community  and  the  unqualified  respect  and 
esteem  (which  he  has  always  enjoyed)  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact.  He  is  independent  in  politics,  but  prior  to  the  Civil  war  was 
a  Democrat. 

September  3,  1844,  Mr.  Taylor  married  Aurelia  H.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Aurelia  H.  Penfield  of  Schoharie,  N.  Y. ,  and  they  had 
three  children,  only  one  survives:  DewitH.  (whose life  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work).  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  at  Schoharie,  N.  Y., 
October  1,  1821,  and  died  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  November  22,  1888.  She 
was  an  excellent  wife  and  mother  and  her  married  life  was  a  very 
happy  one  through  its  forty-four  years  of  duration. 


838 


JOSEPH   TAYLOR. 


JOSEPH  TAYLOR. 

Joseph  Taylor,  vice-president  of  the  Home  Savini^s  Rank  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  was  born  in  England,  August  8,  1839,  and  is  a  son  uf  George 
and  Dinah  (L'Abram)  Taylor.  He  received  a  thorough  education  in 
the  English  schools  and  colleges,  upon  the  completion  of  which  he  was 
placed  by  his  father  with  the  London  and  Northwestern  Railway,  to 
learn  the  science  of  railway  work.  He  was  a  faithful,  earnest  worker 
and  student,  and  from  the  boiler  shop  he  rose  rapidly  through  all 
grades  and  branches  of  the  business,  mastering  each  as  he  reached  it, 
to  the  office  of  the  manager  of  the  road  in  London.  In  1863,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years,  he  was  called  to  America,  and  after  a  year 
spent  in  studying  the  country,  became  identified  with  the  Great  West- 
ern Railway  (now  a  part  of  the  Grand  Trunk  system)  of  Canada,  as 
chief  assistant  to  the  general  manager,  and  ably  discharged  the  duties 
of  that  office  during  the  ensuing  ten  years. 

He  later  filled  a  similar  position  with  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad  Company  at  Detroit,  to  which  city  he  had  moved  his  resi- 
dence in  1865,  becoming  a  naturalized  citizen  of  the  United  States  in 
that  year.  He  resigned  his  position  with  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad  Company  to  accept  the  position  of  secretary  of  the  Michi- 
gan Car  Company,  and  upon  its  consolidation  with  Peninsular  Car 
Company,  under  the  style  of  the  Michigan-Peninsular  Car  Company, 
became  secretary  of  the  reorganized  concern.  His  wide-spread  ac- 
quaintance in  the  railroad  world  and  knowledge  of  railroad  affairs, 
tended  to  enlarge  the  business  of  the  company.  He  is  now  devoting 
himself  to  his  large  private  interests,  and  is  actively  engaged  in  the  or- 
ganization of  a  new  car  company  (exclusively  freight)  to  be  located  in 
Detroit. 

He  is  vice-president  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  a  dii'ector 
in  the  Pungs  Anderson  Manufacturing  Company  of  Detroit,  president 
of  the  Canadian  Typograph  Company,  manufacturers  of  the  E.  &  D. 
bicycles,  and  a  director  in  the  Canada  Malt  Company  of  Detroit,  and 
of  numerous  other  enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit,  Fel- 
lowcraft  and  Bankers'  Clubs  of  Detroit,  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  latter.  He  is  an  author  of  unquestioned  ability;  his  "  Fast  Life 
on  the  Modern  Highway,"  published  by  Harper  Brothers,  has  had  an 
immense  sale,  and  his  "Tales  of  the  Imagination,"  upon  which  he  is 
at  present  engaged,  bids  fair  to   rival,  if  not  excel,  his  former  work. 

839 


He  is  a  brilliant  speaker  and  a  raconteur  par  excellence.  He  was  a 
judge  in  chancery  four  years,  trying  the  celebrated  Bancroft  case,  in 
which  the  railroads  running  from  Port  Huron  to  Chicago  (now  forming 
the  Chicago  and  Grand  Trunk  Railroad)  were  interested. 

He  has  two  beautiful  homes:  a  residence  in  Detroit,  remarkable  for 
its  "music  room,"  which  was  built  especially  for  his  two  eldest  daugh- 
ters; and  a  summer  residence,  a  charming  villa,  located  on  Taylor's 
Point,  on  the  Canadian  shore  two  miles  below  Detroit.  He  has  been 
married  three  times;  first,  in  1867,  to  Lilla  White  of  Detroit,  who  died 
in  1874,  leaving  him  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Florence,  a 
remarkable  pianist,  who  has  had  a  thorough  musical  education,  having 
spent  some  considerable  time  in  Berlin,  where  she  was  a  pupil  of  Barth, 
and  Moritz  Moszkowski;  and  Lilla,  the  fortunate  possessor  of  an  ex- 
traordinary contralto  voice,  and  who  occasionally  takes  part  in  church 
and  concert  singing.  In  1876  he  married  Emma  White  (a  sister  of  his 
first  wife),  who  died  in  1884,  leaving  two  children:  Paul  and  George. 
His  present  wife  was  Marion  B.  Kirkland  of  Windsor,  Ontario,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1886,  and  they  have  two  children:  Jofine  and  Kirk- 
land. He  and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church. 
His  wife  is  devotedly  attached  to  her  family  and  is  actively  interested 
in  the  various  charities  of  which  St.  John's  church  is  the  center.  Po- 
litically Joseph  Taylor  is  a  Republican,  and  though  never  having  held 
public  office,  is  and  has  been  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 


HENRY    T.    THURBER. 

Hon.  Henry  T.  Thurber,  son  of  Judge  Jefferson  G.  Thurber 
(formerly  State  senator  and  speaker  of  the  State  House  of  Representa- 
tives) and  Mary  Bartlett  (Gerrish),  both  natives  of  New  Hampshire, 
was  born  in  Monroe,  Mich.,  April  28,  1853.  Mr.  Thurber  acquired  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Monroe  and  was  graduated  from  the 
High  School  of  that  place  (as  valedictorian  of  his  class)  in  1870.  He 
then  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  in  1874, 
with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  In  the  following  year  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Moore  &  Griffin,  of  Detroit,  carefully  preparing  himself  for 
general  practice,  and  completed  his  law  education  in  the  offices  of 
Griffin  &  Dickinson. 

Subsequent  to  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  became  a  member  of  the 

840 


firm  of  Griffin,  Dickinson,  Thurber  &  Hosmer,  which  existed  without 
change  until  1885.  In  that  year  Mr.  Griffin  retired,  and  in  1887  Mr. 
Hosmer  ascended  the  bench.  From  that  time  until  189G  the  style  was 
Dickinson,  Thurber  &  Stevenson.  In  the  autumn  of  189G  Mr.  Steven- 
son retired,  and  the  firm  is  known  as  Dickinson  &  Thurber,  Hon.  Don 
M.  Dickinson  being  the  senior  member. 

On  March  4,  1893,  Mr.  Thurber  took  the  oath  of  office  as  private 
secretary  to  Grover  Cleveland,  president  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
efficiency  with  which  he  filled  the  arduous  duties  of  that  position  was 
attested  by  Mr.  Cleveland's  expression  of  approbation  at  the  conclusion 
of  his  term  of  office.  Mr.  Thurber  is  a  man  of  broad  education  and 
experience,  having  traveled  extensively  abroad,  of  strict  integrity  of 
character,  and  has  won  for  himself  the  unqualified  esteem  of  his  fellow 
practitioners  and  the  public.  In  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  has 
been  eminently  and  deservedly  successful.  Politically  he  has  always 
been  a  Democrat,  and  his  prominence  in  his  party  is  the  highest  test  of 
his  eminent  ability. 

Aside  from  his  professional  interests,  he  is  a  large  stockholder  in 
several  industrial  enterprises,  a  director  in  the  Detroit,  Ypsilanti  and 
A.  Railroad,  and  vice-president  of  the  Ward  Lumber  Co.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  of  the  Country 
Club,  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club,  Detroit  Club,  Detroit  Boat 
Club,  and  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  In  1880  Mr.  Thurber  married  Eliza- 
beth B.,  daughter  of  William  H.  Croul  of  Detroit.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children:  Donald  Dickinson,  Marion  B.,  Henry  T.,  jr., 
Elizabeth   and   Cleveland,  the  latter  being  named  by  the  ex-president. 


GEN.  LUTHER  S.   TROWBRIDGE. 

Gen.  Luther  S.  Trowbridge,  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  and  was  born 
at  Troy,  Oakland  county,  July  23,  1836.  For  generations  back  his  an- 
cestors have  been  soldiers,  lawyers  and  statesmen;  his  paternal  grand- 
father was  Maj.  Luther  Trowbridge  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  his 
son,  father  of  the  subject,  who  died  in  1859,  was  a  veteran  of  the  war 
of  1812,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Michigan,  having  settled  in  Oakland 
county  in  1821,  residing  there  until  his  death. 

After  a  thorough  preparation  in  the  schools  of  Michigan  Luther  S. 
entered  Yale  College  in  the  class  of  1857,  but  was  compelled  in  the  lat- 

841 


ter  part  of  his  junior  year,  through  the  partial  loss  of  his  eyesight,  to 
abandon  his  studies  for  the  time  being  and  return  to  his  home.  He 
was  subsequently  granted  a  diploma  from  Yale  in  1867,  with  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.  In  the  autumn  of  1856,  however,  he  began  the  study  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Sidney  D.  Miller  at  Detroit,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1858;  in  the  following  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Hon.  A.  W.  Buel,  which  existed  until  1862,  at  which  time  he  entered 
the  army  as  major  of  the  5th  Mich.  Cavalry.  On  August  25,  1863, 
while  convalescing  from  a  violent  fever  with  which  he  had  been  stricken 
directly  following  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  Major  Trowbridge  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant- colonel  of  the  10th  Mich.  Cavalry,  and 
in  July  of  the  following  year,  after  a  brilliant  service  in  eastern  Ten- 
nessee and  Virginia,  he  was  promoted  to  a  colonelcy. 

January  20,  1865,  he  was  appointed  as  provost  marshal- general  of  East 
Tennessee  to  relieve  Gen.  S.  P.  Garter.  He  asked  to  be  relieved  from 
that  position  to  enable  him  to  take  command  of  his  regiment  to  join 
the  famous  cavalry  expedition  under  the  command  of  General  Stone- 
man,  through  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
pursuit  of  Jefferson  Davis.  During  the  Stoneman  raid  hundreds  of 
miles  of  railroad  were  destroyed,  tons  of  supplies  and  ammunition, 
field  artillery  and  arms  for  the  rebel  army  were  captured  and  confis- 
cated, and  thousands  of  prisoners  taken,  the  greater  number  of  whom 
were  paroled.  Upon  returning  to  Tennessee,  Colonel  Trowbridge  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  cavalry  brigade  of  East  Tennessee  and 
remained  in  that  position  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service.  September  1,  1865,  he  was  brevetted  brigadier- 
general  and  major-general  to  date  from  June  15,  1865,  for  faithful  and 
meritorious  services. 

General  Trowbridge  resided  in  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  from  the  close  of 
the  war  until  1868,  when  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  has  since  made 
that  city  his  home.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Bagley  in- 
spector general  of  the  Michigan  State  troops,  a  position  which  he  held 
for  four  years,  and  in  1875,  without  his  previous  knowledge,  he  was 
appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the  First  Michigan  district, 
holding  that  position  until  the  spring  of  1883.  Under  his  able  admin- 
istration of  its  affairs  the  latter  office  assumed  a  degree  of  perfection 
which  placed  it  in  the  first  rank  of  revenue  offices  of  the  United  States, 
and  it  was  a  matter  of  public  regret  and  the  cause  of  considerable  dis- 
turbance in  the  Republican   party  of   Michigan  and  other  States,  when 

842 


JONATHAN    B.  TUTTLE. 


General  Trowbridge  was  asked,  for  no  cause  assigned,  to  step  down  and 
out  in  1883. 

Always  a  staunch  Republican,  true  to  his  party's  principles,  faithful 
to  the  public  trust,  a  brave  soldier  and  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity 
of  character,  General  Trowbridge  has  won  the  confidence  and  unquali- 
fied esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Detroit  and  the  American  public. 

In  July,  1883,  he  was  appointed  as  controller  of  the  city  of  Detroit, 
resigning  that  office  on  January  1,  1885,  to  accept  the  vice-presidency 
of  the  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit.  After  a  service  of  four 
years  and  a  half  in  that  position  he  became  private  secretary  to  Hon. 
Luther  Beecher,  one  of  Michigan's  railroad  kings,  and  upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Beecher  General  Trowbridge  was  made  one  of  the  administrators 
of  his  estate,  the  duties  of  which  position  still  occupy  the  most  of  his  time. 

He  is  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  is  prominently 
identified  with  the  general  business  interests  of  the  city.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Michigan  and  Fellowcraft  Clubs  of  Detroit,  and  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  G.  A.  R. ;  he  is  also  active  in  church  circles.  From  the 
time  he  became  a  resident  of  Detroit  until  1883  he  was  a  Congrega- 
tionalist  and  Presbyterian,  becoming  in  the  latter  year  a  member  of 
Christ  Episcopal  church. 

In  April,  1862,  he  married  Julia  M.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Alexander  W. 
Buel  of  Detroit,  and  they  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  survive: 
Clara  B.,  wife  of  Charles  M.  Swift;  Mary  E.  ;  Alexander  B.  ;  Margaret 
R.  ;  Luther  S.,  jr.,  and  Juha  A. 


JONATHAN  B.   TUTTLE. 

Judge  Jonathan  B.  Tuttle,  a  well  known  lawyer  and  jurist  of  Mich- 
igan, was  born  in  Lodi,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  August  15,  1841.  His 
parents  were  Leonard  and  Hannah  Dow  (Brown)  Tuttle.  Leonard 
Tuttle  was  a  native  of  Mount  Carmel,  Conn.,  and  of  Scotch  and  Eng- 
lish lineage.  In  1834  he  moved  to  Lodi,  Ohio,  and  for  many  years  was 
an  enterprising  business  man  and  accumulated  considerable  property. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  the  highest  purity  of  character, 
and  these  are  among  the  richest  legacies  he  has  left  to  his  descendants. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  In  1836  he  married  Han- 
nah Dow  Brown,  then  of  Portage  county,  Ohio,  though  a  native  of 
Vermont.      She  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry, 

843 


and  a  woman  of  pleasing  and  graceful  manners,  high  education  and 
possessing  strong  intellectual  attainments.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Tuttle 
occurred  in  1878,  when  in  her  sixty-fifth  year.  Two  children  were 
born  of  this  union:  Helen  Mary,  wife  of  J.  W.  Naftzker  of  Monroe 
county,  Mich  ,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Judge  Tuttle  received  his  early  education  in  select  schools  and  sub- 
sequently attended  Oberlin  College,  the  Ohio  State  and  Union  Law 
College,  graduating  from  the  latter  with  high  honors  in  1862.  The 
Civil  war  being  in  progress,  he  barely  settled  down  to  professional  life, 
when,  in  August,  1862,  at  Cleveland,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the 
Hoffman  Battalion,  Ohio  Vol.  Infantry.  He  served  until  honorably 
discharged,  at  Hilton  Head,  South  Carolina,  in  1804,  with  the  rank  of 
captain. 

Subsequently  he  located  at  Alpena,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  established  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and 
attained  a  prominent  place  among  the  members  of  the  bar.  He  was 
elected  and  ably  filled  the  following  offices:  Judge  of  the  Probate 
Court,  prosecuting  attorney,  city  attorney,  was  appointed  United  States 
commissioner,  and  elected  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  serving  in  the 
latter  office  two  terms.  As  a  jurist,  he  was  recognized  as  careful, 
painstaking  and  learned  in  the  law.  The  writer  was  informed  by  a 
distinguished  lawyer  who  practiced  before  him,  that  among  Judge 
Tuttle's  strong  points  was  his  possession  of  a  great  amount  of  practical 
common  sense,  and  his  ability  to  readily  grasp  the  salient  points  of  a 
case;  and  that  his  decisions  were  marked  by  promptness  and  accuracy. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  In  1890  Judge  Tuttle  removed  to 
Detroit,  where  he  has  successfully  practiced  law  and  identified  himself 
with  the  interests  of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Post,  G.  A. 
R.  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

In  1867  he  married  Sarah  Ross  of  Alpena,  Mich.  She  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  ancestry.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  child:  Helen,  wife  of  Prof. 
L.  H.  Gardner  of  Pasadena,  Cal. 


JOHN  S.    VAN  ALSTYNE. 

John  Schermerhorn  Van  Alstyne,  president  of  the  Wyandotte 
Savings  Bank,  and  agent  of  the  Eureka  Iron  and  Steel  Works,  was 
born  in  Greenbush,  Rensselaer  county,  N.  Y.,  October  25,  1834.      His 

844 


JOHN  SCHERMERHORN  VAN  ALSTYNE. 


father  was  Dr.  John  S.  Van  Alstyne,  who  died  in  Albany  when  John 
was  but  a  boy.  He  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  Dutch  ancestry; 
his  ancestors  having  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  first  at 
Albany,  in  the  year  1G33;  subsequently  branches  of  the  family  went  to 
Kinderhook  in  Columbia  county  and  some  to  Rensselaer  and  Albany 
counties,  N.  Y.  When  ten  years  of  age  the  subject  removed  with  his 
mother  to  Schodack  Landing,  and  there  in  the  academy  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  education.  In  1850,  his  mother  having  died,  he  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  became  a  student  in  the  law  offices  of 
Barstow  &  Lockwood;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1855. 

At  this  time  the  Eureka  Iron  Company  was  being  organized  at 
Wyandotte,  and  the  management  desiring  the  services  of  some  vigor- 
ous young  man  with  some  legal  attainments  to  attend  more  particu- 
larly to  legal  points  touching  their  real  estate,  offered  the  position  to 
young  Van  Alstyne,  who  at  once  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  beginning  a  career  that  has  been  identified  with  every  interest 
in  Wyandotte  for  over  forty  years.  His  first  service  was  to  handle  the 
company's  real  estate,  dispose  of  the  lots  of  the  village  and  such  other 
details  incidental  to  that  feature  of  the  company's  interests.  In  less 
than  one  year  he  had  proven  his  possession  of  such  marked  business 
ability,  that  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  company's  interests,  with 
full  supervision.  Even  in  those  days  the  company  did  an  extensive 
business  in  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron,  employing  from  150  to  200 
men.  The  enterprise  prospered  and  he  continued  his  responsible  re- 
lations with  it  for  five  and  a  half  years. 

In  1861  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Alexander  Stewart,  under  the 
style  of  Stewart  &  Van  Alstyne,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 
They  established  and  built  a  large  manufacturing  plant  at  Wyandotte, 
which,  through  the  enterprise  of  Mr.  Van  Alstyne,  became  an  exten- 
sive and  successful  undertaking  and  with  which  he  was  connected  some 
ten  years. 

From  March.  1862,  until  June,  1893,  he  served  in  the  paymaster's 
department  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  being  assigned  to  duty  in 
Washington,  New  York  city.  South  Carolina  and  at  the  front  on  the 
Potomac.  It  so  happened  that  at  this  time  the  gentleman  who  had 
succeeded  him  as  agent  of  the  Eureka  Iron  Company  died,  and  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  its  president,  Capt.  Eber  B.  Ward,  he  returned 
to  his  former  position  with  that  corporation. 

In   the  mean   time,  he,  with  others,   had  organized   the   Wyandotte 

845 


Savings  Bank,  he  being  its  first  and  only  president.  In  1878  the 
Eureka  Iron  Company  was  reorganized  under  the  name  of  the  Eureka 
Iron  and  Steel  Works,  Mr.  Van  Alstyne  remaining  in  charge.  Some 
five  or  six  years  ago  it  v^as  deemed  advisable  to  discontinue  the  busi- 
ness and  its  affairs  have  been  practically  settled. 

Some  years  since  it  was  found  necessary  to  secure  cheaper  fuel  and 
an  attempt  was  made  to  secure  natural  gas  by  boring.  After  an  ex- 
penditure of  many  thousands  of  dollars,  in  which  expert  gas  locaters 
made  elaborate  tests  of  the  entire  section,  covering  a  period  of  nearly 
two  years,  the  attempt  was  given  up  as  fruitless;  but  although  unpro- 
ductive as  far  as  gas  was  concerned,  the  borings  demonstrated  the  ex- 
istance  of  immense  salt  beds  throughout  the  entire  section,  which  have 
since  been  the  means  of  causing  extensive  manufactories  to  locate 
in  Wyandotte,  upon  which  the  life  of  the  town  now  depends.  These 
industries  not  only  produce  commercial  salt,  but  also  soda-ash,  the 
alkalies  and  products  so  extensively  used  in  the  arts  based  upon  the  use 
of  saline  materials.  The  original  investigation  was  done  at  the  in- 
stance of  Mr.  Van  Alstyne,  under  whose  supervision  the  work  was  con- 
ducted, and  by  whom  the  contract  was  drawn  under  which  two  years' 
difficult  and  uncertain  boring  was  done,  with  a  clear  understanding  at 
all  times  between  the  interested  parties.  He  kept  samples  of  every 
foot  of  borings,  samples  that  have  been  of  great  value  to  the  geologists 
in  more  clearly  marking  the  formation  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Van  Van  Alstyne  was  instrumental  in  securing  first  incorpora- 
tion of  the  town  in  1867,  and  was  elected  its  first  mayor.  He  has  been 
foremost  among  her  citizens  in  the  active  work  of  developing  her 
varied  resources,  and  his  successful  direction  of  many  of  her  most  im- 
portant industrial  enterprises  entitles  him  to  a  place  as  one  of  the 
prominent   "  Landmarks  "  of  Wayne  county. 

He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  a  charter 
member  of  Wyandotte  Lodge  No.  170,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  served  as  its 
worshipful  master  for  sixteen  years  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and 
is  now  high  priest  of  Wyandotte  Chapter  No.  135.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory,  having  received  the  thirty- 
second  degree.  Politically  Mr.  Van  Alstyne  has  been  a  lifelong 
Republican,  and  has  always  been  an  active  and  energetic  worker  in  his 
party's  ranks. 

He  was  married,  October  15,  18G3,  to  Ellen,  daughter  of  Andrew  J. 
Folger,  a  former  well  known  resident  of  Detroit,    They  are  the  parents 

846 


REV.   ERNEST  VAN  DYKE. 


of  three  children:  Anna  Folger,  wife  of  R.  B.  Burrell  of  Wyandotte; 
John  Schermerhorn,  vice  presi-dent  of  the  Peninsular  Engraving-  Com- 
pauy  of  Detroit,  and  Frederick  Easton,  cashier  of  the  Wyandotte  Sav- 
ings Bank. 


REV.   ERNEST  VAN  DYKE. 

Father  Ernest  Van  Dyke,  son  of  James  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Desnoy- 
ers)  Van  Dyke,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  29,  1845.  Father 
Van  Dyke  acquired  a  substantial  education  in  the  parochial  schools  of 
Detroit,  and  in  1859  entered  St.  John  (Jesuit)  College  at  Fordham,  N. 
Y.,  taking  a  classical  course.  In  June,  1864,  he  was  graduated  with 
the  highest  honors  of  the  college,  and  was  awarded  the  medal  of  the 
year.  In  the  fall  of  1864  Father  Van  Dyke  entered  the  American  Sem- 
inary at  Rome,  Italy,  where  he  took  up  the  study  of  theology,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1868,  and  ordained  to  the  priesthood  on  March 
25  of  that  year. 

Upon  his  return  to  America  he  was  assigned  as  rector  of  St.  Mary's 
church  at  Adrian,  Mich. ,  where  he  was  instrumental  in  the  erection  of 
a  new  church;  in  1872  he  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  cathe- 
dral church  at  Detroit,  the  edifice  now  known  as  the  Jesuit  church  of 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul.  In  1873  Bishop  Borgess,  of  the  Diocese  of  Detroit, 
purchased  the  present  St.  Aloysius  church,  then  known  as  the  West- 
minster Presbyterian  Church,  and  made  it  his  pro -cathedral.  Father 
Van  Dyke  was  at  once  appointed  its  pastor,  and  has  been  ever  since  in 
charge  its  affairs.  He  is  a  forceful  and  eloquent  speaker,  an  indefat- 
igable worker,  and  is  gifted  with  sincere  devotion  to  his  priestly  mission. 
Personally  he  is  kindly  and  charitable,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  His  church  has  a  membership  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  families. 


THOMAS  A.  WADSWORTH. 

Thomas  A.  Wadsworth,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Lee)  Wadsworth, 
was  born  in  Redford,  Mich.,  June  26,  1844.  He  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Detroit  in  1846,  where  he  received  his  education  in  public 
and  private  schools,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  sixteen.     In 

847 


1800  he  entered  the  employ  of  H.  J.  Robinson,  a  manufacturer  of  cigar 
boxes,  and  later  was  employed  by  P.  N.  Kneeland,  tinsmith,  where  he 
remained  until  the  beginning  of  the  late  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
24th  ^Michigan  Infantry.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Fitzhugh's 
Crossing  and  confined  to  the  hospital  for  some  little  time.  On  his 
convalescing  he  was  appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  medical  director's 
office,  where  he  served  until  discharged  in  June,  1865.  On  his  return 
to  Detroit  Mr.  Wadsworth  again  turned  to  the  making  of  cigar  boxes 
and  was  engaged  by  his  former  employer,  Mr.  Robinson. 

In  1867  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  and  one  year  later  took 
into  partnership  Mr.  John  Ballard.  This  association  remained  un- 
changed until  1869,  when  Mr.  Ballard's  interest  was  purchased  by  Le- 
land  Cook,  and  a  frame  building  on  the  site  of  the  present  factory  was 
built.  Mr.  Cook  retired  in  1871,  since  which  time  the  business  has 
been  solely  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Wadsworth.  He  has  been  continuously 
successful,  and  from  the  small  beginning  of  thirty  years  ago  he  has 
built  up  his  present  business,  being  the  recognized  leader  in  his  line  of 
manufacturing  in  Michigan.  The  present  factory  at  383-385  Monroe 
avenue  is  well  equipped  and  over  one  hundred  hands  are  employed  in 
the  various  departments  of  manufacturing.  Mr.  Wadsworth  is  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Union  National  Bank,  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company;  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Riding  Club,  Detroit  Yacht  Club, 
and  Detroit  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he  served  as  commander  in  1894. 

He  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Jennie  Roehl,  of  Detroit,  No- 
vember 14,  1891,  and  they  have  one  child,  Harold  Lee  Wadsworth. 


COL.   DENMAN  S.  WAGSTAFF. 

CoL.  Denman  S.  Wagstaff  was  born  on  July  15,  1854,  at  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Wagstaff,  retired,  and  still  a  resident  of 
Rochester.  Denman  S.  was  educated  in  the  German  and  French 
schools  of  the  Lutheran  and  Liberal  churches  in  Rochester,  and  later 
in  De  Graff's  Military  Academy  and  Wilson's  Collegiate  Institute.  He 
spent  one  year  in  the  study  of  law,  and  in  1870  turned  his  face  west- 
ward to  Colorado,  where  for  two  years  he  worked  in  the  mines  and  car- 
ried the  U.  S.  mails  by  pony  express,  from  Georgetown  to  Hot  Springs, 
a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  making  the  trip,  with  change  of  horses,  in 
one  day,  and  returning  the  next.     This  was  but  an  example  of  his  won- 

848 


derfiil  horsemanship,  as  he  afterward  became  champion  "bronco" 
rider  of  Montana,  and  held  that  title  for  years.  He  herded  cattle  for 
the  famous  Wilson  Bros.,  on  the  borders  of  Colorado  and  New  Mexico, 
and  was  stationed  at  one  time  for  about  six  months  at  the  Red  Cloud 
Indian  Agency.  He  .there  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  Sioux  lan- 
guage, which  proved  invaluable  to  him  and  to  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment in  the  scouting  days  that  followed. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  he  went  to  Wyoming  to  act  as  scout  on  the 
Shoshone  Indian  Reservation,  and  later,  with  one  hundred  Shoshone 
scouts,  moved  to  Fort  Reno  and  joined  Crook's  command,  and  just 
previous  to  the  famous  Custer  campaign  he  was  made  chief  of  Crook's 
scouts.  He  was  with  the  first  party  (2d  Battalion,  2d  Cavalry,  under 
Major  Brisbin),  to  arrive  on  the  battlefield  after  the  Custer  massacre, 
helping  to  bury  the  dead  and  transfer  the  body  of  General  Custer  to 
Miles  City.  He  was  severely  wounded  three  times  during  the  battle  of 
Twin  Buttes,  early  in  1876,  and  also  participated  in  the  battle  of  the 
Big  Hole  and  the  capture  of  the  Nez  Perces,  with  Chief  Joseph,  in  the 
Bear  Paw  Mountains,  under  General  Miles.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year 
he  became  foreman  of  the  Montana  Cattle  and  Horse  Company's  big 
ranches  at  Sun  River,  and  remained  there  until  1879,  when  he  was 
made  assistant  superintendent  of  construction  for  the  Utah  Northern 
Railroad  Company,  and  held  that  position  for  two  years. 

In  1881  he  returned  east  to  his  old  home  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
almost  at  once  entered  the  service  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad 
Company;  later  he  was  connected  with  the  West  Shore  Railroad  as  city 
passenger  agent  at  Rochester,  and  in  1885  accepted  the  position  as 
traveling  passenger  agent  for  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  Company  in 
Canada,  and  six  years  later  was  made  its  district  passenger  agent  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1896  he  became  gen- 
eral northern  agent  of  the  C,  H.  and  D.  R.  R.,  and  still  retains  that 
position. 

During  his  scouting  service  Colonel  Wagstatf  was  special  corespond- 
ent for  the  New  York  World,  and  while  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  cor- 
responded regularly  with  the  Sunday  Herald.  Colonel  Wagstaff  is 
prominent  in  Masonic  orders  and  is  an  enthusiastic  Shriner.  He  was 
appointed  colonel  and  A.  D.  C.  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  John  T.  Rich,  of 
Michigan,  serving  as  such  for  two  years. 

In  1882  he  married  Charlotte  Shelber,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Maud.     Colonel  Wagstaff's  mother  was  Annie  Sully,   a 

849 


lineal  descendant  of  the  Duke  de  Sully,  of  France,  and  on  his  father's 
side  is  the  fourth  lineal  descendant  of  Maj,  Sir  William  Wagstaff,  who 
was  killed  in  India  while  leading  the  Queen's  troops. 


CARLOS  E.  WARNER. 

Carlos  E.  Warner  was  born  in  Orleans,  N.  Y.,  October  5,  1847, 
and  is  a  son  of  Ulysses  and  Eliza  A.  (Jones)  Warner.  His  paternal 
ancestry  is  as  follows:  John  Warner,  yoeman,  of  Hatfield,  England; 
Andrew  Warner,  yoeman,  of  Hatfield,  England,  born  about  1595,  em- 
igrated to  Boston,  Mass.,  about  1630;  Daniel  Warner  lived  at  Hatfield, 
Mass.,  and  died  there  April  30,  1692;  Samuel  Warner,  born  April 
13,  1680;  Jesse,  born  May  6,  1718;  Jesse,  jr.,  born  February  1,  1747  or 
1748;  John,  born  at  Conway,  Mass.,  January  2,  1781,  died  February  9, 
1872;  Ulysses,  born  May  7,  1812,  died  in  February,  1896;  and  Carlos 
E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Carlos  E.  Warner  was  educated  in  the  Canandaigua  Academy,  and 
afterward  spent  a  year  in  teaching.  He  began  the  study  of  law  in  1867 
in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  J.  P.  Faurot  at  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  and  two 
years  later  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  passing  a  very  creditable  examina- 
tion before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  then  in  ses- 
sion in  Rochester.  Returning  to  Canandaigua  he  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  preceptor,  Mr.  Faurot.  This  partnership  existed  until 
1872,  when  Mr.  Warner  removed  to  Detroit,  which  has  ever  since  been 
his  home. 

Upon  his  removal  to  Detroit  Mr.  Warner  entered  the  law  offices  of 
Moore  &  Griffin,  and  later  became  a  member  of  that  firm.  Three  years 
later  the  firm  was  dissolved  by  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Griffin,  and  was 
reorganized  as  Moore,  Canfield  &  Warner.  In  1883  Mr.  Warner  with- 
drew and  associated  himself  with  his  former  partner,  the  Hon.  Levi  T. 
Griffin,  under  the  style  of  Griffin  &  Warner.  Five  years  later,  or  in 
January,  1888,  the  firm  became  Griffin,  Warner,  Hunt  &  Berry.  In 
1890  Mr.  Berry  retired,  and  soon  afterward  Mr.  Hunt  was  elected  as 
assistant  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  city  of  Detroit;  whereupon  the 
firm  resumed  its  original  name,  Griffin  &  Warner.  January  1,  1896, 
this  firm  was  dissolved,  and  the  present  firm  of  Warner,  Codd  &  War- 
ner was  organized,  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch  as  the  senior  mem- 
ber.     For  many  years  Mr.  Warner's  private  practice  has  been  very  ex- 

850 


tensive.  He  is  attorney  for  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Sandwich,  Windsor  and  Walker- 
ville  Street  Railway  Company  at  Windsor,  Ont.  In  January,  1880,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Detroit  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  under  the  ward  system;  was  re-elected  in  April, 
1880,  under  the  new  system,  from  the  city  at  large,  serving  four  years 
in  all,  and  was  president  of  the  board  during  two  years  of  the  latter 
term.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Congressional  Committee 
for  the  First  Michigan  district  during  the  years  1894  and  1895,  and 
served  during  the  year  1896  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee.  He  was  also  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for 
city  attorney  of  Detroit,  but  was  defeated  by  a  small  majority.  Mr. 
Warner  is  a  member  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  church  and  of 
several  benevolent  societies.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club 
and  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Warner  is  recognized  as  standing  among  the  able 
men  of  the  bar  of  Michigan — a  State  which  has  produced  some  of  the 
ablest  jurists  of  the  land.  He  is  an  all  round  lawyer,  and  in  presenting 
a  cause  before  court  or  jury  brings  to  bear  a  thorough  understanding 
of  the  philosophy  of  the  law  and  its  application  to  the  cause  at  issue. 
He  possesses  a  keen,  analytical  mind,  strengthened  by  erudition  in  the 
law.      He  is  also  a  pleasing,  graceful  and  forceful  speaker. 

On  Jane  o,  1873,  he  married  Alice  Burr,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Caleb 
Van  Husan,  of  Detroit,  and  they  had  four  children :  Kathleen  Elsie, 
wife  of  George  P.  Codd;  Emily  Corwin,  Carlos  E.,  jr.,  and  John  Sill, 
deceased. 


THOMAS  A.   E.   WEADOCK. 

Hon.  Thomas  A.  E.  Weadock  was  born  in  Ballygarret,  Count}'  Wex- 
ford, Ireland,  January  1,  1850,  and  is  the  third  son  of  Lewis  and  Mary 
(Cullen)  Weadock,  who  with  their  famih'  emigrated  to  America  in  1850, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  near  the  town  of  St.  Mary's,  Ohio,  where  the 
subject  spent  his  boyhood  days.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and 
also  the  Union  School  at  St.  Mary's.  Upon  his  father's  death  in  De- 
cember, 1863,  young  Weadock  was  obliged  to  leave  school  and  assume 
the  management  of  the  farm,  as  he  was  the  eldest  son  at  home.  How- 
ever, he  kept  up  his  studies  at  home,  and  upon  the  return  of  his  eldest 

851 


brother  in  1865  from  the  Civil  war,  he  went  to  Cincinnati  in  search  of 
employment,  securing  a  situation  as  apprentice  at  the  printer's  trade, 
but  not  liking  it  he  returned  to  St.  Mary's  and  taught  school  in  the 
surrounding  counties  for  the  ensuing  five  years. 

He  began  the  study  of  law  while  teaching,  and  by  using  his  leisure, 
studying  during  the  evening  hours,  fitted  himself  for  the  law  class  at 
the  university.  Having  saved  his  earnings,  in  1871  he  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  graduated  therefrom 
in  March,  1883,  with  the  degree  of  B.  L.,  and  in  the  same  year  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Detroit,  and  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio.  In  September,  1873,  he  located  at  Bay  City, 
Mich. ,  where  he  was  continually  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  until 
his  removal  to  Detroit  in  1895. 

In  1883  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Bay  City  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  1885,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  declined  renomination.  In 
1882  he  associated  with  him  his  youngest  brother  John  C,  and  the 
partnership  still  exists.  Mr.  Weadock  was  assistant  prosecuting  attor- 
ney for  Bay  county  for  over  two  years,  and  upon  the  death  of  the  pros- 
ecuting officer,  Mr.  G.  M.  Wilson,  in  1877,  Mr.  Weadock  succeeded  to 
that  position,  by  appointment  of  Hon.  S.  M.  Green,  which  he  retained 
until  December,  1878.  His  administration  of  the  office  was  vigorous 
and  successful. 

Politically  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat  and  has  been  actively  in- 
terested in  party  work,  having  taken  the  stump  in  every  campaign  from 
1874  to  1894  inclusive.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State 
Convention  in  1885,  which  was  held  at  Bay  City  and  nominated  Hon. 
Allen  B.  Morse  for  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  chairman  of  the 
same  body  at  Grand  Rapids  in  1894. 

In  1890  he  was  nominated,  and  elected  by  a  large  majority,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fifty- second  Congress  of  the  United  States  from  the  Bay 
City  district,  and  re-elected  in  1892;  he  declined  renomination  on  the 
expiration  of  his  second  term  of  office.  While  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  he  served  on  the  Committees  of  Rivers  and  Harbors 
and  on  Pacific  Railroads,  and  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Mines 
and  Mining. 

In  1893  he  made  an  extended  tour  of  Europe,  visiting  Italy,  Austria, 
Germany,  France,  Belgium,  Ireland,  Scotland,  England  and  Wales.  In 
1895  Mr.  Weadock  removed  from  Bay  City  to  Detroit,  where  he  has 
since  established  for  himself  a  large  practice  and  is  recognized  as  one 

852 


CHARLES    TROWBRIDGE    WILKINS. 


of  the  prominent  ]eaders  of  the  bar  of  Michigan.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Detroit  Club.  In  1896  he  was  chosen  as  a  delegate-at-large 
to  the  National  Democratic  Convention;  he  was  on  the  committee  on 
resolutions,  signed  the  minority  report  and  took  no  part  in  the  cam- 
paign of  that  year. 

Mr.  Weadock  has  been  twice  married;  first,  in  1874,  to  Mary  E.,  sis- 
ter of  Hon.  T.  E.  Tarsney  of  Saginaw,  and  John  C.  Tarsney,  now  on 
the  Supreme  Bench  of  Oklahoma;  she  died  March  11,  1889,  leaving 
him  six  children:  Thomas  J.,  a  senior  law  student  at  the  Michigan  Uni- 
versity; Lewis].,  Mary  Isabel,  Frances  Clare,  Winifred  Monica  and 
Paul.  He  married,  in  1895,  as  his  second  wife.  Nannie  E.  Curtiss  of 
Bay  City,  daughter  of  Col.  D.  S.  Curtiss  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  they 
have  one  son,  George. 


CHARLES  T.   WILKINS. 

Charles  Trowbridge  Wilkins,  son  of  Col.  William  D.  and  Elizabeth 
Cass  (Trowbridge)  Wilkins,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  November  22, 
1861.  His  father  Colonel  Wilkins,  was  an  ex-officer  of  the  Mexican  and 
Civil  wars,  and  for  many  years  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
public  and  business  interests  of  Detroit,  having  been  twenty-eight 
years  a  inember  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and  founder,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  a  member  of  the  Public  Library  Commission. 

Charles  T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  a  thorough  prepara- 
tory education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  later  entered  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  in  1883.  Subsequently  he  took  a 
course  in  the  Harvard  College  Law  vSchool,  being  graduated  in  1885 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  at  the  same  time  received  the  degree 
M.  A.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885  and  located  in  Detroit, 
where  he  has  since  been  continuously  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession. 

In  1887  he  was  appointed  assistant  United  States  attorney  at  Detroit, 
and  held  that  position  until  1890,  when  he  retired  from  office,  owing  to 
a  change  in  the  administration.  In  1894  he  accepted  a  reappointment 
to  that  position,  but  resigned  in  1896.  Mr.  Wilkins  has  been  twice 
nominated  for  the  office  of  judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  by  the  Demo- 

853 


cratic  party,  and  each  time  has  received  a  flattering  vote.  He  has  been 
successful  in  his  law  practice,  and  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  posi- 
tion at  the  bar. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations, 
is  a  prominent  Mason,  being  a  member  of  Peninsular  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
and  Union  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft 
Club,  the  Yondotega  Club,  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club,  and  the  Michigan 
Athletic  Association,  and  of  the  latter  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
first  secretary.  He  also  served  as  secretary  of  the  American  Athletic 
Union  for  three  years. 


ALBERT  H.  WILKINSON. 

Hon.  Alrert  H.  Wilkinson,  ex-judge  of  the  Probate  Court  of  Wayne 
county,  was  born  in  Novi,  Mich.,  November  19,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Yerkes)  Wilkinson.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
his  father's  farm,  assisting  during  the  summer  months  in  its  manage- 
ment and  in  the  winters  attending  the  public  schools.  Later  he  at- 
tended the  Cochrane  Academy  at  Northville,  and  subsequently  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  at  the  time  of  its  opening  in  the 
spring  of  1853.  In  the  fall  of  the  succeeding  year  he  left  the  Normal 
to  accept  the  position  of  principal  of  the  Union  Graded  School  at  Cen- 
terville,  and  later  entered  the  private  academy  of  Rufus  Nutting  at 
Lodi  Plains,  where  he  prepared  for  college;  in  1855  he  began  his  course 
in  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  grad- 
uated therefrom  in  1859.  Afterward  he  spent  one  year  in  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  university  and  then  read  law  under  the  instruction  of 
Judge  M.  E.  Crofoot  at  Pontiac;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June, 
1860,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  formed  a  partnership  with  Henry  M. 
Look,  and  later  with  O.  F.  Wisner  at  Pontiac. 

In  1861  he  located  in  Detroit  and  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  P. 
Yerkes,  which  existed  for  five  years.  Following  this  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Hoyt  Post,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wilkinson  &  Post,  this 
partnership  lasting  seven  years.  Judge  Wilkinson  later  associated  with 
him  his  brother,  C.  M.  Wilkinson,  under  the  style  of  A.  H.  &  C.  M. 
Wilkinson,  a  connection  lasting  for  three  years,  when,  in  1877,  Mr. 
Post  again  became  a  member  of  the  firm  under  the  name  of  Wilkinson, 

854 


NATHAN    G.  WILLIAMS. 


Post  &  Wilkinson.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  C.  M.  Wilkinson  in 
1884,  the  firm  again  became  Wilkinson  &  Post,  its  present  style. 

In  1872  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  elected  as  judge  of  the  Probate  Court  of 
Wayne  county  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1877.  He  also  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  Michigan  Fire  & 
Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank,  and  has 
been  a  director  in  the  two  former  corporations.  Judge  Wilkinson  has 
long  been  recognized  as  among  the  leading  members  of  the  Detroit 
bar,  is  an  affable  and  kindly  gentleman,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

On  July  4,  1859,  he  married  Elvira  M.,  daughter  of  Henry  Allen  of 
Bloomfield,  Mich.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  Ralph  B.,  an  at- 
torney of  this  city. 


NATHAN  G.   WILLIAMS. 

Nathan  G.  Williams,  son  of  Warren  and  Elizabeth  (Stanton)  Will- 
iams, was  born  in  Salem,  Conn.,  June  28,  1833.  The  ancestors  of  Mr. 
Williams  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Connecticut;  Thomas  Stan- 
ton, his  ancestor  on  the  maternal  side,  served  as  the  interpreter  of 
Governor  Winthrop  in  his  dealings  with  the  Indians,  and  Phineas 
Stanton,  his  brother,  served  in  the  campaigns  of  Crown  Point  and 
Cape  Breton,  and  was  later  appointed  deputy  of  the  colony  of  Connect- 
icut, continuing  in  that  office  from  1758  to  1771. 

Mr.  Williams  received  his  early  education  in  a  private  school  at 
Salem  and  later  entered  an  academy  where  he  was  a  student  until  1849. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Michigan,  and  after  a  short  time  spent  at 
Pontiac,  located  in  Detroit,  which  place  he  made  his  permanent  home. 
He  first  engaged  in  the  shipping  and  commission  business  and  continued 
in  that  line  until  1864,  when  he  purchased  the  business  of  William  C. 
Duncan  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  malt.  In  this  venture  he 
was  eminently  successful,  building  up  a  large  business  which  he  con- 
tinued until  his  retirement  in  1890.  Aside  from  this  interest  he  was  a 
large  stockholder  in  several  industrial  enterprises  of  Detroit. 

In  1890  he  retired  from  active  business  and  opened  an  office  in  the 
Moffat  block  (which  he  subsequently  moved  to  his  residence)  where  he 
managed  his  various  private  interests  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 

855 


occurred  on  August  7,  1896.  Mr.  Williams  was  a  director  in  the  Mer- 
chants' and  Manufacturers'  Bank,  the  Michigan  Savings  and  Loan 
Association,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  Detroit  Club  and 
Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club.  He  was  a  lifelong  Repub- 
lican, and  though  never  seeking  office,  took  an  active  part  in  the  in- 
terests of  his  party. 

He  was  married,  December  14,  1870,  to  Julia,  daughter  of  Lieut. - 
Col.  V.  C.  Hanna  of  Detroit.  Five  children  and  his  widow  survive 
him:  Nathan  G. ,  jr.,  Helen  D.,  wife  of  D.  O.  Haynes  of  New  York, 
Julia  H.,  Edith,  and  Mary  Eloise. 


LIEUT.-COL.   VALENTINE  C.   HANNA. 

Lieut. -Col.  Valentine  C.  Hanna,  son  of  Gen.  Robert  H.  and 
Sarah  (Mowrey)  Hanna,  was  born  in  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  November  8, 
1833.  Colonel  Hanna  was  descended  from  Robert  Hanna,  who  was  ap- 
pointed surveyor-general  of  South  Carolina  by  King  George  HI,  and 
during  his  incumbency  surveyed  the  boundaries  of  that  State.  On  the 
signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  he  cast  his  lot  with  the 
colonies  and  served  throughout  the  struggle.  Gen.  Robert  Hanna,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Indiana,  was  commandant  of  the  State  troops  during  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  and  later  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate  from  that  State. 

Colonel  V.  C.  Hanna  was  educated  in  the  ptiblic  schools  of  Indian- 
apolis, where  he  had  removed  with  his  parents  when  a  child.  On 
completion  of  his  education  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  at  that 
time  receiver  of  the  General  Land  office.  In  1835,  with  Ap  Lloyd  B. 
Smith  as  his  associate,  he  formed  the  firm  of  Ap  Lloyd  B.  Smith  &  Co. 
and  engaged  in  the  general  merchandising  business.  Colonel  Hanna 
was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln,  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Civil  war  was  appointed  by  him  to  the  position  of  pay- 
master in  the  army.  He  served  until  the  close  of  hostilities  in  1865,  and 
was  brevetted  lieutenant-colonel  for  meritorious  service,  and  shortly 
afterward  was  given  a  commission  in  the  regular  army.  He  was 
later  stationed  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  until  transferred  to 
Chicago  in  1870.  After  a  service  of  one  year  on  the  staff  of  Gen. 
Philip  H.  Sheridan  at  Chicago  he  was  assigned  for  duty  at  Santa  Fe, 
N.  M.,  but  was  forced  through  ill  health  to  return  east,  and  was  placed 

856 


LIEUT. -COL.  VALENTINE    C.  HANNA. 


on  the  retired  list  in  187G.  Subsequent  to  his  retirement  from  the 
army  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  made  that  city  his  permanent  home. 
He  died  on  November  10,  1884. 

Politically  he  was  a  staunch  Republican,  and  although  incapacitated 
by  his  profession  from  holding  office,  he  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  his  party. 

Colonel  Hanna  was  married,  November  5,  1840,  to  Frances  M., 
daughter  of  Justin  Smith  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  marriage  ceremony- 
was  performed  by  the  late  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  Colonel  Hanna  and 
wife  were  among  the  first  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Indian- 
apolis and  later  of  Christ  church  in  Detroit.  Mrs.  Hanna  died  at  De- 
troit, August  7,  1877.  Three  daughters  survive  them:  Maria  L.,  wife 
of  William  J.  Wilson  of  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Julia  H.,  widow  of  N.  G. 
Williams;  and  Mrs.  Sadie  H.  Seymour  of  Detroit,  Mich. 


RICHARD  STORRS  WILLIS. 

Richard  Storrs  Willis,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  (Parker)  Wil- 
lis, and  youngest  brother  of  N.  P.  Willis,  the  poet,  and  Sara  Payson 
Willis,  the  authoress,  the  latter  more  widely  known  as  "  Fanny  Fern," 
was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  February  10,  1819.  Mr.  Willis  descends 
directly  from  George  Willis,  a  Puritan  of  eminence  who  landed  in  Amer- 
ica from  England  in  1626,  took  the  oath  of  a  freeman  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  and  was  elected  deputy  to  the  General  Court  in  1638.  Through 
the  years  dating  back  one  century  and  a  half  the  ancestors  of  Richard 
Storrs  Willis  form  an  unbroken  chain  of  journalists  and  authors  of  dis- 
tinction. Quite  remarkable  is  it  that  from  1776  to  1800,  his  grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Willis,  edited  the  independent  Chronicle,  the  Potomac  Guar- 
dian and  the  Sciota  Gazette;  from  1803  to  1860  his  father,  Nathaniel 
Willis,  founded  and  edited  the  Eastern  Argus,  Portland,  the  Boston 
Recorder  and  Youths'  Companion;  and  from  1851  to  1863  Richard 
Storrs  Willis  edited  the  Musical  Times,  the  Musical  World  and  Once  a 
Month,  each  of  the  three  serving  in  a  similar  capacity  on  three  distinct 
publications.  To  this  may  be  added,  that  the  singular  tendency  to 
triad  journalism  in  the  family  asserted  itself  also  in  the  poet-brother, 
N.  P.  Willis,  who  edited  the  New  York  Mirror,  the  Corsair,  and  the 
Home  Journal. 

During  his  youth  in   Boston,  Mr.  Willis  was  a  student  at  Chauncey 

857 
108 


Hall,  later  at  the  Boston  Latin  School,  and  in  1837  entered  Yale  Col- 
lege. He  was  chosen  president  of  the  Beethoven  Society,  which  com- 
prised the  musical  talent  of  the  college,  and  during  his  sophomore 
year  Mr.  Willis  devoted  considerable  time  to  composing  for  the  college 
orchestra  and  choir  and  arranged  and  harmonized  many  German  songs, 
the  words  for  which  were  translated  by  Percival,  the  poet.  He  com- 
posed during  this  period  the  "Glen  Mary  Waltzes,"  which  were  pub- 
lished by  Oliver  Ditson  &  Co.  for  twenty-five  years.  Mr.  Willis  was 
graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1841  and  immediately  sailed  for  Ger- 
many to  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  study  of  the  science  of  music  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Main.  Under  the  direction  of  Schnyder  Von  War- 
tensee  he  completed  a  thorough  course  in  harmony,  and  on  counterpoint 
and  instrumentation  with  Hauptmann,  professor  of  the  conservatory,  and 
Cantor  of  the  "Thomas  Schule"  in  Leipzig.  During  an  outing  in  the 
Taunus  Mountains  Mr.  Willis  very  fortunately  had  the  pleasure  of  the 
company  of  Mendelssohn,  Freiligrath,  the  poet,  Gutzkow,  the  dramatic 
author,  and  Hoffman  Von  Fallersleben,  professor  and  poet.  Mendelssohn 
reviewed  part  of  the  work  accomplished  by  Mr.  Willis  under  Schnyder 
and  revised  several  of  his  compositions.  All  these  manuscripts  bear 
Mendelssohn's  pencil  marks  and  together  with  a  "Canon,"  which  the 
eminent  composer  wrote  in  Mr.  Willis's  album  on  parting  company, 
comprise  a  souvenir  of  great  value.  Mr.  Willis's  familiarity  with  Ger- 
man enabled  him  while  passing  the  winter  months  in  Homburg  to  per- 
form literary  work  for  Gustav,  then  reigning  landgrave  of  Hesse-Hom- 
burg.  Gustav  conferred  on  Mr.  Willis  the  title  of  professor  in  addition 
to  a  diploma. 

After  six  years'  absence  Mr.  Willis  returned  to  America  and  visited 
Yale  College,  giving  his  attention  to  a  class  of  tutors  and  professors 
who  wished  to  practise  colloquial  German.  Subsequently  he  went  to 
New  York,  where  he  associated  himself  with  the  press,  writing  for  the 
Albion,  Musical  Times,  Tribune  and  Catholic  World,  afterward  pur- 
chasing the  Musical  Times,  which  was  later  consolidated  with  the  Mu- 
sical World,  and  edited  the  combined  publications.  In  later  years  he 
established  a  magazine,  "  Once  a  Month,"  which  was  devoted  to  fine 
arts.  About  this  time  he  wrote  the  work  "  Our  Church  Music,"  which 
was  highly  commended  by  the  London  Anthenaeum ;  next  he  brought 
out  Church  Chorals,  many  students'  songs  and  miscellaneous  lyrics. 
During  the  war  he  entered  competition  for  the  prize  offered  for  the 
best  national  song;  and   the   committee  selected  his  "Anthem  of  Lib- 

858 


CAPT.  WILLIAM   H.  WILSON. 


erty, "  which  was  warmly  praised  by  Richard  Grant  White  in  his  col- 
lection of  songs.  Mr.  Willis  then  wrote  "Why,  Northmen,  Why,"  and 
other  songs  of  a  patriotic  strain,  which  were  sung  universally  in  schools 
and  public  gatherings. 

In  1851  he  married  Jessie  Cairns  of  Roslyn,  L.  I.,  who  died  in  1858. 
In  her  husband's  memorial,  her  amiable,  pure  nature  was  delicately 
commented  on  and  the  pages  embraced  lines  from  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  Fanny  Fern  and  other  prominent  authors.  In  1861  Mr.  Willis 
married  Mrs.  Alexandrine  Macomb  Campau  of  Detroit. 

During  a  four  5^ears'  residence  in  Nice,  Europe,  where  he  removed  to 
provide  his  children  with  the  best  educational  advantages,  Mr.  Willis 
collected  his  National  songs  and  miscellaneous  lyrics  into  one  volume 
entitled  "  Waifs  of  Song,"  which  was  published  by  Galignani,  Paris. 
The  first  volumes  of  the  book  were  sold  during  the  Nice  carnival  of 
1876,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  by  Mrs.  Willis,  who  presided  over 
the  American  kiosque  in  the  public  square.  While  in  Europe  Mr. 
Willis's  three  daughters  married  officers  of  the  United  States  flag 
ship  "  Franklin,"  commanded  by  Admiral  Worden,  which  lay  at  anchor 
near  Nice.  Annie  married  Lieutenant  Ward ;  Blanche  married  Lieu- 
tenant Emory,  who  has  since  gained  renown  as  commander  of  the 
"  Bear  "  in  the  Greeley  relief  expedition,  and  Jessie  married  Lieutenant 
Brodhead,  son  of  Colonel  Brodhead  of  the  Michigan  cavalry  of  the  Civil 
war.  For  several  years  past  Mr.  Willis  has  claimed  Detroit  as  his  place 
of  residence,  and  here  he  has  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  published  among  many  other  works  the  volume  en- 
titled "  Pen  and  Lute."  He  is  an  esteemed  citizen  and  is  honored  with 
the  presidency  of  the  public  library;  he  is  also  vice-president  of  the 
Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  a  member 
of  the  New  England  Society;  a  member  of  the  Grace  Hospital  Train- 
ing School,  representing  the  city ;  also  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Society. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  Moffat 
building,  where  he  carries  on  his  literary  pursuits. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  H.   WILSON. 

Capt.  William  H.  Wilson,  son  of  William  H.  and  Mary  (Utting) 
Wilson,  was  born  in  Hull,  England,  May  21,  1837.  Captain  Wilson  as 
a  child  received  his  education  from  his  mother,  who  died  when  he  was 

859 


but  twelve  years  old,  subsequent  to  which  he  went  to  sea  with  his 
father,  and  remained  with  him  until  1851.  In  that  3'ear  he  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  the  following  four  years  were 
spent  by  Captain  Wilson  in  sailing  on  the  lakes.  In  1855  he  engaged 
as  ship's  carpenter  with  a  ship  building  firm  in  Detroit,  remaining  in 
their  employ  some  little  time.  Subsequently  he  resumed  sailing  and 
eventually  became  master  of  the  schooner  Evening  Star. 

In  18G5  he  with  Thomas  Ledbeter  (his  father-in-law)  built  the 
schooner  Mary  Hattie,  which  he  sailed  for  many  years.  Later  he  was 
made  captain  of  the  barge  San  Diego,  and  from  that  steamer  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  Iron  City  of  the  Parker  &  Millen  fleet. 
In  1890  he  resigned  from  the  employ  of  Parker  &  Millen  to  accept  the 
position  of  captain  of  the  steamer  William  Livingstone,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  his  death  on  February  14,  1898. 

Captain  Wilson  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known  men  of  his  calling 
on  the  great  lakes,  a  faithful  and  efficient  officer,  and  was  highly 
esteemed  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  member  of 
Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
Politically  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  also  a  member  of  Immanuel 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  family  are  also  regular  attendants. 
Captain  Wilson's  funeral  occurred  from  that  church  on  February  17,  the 
body  being  interred  in  Elmwood  Cemetery. 

On  December  26,  1859,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  Led- 
beter of  Detroit,  Mich.  His  widow  and  four  children  survive  him : 
Edward,  Thomas  L.,  Annie  L.,  and  Grace  C. 


CARL  WURZER. 

Carl  Wurzer,  son  of  the  late  Judge  Edward  Wurzer  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Keer  Hessen,  Germany,  was  born  in  Marburg,  province  of 
Hessen  Nassau,  August  12,  1854.  Mr.  Wurzer  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  and  in  the  Universities  at  Mar- 
burg (where  he  matriculated  in  1870)  and  at  Fulda  (where  he  matricu- 
lated in  1871).  On  completion  of  his  education  he  emigrated  to 
America,  locating  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he  secured  a  situation  with  An- 
thony Schulte,  grocer,  where  he  remained  until  1873,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  dry  goods  house  of  James  Lowery  &  Sons.     Mr. 

8G0 


CARL    WURZER. 


Wurzer  continued  with  the  latter  firm  for  fifteen  years  and  in  1888  en- 
gaged in  the  same  line  of  business  on  his  own  account,  and  during  the 
four  succeeding  years  met  with  well  merited  success. 

In  1892  he  disposed  of  his  dry  goods  interests  and  established  himself 
in  his  present  line,  as  a  real  estate  and  general  insurance  agent.  Aside 
from  this,  Mr.  Wurzer  has  the  American  collecting  agency  for  numer- 
ous German  estates,  is  secretary  of  the  Brilliant  City  Brewing  Co.  of 
Findlay,  Ohio,  and  secretary  and  manager  of  the  Landlords'  Protective 
Association  of  Detroit.  He  is  the  organizer  and  national  secretary  of 
the  Hessen  National  Association,  numbering  one  hnndred  and  two 
local  societies  in  the  United  States  and  Canada;  was  the  organizer  of 
the  German  Salesmen's  Society  of  Detroit,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
cordia Singing  Society  and  of  Wolverine  Lodge,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  of  that  city. 

Mr,  Wurzer  was  married  in  1874  to  Theresa  Kuhn,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children.  Louis  C,  F.  Henry 
and  Edward  C. 


WILLIAM  C.  YAWKEY. 

William  C.  Yawkey,  second  son  of  John  H.  and  Lydia  (Clyman) 
Yawkey,  was  born  at  Massillon,  Ohio,  August  36,  1834,  and  was 
afforded  all  the  advantages  of  a  private  school  education,  supplemented 
by  earnest  study  at  night  up  to,  and  subsequent  to  attaining  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  when  he  entered  a  hardware  store  in  his  native  place  as 
a  clerk  at  $6  per  month,  and  afterwards  became  a  clerk  in  his  father's 
office,  where  he  soon  mastered  the  details  of  the  lumber  business.  He 
remained  with  his  father  until  1851,  when  he  moved  to  Flint,  Mich, 
(his  father  afterwards  moving  his  family  to  Michigan  in  1852),  and  was 
taken  into  partnership  in  the  saw  mill  near  Flint,  having  charge  of  the 
mill  and  manufacture  of  lumber  for  the  ensuing  three  years.  In  1855 
he  went  to  Saginaw  Valley  and  located  at  Lower  Saginaw  (as  Bay  City 
was  at  that  time  known)  in  connection  with  his  brother,  Samuel,  who 
had  located  at  East  Saginaw  some  time  before  and  who  had  charge  and 
looked  after  the  business  at  this  point  and  that  part  pertaining  to  the 
Upper  Saginaw  River,  while  he  (William  C. )  had  charge  and  looked 
after  the  business  at  Lower  Saginaw  and  in  the  vicinity  thereto. 

In  1856,  after  the  firm  of  S.  W.  Yawkey  &  Co.  had  been  formed  by  his 

861 


brother  and  others,  he  became  a  clerk  for  this  firm  and  was  one  of  their 
principal  inspectors  and  shippers  of  lumber  and  continued  with  this 
firm  during  its  existence.  In  1857  he  became  one  of  the  firm  of  C. 
Moulthrop  &  Co.,  and  continued  in  said  firm,  having  charge  of  their 
main  office  at  East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  until  1859,  when  he  started  an  in- 
dependent business,  taking  the  agency  of  a  leading  Chicago  firm  in  the 
purchase  of  logs  and  lumber,  while  retaining  the  custom  of  many  of 
the  customers  of  the  former  partnership,  and  at  the  same  time,  with 
that  great  energy  and  skill  which  has  been  one  of  the  chief  character- 
istics throughout  his  business  career,  formed  one  of  the  most  noted  and 
popular  commission  and  inspection  houses  in  the  Saginaw  Valley,  its 
clientage  including  the  leading  lumber  firms  of  Albany  and  the  East, 
as  well  as  of  Chicago  and  other  western  markets.  For  several  years 
Mr.  Yawkey  operated  this  business  most  successfully,  under  his  indi- 
vidual name,  until  it  became  the  largest  business  of  its  kind  in  the 
valley. 

About  the  year  1863  he  formed  the  firm  of  W.  C.  Yawkey  &  Co.,  with 
his  father  and  brother,  Edwin,  as  partners,  his  business  having  in- 
creased and  become  so  large  owing  to  having  purchased  pine  lands  and 
becoming  engaged  in  the  cutting  of  logs  and  manufacturing  same  into 
lumber,  as  to  need  the  assistance  of  others  in  the  operation  of  his  com- 
mission business,  and  about  the  year  1865,  his  brother,  Samuel,  was 
admitted  to  the  firm.  Having  worked  his  way  from  the  beginning  to 
a  well  merited  success,  through  energy  and  close  application  to  the 
business  in  which  he  was  accounted  an  adept,  his  operations  were  from 
time  to  time  extended  to  include  not  only  logs,  lumber,  shingles  and 
lath,  but  also  pine  lands,  not  only  for  others,  but  for  himself  as  well, 
and  he  held  the  enviable  reputation  in  each  department  of  being  one 
of  the  best  inspectors  and  judges  of  lumber  and  standing  timber  in  the 
State.  The  operations  of  this  combination  included  from  25,000,000 
feet  to  as  high  as  75,000,000  feet  per  season,  exceeding  in  its  volume 
the  combined  business  of  any  other  firm  in  the  valley  in  the  same  line 
of  business. 

With  rare  foresight,  Mr.  Yawkey,  as  his  means  increased,  invested  in 
pine  lands  and  soon  accumulated  a  vast  tract,  including  some  of  the 
best  lands  upon  the  streams  tributary  to  the  Saginaw  River,  including 
the  Cass,  Bad,  Rifle  and  other  rivers  noted  for  the  excellent  quality  of 
their  timber  resources.  From  1864  his  operations  in  cutting  and  deal- 
ing in  logs  and  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  were  largely  extended, 

862 


while  he  at  the  same  time  was  an  extensive  purchaser  of  the  cut  of 
other  manufacturers.  Subsequent  to  18G8  he  was  associated  with 
others  in  some  of  the  largest  pine  land  purchases  which  were  consum- 
mated in  the  State.  Up  to  about  1880  his  operations  were  largely  con- 
fined to  the  Saginaw  Valley  region,  but  subsequent  to  that  time  his 
dealings  have  extended  to  a  much  larger  territory. 

In  1878  he  removed  his  residence  from  Bay  City  to  Detroit,  from 
which  point  he  has  since  managed  his  rapidly  extending  business,  which 
has  included  several  hundred  thousand  acres  of  timber  lands  in  the 
States  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Alabama,  Florida  and  other 
Southern  States,  owning  at  this  time  no  less  than  150,000  acres  in  his 
individual  right,  together  with  no  less  than  400,000,000  feet  of  standing 
timber  in  Minnesota  and  the  South,  much  of  which  was  patented  from 
the  government.  In  1888  Mr.  Yawkey  formed  the  Yawkey  &  Lee 
Lumber  Co.,  Limited,  with  headquarters  at  Hazelhurst,  Wis.,  where 
the  company  had  saw  mills  with  capacity  for  the  manufacture  of  20,- 
000,000  feet  of  lumber  per  season ;  of  this  company  Mr.  Yawkey  was 
the  president. 

In  1893  the  firm  of  Yawkey  Sc  Lee  Lumber  Co.,  Limited,  was  dissolved 
and  the  firm  of  Yawkey  Lumber  Company,  composed  of  W.  C.  Yawkey, 
president,  Cyrus  C.  Yawkey,  treasurer  and  manager,  and  William  H. 
Yawkey  secretary,  was  incorporated,  they  having  purchased  the  effiects 
of  the  Yawkey  &  Lee  Lumber  Co.,  Limited,  and  at  the  same  time  pur- 
chased of  W.  C.  Yawkey  about  three  hundred  million  feet  of  standing 
timber,  which  he  had  in  Wisconsin,  and  are  now  manufacturing  the 
same  at  Hazelhurst.  Their  mill  is  equipped  with  the  latest  improve- 
ments and  appliances,  including  a  band  saw,  and  has  a  planing  mill  in- 
cluding a  box  factory  for  the  more  speedy  preparation  of  the  stock  for 
market,  and  is  located  upon  the  line  of  the  Chicago  and  Milwaukee 
Railroad,  while  a  short  line  built  by,  and  belonging  to  the  company, 
and  known  as  the  Hazelhurst  &  Southeastern  Railroad,  connects  with 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  at  Hazelhurst  Junction,  extend- 
ing into  the  timber  lands,  affording  ample  facilities  for  logging  opera- 
tions at  all  seasons  of  the  year  and  also  gives  great  facilities  for  the 
shipment  of  the  manufactured  product  as  fast  as  sold.  About  two- 
thirds  of  the  mill  product  passes  through  the  planing  mill  and  box  fac- 
tory and  is  shipped  in  car  loads  to  all  sections  of  the  country. 

Among  some  of  the  more  valuable  holdings  of  Mr.  Yawkey  in  Min- 
nesota, are  mineral  lands  on  the  Mesabe  Range,  the  iron  from  which  has 

8G3 


a  deservedly  high  reputation  and  includes  the  celebrated  Bessemer 
Commodore  and  Alpena  mines,  which  are  worked  on  a  royalty.  Be- 
sides these  mines  he  is  interested  in  others  in  Minnesota  and  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  Like  many  other  of  our  successful  lumbermen,  Mr. 
Yawkey  does  not  now  confine  himself  exclusively  to  lumber  and  timber 
operations.  In  1891  he  established  at  Detroit  the  Western  Knitting 
Mills,  which  employs  300  operators  in  the  manufacture  of  socks,  mittens 
and  other  knit  goods,  with  a  yarn  mill  located  at  Rochester,  Mich.,  and 
of  this  company  Mr.  Yawkey  retains  the  presidency. 

He  was  married  in  1869  to  Emma  Noyes  of  Guilford,  Vt.,  who  died 
December  2,  1892,  leaving  a  daughter,  Augusta  L.,  wife  of  Thomas  J, 
Austin  of  Detroit,  and  a  son,  William  Hoover  Yawkey,  now  associated 
with  his  father  in  business.  Mr.  Yawkey  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  interested  in  the 
People's  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bay  City, 
and  Flour  City  National  Bank  of  Minneapolis.  Minn.,  as  well  as  the 
Michigan  Fire  and  Marine  and  Standard  Life  and  Accident  Insurance 
Companies  of  Detroit.  Few  men  have  been  more  active  or  more  suc- 
cessful in  a  business  career  extending  over  nearly  half  a  century,  and 
none  has  better  st  .od  the  test  by  which  an  honored  name  and  reputation 
are  secured.  From  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  has  depended  upon 
his  own  native  tact,  talent  and  resources,  and  his  success  in  the  accumu- 
lation of  an  ample  fortune  is  by  all  who  know  him  recognized  as  the 
result  of  indomitable  energy  and  unswerving  integrity. 

The  ancestors  on  Mr.  Yawkey's  side  were  quite  numerous,  having 
settled  in  Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day  and  participated  and  took  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the  war  of  1812.  Lydia  Clyman's  ances- 
tors came  from  England  at  an  early  day  and  settled  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Va.  They  afterwards  resided  near  Winchester,  Va.,  and  from 
there  they  moved  to  Ohio.  Many  of  them  also  participated  and  took 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  war  of  1812,  and  several  of  the 
brothers  were  pioneers  in  the  West,  James  and  John  Clyman  were 
prominently  identified  with  the  first  settlement  in  Wisconsin,  and  were 
prominent  men  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  several  of  the  wars  that 
originated  out  of  the  settlement  of  the  Northwest.  They  went  with 
one  of  the  earliest  expeditions  to  the  Pacific  Coast  sent  by  the  United 
States  Government, 


86i 


C.  R.  YEARICK,  D.  D.  S. 


CINCERO  R.  YEARICK. 

CiNCERO  R.  Yearick,  D.  D.  S.,  son  of  Henry  and  Katherine  (Lein- 
baugh)  Yearick,  was  born  in  Marion,  Center  county,  Pa.,  September  7, 
1853.  Dr.  Yearick  is  of  German  descent,  his  ancestors  emigrating  to 
America  and  settling  in  Pennsylvania  during  the  early  days  of  that 
colony.  His  grandfather,  John  Yearick,  was  born  in  Union  county  and 
later  removed  to  Madisonburg,  Center  county.  Henry,  his  son,  the 
father  of  Dr.  Yearick,  resided  in  the  old  homestead  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  removed  to  Marion,  Center  county,  where  he  still 
resides,  and  has  been  prominent  in  the  growth  and  development  of  that 
section  of  his  State. 

Dr.  Yearick  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  Center 
county  and  in  the  Belief onte  (Pa.)  Academy,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1873.  In  1874  he  entered  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College, 
and  later  pursued  a  course  at  the  Baltimore  Dental  College,  from  which 
he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  in  1881.  Subsequently  he  removed 
to  Bellevue,  Ohio,  where  he  successfully  practiced  his  profession.  In 
1887  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  established  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Yearick  is  an  assiduous  student,  a 
careful  and  thorough  workman,  and  has  attained  a  most  prominent 
place  among  the  members  of  his  profession  in  the  city.  As  a  man  he  is 
greatly  esteemed  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Michigan  State  Dental  Association,  Mecca  Temple,  Knights  of 
Khorassan ;  Damon  Lodge  No.  3,  Knights  of  Pythias,  National  Union, 
and  St.  John's  Episcopal  church  of  Detroit. 

Dr.  Yearick  was  married  in  1883  to  Mary  V.,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Henry  of  Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 


JULIUS  C.   DICKINSON,   M.   D. 

Julius  C.  Dickinson,  M.  D.,  son  of  William  and  Lois  (Sturtevant) 
Dickinson,  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Erie  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1843.  In 
youth  Dr.  Dickinson  came  with  his  parents  to  Jonesville,  Mich.,  and 
later  to  Jackson,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  school  with  a  view  of  study- 
ing medicine  at  the  university,  which  he  entered  in  1862,  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1866.  His  college  life  was  interrupted  by  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  hospital  staff  of   Camp   Blair  at 

805 


Jackson,  Mich.,  in  18G4,  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  the  close 
of  the  war  in  1865.  After  graduation  from  college  Dr.  Dickinson  be- 
gan practice  in  Detroit,  but  soon  established  his  office  in  Holley,  Mich., 
where  he  married  Jessie  Hadley  on  September  2,  1874.  Soon  after 
this  event  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Dickinson  have  five  children:  Julia,  Lucia  I.,  Mattie  L.,  Hazel 
A.,  and  Thomas  Hadley. 


JAMES  E.   SCRIPPS. 

Adout  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a  Scripps  rebuilt  the 
famous  dome  and  lantern  of  the  Ely  Cathedral,  One  of  his  sons  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1791  and  settled  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  A  son 
of  the  latter  who  remained  in  England  published  the  London  Daily 
Sun  and  the  Literary  Gazette,  the  latter  the  pioneer  publication  of  its 
class  in  England.  A  son  of  his  was  a  bookbinder  in  London,  and  was 
the  father  of  James  Edmund  Scripps,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

The  bookbinder  came  to  America  with  his  family  in  1844,  landing  in 
Boston  after  six  weeks  on  the  sea  in  a  sailing  vessel.  After  a  long  and 
laborious  journey  by  the  Erie  Canal,  the  great  lakes,  by  wagon  and  by 
river,  the  family  finally  reached  their  destination  in  southern  Illinois 
in  midsummer,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Rushville,  in  Schuyler 
county. 

The  hard  conditions  of  pioneer  life  afforded  young  Scripps  but  little 
opportunity  to  add  to  the  infant  school  education  he  had  received  in 
England.  The  first  year  in  Illinois,  the  tenth  of  his  life,  was  spent  en- 
tirely in  hard  labor.  After  that  until  he  was  fifteen  he  shared  the 
meagre  advantages  of  a  winter  school,  while  continuing  the  work  dur- 
ing the  summer.  In  spite  of  the  wretchedness  of  these  opportunities, 
he  was  studious  enough  to  have  prepared  himself  for  college,  which, 
however,  the  limited  means  of  his  father  did  not  permit  him  to  attend. 
At  fifteen  he  was  compelled  to  take  up  a  man's  work  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  to  finish  his  own  education  by  solitary  study  in  the  brief  in- 
tervals of  leisure  which  the  hard  circumstances  of  western  life  at  that 
time  afforded  him.  That  he  made  some  progress  was  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  chosen  to  teach  a  local  school  before  he  was  a  man  in 
years.  This  occupied  t^yo  winters,  while  he  continued  his  labor  on  the 
farm  in  the  summer. 

866 


Early  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  made  his  way  to 
Chicago,  took  a  course  in  a  business  college,  kept  books  for  a  lumber- 
ing firm  for  a  few  months  and  then  secured  employment  as  a  collector, 
proof-reader  and  general  utility  man  on  the  Chicago  Tribune,  thus 
making  his  advent  in  the  profession  in  which  he  has  since  attained  so 
extraordinary  a  success.  His  industry  and  capacity  soon  secured  for 
him  promotion  to  the  post  of  commercial  reporter  and  marine  editor, 
but  the  hard  times  of  the  panic  of  that  period,  compelled  a  reduction 
of  the  staff,  and  he  came  to  Detroit  the  following  year  and  became  com- 
mercial editor  of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  to  the  duties  of  which  position 
he  soon  added  those  of  news  editor.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  in  1861  he  resigned  to  enlist  in  the  army,  but  a  tempt- 
ing offer  of  a  partnership  in  the  business  induced  him  to  return  to  the 
Advertiser.  In  the  following  year,  1862,  he  brought  about  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  two  Republican  papers  of  Detroit,  the  Advertiser,  which 
was  a  morning  paper,  and  the  Tribune,  which  was  published  in  the 
afternoon  ;  became  business  manager  of  the  united  enterprise  and  short- 
ly afterwards,  managing  editor.  From  that  time  forward  the  business, 
which  had  previously  languished,  became  highly  successful  and  con- 
tinued through  the  war  to  pay  substantial  dividends. 

The  establishment  of  a  rival,  paper,  the  Daily  Post,  in  1866,  by  Sen- 
ator Chandler  and  other  Republican  leaders  who  were  dissatisfied  with 
the  political  tone  of  the  Tribune  and  Advertiser,  but  slightly  affected 
the  success  of  rhe  latter,  but  the  rivalry  in  course  of  time  brought 
about  internal  differences  in  the  management  of  the  older  paper,  and 
Mr.  Scripps,  in  February,  1873,  severed  his  connection,  sold  a  part  of 
his  stock  and  prepared  for  the  establishment  of  a  newspaper  on  a  new 
line,  without  partners  to  interfere  with  the  management  and  without 
party  ties  to  embarrass  its  political  conduct.  On  August  23  of  that 
year  the  first  issue  of  the  Evening  News  was  emitted  from  the  presses 
of  the  Free  Press  on  the  corner  of  Woodbridge  and  Griswold  streets. 
Such  thorough  prepartation  had  been  made  that  over  10,000  copies 
were  printed  for  actual  subscribers,  but  the  limited  press  facilities  at 
command,  although  the  best  in  Detroit  at  the  time,  required  the  whole 
afternoon  to  print  the  edition  and  scarcely  more  than  half  the  sub- 
scribers got  their  paper.  From  sheer  mechanical  inability  to  supply 
the  demand  the  circulation  fell  off  during  the  first  few  months  to  less 
than  half  the  original  number,  while  the  most  energetic  preparations 
were  being  made  to  install  more  modern  machinery  in  a  building  which 

867 


was  bought  on  Shelby  street,  opposite  the  office  of  the  Daily  Post. 
With  installation  of  the  new  plant  by  the  following  spring,  the  circu- 
lation quickly  advanced  again  to  the  original  figure,  which  at  the  time 
was  quite  double  the  total  circulation  of  all  the  other  daily  papers  of 
Detroit.  Within  six  months  of  the  issue  of  the  first  number  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Evening  News  was  on  a  paying  basis  and  in  one  year  it  was 
the  leading  daily  paper  of  Detroit  in  profit  and  influence  as  well  as  in 
circulation.  In  1880  its  bona  fide  daily  paid  circulation  of  30,000,  was, 
according  to  the  Federal  census  of  the  year,  a  full  half  of  the  total  daily 
circulation  of  all  the  daily  papers  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  a  position 
of  supremacy  in  its  own  province  never  before  or  since  relatively 
equaled  by  any  of  the  great  papers  on  the  planet. 

From  the  day  Mr.  Scripps  severed  his  connection  with  the  Adver- 
tiser and  Tribune  the  business  of  that  concern  began  to  languish  and 
before  long  was  in  as  bad  a  condition  as  that  of  itsriva\  the  Post.  The 
two  were  ultimately  consolidated,  passed  through  various  ownerships, 
each  more  disastrous  than  its  predecessors,  until  finally  in  1891  the 
whole  property  was  sold  to  the  Evening  News  Association,  and  has 
since  then  been  conducted  in  business  and  political  harmony  with  the 
Evening  News  with  satisfactory  success. 

The  extraordinary  success  of  the  Evening  News  encouraged  similar 
enterprise  elsewhere.  In  1878  a  paper  called  the  Press  was  established 
on  the  same  model  in  Cleveland;  1880  saw  another  started  in  St.  Louis 
called  the  Chronicle;  1881  witnessed  the  purchase  and  reorganization 
of  the  Post  in  Cincinnati,  which  had  been  struggling  in  incompetent 
hands,  and  in  later  years  the  Scripps  family  of  daily  papers  received 
additions  in  Covington  and  Chicago.  All  these  were  manned  in  chief 
by  persons  trained  on  the  staff  of  the  Detroit  Evening  News  under  Mr. 
Mr.  Scripps's  direction,  and  are  now  all  flourishing  and  influential 
journals  in  their  respective  fields,  with  a  combined  circulation  that  runs 
into  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  readers  who  number  at  least  two 
millions. 

In  politics  Mr.  Scripps  was  an  original  Republican,  having  cast  his 
first  vote  for  Fremont  in  1856,  and  adhered  loyally  to  that  party  until 
he  was  compelled  to  part  from  it  on  the  question  of  the  coinage  in  189G. 
He  has,  however,  never  permitted  his  personal  party  allegiance  to 
sway  the  political  conduct  of  the  many  daily  journals  he  has  owned 
and  controlled  since  he  severed  his  connection  with  party  journalism  in 
1873.      He  has  regarded  each  as  a  separate  and  distinct  legitimate  busi- 

868 


ness  enterprise  to  be  conducted  and  controlled  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  its  own  environment,  and  to  be  bound  by  no  allegiance  ex- 
cept that  it  owed  the  best  interests  of  the  community  it  served,  the 
general  public  interested  as  indicated  by  the  broadest  patriotism  and 
the  most  fearless  truth -telling.  It  is  to  these  principles,  adhered  to 
through  good  and  evil  report  that  his  newspapers  owe  the  great  public 
confidence  they  "enjoy,  and  to  that  confidence,  combined  with  the  most 
careful  business  management,  that  he  owes  his  extraordinary  success. 

Failing  health,  in  1886,  which  happily  has  since  been  entirely  re- 
covered by  rest  and  recreation,  compelled  Mr.  Scripps  to  retire  from 
active  work.  He  had  made  two  trips  to  Europe,  respectively  in  18G4 
and  1881,  and  has  combined  his  observations  in  an  interesting  volume 
entitled  "  Five  Months  Abroad."  He  now  crossed  the  ocean  again  to 
renew  the  impressions  and  studies  of  those  earlier  voyages  and  re- 
mained on  the  other  side,  visiting  all  points  of  interest  on  the  Continent 
and  in  the  British  Islands,  during  1887,  1888  and  1889.  During  this 
period  and  since  his  return,  however,  he  never  entirely  relaxed  his  lite- 
rary activity.  Besides  preparing  and  publishing  a  volume  of  family 
records,  called  '*  Scripps  Memorials,"  he  has  been  a  constant  voluntary, 
almost  weekly,  contributor  to  the  Evening  News  or  Tribune,  and  has 
also  written  and  published  several  pamphlets,  mostly  on  economic  sub- 
jects. 

But  his  activities  have  not  been  confined  to  journalism,  the  arduous 
business  management  of  it,  and  to  literary  labor  aside  from  it.  Con- 
ceiving the  project  of  an  art  museum  for  this  city  in  1883,  he  was  the 
first  substantial  contributor  of  cash  to  its  foundation,  became  one  of  the 
original  forty  incorporators,  served  actively  on  the  board  of  trustees  for 
twelve  years,  and  occupied  the  office  of  president  of  the  institution  for 
two  years.  Besides  his  cash  contributions  he  collected  and  donated  to 
the  museum  about  seventy  pictures,  examples  of  the  old  masters,  w^hich 
formed  the  nucleus  for  the  fine  collection  which  is  now  one  of  the 
noblest  educational  influences  in  Detroit.  He  has  been  an  indefatiga- 
ble collector  of  paintings  of  a  high  order,  of  rare  prints  and  books,  and 
especially  of  works  and  plates  illustrative  of  architecture,  of  the  Gothic 
school  of  which  he  is  passionately  fond  and  with  which  he  has  acquired 
a  considerable  expert  familiarity.  It  was  this  fondness  for  the  Gothic 
which  impelled  him  when  he  had  resolved  to  build  a  church  for  the 
congregation  with  whom  he  worshiped,  that  of  Trinity  Episcopal 
parish,  to  devote  nearly  three  years,  1890-1893,  to  a  personal  supervi- 

869 


sion  of  the  construction.  The  result,  at  a  personal  cost  to  himself  of 
about  $70,000,  is,  although  somewhat  of  a  miniature,  one  of  the  purest 
examples  of  Gothic  st3'les  in  the  United  States.  He  also  served  for 
some  years  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Dime  Savings  Bank,  which 
was  one  of  his  few  business  investments  outside  of  the  newspaper  busi- 
ness and  real  estate,  and  he  was  also  for  three  years  a  park  commis- 
sioner of  this  cit}\  These  activities  filled  a  large  portion  of  the  period 
after  his  retirement.  An  ordinary  man  would  hardly  call  it  a  period 
of  rest. 

Nurtured  in  the  Church  of  England  as  a  child  he  found  himself  asso- 
ciated with  his  family  in  the  Presbyterian  communion  in  Illinois,  where 
no  Episcopal  society  existed,  but  drifted  naturally  back  to  the  faith  of 
his  childhood  in  later  years,  when  Bishop  Cheney  of  Chicago  founded 
the  Reform  Episcopal  Church.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
Trinity  church  near  his  house,  later  built  the  present  Gothic  church 
for  the  congregation  and  followed  the  congregation  when  it  subsequently 
transferred  its  allegiance  to  the  regular  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Scripps's  domectic  life  has  been  a  singularly  happy  one.  Mar- 
ried in  1862  to  Miss  Harriet  J.  Messinger  of  Detroit,  the  union  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  four  survive.  Restored  to 
health  and  vigor,  but  having  little  taste  for  the  amusements  which  oc- 
cupy and  interest  most  men,  he  n'ow  spends  his  well-earned  leisure  in 
the  domestic  circle,  in  the  delights  of  his  well  chosen  and  expensive 
library,  or  in  adding  to  his  splendid  collection  of  pictures,  rare  old  books 
and  prints,  while  still  manifesting  his  interest  in  the  grasp  of  current 
events  by  an  occasional  article  or  pamphlet  on  leading  topics  of  public 
concern.     Such  a  life  needs  no  commentary.      It  supplies  its  own. 


JOHN  S.   NEWBERRY. 

Hon.  John  S.  Newberry  (deceased),  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida 
county,  N.  Y.,  November  18,  1826.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Elihu 
and  Rhoda  (Phelps)  Newberry.  The  American  branch  of  the  family 
was  founded  by  Thomas  Newberry,  who  emigrated  from  England  and 
.settled  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  in  1625.  Mr.  Newberry  removed  to  Mich- 
igan when  he  was  five  years  old  and  after  a  short  stay  in  Detroit  the 
family  settled  in  Romeo,  where  he  participated  in  such  educational  ad- 
vantages as  were  to  be  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  that  day.    Later 

870 


he  attended  a  private  school  in  Detroit  and  in  1841  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  graduating  as  valedictorian  of  his  class  in  1845.  In 
the  mean  time  he  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  civil  engineering  and 
surveying,  and  subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Michigan  Central  Railway  in  the  construction  department,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  The  following  year  he  spent  in  traveling 
through  the  western  Territories,  and  on  his  return  to  Detroit  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  Van  Dyke  &  Emmons,  where  he  studied  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1853;  subsequently  he  formed  the  firm  of  Towle, 
Hunt  &  Newberry;  and  later  withdrawing,  associated  himself  with 
Ashley  Pond,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pond  &  Newberry;  this  firm  took 
in  Henry  B.  Brown  (now  judge  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court), 
and  upon  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Pond  continued  the  business  under  the 
name  of  Newberry  &  Brown. 

In  1863  Mr.  Newberry  abandoned  the  practice  of  law.  In  1864  the 
Michigan  Car  Company  was  organized,  Mr.  Newberry  becoming  the 
largest  stockholder  and  its  president.  From  this  industry  have  sprung 
some  of  Detroit's  most  important  industries,  notably  the  Baugh  Steam 
Forge  Co. ;  Detroit  Car  Wheel  Co.  ;  Detroit  Steel  and  Spring  Co.  ;  Ful- 
ton Iron  and  Engine  Works  and  many  kindred  establishments,  in  which 
Mr.  Newberry  was  a  large  stockholder  and  held  official  positions.  The 
several  industries  transacted  an  average  volume  of  business  ranging 
from  three  to  five  millions  of  dollars  annually  and  giving  employment 
to  nearly  three  thousand  hands. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  on  January  2,  1887,  he  was  a  director  in  the 
Detroit,  Mackinac  &  Marquette  Railway;  Detroit  &  Cleveland  Steam 
Navigation  Co.  ;  Vulcan  Furnace  Co.  of  Newberry,  Mich.  ;  Detroit  Na- 
tional Bank ;  Detroit,  Bay  City  and  Alpena  Railway ;  D.  M.  Ferry  & 
Co.  ;  Detroit  Railway  Elevator  Co.  and  many  other  prominent  corpora- 
tions of  Detroit  and  Michigan.  On  reaching  his  majority  Mr.  New- 
berry joined  the  Whig  party,  with  which  he  was  associated  until  the 
birth  of  the  Republican  party  when  he  changed  to  that  candidate  for 
public  favor.  He  was  appointed  provost  marshal  by  President  Lincoln, 
serving  in  1862  and  1863  with  the  rank  of  captain.  In  1879  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  First  district  of  Michigan  and  served  one 
term,  during  which  time  he  rendered  good  service  to  the  commercial 
interests  of  the  country  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  commerce. 
Realizing  that  his  personal  interests  were  suffering,  he  refused  a  second 
nomination  and  devoted  his  energies  to  his  various  business  enterprises. 

871 


During  the  last  of  his  life,  in  connection  with  his  business  associate, 
James  McMillan,  he  founded  Grace  Hospital,  to  the  establishment  of 
which  he  contributed  $100,000. 

In  1855  he  married  Harriet  N.  Robinson  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  who  died 
in  185G,  leaving  one  son,  Harrie  R.  In  1859  Mr.  Newberry  married 
Helen  P.  Handy  of  Cleveland,  O.,  and  they  had  three  children:  Tru- 
man H.,  John  S.  and  Helen  H. 


872 


GEORGH   B.    CATLIN. 


PART  II. 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES 


PERSONAL   REFERENCES. 


Abel,  Frederick,  son  of  Philip  J.  and  Susannah  (Ulmann)  Abel,  was  born  in  Lan- 
dau, Bavaria,  Germany,  December  22,  1824.  His  father,  Philip  J.  Abel,  was  a 
music  teacher  of  note  and  the  director  of  the  Liederkranz  Society  of  Landau. 
Frederick  began  the  study  of  music  at  an  early  age,  receiving  his  instruction  from 
his  father,  remaining  under  his  charge  until  the  age  of  nineteen.  In  1843  he  re- 
moved to  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  where  he  received  further  instruction  under 
various  masters,  among  whom  was  Professor  Guhr.  He  returned  in  1846  to  his 
childhood's  home  where  he  remained  until  1849.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolu- 
tion of  that  year  he  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  music.  In  1850  he  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  Cleveland 
GesangVerein,  and  of  which  he  was  made  director.  In  1860  he  removed  to  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.,  accepting  the  directorship  of  the  Milwaukee  Music- Verein,  and  was  also 
engaged  as  organist  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, accepting  a  position  as  organist  at  the  North  Side  Synagogue,  and  also  had 
charge  of  the  music  of  the  Unity  church,  of  which  the  Rev.  Robert  Collier  was  the 
pastor.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  the  great  fire  destroyed  the  city,  and  Mr.  Abel  re- 
turned to  Milwaukee,  where  he  remained  only  a  short  time,  when,  at  the  urgent 
request  of  the  late  Charles  Wetmore,  he  came  to  Detroit,  and  in  February  of  1872 
organized  the  Detroit  Musical  Society,  with  which  he  was  connected  in  the  capacity 
of  director  until  1882.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  director  of  the  Harmonic  Society 
of  Detroit,  and  was  retained  in  that  position  for  thirteen  years.  In  1887  he  took 
charge  of  the  Concordia  Society,  and  is  at  present  its  director.  Mr.  Abel  was  mar- 
ried in  1850  to  Miss  Nancy  D.  Clary  of  Monroeville,  Ohio.  They  have  a  family  of 
two  children  living;  a  daughter,  Mary,  wife  of  R  L.  Brown  of  Chicago,  and  Fred- 
erick L.  Abel,  at  present  connected  with  the  Detroit  Conservatorj'  of  IMusic  in  the 
capacity  of  teacher  of  piano,  'cello  and  singing. 

Aikman,  William,  jr.,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  William  and  Anna  M.  (Burns)  Aikman, 
was  born  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  September  3,  1850,  of  Scotch  and  French  Huguenot  an- 
cestry. He  went  to  school  at  Wilmington,  Del.,  and  in  1869  entered  the  New  York 
University,  graduating  from  the  literary  department  of  that  institution  with  second 
honors  in  June,  1872.  He  came  to  Detroit  during  the  fall  of  1872  and  studied  law  in 
the  offices  of  Henry  M.  Cheever  and  Sylvester  Larned,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in 


1874.  Shortly  after  this  he  became  a  partner  of  Willis  E.  Walker,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Aikman  &  Walker,  which  was  dissolved  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Walker,  and 
since  then  Mr.  Aikman  has  practiced  alone.  The  greater  part  of  his  work  consists 
in  the  management  of  estates  and  as  commercial  counsel.  Mr.  Aikman  is  active  in 
musical,  art,  and  literary  circles,  and  was  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Philharmonic 
Club,  and  for  years  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Aikman  still 
remains  a  bachelor. 

Alexander,  Charles  T.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Martha  (Arnold)  Alexander,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  5,  1866.  On  the  paternal  side  of  the  family  Mr. 
Alexander  is  descended  from  the  Alexanders  of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland;  his 
grandfather,  Archibald  Alexander,  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  America  early  in  the 
present  century  and  after  a  short  stop  at  New  York  finally  settled,  in  1833,  at  Grosse 
He,  Mich.,  establi.shing  there  the  present  homestead.  Although  dwelling  in  a  log 
house  and  surrounded  principally  by  native  redskins,  he  entertained  roya'ly  and  was 
a  beloved  character  in  that  vicinity  for  many  years;  he  died  at  Grosse  He  in  1875,  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years.  Mr.  Alexander's  mother,  Martha  (Arnold)  Alexander,  is  of 
Welsh  extraction  and  highly  connected.  Charles  T.  was  graduated  from  the  Detroit 
High  School  in  1886  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  entered  the  literary  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  as  Bachelor  of 
Letters  in  the  spring  of  1890.  He  afterward  spent  one  year  in  the  law  department 
of  the  University  and  completed  his  studies  in  the  law  office  of  Miller,  Bissell  &  Sib- 
ley at  Detroit,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  summer  of  1892,  after  a  rigid  exam, 
ination  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan.  In  August,  1894,  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United  States.  Since  1892  Mr.  Alexander  has 
been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession  at  Detroit,  and  has  met  with  marked 
success,  especially  in  his  specialty  of  corporation  law.  He  is  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Bar  Association,  Detroit  Athletic,  Fellowcraft  and  Comedy  Clubs,  and  Michi- 
gan Naval  Reserves.     He  is  still  a  bachelor. 

Anderson,  Robert  Henry,  son  of  Wells  and  Dorothy  (Beckwith)  Anderson,  was  born 
in  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  February  22,  1827.  Mr.  Anderson  is  descended  on  the  maternal 
side  from  Matthew  Beckwith,  who,  with  John  Wiathrop  and  others,  founded  the 
Saybrooke  colony  in  1635.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  Dr.  Robert 
Anderson,  who  served  as  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army.  Dr.  Anderson  emigrated 
to  America  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  settling  at  East  Haddam,  Conn.  Rob- 
ert, the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Palmyra  and 
Canandaigua,  and  on  the  completion  of  his  studies  entered  the  employ  of  his  father, 
who  owned  a  shoe  store  at  Palmyra.  In  1848  Mr.  Anderson  visited  California,  making 
the  trip  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  and  for  a  time  was  employed  as  bookkeeper  by  Judge 
Brown,  of  Sacremento,  at  that  time  in  the  commission  business.  Later  he  purchased 
the  business  and  conducted  it  with  success.  In  1855  he  returned  to  the  East,  and  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  settled  permanently  in  Detroit.  His  first  employment  in  Detroit  was 
as  bookkeeper  for  the  John  Chester  estate,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years.  In  1857 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Jacob  Hendrickson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Anderson  & 
Hendrickson,  and  engaged  in  the  commission  business,  dealing  in  flour  and  grain. 
In  1859  Mr.  Hendrickson  retired  from  the  firm,  and  Mr.  Anderson  took  in  D.  H. 
Denton,  forming  the  firm  of  Anderson  &  Denton.     This  firm  was  among  the  charter 


members  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Trade.  Mr.  Denton  retired  in  1866,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  continued  by  Mr.  Anderson  until  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland, 
in  1893,  to  be  superintendent  of  the  registry  department  of  the  Detroit  post-office,  a 
position  he  retained  until  his  death  on  January  26,  1898.  Mr.  Anderson  was  for  a 
long  time  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard,  joining  in  1860.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Detroit  Baseball  Club,  and  its  president  for  nine  years.  He  was 
married  February  28,  1856,  to  Miss  Maria  North,  of  Palmyra,  N.  Y.  His  widow  and 
two  children— Wells  N.  Anderson  and  Julia  Denton  Anderson — survive  him. 

Andrews,  Frank  C,  son  of  Pliny  P.  and  Lizzie  (Dennis)  Andrews,  was  born  in 
Shelby  township.  Macomb  county,  Mich.,  March  20,  1871,  on  the  homestead  farm 
where  his  parents  still  reside.  Until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  worked 
on  the  farm,  attending  school  during  the  winter  months.  In  October,  1889,  he  took 
charge  of  a  grain  and  produce  elevator  at  Washington,  Mich.,  and  remained  in  that 
position  until  June  1,  1890,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit.  Shortlv  after  his  arrival  in 
that  city  he  became  bookkeeper,  clerk  and  general  salesmen  for  Homer  Warren, 
real  estate  dealer,  and  served  in  that  .capacity  until  October  1,  1892,  when  the  present 
firm  of  Homer  Warren  &  Co.,  real  estate  and  loans,  were  organized,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  member.  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  director  of  the  Romeo  (Mich.)  Savings  Bank;  a 
member  of  the  Bankers'  Club  of  Detroit;  Detroit  Athletic  Club,  and  a  Knight  Temp- 
lar. On  October  3,  1891,  he  married  Edith  J.,  daughter  of  John  J.  Baker,  a  thrifty 
farmer  of  Washington  county,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  child.  Homer  Warren  An- 
drews, born  March  20,  1893. 

Andrus,  Frank  D.,  was  born  in  Washington,  Macomb  county,  Mich.,  August  21, 
1850,  a  son  of  Loren  Andrus,  a  retired  farmer,  now  a  resident  of  Detroit.  In  the 
latter  city  Frank  D.  attended  the  public  schools,  and  later  entered  Ann  Arbor  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1872.  In  1875  he  had  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  university  the  degree  of  M.  A.,  and  in  1879  was  graduated  from 
there  in  law.  Following  his  graduation  in  law  he  practiced  the  profession  for  several 
years  alone,  and  in  1882  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  B.  Corliss;  in  1886  they  asso- 
ciated with  them  Thomas  T.  Leeter,  jr.  Mr.  Andrus  is  a  member  of  both  State  and 
local  bar  associations;  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  has  been  for  six  years  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Estimates  of  Detroit,  being  its  president  m  1894-95.  In  1880  he  mar- 
ried Julia  J.  Goodson,  of  Saginaw  City,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Helen  G. 

Andrus,  Ward  L..  son  or  Loren  and  Lucina  (Davis)  Andrus,  was  born  at  Wash- 
ington, Mich.,  on  July  13,  1852.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Bryant  <fc  Stratton  Business  College 
(at  Detroit),  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1870.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of 
D.  D.  Mallory  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers  and  importers,  as  bookkeeper,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  1880,  when  he  was  made  chief  clerk.  In  that  position  he  re- 
mained vmtil  1885,  when,  in  company  with  Mr.  G.  W.  Lee,  he  bought  out  the  interest 
D.  D.  Mallory  &  Co.,  and  carried  on  the  business  successfully  until  1890,  retaining 
the  original  firm  name.  In  1890  he  sold  out  his  interest  and  established  his  present 
business,  as  Ward  L.  Andrus  &  Co.,  importers  and  jobbers  of  foreign  and  domestic 
fruits,  canned  goods  and  fancy  groceries.  He  has  built  up  a  large  and  paying  busi- 
ness through  the  State,  and  ranks  among  the  first  in  his  line  in  the  city  of  Detroit. 


Mr.  Andrus  is  a  director  of  and  stockholder  in  the  City  Savings  Bank,  and  is  other- 
wise identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  The  "silent"  partner  of  the 
firm  of  Ward  L.  Andrus  &  Co.  is  Mr.  Samuel  C.  Tewksbury.  In  1879  Mr.  Andrus 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Ella  McWhorter  (nee  Swartz),  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Armstrong,  Thomas,  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  June  2,  1805,  son  of  Launcelot 
Armstrong,  planter,  of  Duxley  Hall,  Jamaica,  who  died  in  1810,  and  Ann  Chamber- 
lain, who  died  in  Detroit  in  1883.  Accordimg  to  the  official  record  in  Dublin  Castle, 
he  was  the  only  remaining  Irish  born  representative  of  the  family  known  as  the 
Armstrongs  of  Longfield  and  Carrickmakeegan,  County  Leitrim,  for  many  genera- 
tions prominent  in  civil  and  military  life.  The  family  was  founded  by  William 
Armstrong  of  Gilnockie,  Scotland,  an  officer  in  the  army  of  Charles  I,  who  settled  in 
Ireland  about  1620,  who  was  great-grandson  of  John  Armstrong,  Laird  of  Gilnockie, 
who  died  in  1530,  a  noted  border  chief  whose  name  is  mentioned  in  many  old  Scot- 
tish ballads  and  whose  stronghold  is  still  standing  near  Langholm.  His  earliest 
recollections  of  a  historical  nature,  were  of  the  time  of  Napoleon  and  Wellington. 
The  celebrations  in  Dublin  over  the  fall  of  Napoleon  at  Waterloo  made  a  vivid  im- 
pression on  his  mind.  He  was  present  at  the  opening  of  the  first  passenger  railway 
in  the  world,  between  Liverpool  and  Manchester,  in  1829.  Traveling  by  stage  coach 
through  England,  he  spent  some  time  in  London  at  this  period.  In  1832,  with  his 
mother,  he  came  to  America,  remaining  in  New  York  city  for  five  years.  He  re- 
turned to  Ireland  in  1834,  coming  back  the  same  year.  His  first  investment  in 
America  was  in  Maine  in  1835,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  land.  He  found  on  in- 
vestigation that  while  this  was  probably  good  land,  it  was  a  poor  investment,  as  it 
was  located  at  the  bottom  of  a  beautiful  lake.  In  1837  he  resolved  to  move  to  Michi- 
gan, coming  by  the  most  available  route,  the  Erie  Canal.  At  Buflialo  he  embarked 
on  the  steamer  North  America.  Three  days  from  Buffalo  they  reached  Maiden,  now 
Amherstburg,  where  they  stopped  for  the  night,  the  navigation  of  the  river  being 
considered  too  difficult  to  be  attempted  in  the  darkness.  Finally  landing  at  the  foot 
of  Randolph  street  in  Detroit,  they  were  appalled  to  find  that  they  would  be  com- 
pelled to  wade  knee  deep  in  mud  to  reach  the  firm  ground  up  the  bank  of  the  river. 
Thoroughly  discouraged  by  the  forbidding  aspect  of  the  village,  they  had  nearly  re- 
solved to  return  on  the  steamer  and  go  back  to  New  York,  but  finally  decided  to  remain 
and  see  more  of  the  country.  He  made  some  investments  in  real  estate  and  engaged 
in  mercantile  business,  keeping  a  general  store  for  several  years.  He  retired  from 
business  in  1858.  He  was  very  modest  and  unassuming,  mingling  but  little  in  the 
activities  of  society  and  politics,  having  a  very  strong  religious  nature  of  the  Puritan 
type.  A  member  of  the  Church  of  Ireland  in  his  youth,  he  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  in  early  manhood.  He  was  of  a  very  charitable  disposition,  be- 
lieving that  charity  should  be  given  in  the  scriptural  sense,  without  the  knowledge 
of  others;  extending  relief  to  many  needy  families  for  long  periods  of  time.  He  was 
married  in  1845  to  Miss  Catherine  Hopson,  who  died  in  1855.  He  was  married  again 
in  1863  to  Miss  Rebecca  Gourley.  He  had  eight  children,  of  whom  seven  are  living: 
William,  Albert  and  Herbert,  who  are  bachelors;  Henry,  who  married  Miss  Sarah 
Aikman,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Aikman,  D.  D.  ;  Edwin,  who  married  Miss 
Louise  M.  Cutcheon,  daughter  of  Hon.  S.  M.  Cutcheon ;  James  Gourley,  who  mar- 
ried Miss  Pauline  Meddaugh,  daughter  of  Hon.  E.  W.  Meddaugh;  and  Miss  Mary 
Armstrong. 

6 


Atkinson,  James  J.,  Ph.D.,  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Atkinson,  was  born  at 
Warwick,  Ontario,  Canada,  February  6,  1848  At  the  age  of  six  years  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  public  school  until  1864, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  army  as  a  private  in  the  3d  Mich.  Infantry  and  was  at  once 
sent  with  his  regiment  to  the  front.  He  saw  his  first  active  service  during  General 
Hood's  advance  through  Tennessee,  which  culminated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville. 
During  1865  and  1866  he  was  with  Sheridan  and  Custer  in  Texas,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  in  May,  1866,  as  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant  of  his  regiment,  hav. 
ing  held  four  commissions:  as  sergeant,  second  lieutenant,  first  lieutenant  and  ad- 
jutant, before  reaching  the  age  of  nineteen.  Mr.  Atkinson  later  served  for  two  years 
as  captain  of  Co.  B,  4th  Infantry,  Mich.  National  Guard,  and  later  held  the  rank  of 
major  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Begole  of  Michigan.  Following  his  discharge  from 
the  army  in  1866,  he  returned  to  Port  Huron  and  again  attended  the  public  schools, 
being  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1869,  the  first  pupil  ever  graduated  from 
that  institution.  In  the  autumn  of  1869  he  went  abroad  and  in  1871  was  graduated 
A.  B.  from  the  University  of  Huy,  Belgium.  He  then  entered  the  University  of 
Innsbrueck  at  Tyrol,  Austria,  receiving  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  from  that  institution  in 
1872.  During  the  winter  of  1872-73  he  was  a  student  in  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Leipsic,  Germany,  and  in  the  spring  of  1873  he  returned  to  America, 
locating  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  completed  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Atkin- 
son &  Hawley,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Atkinson  has 
been  an  active  and  successful  practitioner  of  his  profession  at  Detroit,  making  a 
specialty  of  admiralty  cases  and  real  estate  law. 

Atwater,  Almon  B.,  son  of  John  T.  and  Matilda  E.  (Hill)  Atwater,  was  born  in 
Sheffield,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  November  19,  1845.  He  is  of  English  ancestry, 
being  descended  from  Samuel  Atwater,  who  came  to  America  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century  and  who  settled  at  New  Haven,  Conn.  Mr.  Atwater  was  educated  in  the 
academy  at  Kingsville,  Ohio,  and  at  the  Austinburg  Institute  in  Ashtabula  county. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Cleveland  &  Erie  Railway  as 
telegrajDh  operator  and  was  later  appointed  station  agent  at  Stoneboro,  Pa.,  where 
he  remained  until  1867.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  transferred  to  the  engineer 
department  of  the  same  road  and  later  became  connected  with  the  Erie  &  Pittsburg 
Railway.  At  the  commencement  of  the  survey  for  the  Canada  Southern  road  Mr. 
Atwater  was  appointed  assistant  engineer  of  the  work,  remaining  until  its  comple- 
tion in  1872,  when  he  was  given  a  similar  position  with  the  Port  Dover  &  Lake  Huron 
Railway ;  later  he  was  appointed  chief  engineer  of  ,the  Georgian  Bay  &  Lake  Erie 
Railway,  and  in  1880  was  appointed  to  the  general  superintendency  of  that  system. 
Mr.  Atwater  served  in  this  capacity  until  1882,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk  Railway  as  chief  engineer,  with  headquarters  at  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  retaining  that  position  until  July,  1885,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Grand  Trunk  lines  west  of  the  Detroit 
and  St.  Clair  Rivers.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  &  Milwaukee 
Railway;  Cincinnati,  Saginaw  &  Mackinaw  Railway;  Toledo,  Saginaw  &  Mackinaw 
Railway;  and  Forest  Lawn  Cemetery.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit.  July  3,  1873,  he  married  Jane  Thompson  of 
Fort  Erie,  Ontario,  Can, 


Babcock,  Samuel  S.,  son  of  Abelino  and  Emeline  (Short)  Babcock,  was  born  in 
Genesee  county,  Mich.,  February  5,  1842.  He  attended  the  district  schools  until 
twelve  years  of  age,  then  one  term  in  the  Flint,  Genesee  county.  Academy,  and  one 
term  in  Cooperstown  (N.  Y.)  Academy.  He  had  just  completed  the  preparatory 
course  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  when  the  Civil  war  commenced.  He  enlisted  in  May,  1861, 
and  served  until  June,  1863,  in  the  3d  Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inft.  Upon  being  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  he  entered  the  Michigan  State  Normal  School,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1865.  During  the  following  seven  years  he  taught  in  the  Mich- 
igan public  schools,  and  in  1872  was  called  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  Kansas 
State  Normal  School.  He  remained  in  that  position  for  one  year  and  then  resumed 
his  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  Michigan,  at  which  he  continued  for  three  years 
more.  During  that  period  he  devoted  all  of  his  leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  law, 
and  in  1876,  after  a  satisfactory  examination,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  since 
practiced  continuously  in  Detroit.  In  1886  Mr.  Babcock  was  elected  as  a  member 
of  the  State  Board  of  Education,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  six  years  de. 
clined  renomination,  although  great  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  to  retain  him  as  a 
member  of  that  body.  For  two  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Geological 
Survey  of  Michigan,  in  which  position  he  rendered  his  State  excellent  service.  He 
has  been  a  member  and  director  of  the  Michigan  Club  since  its  organization  in  1884, 
was  its  vice-president  during  1895  and  president  during  the  following  year.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Historical  Association,  and  of  the  Michigan  State  Bar 
Association,  and  is  at  present  managing  a  number  of  large  estates.  Mr.  Babcock 
has  been  and  is  a  deep  student,  and  long  before  concluding  to  make  the  law  his  life 
profession  he  had  read  and  become  familiar  with  Blackstone  and  other  distinguished 
authorities.  He  has  built  up  for  himself  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  enjoys 
the  unqualified  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the  public. 

Babst,  Earl  D.,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Crestline,  July 
8,  1870.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town; 
he  fitted  himself  for  college  in  the  Kenyon  Military  Academy  at  Gambler,  Ohio,  and 
after  two  years  in  Kenyon  College  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B. 
He  then  completed  the  law  course  in  the  same  institution,  being  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1894;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year  and  has  since 
practiced  continuously  at  Detroit  with  marked  success.  While  in  college  Mr.  Babst 
took  an  active  interest  in  all  literary  and  political  work.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  National  Republican  College  League;  editor  of  the  Western  Department 
of  the  University  Magazine  of  New  York,  and  a  member  of  the  Republican  executive 
committee  during  his  entire  college  course.  He  is  at  present  secretary  of  the  Michi- 
gan Council  of  the  National  Business  League ;  permanent  secretary  and  historian  of 
the  class  of  1893,  University  of  Michigan ;  secretary  of  the  University  of  Michigan 
Association  of  Detroit,  and  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Michigan  Club,  Detroit  Boat  Club,  the  Country  Club,  and  Michigan  Naval 
Reserve.  Mr.  Babst  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  presidential  campaign  of  1896  as 
secretary  of  the  Michigan  branch  of  the  American  Honest  Money  League,  250  clubs 
being  organized  throughout  Michigan,  and  the  most  effective  business  men's  cam- 
paign in  the  history  of  the  State  being  conducted  from  headquarters  in  Detroit. 


Bacon,  Eldridge  F.,  son  of  Henry  and  Caroline  (Farrand)  Bacon,  was  born  in  the 
township  of  Superior,  Washtenaw  county,  Mich  ,  May  3,  1850.  He  attended  the 
model  school,  then  a  part  of  the  State  Normal  at  Ypsilanti,  three  miles  distant  from 
his  home,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Normal  School  in  the  class  of  1872.  Soon 
after  his  graduation  he  became  prmcipal  of  the  Petersburg  school,  but  remained  only 
until  the  following  year.  During  the  ensuing  year  he  was  engaged  in  civil  engi- 
neering in  Wisconsin,  and  in  1874  returned  to  Michigan  and  began  reading  law  with 
Richard  Winsor  at  Port  Austin.  He  was  elected  county  surveyor  of  Huron  county 
in  1874,  and  re-elected  in  1876,  but  still  continued  with  added  zeal  the  study  of  law. 
In  1876  he  was  admitted  to  the  Huron  county  bar  and  began  practice  at  Port  Austin, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  George  S.  Engle,  which  existed  for  one  year. 
During  the  year  1878  he  engaged  with  Colonel  Atkinson  of  Detroit,  and  in  1879  re- 
moved to  Sand  Beach  where  he  practiced  for  ten  years;  he  then  located  in  Detroit 
and  has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of  that  city.  He  has  built  up  a  lucrative  practice 
and  is  looked  upon  to-day  in  Detroit  as  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  tax  titles.  Mr. 
Bacon  is  a  member  of  the  West  Side  Social  Club ;  Michigan  Club ;  Grande  Pointe  Club, 
and  has  been  an  active  K.  T.  for  twelve  years.  He  has  been  an  ardent  Republican 
all  his  life,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office.  In  1881  he  married  Clarena  W. 
Bailey  of  St.  Clair,  Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children. 

Bailey,  William  M.,  M.  D.,  son  of  the  late  Benjamin  F.  and  Marcia  M.  (Hunting- 
ton) Bailey,  was  born  in  Eaton  Rapids,  Mich.,  May  28,  1845.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Eaton  Rapids,  and  in  the  literary  department  of  the  Albion 
(Mich.)  Methodist  College.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1863  with  his  brother. 
Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Bailey,  then  a  practicing  physician  at  Lansing,  Mich.,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  1868.  During  the  winters  of  1866-67-68,  he  was  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  from  which  institution  he 
took  his  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1868.  Following  his  graduation  Dr.  Bailey  practiced  for 
two  years  at  Mason,  Mich.,  going  to  California  in  1870  on  account  of  ill  health,  where 
for  three  years  he  practiced  in  northern  California  and  western  Nevada,  returning 
to  Michigan  in  1873.  During  the  ensuing  four  years  he  was  a  practitioner  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Lansing,  and  in  1877  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced  with- 
out interruption  and  with  marked  success.  Although  a  general  practitioner  Dr. 
Bailey  makes  a  specialty  of  gynaecology.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Homeopathy,  a  member  and  ex-president  of  the  Michigan  State  Homeopathic 
Society,  and  ex-president  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  now- 
extinct.  He  is  a  member  of  the  gynaecological  staff  of  Grace  Hospital ;  is  president 
of  the  Wayne  Club;  past  high  priest  of  Peninsular  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  past 
thrice  illustrious  master  of  Monroe  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.  of  Detroit,  being  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason.  For  eleven  years  past  Dr.  Bailey  has  been  recorder  of  Moslem 
Temple  of  Detroit,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  He  was  married  in  1869  to  Lucy  Stead  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  they  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Benjamin  F.,  a 
member  of  the  literary  class  of  1898,  University  of  Michigan ;  and  Edwin  H.,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  class  of  1900,  Detroit  High  School. 

Barnes,  Edward  A.,  son  of  Orlando  M.  Barnes,  was  born  at  Ma.son,  Mich  ,  Novem- 
ber 8,  1863.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Mason  and  Lansing,  having  removed 
with  his  parents  to  the  latter  city  in  1875.     After  a  thorough  preparatory  course  in 


the  Michigan  Military  Academy  at  Orchard  Lake  he  entered  the  literary  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1883,  when  he  took  a 
two  years'  course  in  the  Harvard  Law  School.  Returning  to  Michigan  he  came  to 
Detroit  in  1885,  and  entered  the  office  of  Moore  &  Canfield,  where  he  completed  his 
preparation  for  the  practice  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  following 
year.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  a  tour  of  the  continent  of  Europe  and  one  year  in  the 
western  United  States.  In  1895  Mr.  Barnes  formed  his  first  partnership  (which  still 
exists)  with  Mr.  U.  Grant  Race,  under  the  style  of  Barnes  &  Race.  Mr.  Barnes  is  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association  and  of  several  fraternal  and  social  organiza- 
tions. As  a  lawyer  he  has  excelled  and  has  been  eminently  successful  in  his  practice. 
In  1886  he  married  Julia,  daughter  of  Judge  John  Morris,  of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  who 
was  formerly  a  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  State.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes 
have  one  son,  Richard  Morris.  Mr.  Barnes  has  always  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  while  deeply  interested  in  politics  and  active  in  campaign  times,  has  never 
held  or  been  a  candidate  for  public  office.  His  political  views  are  those  set  forth  by 
the  platform  of  the  Indianapolis  convention  of  1896. 

Barton,  James  G.,  son  of  David  H.  and  Mary  A.  (Goetchus)  Barton,  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  January  13,  1852.  He  moved  with  his  parents  to  New  York  city  in 
1862,  previous  to  which  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  for  about 
three  years.  Soon  after  removing  to  New  York  he  entered  the  public  schools,  leav- 
ing in  1867  to  accept  a  position  in  the  banking  house  of  Robinson  &  Drew,  and  re- 
mained with  that  firm  until  1876,  forging  ahead  from  messenger  to  confidential  clerk. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Robinson  caused  a  dissolution  of  the  firm,  and  the  son,  Eugene  N. 
Robinson,  established  a  private  bank,  retaining  the  services  of  Mr.  Barton.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  Mr.  Barton  resigned  and  removed  to  Reed  City,  Mich.,  where  an  ex- 
cellent opening  for  a  private  bank  was  probable,  but  on  looking  over  the  field  he  de- 
cided not  to  locate  there  and  went  on  to  Muskegon,  and  later  to  Grand  Rapids.  In 
the  fall  of  1878  he  was  engaged  by  the  Detroit  News  Company  as  cashier  and 
assistant  manager;  in  1884,  while  connected  with  that  company,  he  went  to  Wooster, 
Ohio,  and  bought  out  and  reorganized  the  Wooster  Metallic  Casket  Company  causing 
the  concern  to  be  removed  to  Detroit,  and  the  name  of  the  company  changed  to  the 
Detroit  Metallic  Casket  Company.  In  1888  Mr.  Barton  assumed  the  active  manage- 
ment of  the  firm.  May  18,  1872,  he  married  Mary  F.  Page,  of  New  York,  and  they 
have  three  boys  and  two  girls. 

Bassett,  Arthur,  son  of  Nehemiah  and  Mary  (Foster)  Bassett,  was  born  in 
Lenawee  county,  Mich.,  January  17,  1851.  His  grandfather,  Nehemiah  Bassett,  a 
son  of  Nehemiah,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Michigan,  whither  he  migrated  from 
New  York  city  in  1828.  He  cleared  and  cultivated  a  farm  in  the  wilderness  and 
built  a  log  house,  but  later  the  father  of  Arthur  moved  further  west  in  the  same 
county  to  a  fertile  spot,  where  he  erected  a  log  house  and  spent  about  fifteen  years, 
then  moved  to  Monroe  county,  Mich.,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  Nehemiah, 
father  of  Arthur,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  where  he  lived  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he  removed  to  the  wilds  of  Michigan,  and  it  was  in  the  log  house  in  Lena- 
wee county  that  Arthur  was  born.  He  attended  the  schools  and  High  School  at 
Saginaw,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1868.     In  the  same  year  he  removed  to 

10 


Detroit  and  entered  the  employ  of  Farrand,  Sheley  &  Co.,  wholesale  druggists,  where 
he  remained  until  1874.  During  the  ensuing  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  bank- 
ing house  of  E.  K.  Roberts  &  Co.  (now  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit).  In 
1876  Mr.  Bassett  established  himself  in  the  retail  drug  business,  which  he  .success- 
fully carried  on  until  1893;  in  1895  he  accepted  his  present  position  as  special  loan 
agent  for  Michigan,  with  headquarters  at  Detroit,  for  the  Northwestern  Mutual  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.  In  1883  he  married  Elizabeth  C.  Fancher, 
of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Gilbert  L.  and  Arthur  F. 

Baubie,  William  E.  (or  Baby),  son  of  William  L.  and  Eliza  C.  (Chipman)  Baubie, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Kent  county,  near  Chatham,  Ontario,  Can.,  September  11, 
1853.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Essex  county,  Ontario,  and  Detroit, 
Mich.,  he  spent  to  years  in  the  University  of  Quebec,  and  in  1870,  after  completing 
the  course  in  surveying,  was  graduated  with  honors  from  St.  Mary's  College  at 
Montreal,  Canada.  Before  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  assistant  engineer 
under  John  Scott,  C.  E.,  m  the  building  of  the  Detroit  &  Bay  City  Railroad,  and 
during  the  ensuing  five  years  was  identified  with  numerous  other  surveys  of  impor- 
tance, including  the  Sturgeon  Bay  and  Lake  Michigan  Ship  Canal;  Chicago  harbor 
survey  for  the  United  States  government;  the  Peshtigo  River  (Wisconsin)  surveys 
forPeshtigo  Improvement  Co.  of  Chicago;  and  the  laying  of  double  track  road  m 
Michigan  for  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company.  While  engaged  in  surveying 
Mr.  Baubie  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  law  and  M'as  admitted  to  the  bar 
at  Detroit  in  1875.  He  then  became  a  partner  of  his  uncle,  Hon.  J.  Logan  Chipman, 
M.  C.  (deceased),  and  continued  as  such  until  1879,  when  Judge  Chipman  ascended 
the  bench  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Detroit.  Since  1879  Mr.  Baubie  has  practiced  his 
profession  continuously  at  Detroit.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  made  a  specialty 
of  the  laws  governing  public  education,  and  during  that  entire  period  was  counsel 
for  the  Board  of  Education  of  Detroit.  He  drew  the  act  and  had  it  passed  in  the 
Legislature,  giving  the  city  of  Detroit  §750,000  for  school  buildings  in  l'=91,  the  result 
of  which  was  the  building  and  establishing  the  New  Central  High  School  and  other 
high  grade  schools;  and  also  the  bill  for  providing  free  text  books  in  the  schools  of 
Detroit.  Politically  Mr.  Baubie  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  In  1881  he  married 
Julia  P.,  daughter  of  James  Beatty  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Marie  L. 
and  Raymond  P. 

Baxter,  Charles  E.,  son  of  Daniel  C.  and  Emily  M.  (Shepherdson)  Baxter,  was  born 
in  Gorham  township,  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  March  18,  1863.  He  attended  the  West 
Unity  and  Bryan  (Ohio)  schools,  the  preparatory  department  of  Oberlin  (Ohio)  Col- 
lege and  later  took  the  classical  course  at  Williams  (Mass.)  College,  class  of  1885. 
Mr.  Baxter  began  his  business  career  as  a  newspaper  reporter  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  aft«-ward  for  seven  years  owned  an  interest  in  the  Charlotte  (Mich.)  Republi- 
can. In  1892  he  became  identified  with  the  Detroit  (Mich.)  Daily  Tribune,  as  polit- 
ical correspondent,  resigning  that  position  the  same  year  to  become  deputy  treasurer 
of  the  State  of  Michigan,  which  office  he  ably  filled  until  1894.  From  boyhood  Mr. 
Baxter  has  evinced  a  keen  interest  in  politics.  He  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  has 
held  several  positions  of  importance  under  that  party.  From  1889  to  1893  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Michigan  Republican  State  League,  also  filling  the  ofiice  of  assistant 
"secretary  of  the  State  Senate  in  1889,  and  from  1893  to  1894  he  was  assistant  secre- 

11 


tary  of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee.  In  1894  Mr.  Baxter  was  secretary 
to  Senator  John  Patton,  and  although  Mr.  Patton  was  defeated,  his  secretary  re- 
ceived due  credit  for  the  skill  he  displayed  in  handling  the  campaign.  In  1896  Mr. 
Baxter  was  made  manager  for  Michigan,  of  the  Manhattan  Insurance  Co.  of  New 
York  and  still  retains  that  position.  He  is  a  member  of  several  clubs,  and  has  en- 
joyed high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  as  well  as  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  1886 
he  married  Dora  G.  Belcher  of  Charlotte,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Marie 
A.  and  Kenneth  S. 

Baxter,  Frank  G. ,  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  S.  (Clark)  Baxter,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  June  17,  1872.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  .schools  of  Detroit  and 
at  the  age  of  eighten  entered  the  offices  of  Almon  C.  Varney  &  Co.,  architects  of  De- 
troit, where  he  remained  for  several  years  as  a  draftsman.  He  later  studied  with 
Rogers  &  MacFarlane,  architects,  and  in  February,  1896,  established  himself  inde- 
pendently as  architect  and  superintendent  of  building.  He  has  been  successful  and 
is  fast  gaining  for  himself  a  reputation  in  business  circles. 

Baxter,  Isaac  C. — One  of  the  most  widely  and  favorably  known  gas  engineers  and 
managers  of  gas  plants  is  he  whose  name  heads  this  article.  Born  in  the  city  of  Bel- 
fast, Ireland,  November  11,  1847,  his  earliest  identification  with  business  was  in  the 
construction  of  gas  plants  with  his  father,  who,  besides  being  a  merchant  at  Belfast, 
was  a  contractor  in  the  erection  of  gas  works.  When  but  a  lad  of  fifteen  he  resolved 
to  come  to  America,  and  we  soon  find  him  an  employee  of  Robert  Young,  engineer 
of  the  Allegheny  (Pa.)  Gas  Company,  and  with  whom  he  remained  for  twelve  years. 
Starting  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  he  made  successive  climbs  and  was  for  several 
years  Mr.  Young's  able  assistant;  also,  superintendent  of  the  East  End  Gas  Co.  of 
Pittsburg.  In  1881  he  was  offered  the  superintendency  of  the  works  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  in  two  years  made  such  changes  for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of 
the  company  that  Congressman  Heilman,  from  Evansville,  lud.,  induced  him  to  go 
to  that  city  to  remodel  the  plant  there,  in  which  he  was  largely  interested.  For 
seven  years  his  services  were  given  to  that  company,  who  meantime  had  purchased 
the  gas  works  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  which  he  also  remodeled  and  in  which  he  was  stock- 
holder and  director.  He  was  in  several  instances  asked  to  supervise  the  remodeling 
of  plants  in  various  cities  through  the  South,  and  his  reputation  as  an  up-to-date  live 
gas  engineer  became  extended.  Alexander  Lewis,  former  mayor  of  Detroit,  and 
Jerome  Croul  were  at  that  time  desirous  of  making  extensive  improvements  in  the 
gas  plant  at  Detroit,  and  looking  around  for  the  proper  superintendent,  selected  Mr. 
Baxter;  about  ten  years  since  he  assumed  the  direction.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars  was  invested  under  his  advice  and  supervision ;  the  most  modern  ma- 
chinery and  appliances  installed  for  the  ready  and  economical  manufacture  of  gas, 
and  the  Detroit  Gas  Works  are  now  recognized  at  home  and  abroad  as  a  model  of 
their  kind.  The  cities  of  Liverpool,  Copenhagen  and  Stockholm  sent  their  engineers 
to  inspect  American  plants,  and  choosing  Detroit  as  their  model,  expended  vast 
sums  in  building  plants  in  those  respective  cities.  Mr.  Baxter  is  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  the  Windsor  Gas  Company,  Ontario,  Canada;  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Port  Huron  (Mich.)  Gas  Company,  and  a  member  of  the  American  Gas  Asso- 
ciation, and  has  served  as  president  of  the  Western  Gas  Association,  compo.sed  of 
gas  engineers  and  managers,  from  all  States  of  the  Union.     His  paper  read  before 

12 


the  latter  association  on  "  Savings  of  gases  and  by  products  of  coke  ovens'  attracted 
wide  and  favorable  attention.  Mr.  Baxter  is  a  trustee  in  the  Trumbull  Avenue 
Presbyterian  church:  a  charter  member  of  Damascus  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  and  is  a 
popular  man  among  those  who  have  known  him.  His  tastes  are  not  for  social  clubs 
or  for  public  life,  but  he  fiuds  the  greatest  enjoyment  in  the  home  circle,  surrounded 
by  those  friends  in  whose  presence  there  is  a  glow  and  warmth  not  found  in  the 
formal  functions  of  society.  His  pleasant  home  on  Trumbull  avenue  is  presided 
over  by  a  refined  lady  whose  influence  is  felt  for  good  among  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

Bean,  Wilbert  G.,  D.  D.  S.,  son  of  Elbridge  G.  and  Alwilda  E.  (Whetmore)  Bean, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  February  6,  1860.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Kanka- 
kee (111.)  High  School  in  1877,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  entered  the  dental  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  D.  D.  S.  in 
1881.  Prior  to  entering  the  university  Dr.  Bean  had  spent  two  years  in  the  office  of 
a  leading  dental  surgeon  at  Kankakee,  111.,  and  while  a  student  in  the  university  he 
spent  his  vacation  months  practicing  in  the  copper  and  iron  mining  regions  of  north- 
ern Michigan.  Following  his  graduation  he  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  prac- 
ticed continuously  and  successfully  since.  On  Christmas  day,  1893,  Dr.  Bean  mar- 
ried Jeanette  McGardle  of  Port  Austin,  Mich. 

Beaufait,  Francis,  son  of  Louis  and  Catherine  (Peltier)  Beaufait,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  April  25,  1838.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Louis  Beaufait,  one  of  Detroit's 
early  settlers  and  owner  of  the  Beaufait  farm  in  Hamtramck.  Mr.  Beaufait  attended 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  until  1853,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
machinist's  trade.  This  he  followed  until  1865  and  was  then  appointed  captain  and 
engineer  of  Company  5,  Detroit  Fire  Department,  situated  at  the  corner  of  Larned 
and  Riopelle  streets,  and  was  stationed  at  that  house  for  twenty-five  years.  In  1890 
he  was  appointed  master  mechanic  of  the  entire  fire  department  and  at  present  re- 
tains that  position.  In  1857  Mr.  Beaufait  married  Mary  T.  Weber  of  Detroit,  and 
their  children  are  Daniel  F.,  Mrs.  Josephine  Schiel,  Mrs.  Adolph  Marion,  wife  of 
State  Senator  Marion,  Edward,  Mrs.  Aloysius  Rousseau,  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Rousseau. 

Beck,  Howard  C,  was  born  at  Irvington,  N.  J.,  August  4,  1868,  a  son  of  the  late 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Beck  of  Philadelphia.  He  attended  the  public  schools  in  Milford, 
N.  J.,  and  Haveihill,  Mass.,  and  later  took  the  scientific  course  in  the  Portsmouth 
(N.  H.)  High  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1884.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  offices  of  the  Bradstreet  Mercantile  Agency, 
where  he  remained  until  1892,  when  he  was  aj^pointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  controller's 
office,  and  in  1894  was  made  chief  clerk.  In  the  following  year  he  was  appointed 
deputy  controller,  which  position  he  still  retains.  In  1891  Mr.  Beck  married  Flora 
McElroy  of  St.  Clair,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Margaret  and  Howard  C, 
jr.  Mr.  Beck  is  a  member  of  the  Alger  Republican  Club,  and  the  Detroit  Philatelic 
Association,  being  its  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Biddle,  Major  James,  son  of  John  and  Eliza  (Bradish)  Biddle,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  June  10,  1833.  His  father  was  one  of  Detroit's  early  settlers,  coming  here  in 
1819  as  an  officer  of  the  United  States  army  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Shelby.  He 
purchased  the  headquarters  building  used  by  General  Hull  for  a  residence,  and  was 
actively  engaged  in  the  development  of  the  city.     The  present  Biddle  House  was 

13 


erected  by  him  during  the  forties  and  was  long  the  leading  hotel  of  this  section. 
Major  James  Biddle  was  educated  at  St.  Timothy  School,  Baltimore,  and  at  Pugnefs 
French  School,  New  York  city;  in  1853  he  entered  the  Ecole  Centrale  (School  of 
Mining  and  Engineering  at  Paris),  completing  his  studies  in  1857.  Subsequent  to 
his  stay  at  Paris  Mr.  Biddle  traveled  extensively  in  Europe,  returning  to  America  in 
1858  and  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Bartlet,  an  architect  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1861  he 
was  commissioned  captain  of  the  Kith  Infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  and  served  during  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brevet-major  and  resigned  in 
1865,  owing  to  large  private  interests  which  required  his  attention,  and  returned  to 
Detroit.  August  21,  1860,  Mr.  Biddle  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  R.  Terry 
of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children,  Louisa,  and  Katharine,  wife  of  Lieutenant 
John  D.  Barrett,  U.  S.  A.  Politically  Major  Biddle  has  always  been  a  Democrat. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  Christ  Episcopal  church. 

BoUes,  John  E.,  son  of  Frederick  A.  and  Sarah  (Wooster)  Bolles,  was  born  in 
Chelsea,  Mich.,  November  10,  1847.  He  attended  the  Ypsilanti  Seminary,  and  in 
1866  was  graduated  with  honors  from  the  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  High  School,  with  ad- 
vance preparation  for  entering  the  State  University,  sophomore  year.  In  the  autumn 
of  that  year  he  decided,  however,  to  remove  to  Detroit,  and  entered  the  employ  of 
James  Nail,  jr.,  &  Co.,  dry  goods  merchants,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He 
later  served  very  acceptably  other  Detroit  firms  in  the  same  line.  In  1875  he  entered 
into  the  iron  and  wire  manufacturing  business,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Snow  & 
Bolles.  In  1877  they  sold  out  their  business,  and  during  the  ensuing  four  years  was 
in  the  employ  of  E.  T.  Barnum,  wire  and  iron  manufacturers  of  Detroit.  The  firm 
of  J.  E.  Bolles  &  Co.  was  organized  in  January,  1883,  their  special  line  being  the 
manufacture  of  ornamental  and  architectural  iron  work,  bank  railings,  fencing,  jail 
cells,  fire  escapes,  etc.  The  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  in  January,  1897,  to  J.  E. 
Bolles  Iron  and  Wire  Works.  Mr.  Bolles  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce; also  was  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of 
the  "  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Children,"  and  other  bodies  and  or- 
ganizations He  is  prominent  in  church  work  and  has  served  in  nearly  every  possi- 
ble capacity  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  Central  M.  E.  church  of  Detroit,  in- 
cluding superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  and  now  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees.  In  1893  he  became  actively  identified  in  the  work  of  the  Wayne  County 
Sunday  School  Association,  since  serving  as  president,  and  for  the  past  three  years 
as  chairman  of  its  Executive  Committee.  The  great  Sunday  school  rally  days,  for 
which  Detroit  has  become  famous,  were  made  a  success  largely  through  his  efforts. 
They  are  still  an  important  feature  of  the  Sunday  School  Association  work  in 
Detroit,  having  been  held  annually  since  September,  1893.  In  1873  Mr.  Bolles  mar- 
ried Harriet  F.  Snow,  daughter  of  William  Snow,  originator  of  the  wire  business  in 
Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children,  William  E.  and  Howard  E.  Bolles.  Mrs.  Bolles 
died  November  30,  1895. 

Book,  James  B.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Jonathan  J.  and  Hannah  Priscilla  (Smith)  Book, 
was  born  in  Halton  county,  near  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  November  7,  1843.  His 
preliminary  education  was  acquired  at  the  Milton,  Ont.,  grammar  school,  and  he 
matriculated  in  the  medical  department  of  the  Victoria  University  at  Toronto  in 
1863,  but  did  not  complete  the  course  in  that  institution.     He  received  his  degree  of 

14 


M.  D.  from  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  March,  1865,  and 
in  June  following,  upon  his  return  to  Toronto,  had  conferred  upon  him  the  Canadian 
degree.  He  then  went  abroad  for  two  years,  spending  one  year  in  Guy's  Hospital 
Medical  School  at  London,  England,  and  later  attended  clinics  in  Vienna  and  Paris. 
Returning  to  America  in  the  autumn  of  18G7  Dr.  Brook  located  permanently  at  De- 
troit, Mich.,  and  practiced  his  profession  continuously  until  1892.  In  1879  he  was  ap- 
pointed as  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Detroit  Medical  College,  and  retained  that 
chair  after  the  amalgamation  of  said  college  with  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine, 
resigning  his  professorship  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1895,  upon  his  re- 
tirement from  active  practice.  He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  attending  surgeon 
to  Harper  and  St.  Luke's  Hospitals  and  police  surgeon  to  the  city  of  Detroit.  From 
January  1,  1880,  to  the  corresponding  date  in  1883,  Dr.  Brook  served  the  city  of 
Detroit  as  alderman  from  the  Third  ward.  As  a  surgeon  he  is  the  peer  of  any  m  the 
State  of  Michigan,  and  has  always  commanded  the  entire  confidence  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  pract  itioners  and  the  public.  Since  1895  he  has  devoted  himself  exclusively 
to  the  management  of  his  large  estate.  In  1889  he  married  Clotilde,  daughter  of 
Francis  Palms  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  beautiful  children:  James  B.  jr.. 
Francis  Palms,  and  Herbert  V.,  aged  respectively  seven,  five  and  three. 

Bourke,  Oliver,  second  son  of  OHver  Bourke,  was  born  in  Heathfield  House,  near 
Ballycastle,  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  July  16,  1823.  The  ancesters  of  Mr.  Bourke 
were  Normans  and  acquired  land  in  Ireland  for  services  rendered  the  crown  in  the 
early  conquest  of  that  country.  His  father  was  a  landed  proprietor  and  held  a  com- 
mission as  captain  in  the  English  army,  serving  on  the  staff  of  General  Lord  Hill 
during  the  Irish  rebellion.  His  son  Oliver,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated 
by  private  tutors  and  schools,  and  in  1842  entered  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  some  years  later.  On  the  completion  of  his  education,  with 
his  brother  Robert,  he  built  a  vessel  and  sailed  as  supercargo  to  the  west  coast  of 
Africa.  While  lying  in  one  of  the  rivers  of  that  country  the  captain  died  from  fever 
and  Oliver  assumed  command  and  brought  the  ship  safely  to  England.  Shortly 
after  his  return  home  he  engaged  in  the  shipping  of  grain  from  Ireland  to  English 
and  Scotch  ports.  In  1850  he  came  to  America  and  after  a  short  stay  in  New  York 
located  in  Detroit,  where  his  brother  Walter  had  preceded  him  and  with  him  en- 
gaged in  the  wholesale  grocery  business.  In  1856  the  connection  ceased  and  Oliver 
removed  to  122  Jefferson  avenue  and  continued  in  his  former  line  until  1857,  when 
he  closed  out  the  grocery  department  of  his  business  and  confined  himself  to  the 
wholesaling  of  wines,  liquors  and  cigars.  He  remained  in  this  line  of  business  until 
his  retirement  in  1883,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  management  of 
his  private  affairs.  He  was  for  many  years  identified  with  the  old  volunteer  fire  de- 
partmeot  and  served  as  acting  chief  of  that  organization  from  1858  to  1860.  In  1862 
the  Federal  government  appointed  him  general  inspector  of  wines  and  liquors,  in- 
spector of  distilleries  and  ganger  of  liquors,  retaining  that  office  for  a  period  of 
several  years.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  1869  and 
was  its  president  in  1870  and  1871 ;  in  1870  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Estimates  from  the  city  at  large,  being  chosen  president  of  the  board  during  his 
second  year  in  office.  Mr.  Bourke  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
since  1845,  having  joined  that  body  in  Lodge  No.  217  in  Bellina,  Ireland;  is  a  mem- 

15 


ber  of  Detroit  Lodge  No.  8,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Monroe  Chapter ;  Monroe  Council ;  Detroit 
Commandery  No  1,  Knights  Templar,  and  Grand  Lodge  of  Perfection.  For  many- 
years  he  was  grand  recorder  of  the  Grand  Commandery  and  the  Grand  Council  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Bourke  and  his  family  are  members  of  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church, 
the  membership  of  the  parents  dating  from  1850.  May  20,  1856,  he  married  Henri- 
etta A.  McKenna,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  McKenna,  rector  of  Clane,  County  of 
Kildare,  Ireland,  and  they  have  four  sons  living:  Henry  O..  Charles  F.,  Oliver  A. 
and  Percy  E.      George  Edmund,  the  oldest,  died  in  September,  1874. 

Boynton,  Rev.  Nehemiah,  son  of  Eleazer  and  Mary  (Chadbourne)  Boynton,  was 
born  November  21,  1857,  in  Medford,  Mass.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Medford,  which  he  attended  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to  An- 
dover,  Mass.,  and  attended  Phillips  Academy.  In  1875  he  entered  Amherst  College 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1879.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  began  his  theo- 
logical studies  at  Andover  Seminary,  and  was  graduated  in  1883  and  ordained  on 
October  16,  1882,  at  Littleton,  Mass.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  the  first  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Littleton,  remaining  there  until  1884,  when  he  was  called  to  the 
North  church  at  Haverhill,  Mass.  From  1888  to  1896  he  occupied  the  pulpit  of  the 
Union  Congregational  church  in  Boston,  which  he  gave  up  to  accept  a  call  from  the 
First  Congregational  church  of  Detroit,  his  present  charge.  The  degree  of  D.  D. 
was  conferred  upon  Dr.  Boynton  in  1895  by  Amherst  College.  On  July  5,  1882,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Wilcox,  daughter  of  D.  W.  Wilcox  of  Med- 
ford, Mass.     They  have  seven  children,  of  whom  Daniel  is  the  eldest. 

Brandon,  Calvin  K.,  son  of  George  S.  and  Nancy  (Craighead)  Brandon,  was  born 
in  New  Carlisle,  Ohio,  September  6,  1841.  Shortly  after  his  birth  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  where  they  died  in  1847.  On  the  maternal  side  Mr. 
Brandon  is  descended  from  Rev.  Thomas  Craighead,  who  emigrated  to  America  in 
1715,  and  whose  grandson.  Rev.  Alexander  Craighead,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  was  one 
of  the  framers  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  1775  and  from  which  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  in  part  taken.  He  was  a  Presbyterian  of  note  and  force, 
who  first  preached  the  independence  of  the  colonies  m  1741,  and  owing  to  which  he 
was  forced  to  leave  Pennsylvania.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Brandon's  parents  he  was 
taken  by  an  uncle,  William  T.  Brandon,  and  placed  in  the  family  of  William  More- 
head  of  York  Springs,  Pa.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1856.  Mr.  Brandon  received 
the  usual  education  afforded  by  the  schools  of  that  day  and  in  1856  entered  the  acad- 
emy at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  which  he  attended  until  1859,  and  the  following  year  entered 
Farmer's  College  at  Bellefonte,  Pa.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  traveled  in  the  West, 
looking  for  a  location,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  enlisted  in  the  16th  Illi- 
nois Infantry  for  a  term  of  three  months,  and  in  May  of  that  year,  for  a  term  of  three 
years.  At  the  conclusion  of  that  service  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company 
E,  14th  Infantry  of  Illinois,  and  served  on  the  staffs  of  Generals  Cyrus  Hall  and  J.  C. 
Stallbrand.  On  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  removed  to  Saline  county.  Missouri, 
where  he  took  up  land  and  conducted  a  stock  ranch  until  1871,  when  he  came  to  De- 
troit and  became  a  stockholder  and  employee  of  the  Detroit  Car  Works.  In  1874  he 
accepted  a  position  with  the  Detroit  Stave  Works  and  in  1877  purchased  the  business. 
In  1878  he  took  in  Richards  Keys  as  a  partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Brandon  & 
Keys,  and  in  1882  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  title  of  the  Detroit  Stave 

16 


&  Heading  Works.  In  1893,  owing  to  the  passage  of  the  "  Wilson  Bill,"  the  business 
became  unprofitable,  and  in  1896  Mr.  Brandon  succeeded  to  the  business,  which  he 
has  since  conducted  in  a  successful  manner.  He  is  a  Republican  and  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  from  his  district  in  1884,  serving  one  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine;  Zion  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Loyal  Legion;  Detroit  Post,  G.  A.  R.  ;  St.  Clair 
Fishing  and  Shooting  Club;  and  the  Alger  Republican  Club.  October  24,  1867,  he 
married  Louisa  M.  Russel,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  and  they  had  seven  children,  five  now 
living;  George  R.,  Walter  C,  Louisa  M.,  Margaret  and  Samuel  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brandon  are  members  of  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church. 

Brodie,  Benjamin  P.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  6,  1859,  a  son  of  the 
late  Dr.  William  Brodie,  a  native  of  England,  but  for  nearly  forty  years  one  of  the 
leading  surgeons  of  Detroit  and  familiarly  known  as  the  "Grand  Old  Man"  in  pro- 
fessional circles;  in  1886  he  was  president  of  the  American  Medical  Association;  he 
located  in  Detroit  in  the  early  fifties  and  passed  away  quietly  in  1890.  His  wife  was 
Jane  Whitfield.  Benjamin  P.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  un- 
der the  private  tutorage  of  the  late  Philo  M.  Patterson,  who  was  one  of  the  ablest 
instructors  of  his  day.  He  completed  his  preparatory  education  in  the  Detroit  pub- 
lic schools;  in  the  autumn  of  1878  he  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  and  was  graduated  vi^ith  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in  1882.  He  took  his 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  in  1884,  then  located  in  De- 
troit, and  practiced  in  the  office  of  his  father  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he 
assumed  his  father's  practice  and  the  management  of  the  estate.  He  has  been  suc- 
cessful and  ranks  among  the  leading  physicians  of  his  native  city.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit 
Medical  and  Library  Association,  and  of  the  Wayne  County  and  American  Academies 
of  Medicine.  He  is  a  visiting  physician  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  assistant  surgeon  to 
Harper  Hospital,  surgeon  to  the  Detroit  Fire  Department  and  local  surgeon  to  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railway.  He  is  also  surgeon  to  the  Detroit  street  railways  and  assist- 
ant surgeon  to  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve.  Mr.  Brodie  holds  membership  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Boat  Club,  and 
Harmonic  Singing  Society.  He  is  medical  examiner  for  the  United  States  Life 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York;  for  the  Union  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 
of  Maine,  and  for  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  Conn. 
Dr.  Brodie  has  one  of  the  finest  medical  libraries  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  among 
its  hundreds  of  volumes  are  numbered  many  valuable  works.     He  is  still  a  bachelor. 

Broegger,  Rev.  Francis,  son  of  Bernard  and  Gertrude  (Erwes)  Broegger.  was  born 
in  Fretter,  Westphalia,  Germany,  September  8,  1853.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  classical  school  of  Paderborn,  immigrating  to 
America  in  1872  with  his  family  and  settling  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  Subsequent 
to  his  coming  to  America  he  studied  theology  at  Cincinnati,  and  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  by  Bishop  Borgess  September  10,  1876.  After  a  short  assignment  as 
assistant  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Philip  parish  at  Battle  Creek,  where  he  re- 
mained four  years.  He  was  then  transferred  to  Wyandotte  and  subsequently  to 
Silver  Creek.  In  1885  he  was  assigned  to  Dearborn.  In  1888  he  was  given  charge 
of  the  parish  at  Hastings,  remaining  until  1890,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Deer- 

17 


field.     In  January,  1897,  he  was  assigned  to  the  parish  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Detroit, 
where  he  remains  at  present. 

Brooke,  Flavins  L.,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Mann)  Brooke,  was  born  in  Norfolk 
county,  Ontario,  Canada,  October  7,  1858.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  later 
took  a  course  in  the  Albert  University  of  Belleville,  Ontario.  In  1879  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  the  attorney-general  of  Ontario,  where  he  remained  as  student  and 
clerk  for  four  years,  being  called  to  the  bar  in  1884.  In  the  following  year  he  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  Mich. ,  and  entered  the  office  of  Atkinson  &  Marston,  remaining 
until  1887,  when  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  John  Atkinson  and  William  L.  Car- 
penter, under  the  firm  style  of  Atkinson,  Carpenter  &  Brooke.  After  five  years  this 
partnership  was  dissolved,  and  in  1892  Mr.  Brooke  associated  with  him  H.  E.  Spald- 
ing, the  firm  of  Brooke  &  Spalding  existing  until  May,  1896,  since  which  time  Mr. 
Brooke  has  practiced  continuously  and  successfully  alone.  In  1891  he  was  elected  as 
a  member  at  large  of  the  Board  of  Estimates  of  Detroit,  holding  that  office  until 
1893.  He  is  retained  as  counsel  by  numerous  large  firms  and  concerns  in  Detroit, 
and  does  a  general  litigating  business.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  and  director  of  the 
Michell  Table  Supply  Co.  ;  vice-president  of  C.  H.  Michell  Co.  ;  is  interested  in  other 
business  institutions  and  is  active  in  business  and  social  circles.  He  has  been  active 
in  politics  since  becoming  a  resident  of  Detroit,  is  a  staunch  Republican  and  has 
frequently  taken  the  stump  in  support  of  his  partj^'s  principles.  He  is  a  director  of 
the  Michigan  and  Grande  Pointe  Clubs.  In  1884  he  married  Miss  B.  Reidy  of  On- 
tario, and  they  have  four  children:   John,  Katherine,  Josephine  and  Frank. 

Brown,  Cullen,  son  of  CuUen  and  Elizabeth  (Leach)  Brown,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  October  2,  1871.  He  was  educated  under  private  tutors  and  for  a  short 
period  attended  the  Detroit  High  School.  In  1891  Mr.  Brown  entered  the  employ 
of  Homer  Warren,  real  estate  agent,  at  Detroit,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year  and  a 
half  became  a  member  of  the  present  firm  of  Homer  Warren  &  Co.  He  also  has  en- 
tire control  of  the  fire  insurance  department  of  the  business,  which  he  purchased 
from  the  former  owner,  C.  E.  Burtsch,  early  in  1897.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club  and  Detroit  Boat  Club  and  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social 
circles.     October  25,  1894,  he  married  Grace  J.  Wesley  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Brown,  Edwin  C,  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  (Johnson)  Brown,  was  born  in  Bristol, 
N.  H.,  February  15,  1831.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  at 
Bristol,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twenty-one.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Milwaukee  and  Mississippi  Railway, 
serving  in  the  position  as  baggageman  and  subsequently  as  conductor.  In  1861  he 
accepted  a  situation  with  the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  Railway  as  conductor,  and  was 
later  promoted  to  the  position  of  master  of  transportation.  In  1870  he  resigned 
his  position  with  the  Milwaukee  and  Chicago  Railway  to  accept  a  similar  one  with 
the  Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad,  and  was  later  appointed  to  the  office  of 
superintendent.  In  1874  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Mich- 
igan Central  Railway,  filling  the  positions  of  superintendent,  assistant  general  super- 
intendent and  general  superintendent  respectively.  In  1890  he  resigned  his  position 
owing  to  ill  health,  and  was  appointed  to  his  present  office,  that  of  assistant  to  the 
president.     Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Milwaukee  Consistory  of  Wisconsin;  Moslem 

18 


Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  Detroit,  and  the  Fellowcraft  Club.  In 
1859  he  married  Sarah  P.  Blake,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Mrs.  Henry  S.  Wilson,  of  Duluth,  Minn.  ;  Frank  vS.,of  Suspension  Bridge,  On- 
tario, and  Mrs.  F.  A.  Slocum,  of  Detroit. 

Brown,  Owen  C. ,  M.  D.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Brown,  was  born  at  Tudhoe 
Hall,  Tudhoe,  Durham  county,  England,  October  13,  1849.  Thomas  Brown  emi- 
grated to  Canada  with  his  children  and  settled  in  Kingsey,  Province  of  Quebec, 
afterward  removing  to  Acton,  P.  Q.  Dr.  Brown  attended  the  public  schools  in 
Kingsey  and  Acton,  and  in  18G7  entered  the  University  of  Toronto,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1874,  taking  the  "Star"  gold  medal  and  first  university  silver  medal, 
two  exceptionally  high  honors.  On  leaving  college  he  returned  to  Acton,  where  he 
practiced  successfully  for  nineteen  years,  and  in  1893  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  private  practice.  While  in  Acton  Dr.  Brown  was  justice 
of  the  peace,  commissioner  of  the  Commissioner's  Court,  member  of  the  town  coun- 
cil, chairman  of  the  school  board  and  master  of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  that  town. 
September  17,  1879,  he  married  Georgiana  T.  Harward,  of  Richmond,  Me.,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Campbell  Harward  Brown,  at  present  thirteen  years  of  age.  The 
Harwards  are  from  old  English  stock,  and  the  author  of  "Hereward,  the  Saxon 
Patriot,"  a  distinguished  English  general,  Gen.  I.  N.  Harward,  has  traced  out  the 
American  branch  of  that  family. 

Brown,  William  Rolston,  son  of  William  and  Caroline  (Abernethj')  Brown,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  26,  1876.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  High 
School,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1893;  he  then  took  a  course  in  the  Detroit 
College  of  Law,  and  was  graduated  in  1895,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  June  23,  1895, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  the 
offices  of  Mayburv  &  Lucking  at  Detroit.  He  has  already  won  good  standing  in  the 
legal  profession  and  gives  promise  of  becoming  one  of  Detroit's  leading  young  at- 
torneys. 

Burt,  Lee,  son  of  the  late  Austin  Burt,  was  born  at  Mt.  Vernon,  Macomb  county, 
Mich.,  December  18,  1842.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  in  Detroit,  where  his  parents  had  removed  in  1856,  and  later  took  a  course 
in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1860.  In 
the  same  year  in  company  with  his  father  he  took  the  agency  of  the  Lake  Superior 
Iron  Company  at  Marquette,  Mich.,  looking  after  the  shipping  of  their  ore  and  mer- 
chandise until  1864,  when  he  became  identified  with  the  Peninsular  Iron  Company  of 
Detroit,  being  first  placed  in  charge  of  the  outside  work  as  superintendent,  but  later 
became  superintendent  of  their  furnace  in  the  m.anufacture  of  pig-iron.  In  1869  he 
left  the  Peninsular  Iron  Company  and  during  the  following  two  years  was  connected 
with  the  Burt  Manufacturing  Company  in  the  manufacture  of  car  wheels,  etc.  In 
1872  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Union  Iron  Company's  furnace,  the  con- 
struction of  which  he  had  superintended  in  the  previous  year.  In  1879  he  became 
manager  of  the  Detroit  Iron  Furnace  Company  and  retained  that  position  until  1887, 
when  he  organized  the  Burrell  Chemical  Company,  of  which  he  was  made  secretary 
and  treasurer,  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity.  In  1891  he  organized  the  Southern 
Chemical  Company  and  was  made  its  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  in  1895  also  be- 

19 


came  manager  of  that  company.  He  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Antrim 
Chemical  Company,  which  was  organized  in  1893,  and  is  president  of  the  Union  Iron 
Company,  having  succeeded  to  that  position  upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  Febru- 
ary. 1894.  Mr.  Burt  married  Abbie  L.  Kelsey  in  1866,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Edna  L.  Mr.  Burt  has  always  been  connected  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  church.  Personally 
Mr.  Burt  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 

Butzel,  Magnus,  son  of  Moritz  and  Hanna  (Bachman)  Butzel,  was  born  in  Schess- 
litz,  Bavaria,  Germany,  January  14,  1830.  At  the  age  of  six  Mr.  Butzel  entered 
school  and  studied  until  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade  of  making  sashes,  doors  and 
artistic  glass  work  in  1844;  in  1847  he  became  a  journeyman,  leaving  a  speciinen  of 
his  work  as  an  example  for  others  and  it  stands  to-day.  He  worked  at  his  trade  un- 
til 1852,  when  he  came  to  America  with  his  sister,  going  at  once  to  Saugerties,  near 
Kingston,  N.  Y.,  to  the  home  of  his  brother,  Martin  Butzel,  who  left  Germany  six 
years  previous.  After  a  .short  visit  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  and 
embarked  in  the  dry  goods  business  in  Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1863  the  unsettled 
condition  of  the  times  warranted  the  closing  out  of  the  business.  They  came  to  De- 
troit and  became  associated  with  Emil  S.  Heinneman,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Heinneman,  Butzel  &  Co.,  manufacturers  and  jobbers  of  ready  made  clothing  and 
furnishing  goods.  In  1890  Mr.  Heinneman  retired,  the  firm  being  succeeded  by 
Butzel  Bros.  &  Co.  ;  in  1893  failing  sight  compelled  Mr.  Butzel  to  retire  from  busi- 
ness. During  Mr.  Butzel's  residence  in  Detroit  he  has  always  identified  himself  with 
questions  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  that  place  and  country  at  large;  in  the  mer- 
cantile line  he  helped  to  organize  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Exchange ;  was 
one  of  the  first  directors  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  resigned  in  1893  because 
of  ill  health.  In  1881  Mr.  Butzel  was  elected  from  the  city  at  large  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  for  a  term  of  two  years  the  board  being  strictly  non  partisan  at 
that  time.  On  retirement  from  office  in  1883  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Public 
Library  board  for  a  term  of  six  years;  was  re-elected  in  1889  and  again  in  1895,  the 
last  terra  to  expire  in  1902.  During  his  service  on  the  Library  Board  Mr.  Butzel 
held  the  offce  of  vice-president  during  the  time  the  late  Judge  Campbell  was  presi- 
dent, and  on  retirement  of  Mr.  Campbell  served  as  president  two  years.  In  politics 
Mr.  Butzel  has  always  been  a  staunch  Republican ;  he  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Michigan  Club  and  was  made  vice-president  in  1894  and  president  in  1895.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  congregation  of  Bethel  House  of  Worship  for  over  thirty 
years  and  for  most  of  that  time  has  been  president  of  the  Sabbath  school.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Phoenix  Club,  at  one  time  occupying  the  presidential  chair. 
February  17,  1869,  he  married  Henrietta  Hess,  youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Moses 
Hess  of  Cincinnati,  O. ,  and  they  have  four  children:  Maurice,  Henry,  Frederick  and 
Lawrence. 

Campbell,  Walter  S  ,  son  of  James  and  Harriet  (Huntington)  Campbell,  was  born 
at  Galena,  111.,  October  4,  1845.  His  father  removed  from  Galena  in  1851  to  Spring- 
field, 111.,  where  Walter  attended  the  public  schools.  In  1862  he  left  school  and  en- 
tered his  father's  office  as  a  clerk;  in  1866  he  was  appointed  as  clerk  in  the  quarter- 
master's office  of  the  U.  S.  army  at  Detroit,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  1868, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  J.   B.    Fox  &   Co.,   manufacturers  of 

20 


confectionery,  at  Detroit,  and  held  that  position  until  1880,  at  which  time  the  busi- 
ness passed  under  the  control  of  a  stock  company,  of  which  Mr.  Campbell  was  made 
secretary.  In  1892  he  resigned  that  office  to  become  secretary  of  the  Michigan  Con- 
fectionery Company,  which  position  he  occupied  until  1895.  Since  July  of  that  year 
he  has  been  actuary  of  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Exchange  of  Detroit,  and 
in  October  of  the  same  year  was  made  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Manufacturers'  Club, 
and  still  serves  in  that  capacity ;  he  is  also  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Credit  Men's 
Association,  which  was  organized  on  September  15,  1896.  Mr.  Campbell  is  grand 
treasurer  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  for  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  treasurer  of  the  Conn- 
ed of  that  order;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit.  In  1874  he 
married  Annie  Fenton,  of  Detroit,  who  died  in  1889,  leaving  four  children.  In  1892 
he  married  Sarah  A.  McGrath,  of  Detroit,  but  no  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union. 

Carpenter,  Hon.  William  L.,  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  at  Detroit,  was  born  at 
Orion,  Mich.,  November  9,  1854,  a  son  of  Charles  K  and  Jennette  (Coryell)  Carpen- 
ter. He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  then  took  a  course  in  the  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1875.  Soon  afterward  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1878;  in  March  of  that  year  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  spent  the  following  year  in  the  office  of  the 
late  Judge  Crofoot  at  Detroit.  In  1879  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Carpenter  &  McLaughlin  in  Detroit,  which  partnership  ex- 
isted until  1883.  From  1888  to  1894  he  was  in  partnership  with  Col.  John  Atkinson. 
On  January  1,  1894,  he  ascended  the  bench  as  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  having 
been  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  and  Michigan 
Clubs,  is  a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow.  In  1885  he  married  Elizabeth  Ferguson,  of 
Goderich,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  they  have  two  children,  Lela  and  Rolla. 

Caughey,  Frank  T.,  president  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  'J'rade,  was  born  in  Ashta- 
bula county,  Ohio,  June  21,  1853,  a  son  of  Samuel  S.  Caughey,  now  a  resident  of 
Erie,  Pa.  Frank  T.  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native  county  and  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Normal  School.  In  1870  he  located  in  Union  City,  Mich.,  where  for 
several  years  he  clerked  in  a  general  store.  From  1873  to  1876  he  traveled  through 
the  southwest  as  a  hardware  salesman  and  in  the  latter  year  returned  to  Union  City. 
During  the  ensuing  ten  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  grain  and  seed  shipping  busi- 
ness at  Union  City,  also  controlling  the  business  at  several  stations  on  the  Michigan 
Central  Air  Line.  In  1888  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  was  a  special  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Gillett  &  Hall  for  six  years,  being  manager  of  their  large  private  elevator. 
I^e  also  maintained  his  business  at  Union  City  during  that  period.  In  1894  he  con- 
centrated his  entire  business  at  Detroit  and  since  that  time  all  of  his  operations  have 
been  attended  with  justly  deserved  success.  In  1895  he  associated  with  him  in  busi- 
ness Mr.  C.  M.  Carran,  with  the  style  of  Caughey  &  Carran,  and  they  have  since 
that  time  made  a  specialty  of  exporting  clover  and  timothy  seed,  doing  the  largest 
business  of  that  kind  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  They  are  also  identified  with  the 
real  estate  and  manufacturing  interests  of  the  city  and  are  prominent  in  business 
circles.  In  1896  Mr.  Caughey  was  elected  vice  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and 
in  the  following  year  became  president  of  that  body.     He  is  prominent  in  Masonic 

21 


circles,  being  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  K.  T. ,  and  Moslem 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Athletic 
Club.  In  1883  Mr.  Caughey  married  Delia  Shumway  of  Union  City  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Marjorie. 

Child,  Putnam  H.,  son  of  Jacob  and  Samantha  (Sumner)  Child,  was  born  in  Ma- 
lone,  N.  Y. ,  October  11,  1841.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Ephraim  Child  who  immi- 
grated to  America,  settling  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1630;  on  his  mother's  side  he  is  a 
direct  descendant  of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolutionary  fame.  At  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  there  were  twenty-two  of  the  Child  family  enrolled  in  one  company  of 
militia.  His  great  grandfather  was  a  colonel  in  the  Revolution  and  his  grandfather 
a  major  in  the  war  of  1812.  Samantha  (Sumner)  Child  is  descended  from  William 
Sumner,  born  in  Bicester,  Oxfordshire,  England,  in  1605,  and  only  son  of  Roger 
Sumner;  he  came  to  America  in  1636,  settling  in  Dorchester,  Mass.  Mr.  Child  ac- 
quired his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Malone,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1859  attended 
the  academy  of  Montpelier,  Vt.,  remaining  there  one  year.  In  1860  he  removed  to 
Albion,  Mich.,  and  entered  Albion  College  the  same  year;  in  1861  he  enlisted  in  the 
9th  Mich.  Cavalry,  served  during  the  Civil  war  and  was  honorably  discharged  with 
rank  of  captain  in  1865.  Returning  to  Albion  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  A.  Peck,  but  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  study  of  law  because  of  fail- 
ing sight.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  exclusively  until  1879,  when  he  removed  to 
Detroit  and  embarked  in  the  dairy  business.  In  1894  his  business  was  transferred 
to  a  firm  styled  the  Edgewood  Jersey  Milk  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  largest  shareholder 
as  well  as  general  manager.  Mr.  Child  is  a  member  of  Ashlar  Lodge  and  King 
Cyrus  Chapter,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Fairbanks  Post,  G.  A.  R.  In  1865  he  married 
Elizabeth  Creswell  of  Wellsville,  O.  and  they  had  four  children  :  Carl  S. ,  Maggie  B., 
Walter  C.  and  Harry  P.  Mrs.  Child  died  in  1888,  and  1890  Mr.  Child  married  Lettie 
Ander.son  of  Castile,  N.  Y. 

Champion,  Rev.  Raymond,  son  of  Martin  and  Annie  (Guiraud)  Champion,  was 
born  near  Bordeaux,  France,  September  18,  1851.  He  received  his  early  education 
from  his  parents  and  entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Bordeaux  Seminary  in 
1863.  In  1870  he  entered  the  theological  department  and  was  graduated  in  1875, 
and  ordained  on  December  18  of  that  year  by  Cardinal  Donnet  of  Bordeaux.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  appointed  pastor  of  SS.  Gervais  and  Protais  church  at  vSauternes, 
Fi-ance,  where  he  remained  until  1879.  He  was  next  appointed  assistant  pastor  of 
Our  Lady  of  Victory  church  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.  He  was  appointed  pastor  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier  church  at  Ecorse,  Mich.,  in  1889,  where  he  has  done  much  to  improve 
the  condition  of  the  parish.  During  his  incumbency  at  Ecorse  he  founded  in  1893 
the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  at  River  Rouge,  Mich.,  whose  present  condidion 
reflects  great  credit  upon  him. 

Chapin,  William  W  ,  judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court,  a  son  of  William  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Carr)  Chapin,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  the  city  limits  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
January  2,  1859.  He  removed  to  Romulus,  Mich.,  when  a  boy  and  succeeded  in  se- 
curing his  preparatory  education  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti  and  entered 
the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1882,  grad- 
uating therefrom  m  1886.     Direct  from  Ann  Arbor  Mr.  Chapin  came  to  Detroit  and 

23 


after  eight  months'  diligent  application  to  the  study  of  law  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  practiced  his  profession  successfully  until  1892,  when  he  was  elected  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket,  judge  of  the  Recorder's  Court  for  the  city  of  Detroit,  which  office  he 
holds  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Chapin  takes  a  deep  interest  in  Masonry,  having 
received  the  highest  degree  in  that  order.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Sove- 
reign Consistory;  Mystic  Shrine;  Peninsular  Chapter  of  the  Masonic  Order;  A.  O. 
O.  F.  ;  the  Michigan  Republican  Club ;  the  Harmonic  Society ;  the  League  of  American 
Wheelmen ;  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  and  many  other  social  and  political  clubs.  Oc- 
tober 12,  1897,  Mr.  Chapin  married  Florence  I.  Collier  of  Detroit. 

Chapoton,  Edmund  A.,  M.  D.,  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Alexis  Chapoton,  and  brother 
of  Alexander  Chapoton,  vice-president  of  the  Peninsular  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  was  born  in  Detroit  November  15,  1852.'  After  a  thorough  preparatory 
course  of  instruction  in  the  private  school  of  the  late  Philo  M.  Patterson  at  Detroit, 
he  entered  St.  John's  College,  at  Fordham,  New  York  city,  and  was  graduated  there- 
from with  honors  in  1872.  Returning  in  the  same  year  to  Detroit  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  in  the  Detroit  Medical  College,  receiving  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from 
that  institution  in  1875.  The  following  two  years  he  spent  in  Europe,  taking  post- 
graduate courses  in  Berlin  under  Frerichs,  Virchow  and  others  of  equal  fame,  and  in 
Paris  under  Pean  and  Dujardin-Beaumetz.  Since  his  return  to  Detroit,  in  1877,  Dr. 
Chapoton  has  practiced  his  profession  contmuously  and  successfully  in  that  city. 
For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  filled  the  chair  of  professor  of  the  practice  of  med- 
icine in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine;  for  twenty  years  has  been  attending  ohy- 
sician  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  and  senior  physician  and  surgeon  to  the  House  of  Prov- 
idence at  Detroit ;  and  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Board  of  Health.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the 
Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association.  In  1875  Dr.  Chapoton  married  Martha 
Sherland  of  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and  they  have  three  children;  Edith  C,  Alexis  F., 
and  M.  Sherland. 

Chappee,  Birnie  G.  son  of  Benjamin  and  Martha  (Duncanson)  Chappee,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  December  29,  1852.  He  attended  school  in  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
(where  his  parents  resided  for  a  number  of  years),  and  later  in  Monroe,  Mich.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  Gottscbalk  Grelling,  photographer  at 
Detroit,  and  remained  there  for  six  years,  when  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
stenography,  in  which  he  soon  became  proficient,  and  for  several  years  served  the 
law  firm  of  Moore  &  Moore  as  stenographer  and  amanuensis.  In  1880  he  became 
private  secretary  to  Mr.  Joseph  Brooks  (of  theatrical  fame)  at  New  York  city,  and 
after  a  lapse  of  a  year  returned  to  Detroit.  From  1881  to  1883  he  again  served  with 
Moore  &  Moore,  and  did  a  general  business  in  law  and  court  reporting,  being  ap. 
pointed  in  the  latter  year  by  the  Metropolitan  Police  Commission,  on  recommendation 
of  Police  Superintendent  Edwin  F.  Conely,  as  assistant  clerk  and  stenograisher  at  police 
headquarters  in  Detroit.  In  January,  1888,  he  was  promoted  to  his  present  position 
as  chief  clerk,  and  enjoys  the  entire  confidence  and  high  esteem  of  his  superiors  and 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Mr.  Chappee  was  married  twice,  first  in  1879  to 
Marion  S.  De  Baptiste,  who  died  in  1884,  and  second  in  1891  to  Susie  E.  Williams,  of 
Detroit,  who  has  borne  him  three  children:     Leon  B.,  Helen  and  Birnie  G. ,  jr. 

1  See  sketch  of  Chapoton  family  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

23 


Clark,  James  J.,  son  of  John  and  Olive  (Jackson)  Clark,  was  born  in  Oswego,  N. 
Y.,  October  1.  1833.  He  is  descended  from  Col.  Giles  Jackson,  of  the  Continental 
army,  and  whose  regiment  was  at  the  surrender  of  General  Biirgoyne  at  Saratoga.  Mr. 
Clark  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oswego,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Northwestern  Insurance  Company  of  that  city  as  office 
boy.  He  remained  with  this  company  thirteen  years,  gradually  rismg  in  the  scale  of 
promotion  until  he  was  elected  secretary.  In  1865  he  went  to  New  York  city,  and 
later  accepted  the  position  of  manager  of  the  marine  department  of  the  Home  Insur- 
ance Co.  of  New  York  city,  and  remained  there  until  1868,  when  he  removed  to  De- 
troit. Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he  was  appointed  secretary  and  manager 
of  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Co.,  which  had  been  organized  two  years 
previous.  Mr.  Clark  has  nearly  completed  thirty  years'  continuous  service  with  this 
company,  and  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  and  strict  integrity  has  con- 
tributed to  the  eminent  success  of  the  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity;  Fellowcraft  and  Detroit  Clubs,  and  a  director  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank. 

Clippert,  George  H.,  son  of  Conrad  and  Fredericka  (Pfeifle)  Clippert.  was  born  at 
Springwells,  Mich.,  March  14,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the  St.  John's  German 
School,  and  the  late  Philo  M.  Patterson's  private  school  at  Detroit.  He  then  took  a 
business  course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton's  College,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered 
the  employ  of  Frederick  Born  man  (grocer),  where  he  remained  about  one  year.  He 
then  entered  the  service  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Companjj  as  a  fireman  ; 
three  years  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer  and  remained  in  that 
capacity  until  1883,  when  he  became  assistant  in  the  office  of  his  father,  who  had 
been  elected  sheriff  of  Wayne  county  in  1880  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In  1884  his 
father  resumed  his  business  as  manufacturer  of  brick,  and  George  H.  then  entered 
the  office  and  learned  the  business.  Upon  his  father's  retiring  several  years  later, 
George  and  his  brother  Charles  succeeded  to  the  business  and  have  since  carried  it 
on  with  well  merited  success.  Their  daily  output  of  building  brick  is  about  64,000 
and  their  trade  extends  over  the  entire  State  of  Michigan.  Their  kilns  are  located 
at  Springwells  in  Wayne  county.  Mr.  Clippert  is  vice-president  of  the  Builders'  and 
Traders'  Exchange  of  Detroit,  is  secretary  of  the  Exposition  Brewing  Company,  and 
is  otherwise  prominently  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  In  1892  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Springwells,  his  term  of  office  ex- 
piring in  1899.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan,  Alger  and  Detroit  Yacht  Clubs, 
and  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Mr.  Clippert  was  married  in  1886 
to  Flora  A.  Lyon  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  children:  Edna  H.,  Phillis  F.  and 
Harrison  F. 

Codd,  George  P.,  a  member  of  the  well  known  law  firm  of  Warner,  Codd  & 
Warner,  was  born  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  December  7,  1869,  a  son  of  George  C.  Codd,  a 
prosperous  real  estate  dealer  and  former  sheriff  of  Wayne  county.  George  P.  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  High  School  of  Detroit  and  was  graduated  from  the 
latter  in  1887;  in  the  fall  of  1887  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  receiving 
from  that  institution  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1891.  He  then  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
Alfred  Russell  where  he  remained  until  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892;  in  that  year  he 
entered  the  offices  of  Griffin  &  Warner,  where  he  remained  until  1893,  and  was  then 
appointed  assistant  city  attorney,  filling  that  office  until  January,  1896.     He  then  be- 

24 


came  a  member  of  the  present  firm  of  Warner.  Codd  &  Warner,  of  which  the  senior 
member  is  Carlos  E.  Warner.  In  1894  Mr.  Codd  married  Kathleen,  daughter  of 
Carlos  E.  Warner,  and  they  have  two  children:  John  W.  and  George  C,  jr.  Mr. 
Codd  is  a  member  of  the  Omicron  Chapter  of  the  D.  K.  E.  fraternity  and  of  the  De- 
troit Athletic  Club. 

Collins,  Lucius  H.,  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Palmerlee)  Collins,  was  born  at 
Romeo,  Mich.,  July  17,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  High 
School  of  Romeo,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1873.  He  then  entered  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  after  one  year  of  study  en- 
tered the  law  offices  of  Ashley  Pond  at  Detroit,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Octo- 
ber, 1876.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit, 
Mich.  In  1884  Mr.  Collins  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  for  a  term  of  two  years, 
but  has  held  no  pnblic  office  since  his  retirement  from  that  body.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  numerous  conventions.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  being  descended  from  several  ancestors  who  participated  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary drama.     January  28,  1886,  Mr.  Collins  married  Helen  L.  Johnson  of  Detroit. 

Collins,  Alvah  N.,  M.  D  ,  son  of  Lyman  and  Sallie  (Cotton)  Collins,  was  born  near 
Sackett's  Harbor,  town  of  Lyme,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  January  5,  1861.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  in  the  public  school  of  his  native  town  and  in  the  High 
School  at  Elburn,  111.,  from  which  institution  he  went  to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  at- 
tended the  High  School  in  that  town.  He  entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  and  was  graduated  therefrom  m  1885,  being  historian  of  his 
class.  In  January,  1886,  he  took  post  graduate  work  at  the  New  York  Polyclinic 
School  of  Medicine,  and  shortly  afterwards  through  competitive  examination  ob- 
tained the  appointment  of  house  surgeon  of  the  Work  House  and  Alms  House  Hos- 
pitals on  Blackwell's  Island,  New  York  city.  After  one  year  in  that  position  he  was 
appointed  ambulance  surgeon  to  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York,  and  served  in  that 
capacity  until  the  autumn  of  1888,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  became  assistant 
surgeon  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  and  assistant  to  Doctor  Donald  Maclean, 
then  professor  of  surgery  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan. 
In  1889  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own  and  has  practiced  continuously  with  marked 
success.  Dr.  Collins  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State,  American,  Wayne  County 
Medical  and  Library  Associations,  and  Gyncecological  Medical  Societies,  and  is 
prominent  in  society  and  the  clubs.  He  was  for  several  years  division  surgeon  of 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company  until  the  office  was  abolished.  In  1893  he 
married  Emily  D.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Dwight  Delavan  Stebbins  of  Detroit,  who  was  a 
son  of  "  ojd"  Dr.  Nehemiah  Stebbins  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Russell  S. , 
and  Howard  N. 

Collins,  Charles  P.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Hosie)  Collins,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
December  25,  1848,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since  his  birth.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  until  1861,  and  then  applied  himself  to  ordinary  pursuits  of  life  until  1865, 
when  he  shipped  on  the  old  steamer  Huron,  which  plied  between  Saginaw,  Mich., 
and  Goodrich,  Ont.  At  the  close  of  navigation  in  the  fall  of  1865  he  went  to  Chicago 
and  secured  temporary  employment  in  a  hotel.     In  the  spring  of  1866  he  shipped  be- 

25 


fore  the  mast  on  a  schooner  sailing  between  the  ports  of  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  but 
made  but  two  trips.  Returning  to  Detroit  in  1867  he  apprenticed  himself  to  Hoffner 
&:  Mayes,  sail  makers,  riggers  and  ship  chandlers.  Following  four  years'  connection 
with  that  concern  he  abandoned  the  vocation  and  was  engaged  as  traveling  salesman 
for  Kruger,  Zech  &  Co.,  cigar  manufacturers.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  two 
years'  service  for  this  concern  Mr.  Collins  purchased  an  interest,  the  company  assum- 
ing the  name  of  Hoffner  &  Collins-  continuing  in  partnership  until  1876  Mr.  Collins 
sold  his  interest  and  established  a  cigar  factory  of  his  own,  and  has  personally  con- 
ducted this  business  ever  since.  His  active  participation  in  Republican  political 
affairs  was  recognized  in  1887  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  which  elected 
him  auditor  of  Wayne  county  for  a  term  of  three  years ;  in  1890  he  was  nommated  for 
sheriff  and  was  defeated  at  election  by  300  votes.  In  1893  he  was  again  nominated 
and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  3,436;  his  term  of  two  years  was  rewarded  by  a  re- 
nomination  at  the  hands  of  the  Republican  convention,  and  re-election  at  the  hands 
of  the  people  by  9,000  majority.  Near  the  close  of  his  second  term  he  became  largely- 
interested  in  promoting  the  Detroit  Telephone  Company,  serving  as  director.  Mr. 
CoUins's  second  administration  closed  his  official  career,  and  his  entire  time  has  been 
devoted  to  the  details  of  his  cigar  industry  and  the  Detroit  Telephone  Company.  He 
is  a  member  of  all  the  Masonic  bodies;  Knights  of  Pythias;  A.  O.  U.  W.  ;  Royal  Ar- 
canum, and  a  honorary  member  of  the  Scott  Guard.  December  13,  1878,  'he  married 
Ida  L,  Cotton,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:     Charles  Percy  and  Irene  B. 

Conger,  Norman  B.,  local  forecast  official  and  marine  agent,  and  in  charge  of  the 
United  States  weather  bureau  at  Detroit,  is  a  son  of  Major  Seymour  B.  and  Mary  A. 
(Barker)  Conger,  born  September  7,  1859,  in  Troy  township,  Richland  county,  Ohio. 
His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools.  Beginning  a  youth  Mr.  Con 
ger  spent  thirteen  j^ears  in  the  signal  corps  of  the  United  States  army.  Following  a 
brief  career  in  newspaper  work  Mr.  Conger  came  to  Detroit  in  1879  and  went  into 
service  at  the  weather  bureau  office,  and  was  called  several  times  to  Washington,  D. 
C.  In  1896  Mr.  Conger's  service  and  experience  were  required  as  manager  of  the 
weather  bureau  and  marine  agent.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Sovereign  Con- 
sistory of  Scottish  Rite,  and  of  the  Chapter  and  Council.  At  Columbus,  Ohio,  in 
1885,  he  married  EUza  R.  Lotspeich,  and  they  have  three  children :  Bruce  Prosper, 
Leslie  Norman  and  Dorothy  Kitty. 

Cooper,  Rev.  David  M.,  son  of  David  and  Lovicy  (Mack)  Cooper,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  April  18,  1837.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Detroit  and  after  graduating  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1848  he  spent  the 
year  1849  in  the  theological  department  of  Princeton  College,  followed  by  a  special 
course  of  reading  under  the  direction  of  the  Detroit  Presbytery  with  the  late  Rev. 
George  Duffield,  D.  D.,  as  special  instructor.  Rev.  Mr.  Cooper's  first  pastoral  charge 
was  at  Saginaw  City  in  1851,  where  he  remained  until  1859,  going  from  there  to 
Grand  Haven  and  in  1864  to  Albion.  He  returned  to  the  city  of  his  birth  in  1876  and 
organized  and  built  the  Memorial  Presbyterian  church  situated  at  the  corner  of  Cam- 
pau  and  Clinton  avenues,  at  a  cost  to  himself  of  between  !]!35,000  and  $30,000,  the 
balance  necessary  to  completion,  viz.,  $6,000,  being  provided  for  by  parties  interested 
in  the  enterprise.  To  this  church  he  gave  his  service  gratuitously  for  fifteen  years. 
In  1896  he  resigned  the  pastorate  and  was  chosen  as  pastor  emeritus,  which  relation 

2G 


he  continues  to  sustain.  In  1851  he  married  Arabella  M. ,  daughter  of  Dr.  Baldwin 
of  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  who  died  November  5,  1881.  In  1884  he  married  Caroline  E. , 
daughter  of  William  H.  Skinner  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and  he  has  a  family  of  three 
children,  two  daughters  by  his  first  wife.  Mattie  A.,  wife  of  Walter  E.  Winckler  and 
Mary  L.,  wife  of  the  late  Charles  A.  Babcock,  M.  D.,  and  a  son,  William  S.,  by  his 
second  wife. 

Corey,  Newton  J.,  son  of  John  and  Juliette  (Meacham)  Corey,  was  born  m  Hills- 
dale, Mich.,  January  31,  1861.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place  and  entered  Hillsdale  College  in  1874,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1880  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  removed 
to  Boston,  Mass.,  for  advanced  musical  instruction.  There  his  piano  studies  were 
conducted  under  J.  C.  D.  Parker  and  B.  J.  Lang  and  those  of  organ  and  theory  with 
S.  B.  Whitney,  G.  W.  Chadwick  and  W.  F.  Apthorp.  In  1882  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  organist  at  the  Unitarian  church  of  Woburn,  a  Boston  suburb,  where 
he  remained  until  1885,  when  he  was  engaged  as  organist  at  Reuen  Thomas's  church 
in  Brookline.  In  1886  he  resigned  this  appointment  to  accept  a  similar  one  with  Dr. 
McKenzie's  church  at  Harvard  College.  Cambridge.  He  was  still  in  this  position 
when  he  received  a  call  from  the  Fort  Street  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1891,  where  he  has  since  remained.  Mr.  Corey  has  been  appointed  to  many 
positions  of  honor  in  his  profession,  all  of  which  he  has  filled  with  much  ability. 
On  the  organization  in  1896  of  the  Detroit  Oratorio  Society  he  was  appointed  con- 
ductor and  was  retained  when  the  society  was  reorganized  as  the  St.  Cecelia.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Amei'ican  Guild  of  Organists. 

Courtis,  William  M.,  son  of  William  and  Mehitable  (Appleton)  Courtis,  was  born 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  January  7,  1842.  For  three  years  he  attended  school  in  England, 
then  entered  Dummer  Academy  at  Newburyport,  Mass.  He  was  fitted  for  college 
at  the  Phillips  (Andover)  Academy,  was  graduated  from  Harvard  College  at  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  in  the  class  of  1864,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  entered  the 
Lawrence  Scientific  School,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of  civil  engineermg  till 
August,  1865,  at  which  time  he  sailed  for  Europe  and  resided  in  Freiberg,  Saxony, 
as  a  member  of  the  Royal  School  of  Mines  until  May,  1888.  He  then  spent  the 
summer  in  traveling  through  various  parts  of  Europe  and  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  September,  1868.  From  February  to  August,  1869,  he  was  chief  engineer 
on  the  State  Geological  Survey  of  San  Domingo  and  from  April,  1870,  to  April,  1871, 
he  was  assistant  manager  of  the  Van  Buren  Iron  Furnace  in  Shenandoah  county,  Va. 
In  May,  1871,  Mr.  Courtis  was  made  assistant  supermtendent  of  the  Wyandotte  Sil- 
ver Works  in  Wyandotte,  Mich.,  and  remained  as  such  until  April,  1872,  when  he 
became  superintendent.  He  held  that  position  until  January,  1875,  and  after  giving 
a  course  of  lectures  on  metallurgy  at  Harvard  College  went  in  May  as  general  man- 
ager of  the  Duncan  Silver  Mine  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  being  appointed 
to  the  latter  position  in  1875  and  held  it  until  1878.  From  1878  to  1879  he  had  charge 
of  a  complete  geological  and  mine  survey  of  the  celebrated  Silver  Islet  Mine  on  Lake 
Superior  for  his  old  company.  From  1879  to  1881  he  was  reporting,  or  temporary 
consulting  metallurgist  to  various  mining  companies,  building  the  Gage-Hagemann 
smelter  at  Leadville,  Col.,  and  the  Iowa  Smelting  furnace  in  Gunnison  county,  Colo- 
rado, in  1879  for  the  same  parties.     In  1879  he  went  for  the  same  co.npany  to  test 

27 


coal  discovered  at  Crested  Butte,  Col.,  making  the  first  coke  produced  from  these 
mines.  He  spent  some  time  in  reporting  on  properties  in  Colorado  and  New  Mexico 
and  in  testing  the  Cosette  Mine  at  Silver  City.  From  early  in  1880  to  August,  1882, 
}ie  was  general  manager  for  the  late  J.  R.  Waller  of  all  his  minmg  interests  in  New 
Mexico  and  Virginia,  at  the  same  time  acting  as  consultmg  engineer  for  oiher  com- 
panies. In  September,  1882,  he  reported  on  some  mines  at  the  Isthmus  of  Panama 
and  later  in  the  same  year  reported  on  the  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1883,  Mr.  Courtis  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  bought  a  home  and  estab- 
lished his  office  as  advising  mining  engineer  and  metallurgist.  He  is  never  in  De- 
troit many  weeks  at  a  time,  for  his  services  are  sought  after  in  every  section  of  the 
country.  In  1883  he  built  for  parties  a  twenty-stamp  silver  mill  in  the  Judith  Basin. 
Montana,  was  in  London,  Eng.,  on  mining  business  during  the  winters  of  1886-87-88, 
and  in  1888  built  a  forty-stamp  gold  mill  and  thoroughly  equipped  a  mining  plant  in 
Rich  Gulch,  California,  which  was  said  to  be  the  most  economical  working  plant  in 
that  belt.  Mr.  Courtis  is  at  present  and  has  been  for  some  years  general  manager 
of  other  properties  in  which  he  is  personally  interested.  He  invented  and  had  pat- 
ented in  1876  the  "  hydraulic  riffle,"  a  device  for  saving  quicksilver,  gold  and  silver 
amalgam  in  the  waste  from  treating  ore,  much  used  now,  but  patent  application  was 
defective.  He  is  also  the  author  of  numerous  articles  on  mining  subjects  which  have 
appeared  in  mining  journals  during  the  past  few  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  of  Detroit,  Fellowcraft,  Engineers'  and 
Church  Clubs  of  Detroit,  of  the  International  Geological  Society  of  the  Michigan 
Academy  of  Science ;  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
and  numerous  engineering  and  archaeological  societies.  April  2,  1873,  he  married 
Lizzie  E.  Folger,  daughter  of  the  late  Andrew  J.  Folger  of  Nantucket,  Mass.,  and 
they  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter:  Stuart  A.,  Walter  F.  (died  suddenly  in  1882), 
Reginald  P.  and  Olga. 

Cullen,  James  H.,  son  of  James  and  Abigail  (McSweeney)  Cullen,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  July  8,  1859.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education  and  studied 
law  in  the  office  of  Griffin  &  Dickinson  (subsequently  Dickinson  &  Thurber),  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1893  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  the 
office  of  his  preceptors,  having  been  chief  clerk  since  1884.  Mr.  Cullen  has  entire 
charge  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  finances  of  and  collections  for  the  firm  and 
ably  discharges  the  arduous  duties  of  his  position.  He  is  extremely  domestic  in  his 
tastes,  and  although  daily  brought  in  contact  with  politics  and  politicians,  he  has 
never  shown  any  desire  for  public  office  or  political  honors.  In  1887  Mr.  Cullen 
married  Harriet  Walters  of  Gro.sse  Pointe,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  sons,  Harry 
W.  and  Don  C. 

Davock,  Hon.  Harlow  P.,  son  of  John  W.  and  Maria  (Brown)  Davock,  was  born  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  March  11,  1848.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Central  High  School  in  1865.  In  the  following  j-ear  he  entered 
the  University  of  Michigan,  taking  both  the  literary  and  civil  engineering  courses, 
and  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1870.  From  1870  to  1875  he  was  engaged  as  en- 
gineer in  the  construction  of  numerous  railroads  throughout  the  country,  and  from 
1875  to  1881  acted  as  assistant  United  States  civil  engineer  in  the  construction  of  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  Canal  in  Michigan.     During  the  years  of  1881  and  1882  he  was  civil 


engineer  in  the  construction  of  the  Cascade  locks  on  the  Columbia  River  in  Oregon. 
During  his  service  on  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  Canal  Mr.  Davock  had  diligently  pursued 
the  study  of  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  State  of  Michigan  in  1878  and  in 
1883  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  and 
successfully.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  and  Local  Bar  A.ssociations  and 
has  taken  a  place  m  the  foremost  ranks  of  his  profession.  In  the  autumn  of  1892 
Mr.  Davock  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Detroit  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and 
in  1895  was  appointed  as  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health  and  reappointed 
to  that  position  in  1896,  his  present  term  expiring  in  1900  Immediately  after  his 
first  appomtment  he  was  made  president  of  that  body.  Mr.  Davock  is  the  owner  of 
real  estate  and  has  financial  interests  in  various  concerns  intended  to  promote  the 
development  and  prosperity  of  the  citj'  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church  and  has  the  unqualified  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  January  4,  1883.  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Whiting  Peabody  of  St. 
Clair,  Mich.,  daughter  of  the  late  Col.  Henry  Whiting,  and  they  have  had  three 
children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Clarence  W.  and  Harlow  N.,  aged  fourteen  and 
twelve  respectively. 

De  Forest,  Rev.  Heman  Packard,  was  born  in  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton), 
Mass.,  August  20,  1839.  After  a  course  in  the  common  schools  of  what  was  then  a 
country  town,  he  prepared  for  college  at  the  North  Bridgewater  Academy,  and 
graduated  from  Yale  in  1862.  He  pursued  a  theological  course  at  the  same  univer- 
sity, and  m  January,  1867,  was  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Oldtown 
Congregational  church  in  Attleboro',  Mass.  In  June,  1865,  he  married  Miss  Harriet 
F.  Stacy,  of  Concord,  Mass.  In  1869  he  was  called  to  the  Lincoln  Park  church  of 
Chicago.  Two  years  later  he  returned  to  Massachusetts,  and  in  August,  1869,  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  Evangelical  church  in  Westboro',  Mass.  Here  he  remained 
till  1880,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Trinitarian  church  of  Taunton,  Mass.  In  May, 
1889,  he  removed  to  Detroit,  and  took  charge  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  he  is  still  pastor.  He  is  the  author  of  a  History  of  the  Town 
of  Westboro',  Mass.,  from  the  beginning  to  1860,  and  of  a  number  of  published  ser- 
mons and  other  brief  writmgs.  In  1893  Olivet  College  conferred  on  him  the  degree 
of  S.  T.  D.  In  1897  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Mich- 
igan Home  Missionary  Society,  and  moderator  of  the  Michigan  Congregational 
Association. 

De  Gaw,  Frederick  E. ,  justice  of  the  peace,  a  son  of  Albert  and  Margaret  J.  (Barber) 
De  Gaw,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  14,  1871.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  until  1885  or  thereabouts,  and  immediately  on  leaving  school  entered  the 
Business  University  of  Detroit,  completing  a  thorough  course  in  1887.  After  select- 
ing his  vocation  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Haug  &  Yerkes,  attorneys,  and  studied 
in  that  office  four  years,  March  4,  1893,  Mr.  De  Gaw  took  the  required  legal  ex- 
amination and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  From  1893  to  November  2,  1896,  he  applied 
himself  to  the  practice  of  law,  when  he  was  nominated  and  elected  to  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  B.  Simpson.  Two  years  and  a 
half  remain  to  be  served.  July  1  1897,  Mr.  De  Gaw  married  Annie  Josephine 
O'Connell. 

Delamater,  De  Witt  C,  son  of  John  and  Phoebe  O.  (Buell)  Delamater,  was  born  in 

29 


Buellville,  Onondaga  county,  N.  Y..  January  1,  18-44  He  altendedthe  public  schools 
at  Manlius,  N.  Y. ,  until  ten  j'ears  of  age,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Mich- 
igan, settling  on  a  farm  which  they  purchased  near  Jackson  City,  Jackson  county. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  entered  the  employ  of  Rice,  Pratt  &  Co.,  hardware  mer- 
chants at  Jackson,  and  remained  with  them  as  clerk  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  be- 
came connected  with  C.  B.  James  &  Co.,  wholesale  hardware  dealers  of  Detroit,  as 
a  traveling  salesman,  and  when  the  business  passed  into  the  hands  of  Buhl,  Du- 
charme  &  Co.  he  continued  with  the  latter  firm  in  the  same  capacity  until  1890.  The 
firm  of  Freeman,  Delamater&  Co..  wholesale  dealers  in  hardware,  cutlery,  iron  and 
steel,  was  then  organized,  Mr.  Delamater  being  chosen  as  its  secretary  and  treasurer 
and  still  retains  that  position.  He  is  also  secretary  of  the  Buhl  Stamping  Co.  of  De- 
troit, and  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Savings  Bank.  Mr.  Delamater  several  years  ago 
purchased  of  his  father  the  homestead  farm  near  Jackson,  which  he  maintains  as  a 
resort  when  in  need  of  rest  or  recreation.  He  was  married  on  January  1,  1866,  to 
Kate  Hewitt,  of  Jackson  county,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  child.  Belle,  now  the  wife 
of  D.  C.  Kay,  of  Detroit. 

Denissen,  Rev.  Christian,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Marie  Cornelia  (Konings)  Denissen, 
was  born  in  the  community  of  Rozendaal,  Nord-Braband,  Holland,  April  27,  1847. 
He  received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  and  en- 
tered the  college  of  Oudenbosch  in  1857,  completing  his  course  in  modern  languages 
in  1861  and  the  classical  course  in  1867.  He  then  entered  the  Philosophical  and 
Theological  Seminary  at  Hoeven,  and  was  ordained  to  the  minor  orders  in  1870,  and 
to  the  priesthood  in  1873,  by  Bishop  Van  Genk,  of  the  diocese  of  Breda.  Shortly 
after  his  ordination  he  was  transferred  to  the  diocese  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  assigned 
as  assistant  at  Anchorville,  Mich.,  and  later  on  at  Holy  Trinity  parish,  Detroit.  In 
1872  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Denis  church,  Lexington,  remaining  until  1889, 
when  he  was  called  upon  to  organize  the  parish  of  St.  Charles,  Detroit,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  Rev.  Mr.  Denissen  has  labored  hard  and  under  many  difficulties  in 
his  present  charge,  his  congregation  being  the  most  cosmopolitan  in  the  city,  con- 
sisting of  French,  Belgian,  German,  Polish  and  English  speaking  people.  He  has 
devoted  much  time  and  energy  to  tracing  the  genealogy  of  all  the  French  families  of 
Detroit  and  vicinity;  the  most  notable  of  which  is  that  of  the  Navarre  family,  of 
which  he  published  a  book  in  1897.  He  also  published  some  pamphlets  on  other 
families  and  local  history.  The  most  noteworthy  incident  in  the  career  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Denissen  was  the  recent  ecclesiastical  suit  over  the  "  Church  Farm"  property.  The 
suit  was  heard  in  the  highest  court  at  Rome,  and  decision  rendered  in  favor  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Denissen,  by  which  the  district  of  the  northeast  coast  of  Detroit  recovered  from 
the  diocese  of  Detroit  property  valued  at  §370,000. 

Devendorf,  Charles  A.,  M.  D.,  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Charles  Devendorf,  of  Amster- 
dam, N.  Y.,  was  born  in  the  latter  city,  May  15,  1839.  He  attended  the  public 
-schools  of  his  native  town  and  later  entered  Williams  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1859  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  ;  in  1863  he  had  conferred  upon  him  by 
that  college  the  degree  of  A.  M.  After  graduating  from  Williams  College  he  en- 
tered the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Medical  College,  but  did  not  complete  his  course,  as  in 
September,  1861,  he  became  a  medical  cadet.  United  States  army,  and  was  stationed 
at  Fortress  Monroe,  Va.,  until  1862,  when  he  was  made  assistant  surgeon  of  the  38th 

30 


N.  Y.  Regiment  of  Infantry  and  afterward  appointed  assistant  surgeon  of  the  48th 
N.  Y.  Regiment,  and  in  1864  surgeon  of  the  same  regiment.  After  being  mustered 
out  of  service  in  September,  1865,  he  completed  his  course  of  medicine  in  Belltvue 
College,  at  New  York  city,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1866.  From  1867  to  1879, 
he  practiced  his  profession  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1880  removed  to  Detroit, 
where  he  has.  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  In  1883  Dr.  Devendorf  was 
made  professor  of  physiology  in  the  Michigan  Medical  College,  and  later  filled  the 
chair  of  professor  of  obstetrics  and  has  held  that  position  ever  since,  being  reap- 
pointed upon  the  consolidation  of  the  Detroit  and  Michigan  Medical  Colleges,  as  the 
Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  For  several  years  he  was  visiting  jDhysician  to  the 
Harper  Hospital  and  is  at  present  consulting  physician  to  that  institution.  He  is 
also  chief  of  staff  of  the  Children's  Free  Hospital,  and  has  been  since  its  organiza- 
tion in  1887.  Dr.  Devendorf  is  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine, 
the  Michigan  State  and  Detroit  Medical  Associations,  the  Detroit  Gynaecological 
Society  and  of  The  Association  of  Life  Insurance  Medical  Directors.  In  1892  he 
was  made  assistant  medical  director  of  the'Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany and  in  1895  was  made  medical  director  of  that  company.  Dr.  Devendorf  was 
married,  in  1867,  to  Elizabeth  C.  Osborn  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Frederick  S  ,  Elizabeth  V.  R.  and  Ella  W. 

Dickinson,  Capt.  Julian  G.,  was  born  at  Hamburg,  N.  Y.,  November  20,  1843. 
While  yet  a  boy  his  parents  removed  to  Michigan,  settling  at  Jonesville  where  they 
remained  until  1857,  and  then  removed  to  Jackson  in  the  same  State.  Julian  G.  at- 
tended the  union  schools  of  Jonesville  and  Jackson  and  in  1862,  when  the  additional 
call  was  made  for  troops  for  the  war,  he  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  the  4th  Mich.  Cav- 
alry and  joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  in  September  of  that  year.  He  was 
made  one  of  the  secretaries  in  the  adjutant's  office;  later  promoted  to  sergeant  and 
subsequently  to  sergeant-major  and  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant  of  his  regiment. 
He  took  part  in  eighty  battles  and  marched  over  10,000  miles  of  territory  during  his 
term  of  service  from  July,  1862,  to  August,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out,  being 
brevetted  captain,  United  States  volunteer  cavalry,  by  President  Andrew  Johnson, 
and  commissioned  captain  by  Governor  Crapo.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  spent  one 
year  in  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, , but  completed  his  legal 
studies  for  admission  to  the  bar  in  the  offices  of  Moore  &  Griffin  at  Detroit,  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866  on  examination  before  the  judges  of  the  Michigan 
Supreme  Court.  In  1868  he  formed  a  partnership  with  H.  E.  Burt  and  in  1889  with 
Don  M.  Dickinson,  under  the  firm  of  Dickinson  &  Dickinson,  which  dissolved  in  1873 ; 
Mr.  Dickinson  has  been  constantly  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1883  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  June  25,  1878,  he 
married  Clara  M.,  daughter  of  H.  R.  Johnson  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  six  children. 

Dixon,  Sidney  B.,  son  of  Richard  Dixon,  was  born  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  May  19,  1841. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  town  until  1852,  in  which  year  he  migrated 
with  his  parents  to  Michigan,  settling  in  Detroit.  In  that  city  he  again  attended  the 
public  schools  and  after  leaving  school  entered  business  with  his  father  and  remained 
until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  24th  Mich.  Infantry  as  a  musician.  In  1865,  when 
mustered  out  of  service,  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  for  two  years  was  assistant  man- 
ager of  Capt.   William  A.   Owen's  meat  stores;  in  1868  he  entered  the  emplov  of 

31 


George  H.  Hammond  in  the  same  line  of  business  and  later  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  vice-president,  the  Hammond-Standish  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Dixon  is  a  member  of  numerous  clubs,  Masonic  and  other  organizations. 
In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  In  1861  he  married  Catherine  E.  Langley  of 
Detroit,  and  they  have  four  children. 

Douglas,  Charles,  M.  D.,  son  of  Peter  and  Rose  A.  (Bowles)  Douglas,  was  born  at 
Streetsville,  Ont.,  Canada,  May  5,  1843.  After  attending  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Streetsville  and  Toronto,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  Toronto  Univer- 
sity and  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1864.  For  one  year  Dr.  Douglas  acted  as  house 
surgeon  to  the  Toronto  General  Hospital  and  in  1865  entered  upon  an  active  and 
successful  professional  career.  For  two  j-ears  he  was  located  at  Oil  Springs  (near 
Sarina)  Canada,  and  during  the  ensuing  nine  years  (from  1867  to  1876)  he  practiced 
at  Streetsville.  In  1876  Dr.  Douglas  located  permanently  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Detroit,  Mich.,  making  the  diseases  of  children  a  specialty,  in  which 
branch  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  Since  1880  he  has  held  the  chair  of  pro- 
fessor of  diseases  of  children  in  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine,  and  also  in  its 
successor,  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  He  was  for  a  number  of  j'ears  a  member 
of  the  medical  staff  of  Harper  Hospital  and  is  at  present  consulting  physician  to  that 
instituticm,  and  senior  physician  to  the  Protestant  Orphan  Asylum.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association,  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  Detroit  Med- 
ical and  Library  Association,  and  of  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  at 
Detroit.  In  1864  Dr.  Douglas  married  Mary  A.  Busby  of  London,  Ont.,  and  they 
have  four  children:  Maud  M.,  Olive  M.,  Kathleen  J.,  and  Florence  G. 

Douglas,  Samuel  Townsend,  a  member  of  the  well-known  law  firm  of  Bowen, 
Douglas  &  Whiting,  and  one  of  the  thoroughly  representative  members  of  the  legal 
fraternity  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Ann  Arbor  Mich  ,  August  2,  1853,  a  son  of  Silas  H. 
and  Helen  (Wells)  Douglas.  He  received  his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place;  in  1869  entered  the  L^niversity  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1873.  He  then  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  chemistry  and  medicine, 
upon  the  conclusion  of  which  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Douglas  &  Bowen,  of  which 
Judge  S.  T.  Douglas,  his  uncle,  was  the  senior  member.  Here  he  began  the  study 
of  his  future  profession,  in  the  practice  of  which  he  has  been  eminently  successful. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879,  and  later  associating  himself  with  his  uncle  and 
Mr.  Bowen,  formed  the  firm  of  Douglas,  Bowen  &  Douglas;  this  copartnership  con- 
tinued until  the  retirement  of  the  elder  Douglas  in  1884.  Subsequently  upon  the  ad- 
mission of  Mr.  Frederick  Whiting  as  partner,  the  style  of  the  firm  became  Bowen, 
Douglas  &  Whiting,  continuing  thus  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Douglas  is  indefatiga- 
ble in  the  pursuit  of  his  profession,  is  a  thorough  student,  extremely  methodical  and 
systematic  in  all  that  he  undertakes,  and  most  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  accomplish  it. 
He  is  possessed  of  a  keen  analytical  mind,  and  his  professional  brethren  have  come 
to  regard  him  as  not  only  a  careful  reasoner,  but  deeply  learned  in  the  principles  of 
law.  Mr.  Douglas  was  the  first  to  suggest  the  organization  of  the  Detroit  Club. 
He  drew  up  the  first  articles  of  association,  and  from  its  beginning  until  1894  was 
a  member  of  its  board  of  directors.  In  1891  he  married  Marion  Dwight,  daughter  of 
David  F.  Dwight,  and  they  have  two  children:    David  D.  and  Marion. 

32 


Dresskell,  Frederick  S.,  son  of  Dr.  Dennis  and  Mary  (Smith)  Dresskell,  was  born 
in  Wooster,  Ohio,  September  5  1861.  At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Saranac,  Mich.,  and  attended  the  pubHc  schools  of  that  place  until  1879,  when  he 
entered  Wooster  University  at  Wooster,  Ohio.  On  the  completion  of  his  education 
Mr.  Dresskell  secured  the  position  of  city  salesman  with  the  Cleveland  Paper  Co.  at 
Cleveland  Ohio,  remaining  with  them  until  1886,  when  he  was  engaged  as  manager 
of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Sheffield  Manufacturing  Co.  of  Saugerties,  N.  Y.  In 
1890  Mr.  Dresskell  accepted  the  management  of  the  western  office  of  the  Chatfield  & 
Woods  Co.  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  headquarters  in  Detroit,  and  was  retained  in 
that  position  until  November  1,  1894,  when  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself.  He 
associated  himself  with  Mr.  George  F.  Kenny,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dresskell  & 
Kenny,  wholesale  dealers  in  paper,  and  by  close  application  and  straightforward 
methods  they  have  established  a  large  and  prosperous  business.  Mr.  Dresskell  is  a 
member  of  the  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  Mansfield  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  Moslem  Temple,  Mj'Stic  Shrine;  Detroit  Club,  and  Grand  Pointe  Club. 

Duffield,  George,  M.  D.,  son  of  the  late  D.  Bethune  and  Mary  (Buell)  Duffield,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  28,  1859.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eration from  George  Duffield,  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  founder  of  the  Duffield  family 
in  America,  who  died  in  1774  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years ;  and  a  great-great- 
grandson  of  the  Rev.  George  Duffield,  D.  D.,  who  held  high  rank  m  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  both  as  a  literary  man  and  theologian,  and  who  was 
joint  chaplain  with  Bishop  White  in  the  first  Continental  Congress  and  chaplain  with 
with  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  army.'  Dr.  George  Duffield  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  Detroit  public  schools  and  under  private  tutors  and  was  graduated  M. 
D.  from  the  Detroit  Medical'  College  in  1882.  The  ensuing  two  years  he  spent 
abroad,  taking  special  courses  in  medicine  in  Vienna,  Berlin  and  Heidelberg.  Since 
his  return  to  America  and  to  Detroit  in  1884,  he  has  practiced  his  profession  con- 
tinuously and  successfully  in  that  city.  In  1893  he  became  associated  with  Dr.  Henry 
A.  Cleland.  Dr.  Duffield  is  professor  of  clinical  medicine  in  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine;  attending  physician  to  Harper  Hospital  at  Detroit;  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association,  and  Detroit 
Academy  of  Medicine.  He  is  the  possessor  of  a  large  and  well  assorted  library  which 
is  a  constant  source  of  pleasure  to  him  during  his  leisure  moments.  October  2,  1888, 
Dr.  Duffield  married  the  second  daughter  of  Dr.  Henry  Cowie  of  Detroit. 

Durfee,  Irving  W. ,  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Josephine  (Wyckoff)  Durfee,  was  born 
in  Plymouth,  Mich..  November  20,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Plymouth  and  Ann  Arbor,  entering  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1888,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1893;  he  was  graduated  from  the  law  school  in  1894.  From 
December,'  1890,  to  the  following  June  he  served  the  Federal  government  on  the 
Missouri  River  Commission,  returning  to  college  in  the  fall  of  1891.  Subsequent  to 
the  completion  of  his  education  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  office  of  S.  S. 
Babcock,  attorney,  with  whom  he  remained  one  year,  when  he  established  his  pres- 
ent practice.  In  1897  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Elmer  L.  Allor,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Durfee  &  Allor.      In   November  of  that  year  they   admitted  George  A. 

1  For  further  genealogy  see  family  history  and  chart  now  in  possession  of  the  subject  of  the 
sketch. 

33 


Marston,  son  of  ex-Judge  Isaac  Marston  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  and  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  Durfee,  AUor  &  Marston.  Mr.  Durfee  is  a  member  of  the 
Fellowcraft  and  Detroit  Boat  Clubs,  also  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Militia.  September 
1,  1897,  he  married  Jenny  L.  Walker,  daughter  of  George  L.  Walker,  of  Flint,  Mich. 

Dust,  William  T.,  son  of  Frederick  C.  and  Johanna  (Mass)  Dust,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Wolde,  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  July,  25,  1853.  When  he  was 
four  years  of  age  his  parents  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  at  Detroit,  Mich.  ^ 
which  city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
the  German -American  (private)  Institution  at  Detroit,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
he  entered  upon  an  active  and  successful  business  career.  From  1868  to  1886  he 
served  the  Calvert  Lithographing  Co.  at  Detroit,  first  as  oflfice  boy,  later  as  foreman 
of  their  press  rooms.  For  fourteen  months,  from  the  spring  of  1884  to  the  autumn 
of  1885,  he  was  a  member  of  the  City  Council  and  was  elected  in  the  latter  year  as 
clerk  of  the  city  of  Detroit  for  a  period  of  two  years  from  January  1,  1886,  to  the  cor- 
responding date  in  1888.  In  August  of  1890  Mayor  H.  S.  Pingree  appointed  him  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Assessors,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  six  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1887  Mr.  Dust  estabH.shed  himself  in  the  hardware  business  and  after 
six  years  branched  out  into  his  present  line  as  a  jobber  of  repairs  for  all  stoves,  and 
hot  air  furnace  contractor.  He  is  also  State  agent  (Michigan)  for  the  Fox  Hot  Air 
Furnaces,  and  jobber  of  North  Carolina  mica,  stove  pastes  and  cements.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  ]\Iarshland  Club;  German  Turnverein ;  Concordia  Singing  Society; 
order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  American  Insurance  Union. 
In  1875  Mr.  Dust  married  Mary  W.  Weible  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren: Lotta,  William  R.  and  Olive. 

Dwyer,  John  Martin,  second  son  of  Martin  Dwyer  of  Golden,  Tipperary  county, 
Ireland,  and  Bridget  Mullany,  of  Cahir,  Tipperary  county,  Ireland,  was  born  in 
Bansha,  Tipperary  county,  Ireland,  February  7,  1838.  After  emigrating  with  his 
parents  to  America,  and  residing  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  for  a  few  years,  he  came  to 
Detroit  in  1853,  and  has  since  that  year  continued  to  reside  here.  Mr.  Dwyer's  edu- 
cation was  acquired  at  the  common  schools.  In  1860  he  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  fruit  business,  and  after  his  father's  death  in  1868, 
carried  it  on  for  one  year  alone,  when  he  decided  to  take  in  as  partner  James  H. 
Vhay,  and  the  firm  became  known  as  Dwyer  &  Vhay.  Though  Mr.  Vhay  died  in 
1895  the  name  of  the  firm  remains  unchanged.  Mr.  Dwyer  has  other  interests  which 
claim  his  attention,  but  to  none  is  he  as  devoted  as  he  is  to  the  fruit  trade,  which  he 
feels  that  he  has  been  instrumental  in  raising  to  its  present  high  standard  in  the  City 
of  the  Straits.  Mr.  Dwyer  married,  in  1871,  Miss  Mary  L.  Briody  of  Detroit.  They 
have  five  children:  Marie  Louise,  John  Elon,  Carrie  Lucina.  Edward  J.  and  Leo 
Martin  Bernard.     Mr.  Dwyer  and  fam'ly  attend  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

Ellair,  Alexander  Joseph,  first  vice-president  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  dealer  in 
grains,  seeds  and  commission  merchant,  Nos.  501  and  502  Chamber  of  Commerce. — 
One  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular  men  on  the  floor  of  the  Board  of  Trade  is 
this  gentleman.  He  is  free  from  the  often  found  desire  of  board  men  to  speculate, 
and-  is  thus  adapted  to  operate  in  his  customers'  interests.  No  one  knows  this  better 
than  those  same  customers,  who,  reaching  into  various  States,  place  a  confidence  in 

34 


him  that  would  not  be  placed  in  one  less  watchful  of  their  special  interests.  With 
about  twenty  years'  experience  in  watching  the  markets,  studying  the  crop  reports 
and  statistics,  few  men  have  a  clearer  or  keener  insight  into  speculative  possibilities, 
hence  the  constant  service  demanded  of  him  as  an  officer  of  the  board  and  the  re- 
spect for  financial  judgment  accorded  him  by  his  associate  brokers.  Mr.  EUair  was 
born  at  Grosse  Pointe,  September  2,  1857,  a  son  of  Peter  N.  and  Anna  (Michie)  Ellair. 
Peter  came  from  one  of  the  earliest  French  settlers  and  was  a  real  estate  dealer;  he 
died  February  19,  1886,  and  his  wife  followed  one  year  later.  His  father  was  Cap- 
tain Ellair,  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  married  Florence  Girardin  and  settled 
and  died  on  Grosse  Pointe.  Alexander  J.  was  educated  at  his  native  village  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  joined  his  brother,  Archie  Ellair,  then  a  grain  dealer,  with  whom  he 
remained  as  clerk  and  partner  upwards  of  ten  years,  when  in  company  with  William 
Boomer  he  organized  A.  J.  Ellair  &  Co.  Mr.  Ellair's  constant  operations  on  the 
floor  of  the  board  for  fifteen  years  have  familiarized  him  with  all  the  ins  and  outs  of 
grain  deals;  large  transactions  are  handled  by  him  for  old  customers  on  the  New 
York,  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  markets,  as  well  as  at  home.  June  3,  1896,  he  married 
Mary  St.  Aubin,  daughter  of  Louis  St.  Aubin,  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  city. 
While  Mr.  Ellair  has  kept  aloof  from  active  participation  in  public  duties,  he  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  harmonizes  with  the  leaders  of  his  party.  While  constantly 
in  the  midst  of  excitement  and  tendencies  that  draw  men  into  speculation,  and  hav- 
ing many  friends  among  the  "  plungers,"  he  is  so  well  balanced  that  all  temptation 
of  the  sporty  character  have  had  little  weight  with  him,  but  the  very  contact  has 
only  strengthened  a  naturally  conservative  disposition  and  thus  made  him  fitted  to 
conduct  the  business  he  does. 

Ellis,  Griffith  Ogden,  son  of  Griffith  and  Jane  Hoge  (Woods)  Ellis,  was  born  at 
Urbana,  Ohio,  November  19,  1869.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Urbana  High  School 
in  1888,  and  for  two  years,  1888-90,  attended  the  Urbana  University.  Prior  to  enter- 
ing the  university  he  had  for  six  months  been  city  editor  and  managing  editor  of  the 
Urbana  Evening  Herald.  In  August,  1890,  Mr.  Ellis  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  during  the  following  winter  attended  the  Columbian  University  Law  School  in 
that  city;  in  August,  1890,  he  was  appointed  as  expert  statistician  in  the  agricultural 
division  of  the  United  States  Census  Bureau,  and  retained  that  position  for  one  year. 
He  then  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  continued  the  study  of  law  in  the  offices 
of  Lodge,  Sprague  &  Ashley,  and  in  the  fall  of  1892  entered  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  being  graduated  therefrom  LL.  B.  in  1893.  After  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  ever  since 
made  his  home.  Mr.  Ellis  is  vice-president  of  the  Sprague  Correspondence  School 
of  Law;  vice-president  of  the  Collector  Publishing  Co.  of  Detroit,  and  associate 
editor  of  all  of  the  many  publications  of  that  company,  giving  his  particular  attention 
to  its  magazines,  the  Law  Student's  Helper  and  the  Collector  and  Commercial  Law- 
yer; secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  J.  F.  Eby  Printing  Co.  of  Detroit;  vice-president 
of  the  Sprague  Correspondence  School  of  Journalism ;  member  of  the  Fellowcraft, 
Detroit  Boat  and  Detroit  Riding  Clubs;  and  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  fraternity  of  the 
University  of  Michigan.  He  has  contributed  to  numerous  law  magazines  and  has 
written  several  books  that  have  proved  very  popular  as  helps  to  students  of  the  law. 
In  the  spring  of  1897  Mr.  Ellis  married  Ellen  Winifred,  daughter  of  William  A. 
Scripps,  of  Detroit. 

35 


Elwood,  S.  Dow,  president  of  the  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  is  a  son 
of-Danieland  Hannah  (Bushnell)  Elwood,  and  was  born  in  Otsego  county.  N.  Y., 
December  25,  1824.  He  was  educated  in  the  Oneida  Castle  School,  and  later  became 
a  teacher.  In  1844  he  removed  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  found  employment  as 
a  grocery  clerk,  and  remained  in  that  business  for  about  one  year,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  clerk  in  the  post-office  at  Rochester,  and  one  year  later  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  United  States  railway  mail  agent.  A  change  of  administration  caused 
him  to  be  superseded  in  1849,  and  in  that  year  he  migrated  to  California,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  trading  in  the  mines,  and  he  also  established  an  express  route  between 
San  Francisco  and  the  southern  mines  via  Stockton.  In  February,  1851,  he  returned 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  shortly  afterward  was  married.  Late  in  the  fifties  Mr. 
Elwood  settled  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  successfully  until  1866,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Petrolia,  Can.,  and  opened  a  banking  office,  doing  a  prosperous  business  for  four 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  resumed  his  residence  in  Detroit  and  interested  a 
number  of  moneyed  men  of  Detroit  with  him  in  the  organization  and  incorporation 
of  the  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  the  principal 
manager;  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Weston  he  was  elected  president.  The  only  public 
office  that  Mr.  Elwood  ever  consented  to  hold  was  that  of  alderman,  from  1863  to 
1866,  and  was  most  of  the  time  president  of  that  body.  He  also  served  as  chairman 
of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  for  six  years. 

Emerson,  Justin  E.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Rev.  John  S.  and  Ursula  S.  (Newell)  Emerson, 
was  born  at  Waialua,  Oahu,  Hawaiian  Islands,  August  11,  1841.  He  attended  the 
Oahu  College  near  Honolulu  until  1863,  and  in  1865  was  graduated  from  Williams 
College,  Mass.,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B..  and  in  1868  had  conferred  upon  him  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  David  W.  Miner  at  Ware, 
Mass.,  in  1865,  and  after  one  year  in  Dr.  Miner's  office  entered  the  medical  school  of 
Harvard  University  in  Boston,  Mass.,  where  he  attended  two  courses  of  lectures. 
After  a  third  course  of  lectures  in  Long  Island  College  Hospital  in  Brooklyn,  he  re- 
turned to  Boston  and  was  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1868,  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  Dr.  Emerson  practiced  medicine  at  West  Warren.  Mass  ,  from 
1869  to  1870,  being  appointed  in  the  latter  year  to  the  position  of  assistant  physician 
to  the  Michigan  Insane  Asylum,  which  position  he  held  until  December,  1877.  He 
spent  the  year  1876  in  study  abroad  and  during  the  winter  of  1879-80  took  a  post-grad- 
uate course  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York  city.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1880,  Dr.  Emerson  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  has  ever  since  been  the 
field  of  his  labors.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  was 
its  president  in  1892-93 ;  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association ;  American 
Medico-Psychological  Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical 
and  Library  Association ;  and  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine.  Dr.  Emerson 
has  been  attending  physician  at  St.  Joseph's  Retreat  at  Dearborn,  Mich.,  since  1888; 
neurologist  to  the  Children's  Free  Hospital  in  Detroit  since  1892,  and  to  Harper  Hos 
pital  since  1885;  and  clinical  professor  of  nervous  diseases  in  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine  since  1894.  He  has  contributed  numerous  papers  and  articles  to  medical 
literature.  December  26,  1877,  he  married  Wilimena  H.  Eliot,  A.  B.,  A.  M.  and  M. 
D.,  a  graduate  of  Vassar  College,  and  of  the  Woman's  Medical  College  of  New  York 
Infirmary.     They  have  three  children:  Paul  Eliot,  Filip  Law,  and  Ralf  de  Pomeroy, 

36 


English,  John  G.,  dentist,  son  of  the  late  Rev.  John  D.  and  S.  Adeline  (Miller) 
English,  was  born  at  Middlebiirg,  N.  Y.,  April  17,  1856.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Hartwick  (N.  Y.)  Seminary  and  the  Geneva  (N.  Y.)  Classical  School,  being  graduated 
from  the  latter  institution  in  1874.  For  several  years  following  his  graduation  Mr. 
English  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Seneca  and  Ontario  counties,  N.  Y.,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  dentistry  in  1875  with  Dr.  H.  S.  Miller  (an  uncle)  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
During  the  winter  of  1877-78  he  was  a  student  in  the  Philadelphia  (Pa.)  Dental  Col- 
lege, returning  to  Rochester  in  the  latter  year  and  continuing  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Dr.  Miller  until  1880.  After  practicing  for  a  year  and  a  half  at  Avon  Springs, 
N.  Y.,  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  from  1883  to  1888  was  assistant  to  Dr.  W. 
H.  Kessler,  one  of  Detroit's  leading  dentists.  The  winter  of  1888-89  Dr.  English 
spent  in  Constantinople,  Turkey,  returning  to  Detroit  in  1889,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  continuously  alone  and  with  marked  and  well  deserved  success. 

Farnsworth,  Col.  Frederick  Eugene,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Leander  L.  Farnsworth, 
who  came  to  Detroit  in  1836.  Fred.  E.  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit  December  2, 
1852,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools  of  that  city.  It  1867,  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  was  given  an  mterest  in  the  shoe  business  of  his  father  (a  house  es- 
tablished in  1848),  and  at  this  time  took  active  control,  which  he  retained  until  1883. 
During  this  time  the  concern  was  built  up  from  a  comparatively  small  business  to  the 
largest  retail  shoe  trade  in  Detroit.  Shortly  after  Mr.  Farnsworth  took  hold  of  this 
business  he  went  to  the  eastern  markets,  and  was  considered  the  youngest  shoe  buyer 
who  ever  visited  New  England.  In  1883  he  retired  on  account  of  ill  health ;  in  March 
of  that  year  the  Detroit  Art  Loan  Association  was  organized,  and  Mr.  Farnsworth 
was  elected  general  secretary,  and  devoted  all  his  time  to  this  enterprise  as  its  execu- 
tive officer  until  the  business  was  closed  up.  The  Detroit  Museum  of  Art  was  then 
organized,  and  he  is  one  of  the  forty  corporators  and  was  its  first  secretary,  in  which 
position  he  served  for  two  years,  during  the  preliminary  organization  of  that  institu- 
tion. In  February,  1887,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Michigan  Club,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  five  years,  and  during  this  period  the  club  was  prominent  in  all  mat- 
ters political  appertaining  to  the  city,  State  and  nation.  He  was  again  elected  sec- 
retary of  the  club  June  1,  1895,  holdmg  the  position  until  February  28,  1898,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  his  duties  as  bank  cashier.  Having  been  a  close  personal 
friend  of  Hazen  S.  Pingree,  dating  from  the  time  Mr.  Pingree  started  in  business  in 
1866,  and  having  had  close  business  relations  with  him,  he  was  appointed  to  the  posi- 
tion of  city  assessor  on  July  1,  1891,  and  was  appointed  for  a  second  term,  and  held 
the  office  till  November  4,  1897.  Mr.  Farnsworth  has  been  actively  and  closely 
identified  with  the  public  enterprises  of  the  city  of  Detroit  for  man}-  years;  was  sec- 
retary of  one  of  the  committees  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  Reunion;  secretary  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee ;  National  Editorial  Association 
and  Michigan  Press  Association,  when  these  organizations  met  in  this  city.  He  was 
assistant  treasurer  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Detroit  Fair  and  Exposition  Association  ; 
was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  famous  World's  Peace  Jubilee  held  in  Boston  in  1872, 
and  secretary  of  the  convention  held  in  New  York  city  in  1887  which  organized  the  Na- 
tional League  of  Republican  Clubs.  Mr.  Farnsworth  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  joined  Union  Lodge  of  Strict  Observance  May, 
1878;  a  member  of  Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  Michigan  Sovereign  Con- 

.     37 


sistor}^  and  Mystic  Shrine,  and  has  joined  in  many  of  the  pilgrimages  of  these  bodies 
to  other  States.  He  has  also  been  prominently  identified  with  the  National  Guard 
of  the  city  and  State.  His  early  military  training  was  in  the  "Brother  Jonathan 
Zouaves,"  a  company  of  boys  which  existed  in  1863  and  1864.  He  joined  the  Detroit 
Light  Guard  in  March,  1876,  was  elected  second  lieutenant  January  1,  1878,  and  was 
promoted  to  first  lieutenant.  In  January,  1885,  he  was  appomted  by  Gen.  I.  C.  Smith 
to  be  aide-de-camp  with  rank  of  captain,  First  Brigade  Michigan  State  troops.  This 
position  he  held  until  appointed  a  member  of  the  State  Military  Board,  with  rank  of 
colonel,  in  October,  1887,  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Cyrus  C.  Luce,  and  held  for  nearly 
four  years  this  position,  and  treasurer  of  the  State  Military  Board.  While  an  active 
member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Gugard,  he  was  one  of  the  inaugurators  of  the  gov- 
ernor's levees,  and  has  held  the  position  either  of  secretary  or  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee  in  most  of  those  events,  as  well  as  secretary  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  for  the  most  successful  charity  ball  ever  held  in  this  city.  He 
was  one  of  the  active  members  of  the  Excelsior  Boat  Club  during  the  life  of  that  or- 
ganization. Mr.  Farnsworth  has  traveled  quite  extensively  throughout  the  LTnited 
States  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  Canada  and  the  West  Indies,  and  in  1890  visited 
Great  Britain  and  the  Continent.  He  was  married  on  December  2.  1891,  to  Henri- 
etta B.  Clarkson,  of  Jackson,  Mich.,  and  by  this  union  has  two  sons.  He  is  very 
domestic  in  his  habits,  has  a  comfortable  home  at  No.  70  Frederick  avenue,  and 
being  interested  in  art  matters  and  curios,  has  a  fine  collection  of  these  articles 
picked  up  on  his  various  trips;  being  somewhat  of  a  literary  turn  of  mind,  he  has 
quite  a  complete  library,  his  particular  fad  being  scrap  books,  and  has  upwards  of 
100,000  clippings.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Michigan  Club,.  Grand 
Pointe  Club,  Fellowcraft  Club  and  Harmonie  Society,  also  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  as 
well  as  his  Masonic  affiliations.  At  the  present  time  he  is  cashier  of  the  LTnion  Na- 
tional Bank,  having  been  elected  to  that  position  January  1,  1898,  and  secretary  of 
the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art,  secretary  of  the  National  Guard  Association  of  the 
United  .States,  and  secretary  of  the  Veteran  Corps  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard. 

Farrand,  Jacob  Shaw,  son  of  the  late  Jacob  .Shaw  and  Olive  M.  (Coe)  Farrand, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  11,  1857,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
graduated  from  the  High  School.  In  1876  he  became  associated  with  the  wholesale 
drug  house  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Company,  of  which  his  father  was  senior  mem- 
ber, and  became  a  partner  in  1884,  retaining  that  relation  until  the  spring  of  1890, 
when  the  new  firm  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark  was  established,  in  which  he  be- 
came a  partner.  Aside  from  his  interests  in  this  firm  he  is  treasurer  of  the  Penin- 
sular White  Lead  and  Color  Works;  a  stockholder  in  the  Farrand  &  Votey  Organ 
Company  and  was  a  director  in  the  old  Detroit  Gas  Company.  He  is  a  member  and 
trustee  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  and  has  been  a  regular  attendant  of  that 
church  since  boyhood.  He  is  still  a  bachelor,  pi-ominent  in  both  business  and  social 
circles,  and  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club  and  Sons  of  the  American  Revolulution. 
He  has  been  a  lifelong  Republican. 

Farrand,  William'  Raynolds,  oldest  son  of  Jacob  S.  and  Olive  (Coe)  Farrand,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  9,  1353.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Detroit  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  the  employ  of  the  wholesale  drug  firm 
of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Comj^any,  of  which  his  father  was  the  senior  member.     He 

38 


remained  with  this  firm  several  years,  having  charge  of  the  city  trade  and  sundry 
goods  department  ten  years.  In  1884  he  became  a  stockholder  and  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  Whitney  Organ  Company;  in  1887  the  Farrand  &  Votey  Organ 
Company  was  incorporated,  succeeding  to  the  business  of  the  former,  and  Mr.  Far- 
rand was  elected  to  the  ofhce  of  treasurer,  a  position  he  has  since  filled  with  credit 
both  to  himself  and  the  establishment.  In  1886  the  present  factory  was  built,  cover- 
ing about  three  acres,  at  the  corner  of  Twelfth  street  and  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway, 
giving  employment  to  over  three  hundred  persons.  The  output  of  their  factory  is 
sold  in  all  parts  of  the  world  and  their  products  are  the  best  that  can  be  produced. 
Mr.  Farrand  is  a  Republican  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Estimates 
in  1889  and  re-elected  in  1891.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Pingree  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Public  Lighting  Commission ;  in  1893  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Board  of  Estimates,  and  in  1897  to  the  presidency  of  the  Public  Lighting  Commis- 
sion;  he  is  a  trustee  of  Harper  Hospital,  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club,  Manufac- 
turers' Club  and  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution.  October  4,  1876,  he  married 
Cora  B.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Perkins  Wallace  of  Canton,  O.,  and  sister  of  Hon.  George 
H.  Wallace,  minister  to  Australia  under  President  Harri-son,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Rebekah  Olive.  Mr.  Farrand  has  been  a  lifelong  Presbyterian  and  has 
served  as  an  elder  in  Westminster  Presbyterian  church  since  1884.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  general  assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Piitsburg  in  1895,  and  is 
president  of  the  Wayne  County  Sunday  School  Association. 

Findlater,  James,  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Davidson)  Findlater,  was  born  in  Aber- 
deen, Scotland,  April  12,  1839,  was  educated  in  the  Broad  Street  Academy,  Aber- 
deen, which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  a 
firm  of  lawyers  as  clerk.  In  1857  he  removed  to  America  and  located  in  Detroit, 
entering  the  employ  of  the  commission  and  forwarding  firm  of  Black  &  Young,  foot 
of  Wayne  street.  He  remained  with  this  firm  until  1863,  when  he  accepted  a  situa- 
tion with  J.  T.  Whiting  &  Co.,  owners  of  the  Lake  Superior  line  of  steamers,  where 
he  served  in  the  capacity  of  bookkeeper.  In  1865  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the 
steamer  Meteor  of  that  line  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  the  fall  of  1867, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Andrew  Brunton,  under  the  firm  name  of  Find- 
later  &  Brunton,  and  engaged  in  dealing  in  cut  stone,  with  yards  and  docks  at  the 
foot  of  Brush  street.  In  1870  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Brunton  retaining 
the  Detroit  business  and  Mr.  Findlater  taking  as  his  interest  a  large  quarry  at  East 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  1871,  disposing  of  his  business  in  Ohio,  he  accepted  a  position 
as  bookkeeper  with  the  wholesale 'grocery  house  of  Phelps  &  Brace,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  1874.  He  was  next  employed  as  bookkeeper  by  the  Royal  Canadian 
Insurance  Co.,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1878,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of 
clerk  on  the  steamer  Japan  of  the  Lake  Superior  Transit  Co.  At  the  close  of  navi- 
gation he  entered  the  employ  of  the  late  John  P.  Clark  as  bookkeeper;  in  1879  the 
Clark  Dry  Dock  Company  was  formed,  leasing  of  Mr.  Clark  the  docks  and  property 
at  the  foot  of  Clark  avenue,  and  Mr.  Findlater  was  elected  to  the  office  of  secretary 
and  treasurer,  a  position  he  has  ably  filled.  He  is  also  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Vulcan  Transportation  Company.  He  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consis- 
tory, A.  A.  S.  Rite;  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar;  Moslem  Temple, 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine;  Peninsular  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Monroe  Council,  R.  & 

39 


S.  M.,  and  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  past  master  of  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
past  high  priest  of  Peninsular  Chrpter,  R.  A.  M. ;  past  T.  I.  M.  of  Monroe  Council, 
R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  past  commander  of  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  K.  T. ;  has  been 
grand  master  of  Carson  Council,  P.  of  J.,  since  1888;  captain-general  of  Detroit 
Commandery  No.  1  since  1894,  having  acted  in  that  capacity  since  1887 ;  was  created 
grand  inspector  general  of  the  thirty-third  degree  at  Chicago,  111.,  September  19,  1893, 
of  Michigan  K.  T.  ;  and  is  at  present  junior  grand  warden  of  the  Grand  Command- 
cry.  March  27,  1867,  Mr.  Findlater  married  Eliza  Teuton,  daughter  of  James  Teuton 
of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  children:  James  R.,  Sarah  L  ,  wife  of  William  Cle- 
land,  D   S.,  of  Detroit,  and  William  T. 

Finney,  Sam,  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Burrows)  Finney,  was  born  in  Attica, 
Ind.,  January  21,  1864.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Attica, 
and  in  the  Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville,  Ind.  At  the  age  of  twenty  one,  with 
capital  furnished  by  his  father  (deceased),  for  twenty  years  cashier  of  the  Fir.st  Na- 
tional Bank  at  Attica,  he  purchased  a  grain  elevator  at  West  Point,  Ind.,  and  estab- 
lished himself  in  business  as  a  grain  and  seed  shipper  and  commission  merchant. 
He  was  successful  from  the  start,  his  business  increasing  to  such  proportions  as  to 
compel  him  to  lease  an  elevator  from  the  Wabash  Railroad  Company,  and  he  is  still 
operating  both.  In  January,  1892,  Mr.  Finney  removed  his  residence  and  offices  to 
Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  a  much  larger  field  for  his  operations.  In  1896  he 
formed  his  present  partnership  with  P.  B.  McLaughlin  of  Detroit,  under  the  style  of 
Sam  Finney  &  Co.,  their  business  being  principally  shipping  of  grain,  seeds  and  mill 
feed,  and  commission.  They  are  members  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  Board  of  Trade.  November  2,  1887,  Mr.  Finney  married  Julia  I.  Aylsworth  of 
Niles,  Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children:  Chharles  M.,  Elizabeth  Hale  and  Anna 
Katherine. 

Fisher,  George  W.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Esther  (Creelman)  Fisher,  was  born  in  Mount 
Vernon,  O.,  September  29,  1844,  and  in  1848  removed  to  Detroit  with  his  parents. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  and  he  was  graduated  in  1860. 
Immediaiely  on  leaving  school  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  mason  trade.  In  the  fall 
of  1862  he  enlisted  for  three  years  in  the  1st  Mich.  Horse  Artillery  Company,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  was  ordered  to  W^ashington,  remaining  with  his  com- 
pany in  reserve  until  the  following  spring;  his  company  was  next  stationed  at  the 
court  house,  Fairfax,  Va.,  and  the  first  encounter  occurred  at  Aldie,  Va.  Mr.  Fisher 
fought  at  Gettysburg  and  in  other  engagements  along  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. In  1863  he  was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  with  his  company,  which  camped  on 
the  ground  later  made  famous  by  the  battle  between  Thomas  and  Hood.  After 
leaving  Nashville  Mr.  Fisher  participated  in  the  engagements  at  Chattanooga,  At- 
lanta, Peachtree  Creek,  Resaca,  Gulp's  Farm,  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  others,  fortu- 
nately escaping  a  wound  of  any  nature.  His  last  battle  was  at  Turner's  Ferry. 
When  Sherman  began  his  march  to  the  sea  Mr.  Fisher's  command  was  ordered  back 
to  Chattanooga,  remaining  in  camp  until  July  3,  1865,  when  he  returned  to  Detroit 
and  was  mustered  out  on  July  14,  1865,  having  to  his  record  twenty-three  sharp  bat- 
tles. The  fall  and  winter  of  1865  he  attended  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial 
College  and  in  the  spring  of  1866  toured  Illinois,  working  at  his  trade,  and  returned 
the  same  year.     Continuing  industriously  at  his  trade  until  1880,  Mr.  Fisher  formed 

40 


a  partnership  with  Ira  Topping  of  Jackson,  Mich.,  and  to  the  firm  of  Topping  & 
Fisher  the  credit  of  erecting  some  of  Detroit's  largest  buildings  is  due,  among  which 
are  the  Harper  Hospital,  Church  of  Our  Father,  manufacturing  buildings  of  Parke, 
Davis  &  Co.,  the  J.  E.  Hudson  building  and  the  Fire  Department  headquarters,  and 
others.  The  firm  was  dissolved  m  1894  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Topping.  Mr.  Fisher 
was  made  superintendent  of  construction  for  the  new  Masonic  Temple,  serving  in 
that  capacity  until  189G.  For  the  past  year  he  has  been  engaged  in  mason  contract- 
ing. He  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar,  Michigan 
Sovereign  Consistory,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  Detroit  Post  No.  384,  G.  A.  R.  January 
8,  1867,  he  married  Alice  M.  Stead  of  Detroit,  and  of  their  children  one  is  now  living, 
Mamie  A. 

Forster,  Charles  R.,  was  born  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  February  17,  1858,  a  son  of  John 
T.  Forster,  retired,  and  a  resident  of  that  city.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Detroit,  and  when  fourteen  years  of  age  learned  photography,  which  he 
followed  until  1885,  when  he  was  appointed  engrossing  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  city 
clerk  at  Detroit.  In  the  following  year  he  was  made  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  city 
treasurer.  In  1891  he  was  elected  as  city  clerk  and  held  that  office  for  two  terms, 
being  re  elected  in  1893.  In  1879  Mr.  Forster  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Lieck- 
felt,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  three  of  whom  survive.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Detroit. 

Frisbie,  Rev.  Stephen  W.,  son  of  Russell  and  Christiana  (Van  de  Venter)  Frisbie, 
was  born  at  Nashotah,  Wis.,  April  12,  1840.  He  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
parochial  schools  of  his  native  place  and  entered  Racine  College  in  1859  and  was 
graduated  in  1862,  Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  entered  the  theological  semin- 
inary  at  Na.shotah,  remaining  there  until  1865.  He  was  ordained  to  the  Diaconate 
in  1864  by  Bishop  Kemper.  He  was  first  assigned  as  assistant  in  Grace  church, 
Newark,  N.  J.,  but  was  recalled  and  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1866  by  Bishop 
Kemper  and  appointed  rector  of  Trinity  church,  Platteville,  Wis.  In  1869  he  was 
transferred  to  Trinity  church,  Niles,  Mich.,  remaining  one  year,  when  he  was 
assigned  to  All  Saints'  church  at  Brooklyn,  Mich.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  rector 
of  Trinity  church,  Hudson,  Mich,,  where  he  remained  until  transferred  as  mission- 
ary at  All  Saints'  church,  Detroit,  in  1877.  He  accepted  his  present  charge  at  St. 
James's  church,  Detroit,  February  1,  1880.  Rev.  Mr.  Frisbie  was  elected  secretary 
of  the  Diocese  of  Michigan  in  1880  and  has  been  re-elected  each  succeeding  year. 
June  27,  1867,  he  married  Alphine,  daughter  of  Dr.  C.  C.  Barnes  of  Manitowoc, 
Wis.,  and  they  have  three  children:  Alphine  G.,  James  De  Koven  and  Florence  C. 
Rev.  Mr.  Frisbie  is  descended  from  Edward  Frisbie  who  settled  in  Branford,  Conn., 
in  1643.  The  genealogy  of  the  Hayes  family  from  which  Mr.  Frisbie  is  descended 
contains  Che  following:  "  Rebecca  Hayes,  daughter  of  Ezekiel  Hayes  and  sister  of 
Rutherford,  grandfather  of  the  late  ex-President  Hayes,  was  married  to  Capt.  Abel 
Frisbie,  U.  S.  N.,  June  3,  1771.  Russell,  son  of  Abel  and  Rebecca  Frisbie,  born 
July  2,  1788;  Stephen  W.,  son  of  Russell  and  Christiana  Frisbie,  born  April  12, 
1840."  The  story  of  Abel  Frisbie  taken  from  the  record  of  the  Hayes  family  is  as 
follows:  "Abel  Frisbie,  master  of  a  vessel  in  the  West  India  trade,  in  1776  was 
shipwrecked,  entered  U.  S.  navy  and  not  heard  of  at  home  for  seven  years.  In 
the  meantime,  believing  him  dead,  his  wife  married  John  Mix  of  New  Haven,  and 

41 


bore  to  him  a  daughter,  who  was  one  month  old  when  Captain  Frisbie  returned.  It 
was  after  much  difficulty  agreed  by  all  parties  that  Mrs.  Frisbie  should  decide  be- 
tween the  two  husbands,  neither  of  whom  she  had  seen  after  Captain  Frisbie's  re- 
turn. Each  was  allowed  a  ten  minutes'  pleading  of  his  cause,  when  she  decided  in 
favor  of  the  first  husband.  Mr.  Mix  honorably  acquiesced,  but  never  recovered  from 
the  shock." 

Fuller,  William  P.,  son  of  J.  Treadwell  and  Martha  (Stevens)  Fuller,  was  born  in 
Durham,  Conn.,  September  1,  1831.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Dur- 
ham and  in  the  Binghamton  (N.  Y.)  Academy.  From  1849  to  1856  he  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  from  1856  to  1859  was  a  reporter  on  the 
staff  of  the  Hartford  Evening  Press,  the  first  distinctively  Republican  paper  in  Con- 
necticut; from  1859  to  1862  was  a  member  of  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  Hartford 
Courant;  from  1862  to  1866  was  part  owner  and  the  editor  and  manager  of  the  Hart- 
ford Daily  Post;  from  1866  to  1867  was  special  writer  for  the  New  York  Tribune  at 
New  York  city,  and  while  acting  in  that  capacity  was  induced  by  James  E.  Scripps, 
owner  of  the  Detroit  (Mich.)  Tribune,  to  accept  the  news  editorship  of  that  paper, 
which  he  retained  until  the  autumn  of  1870.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  called  to  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  to  fill  a  like  position  on  the  Chicago  Evening  Post.  Being  robbed  of  his 
Chicago  position  by  the  great  fire  of  1871,  Mr.  Fuller  returned  to  Detroit  and  assumed 
his  former  position  with  the  Detroit  Tribune,  which  he  retained  until  1877.  During 
the  ensuing  year  he  was  editor  of  the  Detroit  Evening  Telegraph,  published  by  the 
Tribune  Company,  and  from  1878  to  1884  again  served  as  news  editor  of  the  Tribune. 
From  1885  to  1890  he  was  a  director  of  the  Anchor  Manufacturing  Company  of  De- 
troit, and  in  1890,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  New  York  stockholders  in  that  company 
assuming  control  of  the  business,  Mr.  Fuller  was  elected  vice-president,  but  resigned 
in  1891.  In  1885  he  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  and  principal  promoter  of  the 
Detroit  Ideal  Paint  Co.,  of  which  he  has  been  president  and  treasurer  from  the  be- 
ginning. The  Detroit  Ideal  Paint  Co.  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Paint,  Oil  and 
Varnish  Association  and  Mr.  Fuller  was  president  of  that  organization  from  1894  to 
1896  inclusive.  During  his  residence  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  he  was  clerk  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  of  that  city  for  one  year.  He  has  been  married  twice,  first  in  May, 
1851,  to  Lucv  R.  Ricker  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  who  died  in  January  1877,  leaving  three 
children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Mrs.  Clara  P.  Wheeler  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich., 
and  Alice.  His  second  wife  was  Linnie  Tracy  of  Sherwood,  N.  Y.,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  May,  1879. 

Fulton,  Rev.  Charles  A.,  son  of  Dr.  Samuel  J.  and  Harriet  C.  (Fisher)  Fulton,  was 
born  December  22,  1860,  in  Tecumseh,  Mich.  Rev.  Fulton  is  descended  from 
Thomas  Mayhew,  preacher,  who  obtained  a  grant  of  a  considerable  part  of  the  i.sland 
of  Martha's  Vineyard  in  1641.  He  began  colonization  in  1642  and  founded  Edgar- 
town  in  1647.  The  grandfather  of  the  subject  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of 
Michigan.  Rev.  Charles  A.  Fulton's  early  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Tecumseh  and  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  He  entered  the  High  School  at  Nor- 
wich. N.  Y.,  in  1876  and  was  graduated  in  1879.  He  next  attended  the  Madison 
University  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  in  1883  with  honor,  being  saluta- 
torian  and  poet  of  his  class.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  entered  the  Hamilton  Theological 
Seminary  and  was  graduated  in  1886,  and  ordained  at  Norwich,  N.  Y,,  in  August  of 

42 


that  year.  Rev.  Mr.  Fulton  was  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  Cam- 
den, S.  C,  in  1886,  remaining  until  1888,  when  he  was  called  to  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Norristown,  Pa.  In  1891  he  removed  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  having  accepted 
the  pastorate  of  Immanuel  church,  in  which  field  he  was  employed  until  1896,  when 
he  was  called  to  Detroit  as  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  which  is  his  present 
charge.  On  March  15,  1886,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Fannie  V.  Partridge  of 
Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  Norristown,  Pa.,  November  8,  1888.  He  was  married 
June  30,  1891,  to  Mary  D.  Eisenbrey  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  They  have  one  child, 
Francis  F.  Fulton. 

Gage,  William  T.,  was  born  at  Le  Roy,  N.  Y.,  March  16,  1844,  a  son  of  William 
and  Eleanor  (Kimball)  Gage.  He  prepared  for  college  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  was 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  1864.  During  the  ensuing  ten  years  he  taught 
school  in  Iowa  and  Kansas,  returning  to  New  England  in  1874  to  accept  the  position 
of  principal  of  the  Hartford  (Conn.)  Female  Seminary.  In  1883  he  departed  from 
educational  work  into  the  insurance  business,  being  sent  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  as 
general  agent  for  the  ^tna  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  Hartford,  Conn.  After  six 
years  of  faithful  service  with  that  company  Mr.  Gage  severed  his  connection  with 
them  to  accept  the  position  of  general  agent  for  the  Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Co.  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  has  ever  since  retained  that  position,  his  adminis- 
tration of  its  affairs  having  won  for  him  the  entire  confidence  of  his  superiors  and 
the  unqualified  respect  of  the  public.  Mr.  Gage  is  a  member  of  the  National  Life 
Underwriters'  Association,  and  one  of  its  executive  committee;  of  the  Michigan  Life 
Insurance  Agents'  Association,  of  which  he  has  been  president;  is  commander  of  De- 
troit Post,  No.  384,  G.  A.  R.,  and  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  and  a  director  in  the  Central 
Savings  Bank.  In  186S  he  married  Elizabeth  Godwnn,  of  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  and 
they  have  had  four  children,  three  of  whom  survive:  William  H.  and  Alexander  K., 
both  graduates  of  Trinity  College  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  Philip  S.  Mr.  Gage  and 
his  family  are  regular  attendants  at  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church. 

Gailey,  John  Knox,  M.  D.,  son  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  (Burns)  Gailey,  was  born 
at  Sterling,  N.  Y.,  and  at  an  early  age  removed  with  his  parents  to  Birmingham, 
Mich.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools,  afterward  entering  the  Michigan  Agri- 
cultural College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1874,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.,  and 
later  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  M.  S.  by  that  institution.  He  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  D.  O.  Farrand  at  Detroit,  and  took  his  degree  of  M.  D. 
from  the  University  of  New  York  m  1877.  Following  his  graduation  Dr.  Gailey  was 
appointed  surgeon  to  the  copper  mines  of  the  Minong  Mining  Company  in  the 
peninsula,  of  Michigan,  and  retained  that  position  for  two  years.  He  then  spent 
thirteen  months  in  the  hospitals  of  Europe,  principally  at  Vienna,  Austria,  where  he 
took  private  instruction  in  general  surgery.  Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1880, 
he  located  for  practice  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  was  almost  at  once  made  house  .surgeon 
and  superintendent  of  Harper  Hospital,  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  five  years. 
During  his  hospital  service  Dr.  Gailey  had  the  privilege  accorded  him  of  private 
work,  and  built  up  for  himself  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  at  present  visit- 
ing surgeon  to  Harper  Hospital,  to  the  Children's  Free  Hospital,  in  the  organization 

43 


of  which  he  was  a  prime  mover,  and  to  the   Home  of  the  Friendless.     He  was  mar- 
ried, in  1893,  to  Florence  L.  Bullock,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  a  son,  John  K.,  jr. 

Garrison,  John  W.,  son  of  John  J.  and  Frances  (Ames)  Garrison,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich..  July  2,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  until  1868, 
when  he  entered  Betts  Military  Academy  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  where  he  remained 
until  1869.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  London,  Ontario,  Canada,  and 
entered  Helmuth  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1874.  On  completion 
of  his  education  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  employ  of  Garrison  &  De- 
pew,  wholesale  grocers,  remaining  with  them  until  1876,  when  he  accepted  a  position 
with  Pingree  &  Smith.  In  1877  he  formed  the  firm  of  Garrison  &  Davis,  the  firm 
comprising  C.  M.  Garrison,  A.  C.  Davis  and  himself,  and  returned  to  the  wholesale 
grocery  trade,  which  they  engaged  in  until  1880.  He  was  next  employed  by  Lasier 
&  Co.,  brokers,  where  he  remained  until  1884,  at  which  time  he  accepted  a  position 
with  the  Peninsular  Car  Works  as  paymaster.  In  1885  he  engaged  in  the  brokerage 
business,  continuing  until  1890,  when  he  .sold  to  James  Baldwin,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  management  of  the  estates  of  his  wife  and  mother,  and 
carried  on  a  general  real  estate  business.  Mr.  Garrison  is  a  member  of  Palestine 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Roj^al  Arcanum  No.  34,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  Detroit  Light  In- 
fantry. October  13,  1880,  he  married  Mary  D.,  daughter  of  Dr.  David  Henderson  of 
Detroit,  who  died  in  1888,  leaving  two  children:  Earl  D.  and  Helen  M.  In  1890  he 
married  Mary  S.  Earl  of  Jobstown,  N.  J. 

Gates,  Jasper  C,  son  of  Rev.  Aaron  and  Amanda  M.  (Cross)  Gates,  was  born  on  a 
farm  near  Pleasantville,  Venango  county.  Pa.,  March  23,  1850.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Aaron  Gates,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  commanded  a  company  at 
Sackett's  Harbor.  His  mother,  Amanda  M.  Cross,  was  descended  from  the  French 
La  Crosses,  who  emigrated  to  New  England  in  the  eighteenth  century;  she  was  also 
a  grandniece  of  Samuel  and  Elisha  Payne,  who  founded  the  Madison  (now  Colgate) 
University  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  Jasper  C.  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  re- 
maining there  with  his  mother  after  his  father's  death  in  1861.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  and  Pleasantville  Academy;  in  1869  he  en- 
tered the  civil  engineering  department  of  Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
and  later  determined  to  take  the  literary  course  as  well,  and  kept  up  his  studies  in 
both  branches,  being  graduated  from  the  engineering  department  in  1872  and  from 
the  literary  department  in  1873  with  honors,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.  ;  three 
years  later  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  In  1873  he  entered  the 
Albany  (N.  Y.)  Law  School  and  was  graduated  in  the  following  year  with  the  degree 
of  LL.  B.  In  1874  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  State  of  New  York  by  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  later  in  the  same  year  removed  to  Michigan,  locating  at  Kalama- 
zoo, when  he  entered  the  office  of  Judge  J.  L.  Hawes,  and  still  later  in  the  same 
year  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  State  of  Michigan.  In  1875,  upon  the  accession 
of  Judge  Hawes  to  the  bench,  he  succeeded  to  the  judge's  law  practice.  Shortly 
afterward  he  became  a  partner  of  Hon.  Charles  S.  May  and  Elisha  A.  Eraser,  and 
in  June,  1876,  Messrs.  Eraser  and  Gates  removed  to  Detroit,  where  they  were  in 
partnership  continuously  until  January,  1897.  Mr.  Gates  makes  a  specialty  of  real 
estate  law,  chancery  cases  and  probate  practice,  and  some  big  cases  have  been 
handled  by  him  with  consummate  skill.     He  is  and  has  been  for  several  years  a  mem- 

44 


ber  of  the  faculty  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  in  which  he  is  instructor  in  real 
estate  law,  evidence  and  domestic  relations,  trusts  and  the  law  of  landlord  and 
tenant.     October  9,  1878,  he  married  Lulu  Foster  of  Kalamazoo. 

Gillespie,  Harry  B.,  son  of  Elias  L.  and  Mathilda  M.  (Boggs)  Gillespie,  was  born 
in  Allegheny  City,  Pa.,  April  20,  1858.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  schools  of 
Evans  City  and  Zelienople,  Pa.,  and  in  the  Connoquenessing  (Pa.)  private  academies. 
In  August,  1875,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Texas  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and 
served  that  company  for  about  one  year  as  a  surveyor.     Returning  to  Pennsylvania  in 

1876  he  spent  a  year  in  the  oil  fields  at  Bradford.  Oil  City  and   other  places,   and   in 

1877  accepted  the  position  of  invt)ice  clerk  with  the  firm  of  Joseph  Home  &  Co.. 
wholesale  dry  goods  dealers  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.  In  1880  Mr.  Gillespie  resigned  his 
position  with  Home  &  Co.  and  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  been 
continuously  identified  with  The  Michigan  Stove  Company.  He  is  at  present  confi- 
dential secretary  to  the  vice-president,  Mr.  George  H.  Barbour,  and  has  the  entire 
management  of  the  collections,  credits  and  correspondence  of  that  concern.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Exchange;  president  of  the  National 
Adjuster  Co.  ;  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Detroit  Credit  Men's  Asso- 
ciation;  and  member  of  the  board  of  administration  of  the  National  Credit  Men's 
Association.  In  November,  1883,  he  married  Emily  V.  Norvell,  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Harry  Stevens  Gillespie. 

Gillis,  Ransom,  son  of  Alexander  E.  and  Jane  A.  (Wilson)  Gillis,  was  born  in 
Argyle,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  December  30,  1838.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  Argyle  Academy.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Stiles  &  Pattison,  dry  goods  merchants  at  Argyle,  and  remained  with  that  firm  for 
nearly  two  years.  During  the  ensuing  eight  years  he  served  John  Stevenson  in  the 
same  line  of  business  at  North  Argyle  until  in  December,  1864,  when  he  removed  to 
Detroit,  Mich.  There  he  was  for  several  years  connected  with  wholesale  dry  goods 
firm  of  Town  &  Sheldon  (later  Allan  Sheldon  &  Co.),  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  firm  of  Edson,  Moore  &  Co.,  in  1872,  Mr.  Gillis  became  actively  interested  in  the 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  and  general  business  manager,  and  is  still  acting 
in  that  capacity.  He  is  al.so  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit; 
has  been  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Grace  Hospital  since  its  organization  ; 
is  a  member  of  the  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club;  Michigan  Club;  and  is 
actively  interested  in  church  work,  having  been  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Detroit  since  May,  1865,  and  an  elder  since  1878. 

Gordon,  Clifton  D.,  son  of  Capt.  George  C.  and  Caroline  (Spencer)  Gordon,  was 
born  at  Bell  Branch,  Mich.,  October  14,  1869.  After  attendance  at  the  district 
schools  and  a  three  years'  course  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  therefrom 
LL.B.,  in  1894.  Since  his  graduation  and  admission  to  the  bar  in  1894,  Mr  Gordon 
has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  making  a  specialtj'  of 
corporation  and  real  estate  laws.  For  one  year  he  was  principal  of  the  Highland 
Park  (Mich.)  School,  and  is  at  present  attorney  for  that  village.  He  is  also  attorney 
for  the  village  of  Delray,  which  has  a  population  of  about  3,500.  Among  his  clients 
may  be  found  some  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Detroit,  and  he  has  a 

45 


number  of  important  suits  on  his  hands,  some  involving  large  sums;  all  this  is  evi. 
dence  that  Mr.  Gordon  is  meeting  with  excellent  success  in  his  profession.  Mr. 
Gordon's  father,  Captain  Gordon,  was  in  command  of  Co.  I,  24th  Mich.  Infantry, 
during  the  war,  and  being  taken  prisoner  languished  for  nineteen  months  in  south- 
ern prisons,  including  Libby,  escaping  with  a  few  other  officers  in  1865.  Captain 
Gordon  died  in  1878 

Graham,  William  (deceased),  founder  of  the  widely  known  printing  establishment 
at  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  bears  his  name,  was  a  native  of  Kingston,  Ontario,  Canada, 
where  he  was  born  on  June  8,  1828.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  Grahams  of  Dum- 
fries, Scotland,  and  a  son  of  John  Graham,  who  was  born  in  Dumfries,  Scotland, 
of  the  estate  of  Mosknovv.  John  Graham,  grandfather  of  William,  became  a  promi- 
nent planter  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  in  his 
declining  years  he  returned  to  Scotland  and  to  Dumfries;  hi.s  great-grandfather  was 
John  Graham  of  Mosknow.  From  there  John  Graham,  his  son,  and  father  of  Will- 
iam, emigrated  to  America  and  settled  at  Kingston,  Ontario,  Can.,  thus  becoming  the 
progenitor  of  his  race  in  this  country.  He  married  Hannah  Staley,  a  resident  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  who  was  descended  from  one  of  the  earliest  Dutch  families  of 
New  York.  William  Graham  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  at  an  early  age  was  apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade,  in  which  he  quickly 
became  proficient.  He  worked  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  journeyman,  and  from 
Brockport,  N.  Y.,  in  April,  1849,  he  removed  to  Albion,  Mich.,  where  for  a  period  of 
about  a  year  he  acted  as  foreman  of  one  of  the  leading  printing  establishments.  In 
1850  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit  and  at  once  became  identified  with  the  Daily 
Advertiser;  later  on  he  was  made  assistart  foreman  of  the  printing  rooms  of  the 
Detroit  Free  Press.  Early  in  the  sixties  he  established  the  William  Graham  Print- 
ing Co.,  of  which  he  was  president  until  his  sudden  death  on  March  24,  1897.  His 
daughter.  Miss  Cai-oline  L.  Graham,  succeeded  him  as  president  of  the  company. 
Mr.  Graham  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity  of  character,  highly  esteemed  by 
his  fellow  townsmen  and  business  associates;  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him;  always 
a  kind  and  considerate  husband  and  father;  and  a  philanthropist.  For  many  5'ears 
he  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Methodist  church.  September  26,  1850,  he 
married  Caroline  Matilda,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Caroline  M.  (Wagner)  Best. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  Graham  were  natives  of  Sussex,  Eng.,  where  she  was  born;  in 
the  fall  of  1841  the  family  removed  to  Detroit.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  had  four  chil- 
dren: Caroline  Louise,  William  Archibald  (deceased),  Diantha  Clara  and  Clements 
(deceased).  In  1885  Diantha  C.  married  Duane  P.  Whitney  of  New  York  city,  and 
they  have  had  four  children,  two  of  whom  survive,  Mildred  Graham  and  William 
Graham.  At  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  Mr.  Graham,  to  show  his 
patriotism  and  love  of  our  institutions  and  flag,  at  once  declared  his  intention  to  be- 
come a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  bore  his  part  in  that  memorable  struggle  for 
the  perpetuity  of  the  Union;  politically  he  was  a  Republican. 

Graves,  John,  son  of  Lyman  and  Olive  (Gorton)  Graves,  was  born  at  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  March  12,  1829.  After  a  preparatory  course  in  the  schools  of  Ypsilanti  he  en- 
tered the  Univensity  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  thereform  in  the  literary  de- 
partment in  the  class  of  1858.  He  took  his  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  same  institu- 
tion in  1860,  being  one  of  the  first  law  graduates  of  that  university.     His  preceptors 

46 


were  the  late  Judges  Campbell  and  Walker  and  Judge  Cooley.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1860,  and  located  in  Detroit  Mich.,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  until 
1869;  he  then  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  United  States  District  Court,  and  in 
1873  was  made  United  States  commissioner,  and  is  still  acting  in  that  capacity.  His 
first  four  years  in  Detroit  were  spent  in  the  law  offices  of  the  well-known  firm  of 
Lockwood  &.  Clarke,  composed  of  the  late  Thomas  W.  Lockwood  and  Hovey  K. 
Clarke.  Mr.  Graves  has  been  administrator  and  executor  of  several  large  estates  in 
the  past.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  fraternity  of  the  University  of 
Michigan  and  of  the  local  Bar  Association.  In  1858  he  married  Susan  M.  MacDowell, 
of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  MacDowell,  a  graduate  of  the 
Michigan  School  of  Mines,  and  Olive  L. ,  wife  of  Frank  W.  Smith,  of  Denton,   Mich. 

Griggs,  Stephen  A.,  general  manager  of  the  Acme  Heating  and  Ventilating  Com- 
pany, and  son  of  Stephen  and  Lucy  (Swift)  Griggs,  was  born  in  Birmingham,  Ohio, 
November  16,  1849.  His  parents  removed  from  Ohio  in  1853  and  settled  in  Detroit, 
v/here  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  six- 
teen. He  began  his  business  career  as  office  boy  in  the  Detroit  post-office,  continu- 
ing in  the  service  of  the  government  twenty-one  years.  In  1869  he  was  appointed 
head  clerk  in  the  railway  postal  service  between  Detroit  and  Chicago ;  in  1873  he  was 
made  superintendent  of  mails  in  the  Detroit  post-office,  and  in  1876  became  also  a 
chief  clerk  in  the  railway  mail  service,  with  headquarters  in  Detroit.  In  1886  he  re- 
signed and  associated  himself  with  H.  J.  Milburn,  John  Williamson  and  F.  F. 
Ingram,  forming  the  firm  of  Milburn  &  Williamson,  and  engaged  in  the  drug  trade 
as  manufacturing  pharmacists.  In  1890  the  partnership  expired  by  limitation,  and 
the  manufacturing  department  was  taken  by  the  firm  of  Williamson,  Ingram  & 
Griggs,  this  firm  continuing  until  1892,  when  the  business  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Ingram 
and  associates.  Mr.  Griggs's  next  venture  was  in  the  firm  of  Williamson,  Griggs  & 
Co.,  perfumers;  in  1893  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  Mr.  Williamson,  and  has  since 
devoted  his  time  to  his  interests  in  the  Acme  Heating  and  Ventilating  Co.,  of  which 
he  is  general  manager.  Mr.  Griggs  is  a  lifelong  Republican,  and  has  been  actively 
connected  with  his  party  for  many  years.  In  1887  he  was  elected  to  the  Common 
Council  from  the  Fourth  ward  and  served  two  terms,  being  elected  to  the  presidency 
of  that  body  in  1890.  He  is  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Royal 
Arcanum ;  National  Union,  and  the  Detroit  Club.  September  27,  1876,  he  married 
Minnie  W.,  daughter  of  William  H.  Langley,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren:    Louise,  Edma  S.,  and  Elihu  C. 

Guenther,  Fred,  son  of  Peter  and  Magdalen  Guenther,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
April  17,  1859.  He  attended  the  parochial  schools  and  German-American  Seminary 
at  Detroit,  and  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  that  city  in  1877.  During 
the  ensurng  three  years  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  his  father,  who  was  then  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  in  1880  he  branched  out  into  business  for  himself,  forming  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Louis  F.  Guenther,  as  Guenther  Bros.,  general  insur- 
ance agents.  He  has  continued  in  that  line  of  business  ever  since  and  has  been 
very  successful.  Since  January  1,  1883,  he  has  been  entirely  alone.  He  represents 
at  Detroit  the  following  companies:  Northwestern  National  Insurance  Co.  of  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.  ;  Royal  Insurance  Co.  of  Liverpool;  North  British  and  Mercantile  In- 
surance Co.  of  London ;  British  America  Assurance  Co.  of  Toronto,  Ontario ;  Mer- 

47 


chants'  Insurance  of  Providence,  R.  I.  ;  Aachen  &  Munich  Fire  Insurance  Co.  of 
Germany;  American  Insurance  Co.  of  Newark,  N.  J.  ;  New  York  Plate  Glass  Insur- 
ance Co.,  and  Travelers'  Insurance  Co.  (acccident)  of  Hartford,  Conn.  He  is  also 
engaged  in  the  ocean  passage  business,  representing  several  trans-Atlantic  lines. 
Mr.  Guenther  is  a  director  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit;  a  member  of  the 
Harmonic  and  Concordia  Singing  Societies;  German  Salesmen's  Association  of  De- 
troit; Turner  Society ;  Detroit  Yacht  Club,  Mervue  Club  and  honorary  member  of  the 
Detroit  Boat  Club.  From  1891  to  1895  he  represented  the  city  of  Detroit  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  the  only  public  office  to  which  he  has 
allowed  himself  to  be  appointed.  In  1893  he  married  Emma  Kendrick  of  Mt. 
Clemens,  Mich. 

Hall.  Abram  S. ,  son  of  Thomas  and  Myra  (Langmaid)  Hall,  was  a  product  of  the 
farm  and  born  in  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  January  22,  1851.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Haverhill  until  1864.  In  1867  he  entered  Eastman's  Business  College  at 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1869  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  After  a  short 
time  spent  in  the  employ  of  the  Manhattan  Life  Insurance  Company,  he  removed  to 
Mt.  Clemens,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  shoe  business,  later  removing  to 
Berlin,  Mich.  In  1871  he  entered  Albion  College,  remaining  two  years,  then  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Junius  Ten  Yke  and  began  the  study  of  his  future  profession. 
He  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Armada,  Mich.,  in  1875  and  1876  and  in 
1878  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1880.  Subsequently  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Grand  Rapids, 
remaining  there  until  his  removal  to  Detroit  in  1886,  when  he  established  his  present 
practice.  He  is  a  member  of  Harmony  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Romeo  Chapter; 
also  a  member  of  Palestine  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Detroit.  He  was  married, 
January  4,  1879,  to  Miss  Phebe  L.  Sherman  of  Southfield,  Mich.  They  have  a  family 
of  three  children,  Lula  May,  Arthur  S.  and  Abram  S.  Hall. 

Hall,  Harry  C,  is  probably  one  of  the  youngest  looking  men  for  his  age  that  it  is 
possible  to  find,  although  he  is  only  forty-two,  having  been  born  in  Cincinnati,  March 
21,  1856.  he  does  not  appear  to  be  over  thirty-five.  His  father,  John  C.  Hall,  came 
to  America  early  in  the  twenties  direct  from  England,  and  his  mother  was  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch.  His  father  died  recently  at  a!  very  advanced 
age,  and  his  mother  has  been  dead  some  thirty  years.  Mr.  Hall's  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Cincinnati,  leaving  the  High  School  one  year 
before  graduating  to  enter  the  gun  firm  of  B.  Kittredge  &  Co.,  where  he  remained 
for  several  years  in  a  very  trustworthy  position.  Leaving  this  firm  he  obtained  em- 
ployment with  the  Robert  Carroll  Co.,  publishers  of  the  Christian  Standard,  the 
leadmg  religious  paper  of  the  Christian  church.  He  remained  with  this  firm  one 
year,  when  the  paper  was  sold  out  to  the  Standard  Publishing  Co.,  he  taking  the 
position  of  advertising  manager,  at  a  greatly  advanced  salary,  with  the  new  concern. 
He  is  still  connected  with  the  company,  being  a  large  owner  of  its  stock  and  a  di- 
rector. Mr.  Hall  is  a  pioneer  in  the  advertising  business,  in  fact,  there  are  but  few 
living  who  are  now  in  the  business  who  were  engaged  in  it  in  1871  at  the  time  of  his 
initiation.  By  strict  attention  to  business,  ambitious,  honest,  and  a  strong  deter- 
mination to  win  a  position  in  the  front  ranks,  besides  a  firm  resolution  to  save  a  large 
part  of  his  income  each  year  and  invest  it  in  real  estate,  Mr.  Hall  has  not  only  made 

48 


a  legion  of  friends,  but  has  accumulated  a  considerable  fortune.  His  intelligent 
interpretation  of  the  publishing  and  advertising  business  won  ready  appreciation. 
He  has  never  entered  politics,  but  is  a  close  student  of  political  economy;  a  good 
business  man  v^^hose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  Mr.  Hall  while  living  in  Cincin- 
nati served  on  many  committees  of  public  enterprises,  such  as  musical  festivals, 
opera  festivals  and  dramatic  festivals,  publishing  in  addition  to  his  committee  duties 
the  official  programmes  and  souvenier  books,  also  an  important  work  on  Australia. 
Since  living  in  Detroit,  he  has  given  special  attention  to  the  advertising  agency 
business  and  in  addition  is  doing  his  share  to  help  improve  the  city  (his  adopted 
home)  by  erecting  many  buildings,  the  homes  of  honest  thrifty  people.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Congregational  church  ;  of  the  Detroit  Club  and  is  a  Sir  Knight. 

Hall,  Richard  H.,  son  of  Richard  H.  and  Harriet  S.  (Fullam)  Hall,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  February  2,  1860.  He  received  a  good  public  school  education  and 
at  the  age  of  eleven  years  entered  his  father's  office,  where  he  gained  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  brick  manufacture.  The  immense  kilns  of  Richard  H.  Hall,  sr.,  were 
located  at  West  Detroit  and  his  business  extended  over  hundreds  of  miles  of  terri- 
tory. Richard  H.  Hall,  jr.,  was  a  faithful,  hard  worker,  and  after  a  few  years  took 
upon  himself  the  entire  management  of  his  father's  business.  In  1882  he  decided  to 
branch  out  for  himself  and  in  consequence  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  F.  H. 
Wolf,  and  erected  a  big  plant  at  Springwells,  Mich.,  where  they  have  successfully 
operated  until  the  present  year,  1897,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved.  In  1886 
the  elder  Mr.  Hall  passed  away,  and  in  the  same  year  Richard  H.  bought  out  the 
interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  his  father's  business,  unitmg  it  with  his  own  and  re- 
moving the  plant  to  Springwells,  where  his  entire  business  interests  are  now  centered. 
Mr.  Hall  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and  enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  of  Detroit.  He  was  married  in  1890  to  Annie  S.  Howe,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Richard  H.,  jr.,  Arline  E.  and  Dorotha. 

Harmon,  Henry  A.,  is  a  native  of  New  York  State  and  was  born  at  Charlton, 
Saratoga  county,  August  21,  1846.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  and  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  went  to  work  on  the  farm  of  a  cousin.  During  the  winter  months 
he  attended  the  Charlton  (N.  Y.)  Academy  and  in  1865  entered  Union  College  at 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1868.  In  the  autumn  of  that 
year  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  entered  the  law 
offices  of  Newberry,  Pond  &  Brown  and  after  two  years  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1870.  He  at  once  became  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession  and  has  since  en- 
joyed a  good  practice.  From  1881  to  1886  Mr.  Harmon  was  associated  with  Messrs. 
Meddaugh  &  Driggs  under  the  style  of  Meddaugh,  Driggs  &-  Harmon,  but  since  that 
time  has  practiced  entirely  alone.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  and  Local  Bar 
Associations  and  is  attorney  for  and  a  director  of  the  Union  National  Bank  and  other 
large  concerns  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Harmon  has  taken  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, being  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge  No.  240,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Peninsular  Chapter 
No.  16,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  K.  T.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Club  and  served  the  city  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  from  1884 
to  1887,  having  been  president  of  that  body  during  1887.  He  has  been  for  a  number 
of  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Detroit  Public  Library. 

Harris,  Samuel  S.,  jr.,  son  of  the  late  Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  S.  Harris,  D    D.,  LL.D. . 

49 


bishop  of  Michigan,  was  born  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  March  '60,  1872,  where  his  father 
was  rector  of  Trinity  church.  His  father  having  been  consecrated  bishop  of  Michi- 
gan in  September,  1879,  he  attended  a  private  school  at  Detroit,  w^as  admitted  to 
the  Detroit  High  School,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1879.  In  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  in  1893  he  received  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  During  his  senior  year  in  the  literary  department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  completed  his  studies  in  the  office  of 
Dickinson  &  Thurber.  While  he  was  a  student  in  the  university  Mr.  Harris  spent 
his  vacation  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Sidney  D.  Miller  at  Detroit,  where  he  gained  a  great 
amount  of  practical  knowledge  of  law.  Since  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1893  Mr. 
Harris  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  the  office  of  Dickinson  &  Thur- 
ber. He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association,  Detroit  Boat,  Comedy  and 
Country  Clubs;  also  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve  and  of  the  Peninsular  Chapter 
of  Alpha  Delta  Phi.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  promising  young  attorney  in  general  practice 
and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 

Hartz,  John  C,  son  of  John  H.  and  Mary  (Behring)  Hartz,  was  born  near  Kiel, 
Holstein,  Germany,  April  9,  1855.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  country  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  emigrated  with  his  parents 
to  America.  After  a  stay  of  two  years  at  New  Baltimore,  Mich.,  he  located  perma- 
nently in  1869  in  Detroit,  where  he  attended  Mayhew's  Business  College  for  one  year. 
He  then  entered  the  establishment  of  C.  C.  McCloskey  to  learn  the  hat  business,  and 
later  served  J.  P.  Barry  and  other  prominent  hatters,  including  C.  R.  Mabley.  In 
1883  Mr.  Hartz  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hartz  &  Kernaghan,  hatters  and 
furnishers,  and  remained  as  such  for  three  years.  Since  1886  he  has  conducted  his 
present  business  alone  as  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  hats  and  gents'  furnishings, 
and  has  been  eminently  successful.  In  February.  1896,  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
Pingree  as  police  commissioner  of  Detroit,  resigning  that  office  in  1897  to  become 
city  assessor.  Mr.  Hartz  was  also  under  sheriff  of  Wayne  county.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  and  K.  P.  ;  Harmonic  and  Concordia  Singing  Societies,  and  De- 
troit German  Salesmen's  Association.  In  1879  he  married  Lena  Orth  of  Detroit,  and 
they  have  four  children:    Henrietta,  Gertrude,  Viola  and  Harry  M. 

Harvey,  William  M.,  M.  D.,  son  of  James  and  Harriet  (PennoyeiO  Harvey,  was 
born  in  Romeo,  Mich.,  October  8,  1863  Dr.  Harvard  attended  school  in  Romeo 
and  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  June,  1882.  He  came  to  Detroit  with 
his  parents  during  1883  and  the  year  following  entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Medi- 
cine, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March,  1887.  On  leaving  college  he  became 
associated  with  his  father,  Dr.  James  Harvey,  and  later  was  appointed  one  of  the 
city  physicians  by  the  Board  of  Health,  serving  two  years.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  he  was  appointed  city  physician  by  the  Poor  Commission,  serving  two  years, 
when  he  devoted  his  time  to  private  practice ;  but  the  year  following  he  accepted  a 
reappointment  by  the  Poor  Commission  for  another  three  years.  He  is  surgeon  of 
the  Fourth  Infantry,  Michigan  National  Guard.  October  29,  1891,  he  married  Miss 
Alice  M.  Fox  of  Ohio. 

Hatch,  William  B.,  attorney,  was  born  at  Macon,  Mich.,  on  January  27,  1867, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  D.  Hatch,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  that  place.     William  B.  at- 

50 


tended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Gold- 
smith, Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College  (at  Detroit),  now  the  Detroit  Business 
University,  and  was  graduated  in  1885.  He  then  entered  the  Michigan  State  Nor- 
mal College  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  remaining  there  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1890  lie 
went  to  Ferndale  (Washington),  where  he  had  accepted  a  position  as  general  mana- 
ger of  the  varied  business  interests  of  John  B.  Hatch.  In  1891  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  public  schools  of  Ferndale,  and  retained  that  position  until  the  follow- 
ing }'ear.  when  he  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.  In  the  autumn  of  1892  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  Georgetown  University,  and  was  graduated  in  1894,  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  B  ,  being  president  of  the  class.  During  his  attendance  at  George- 
town University  he  was  employed  as  clerk  and  student  in  the  offices  of  J.  J.  Darling- 
ton, attorney  of  Washington.  In  1894he  returned  to  Michigan,  took  the  bar  examina- 
tion and  was  admitted  to  the  Lenawee  county  bar.  Wishing  to-  pursue  some  of 
his  legal  studies  further,  in  the  fall  of  1894  he  entered  the  post-graduate  course  in  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  taking  the  degree  of  LL.  M.  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  His  U.  of  M.  classmates  chose  him  as  class  poet.  In  the  summer  of 
1895  he  located  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  Detroit,  associating  him- 
self with  the  old  established  law  firm  of  Brennan,  Donnelly  &  Van  de  Mark.  Dur- 
ing this  connection  he  was  appointed  acting  assistant  librarian  in  the  Detroit  Bar 
Library.  On  March  1,  1898,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Bernard  B.  Selling, 
of  Detroit,  under  the  firm  name  of  Selling  &  Hatch,  opening  oflfices  at  407  and  408 
Hammond  building,  Detroit.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  Company 
F,  M.  N.  G.,  but  on  account  of  a  severe  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism  was 
greatly  disappointed  in  not  being  able  to  accompany  his  comrades  to  the  front,  under 
the  governor's  order,  in  April,  1898. 

Hathaw^ay,  Charles  S.,  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Mary  (Tracy)  Hathaway,  was  born 
in  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  August  20,  1847.  He  served  as  apprentice  on  the  Grand 
Rapids  Eagle,  and  later  in  the  capacity  of  reporter.  On  leaving  Grand  Rapids  he 
associated  himself  with  the  Bay  City  Journal  as  reporter,  and  in  1872  came  to  Detroit 
and  served  on  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  Detroit  Post  until  1874,  when  he  was  en- 
gaged by  the  Detroit  Free  Press  as  a  reporter,  and  in  1880  became  manager  of 
Whitney's  Opera  House  when  it  stood  on  the  present  new  post-office  site.  During 
the  seasons  of  1881  and  1882  Mr.  Hathaway  managed  the  Anna  Dickinson  theatrical 
company.  While  in  New  York  he  was  employed  at  space  writing  for  the  New  York 
dailies,  and  in  1883  returned  to  the  staff  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press.  He  remained  in 
this  position  until  1893  as  a  paragraph  and  special  writer,  and  it  was  during  this  time 
that  he  began  the  department  of  art  news,  which  was  continued  and  was  a  popular 
feature  of  the  Free  Press  throughout  Mr.  Hathaway's  connection  with  that  paper. 
In  1893  he-located  in  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  year  as  special 
writer  for  the  Washington  Star,  Detroit  Free  Press  and  other  papers.  In  1895  he  re- 
turned to  Detroit  to  accept  the  position  of  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health,  which 
position  he  held  until  May  15,  1808,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  asso- 
ciate editor  for  Michigan  of  the  National  Encyclopedia  of  American  Biography.  On 
June  12,  1883,  he  married  Marion  A.  Johnstone,  of  Detroit,  daughter  of  Robert  F. 
Johnstone,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Michigan  Farmer.  She  died  in  August,  1897, 
leaving  three  children:     Robert  F.,  Charles  W.,  and  Marion  Rosamond. 

51 


Heidt,  Hennan  D.,  son  of  Lewis  aud  Pauline  M.  (Roehm)  Heidt,  was  boru  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  March  4,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  commenced  his  business  career.  For  several  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  various  mercantile  pursuits,  and  in  1877  became  a  clerk  in  the  large  depart- 
ment store  of  C.  R.  Mabley  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  From  1880 
to  1885  he  served  the  firm  of  J.  L.  Hudson  &  Co.  in  various  capacities,  and  during 
the  ensuing  ten  years  acted  as  general  manager  for  the  States  of  Michigan  and  Indi- 
ana for  the  Germania  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  New  York  city.  In  April,  1895,  Mr. 
Heidt  formed  a  copartnership  with  Frank  W.  Baumgartner,  and  under  the  style  of 
Heidt  &  Baumgartner,  they  established  their  pre'sent  fine  business  as  importers  of 
and  dealers  in  gentlemen's  furnishing  goods.  Close  application  to  business  and 
splendid  business  methods  have  been  the  keynote  to  their  almost  phenomenal  suc- 
cess. Their  stock  in  trade  is  complete  and  the  finest  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  in 
less  than  three  years  this  firm  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  among  the  leading  con- 
cerns of  that  city.  Mr.  Heidt  is  a  member  of  the  Harmonic  Singing  Society.  Octo- 
ber 28,  1895,  he  married  Frieda,  daughter  of  August  Dohrman,  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Marvin  A. 

Heineman,  David  E.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  17,  18<)5,  at  the  family 
residence.  No.  428  Woodward  avenue,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Emil  S.  Heineman,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Detroit  since  the  early  fifties. 
David  E.  was  the  youngest  of  the  boys  at  the  famous  old  Philo  Patterson's  School, 
which  graduated  so  many  of  the  now  prominent  professional  and  business  men  of 
the  city.  He  entered  the  Washington  School  later  on  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Detroit  High  School  in  1883,  as  president  of  his  class.  He  spent  the  subsequent 
year  in  general  European  travel  and  in  the  fall  of  1884  entered  the  literary  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  completing  the  four  years  course  in  three  years 
and  receiving  his  diploma  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  in  1887.  He  then  studied  law 
in  the  offices  of  Walker  8z  Walker  in  Detroit,  and  followed  this  up  with  a  year  in 
the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  May  4, 
1889.  He  has  since  practiced  in  Detroit,  in  partnership  with  Senator  Joseph  M. 
Weiss  from  1891  until  1893,  when  he  accepted  the  office  of  chief  assistant  city  at- 
torney of  Detroit.  This  position  he  held  for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  had 
charge  of  the  court  work  of  the  city  attorney's  office  and  revised  and  compiled  the 
present  ordinances  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  a  volume  of  over  700  pages.  On  retiring 
from  the  office,  he  returned,  after  a  trip  to  Africa  and  Southern  Europe,  to  private 
practice,  making  his  office  at  No.  28  Moffat  Block.  Mr.  Heineman  is  a  stalwart 
Republican,  a  member  of  the  Michigan,  Alger  and  other  Republican  Clubs;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club  since  its  organization;  the  Detroit  Boat  Club;  Old 
Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  and  other  similar  organizations;  he  is  an  Elk  and  Odd 
Fellow;  president  of  the  Bohemian  Club  of  Detroit;  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Arch- 
aeological Society  since  its  inception  and  member  of  many  other  social,  literary  and 
art  organizations.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Railway  Com- 
pany, also  of  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  director  and  secretary 
of  the  Merz  Capsule  Company  and  connected  with  various  other  corporations. 

Hislop,  Robert,  M.  D.,  C.  M'.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Clarkson)  Hislop,  was 
born  at  Rodgeville,  County  of  Huron,  Ontario,  Canada,  November  2,  1855.     He  was 

52 


educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Ottawa  and  Toronto  Normal 
Schools  and  St.  Catherine's  Collegiate  Institute.  He  then  taught  school  for  six  years 
and  a  half,  threeyearsof  that  time  as  principal  of  the  Glen  Allen  (Ont.)  public  schools. 
In  1880  he  matriculated  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Ontario,  and 
later  in  the  same  year  at  Trinity  University,  Toronto,  and  in  1883  graduated  with 
honors,  M.  B..,  in  Trinity  University,  also  becoming  Fellow  of  Trinity  Medical  Col- 
lege and  Member  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Ontario  by  examina- 
tion. In  1885,  after  completing  an  exhaustive  thesis  on  Erysipelas,  the  convocation 
of  Trinity  University,  Toronto,  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  C.  M.  He 
then  returned  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  had  already  located  in  1883,  and  has  since 
enjoyed  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  medical  and  sur- 
gical diseases  of  women  and  rectal  diseases,  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Wayne 
County  Medical  Society  and  a  member  of  the  Northern  Tri-State  Medical  Society, 
He  is  a  K.  P.,  and  an  examiner  for  the  Endowment  Rank,  K.  P.,  United  Friends, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Red  Cross  and  other  societies. 

Hitchcock,  Horace,  son  of  Rev.  Harvey  S.  and  Clementine  (Thompson)  Hitchcock, 
was  born  in  Orangeville,  Pa.,  November  25,  1836.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  and  Gouverneur  Seminar)',  preparing  for  college,  but  did  not  enter. 
He  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  woolens  and  devoted  forty 
years  of  his  life  to  this  pursuit.  During  1861  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Clay- 
ton, N.  Y.,  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  one  year  previous  to  his  appointment  as  post- 
master he  married  Mary  Esseltyn  of  Clayton,  and  their  children  are  James  H., 
Fred  H.,  Willard  and  Mary.  Mr.  Hitchcock  came  to  Detroit  during  the  war,  and  a 
year  ago  was  engaged  by  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  as  special  agent 
for  that  place.     Mr.  Hitchcock  has  been  a  resident  of  Detroit  about  thirty  years. 

Hopper,  Major  George  C,  son  of  Henry  and  Almira  (Taylor)  Hopper,  was  born 
in  Jordan,  N.  Y.,  March  20,  1831.  His  education  was  received  in  the  district  schools 
of  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1837.  In  1846  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  at  Detroit,  filling  various  positions  until  1852, 
when  he  was  appointed  passenger  conductor.  In  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the 
1st  Mich.  Infantry  and  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant.  His  regiment  was 
actively  engaged  in  every  battle  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  and  including  the 
battle  of  Mechanicsville  to  the  surrender  at  Appomattox,  and  he  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Mechanicsville,  Gaines  Mill,  Second  Bull  Run,  Chancellorsville,  Gettys- 
burg, the  Wilderness,  North  Anna  River,  Cold  Harbor  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg. 
He  was  .wounded  four  times,  twice  severely,  and  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  He  was 
mustered  out  in  October,  1864,  with  the  rank  of  major.  At  the  conclusion  of  his 
military  servicehereturned  to  Detroit  and  was  employed  by  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road, securing  his  former  position  as  passenger  conductor.  In  1807  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  agent  at  Jackson,  where  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  superintendent  of  the  Jackson,  Lansing  &  Saginaw  division.  In 
1873  Major  Hopper  received  his  present  appomtraent  as  paymaster,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  three  years  in  which  he  served  his  country  he  has  been  continuously 
in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  for  the  past  fifty  two  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  Zion   Lodge,  F.  &  A.   M.  ;  Michigan  Commandery;    Loyal  Legion  and 

53 


Detroit  Post.  G.  A.  R.     April  11,  1866,  he  married  Martha  Van  Ness  of  Newark, 
N.  J.,  and  they  have  three  children:  William  C,  Kate  A.,  and  James  S. 

Irvine,  George  W.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Robert  and  Areis  C.  (Millen)  Irvine,  was  born  at 
St.  Lawrence,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  June  6,  1866.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  and  High  School  at  Chaumont,  N.  Y. ,  he  entered  the  Dominion  Business 
College  at  Kingston,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1886.  In 
1SS8  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1891.  During  the  ensuing  year  he  acted  as 
house  surgeon  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  and  has  since  practiced  continuously  and  suc- 
cessfully in  Detroit.  Dr.  Irvine  is  asssistant  demonstrator  in  the  chemical  labora- 
tory of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine:  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and 
Library  Association ;  Wayne  County  Medical  Society,  etc.     He  is  still  a  bachelor. 

Jackson,  Harry  H.,  son  of  Harry  and  Aurora  (Hinckley)  Jackson,  was  born  at 
Arcade,  N.  Y..  September  25,  1835.  He  was  educated  in  the  Arcade  Seminary  and 
studied  dentistry  with  Dr.  A.  B.  Botsford.  He  commenced  his  active  professional 
career  at  Gilead,  Ohio,  and  later  practiced  his  profession  successively  at  Farming- 
ton  and  Northville,  Mich.  In  1874  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit.  Dr.  Jackson 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Dental  Association;  Michigan  Dental  Association; 
Detroit  Dental  Society,  of  which  he  is  president;  Wayne  Club,  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair 
Flats,  Mich.  ;  and  is  a  member  of  the  York  and  Scottish  Rite  Masons.  In  1864  he 
married  Sarah  S.  Scott  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Harry  V.  Jackson, 
M.D.,  D.D.S.,  and  Virginia  M. 

Jamieson,  Robert  A.,  M.D.,  son  of  Andrew  and  Lois  (Andrus)  Jamieson,  was  born 
in  the  township  of  Brock,  Ontario,  Canada,  June  16,  1843.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  the  McGill  University  at  Mont- 
real. He  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1866, 
located  for  practice  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1870,  and  has  ever  since  made  that  city  his 
home.  Flis  general  practice  is  an  extensive  one,  but  he  makes  obstetrical  work  his 
specialty.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association  and  was 
its  president  in  1886;  a  member  of  the  Medical  staff  of  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Luke's 
Hospitals  at  Detroit,  and  is  professor  of  clinical  medicine  in  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine.  He  was  city  physician  of  Detroit  from  1873  to  1875  inclusive  and  has 
been  State  medical  examiner  for  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  for  the  past  fourteen  years.  He 
is  also  local  medical  examiner  for  the  Pacific  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  California 
and  for  the  Provident  Savings  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  New  York  city.  In  April,  1875, 
Dr.  Jamieson  married  Emma  L.  Thompson,  daughter  of  the  late  Joseph  M.  Thomp- 
son of  Detroit,  and  they  have  four  children:  Mary  J.,  Louise  A.,  Robert  C.  and 
Andrew  D. 

Jones,  Henry  K.,  son  of  De  Garmo  and  Caroline  (Sanger)  Jones,  was  born  in  De- 
frost, Mich.,  October  30,  1862.  In  1881  he  entered  Princeton  University,  where  he 
completed  the  academic  course  and  was  graduated  in  1885.  In  1886  he  returned  to 
Detroit,  where  he  has  since  been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Detroit  Boat  Club,  and  North  Chan- 
nel Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.  In  1890  Mr.  Jones  married  Anna  G.  Paddock, 
and  they  have  two  children:   Henry  K.,  jr.,  and  Anna  S. 

54 


Kaple,  John  H.,  vice-president  of  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank,  and  son  of  Arunah 
and  Naomi  (Carpenter)  Kaple,  was  born  in  Tyringham,  Berkshire  county,  Mass., 
October  6,  1817.  He  is  of  Irish  ancestry,  being  descended  from  Thomas  Kaple,  who 
emigrated  from  Ireland  about  1735,  settling  in  Connecticut.  His  son  John,  grand- 
father of  John  H.,  was  a  member  of  the  Colonial  army  and  served  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.-  Mr.  Kaple  received  such  an  education  as  the  schools  of  that  time 
afforded  and  was  a  student  until  the  age  of  twenty  one,  when  he  removed  to  Michi- 
gan, locating  at  Utica  and  entered  the  employ  of  Ira  H.  Butterfield,  manufacturer 
of  fanning  mills.  He  remained  in  this  occupation  until  1850,  when  with  Mr.  C.  W. 
Chapel  he  formed  the  firm  of  Chapel  &  Kaple  and  engaged  in  general  merchandis 
ing.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  was  employed  in  various  ways  until  1861, 
when  he  was  appointed  registrar  of  the  Probate  Court  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  1865  and  then  entered  the  law  office  of  D.  C.  Holbrook,  taking  charge  of  the 
probate  practice  of  his  office.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  assistant  postmaster  of  De- 
troit, serving  until  1875,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  President  Grant  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  1879.  He  was  originally  a  Whig  and  has  been  a  Re- 
publican since  the  organization  of  the  party.  On  the  organizing  and  incorporation 
of  the  Detroit  Casket  Company  in  1881,  Mr.  Kaple  was  elected  president  of  that 
corporation  and  has  been  continuously  retained  in  that  jjosition.  He  was  elected  as 
a  director  in  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank  in  1880  and  to  his  present  office  of  vice- 
president  in  1890.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company 
and  is  interested  in  various  other  corporations.  December  21,  1843,  he  married 
Fannie  A.  Chapel  of  Utica,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  V.,  wife  of 
Claud.  H.  Candler,  vice  president  and  secretary  of  the  Calvert  Lithographing  Com- 
pany.    Mrs.  Kaple  died  September  12,  1886. 

Kendall,  John,  assistant  chief  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Department,  is  a  son  of  David 
and  EHza  (Kitchen)  Kendall,  and  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  13,  1889.  After 
receiving  a  thorough  public  school  education  he  was  ajJi^renticed  to  a  carpenter  to 
learn  that  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years.  While  plying  his  trade 
Mr.  Kendall  became  identified  with  the  Fire  Department  as  a  member  of  volunteer 
Hose  Company  No.  5,  and  when  this  company  was  disbanded  in  1855  he  joined  Hook 
and  Ladder  Company  No.  1.  In  1856  he  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
volunteer  Engine  Company  No.  9,  and  was  elected  as  foreman,  in  which  capacity  he 
acted  for  five  consecutive  terms.  This  fact  alone  was  proof  of  his  popu]ari'.3^  In 
1865  Mr.  Kendall  was  made  assistant  engineer  of  Engine  Company  No.  5,  with 
which  he  served  for  six  years.  From  1871  to  1882  he  was  foreman  of  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Company  No.  2,  and  from  1882  to  1883  foreman  of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 
No.  1,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  appointed  as  chief  of  battalion.  Upon  the  resigna- 
tion, in  1*895,  of  Chief  Battle,  whose  entire  career  had  been  marked  with  bravery  in 
fire  fighting,  Mr.  Kendall  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  assistant  chief  of 
the  department.  Aside  from  his  other  duties  he  has  found  time  to  compile  a  record 
of  every  "call  out"  of  the  Fire  Department  from  1836  to  date;  to  serve  as  a  member 
of  the  Detroit  School  Board  from  1865  to  1869 ;  and  to  act  as  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  old  volunteer  department  for  twenty-one  years,  from  1857  to  1878.  He  holds 
high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter, 
Consistory  and  Shrine,  and  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.     In 

55 


1861  Mr.  Kendall  married  Julia  A.  Carpenter  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children: 
Frederick  J.  and  Harry  G.,  both  of  whom  are  identified  with  the  Detroit  Free  Press. 

Kinney,  Roland  O.,  son  of  Jesse  and  Lodisa  (Holt)  Kinney,  was  born  in  Porte 
Roun,  Ontario,  Canada,  November  3,  1859.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  at  Detroit,  Mich.  He  early  learned  the  printer's  trade,  but 
left  that  to  engage  with  his  father  in  the  monumental  business,  and  soon  became  an 
expert  marble  cutter.  From  1879  to  1882  he  conducted  the  J.  Kinney  &  Co.  Marble 
Works  in  Detroit,  and  Port  Sanilac,  Mich.  After  selling  out  that  business  he  en- 
tered the  real  estate  business  in  1883,  with  Eugene  Schoolcraft,  at  Port  Huron,  Mich., 
and  contmued  there  until  1891,  when  he  returned  to  Detroit  to  assume  charge  of  the 
sale  and  exchange  department  of  the  Hannan  Real  Estate  Exchange.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1897,  Mr.  Kinney  opened  offices  for  himself  at  26  Hodges  Block,  where  he  has  a 
large  business.     Mr.  Kinnej'  was  married  in  1880  to  Frances  Spence  of  London,  Ont. 

Kuhn,  Franz  C,  son  of  John  and  Anna  C.  (Ullrich)  Kuhn,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  in  1872.  His  father  is  one  of  Michigan's  leading  dry  goods  merchants,  and  is 
located  at  Mt.  Clemens,  to  which  place  he  removed  from  Detroit  about  1874.  Franz 
C.  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  Mt.  Clemens  High  School 
in  1889;  he  then  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
was  graduated  in  1893  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  He  also  studied  law  in  the  same  in- 
stitution, being  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1894.  Immediately  follow- 
ing his  graduation  he  returned  to  Mt.  Clemens,  where  he  still  maintains  his  resi- 
dence, and  was  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  of  Macomb  county  and  re-elected 
in  1896.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  opened  an  office  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  been 
in  continuous  practice  of  his  profession  with  well  merited  success.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  while  yet  a  student  at  Ann  Arbor  in  May,  1894.  From  March  1,  1895,  to 
March  1,  1896,  he  had  as  a  partner  Mr.  H.  E.  Candler.  In  politics  Mr.  Kuhn  is  an 
enthusiastic  Republican,  and  while  at  the  University  of  Michigan  he  took  a  great  in- 
terest in  all  political  questions,  and  was  prominent  among  those  who  organized  the 
American  League  of  College  Republican  Clubs.  In  1892  he  was  sent  to  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.,  as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Republican  League  Convention.  He  is  a  member 
of  Mt.  Clemens  Club,  Detroit  Harmonie  Society,  Detroit  Bar  Association,  Law  fra- 
ternity of  Phi  Delta  Phi,  and  of  the  K.  of  P. 

Leys,  Francis  T. ,  M.  D.,  son  of  Francis  B.  and  Carrie  Thompson  (Burbank)  Leys, 
was  born  at  London,  Ontario,  Canada,  June  24,  1867.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Upper  Canada  College  at  Toronto,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1889.  In  1894 
he  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  medical  department  of  the  Western  University  at 
London,  Ont.,  and  in  the  same  year  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  for  one  year 
he  acted  as  house  surgeon  to  Harper  Hospital.  The  summer  of  1895  Dr.  Leys  spent 
in  Europe,  studyingin  London,  Edinburgh  and  Berlin.  Since  the  autumn  of  that  year 
he  has  practiced  continuously  at  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and 
Library  Association;  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society,  and  is  a  thirty  second  de- 
gree Mason,  a  Mystic  Shriner,  and  a  member  of  the  K.  P.,  K   K.,  and  M.  M.  F. 

Littlefield,  Louis  B.,  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y., 
August  18,  1844.  After  a  rushing,  but  thorough  education,  Mr.  Littlefield  turned 
his  face  westward   to  Grand   Rapids,  Mich.,  where   he  remained  for  a  number  of 

56 


years,  rapidly  coming  to  the  front  rank  among  the  business  men  of  that  city.  He 
later  removed  to  Detroit,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  He  embarked  in  the 
cattle  business  soon  after  arriving  in  Detroit,  and  as  years  rolled  by  it  became  evi- 
dent that  Mr.  Littlefield  was  one  of  the  most  successful  operators  in  cattle  and  real 
estate  in  that  city.  He  has  also  dealt  largely  in  mines  and  mining  stocks  and  always 
with  the  same  success.  In  1880  he  entered  politics  and  was  elected  to  the  Board  of 
Aldermen ;  he  was  re-elected  in  1882  and  again  in  1884  and  in  the  election  of  1886, 
when  his  name  ajDpeared  on  the  Republican  ticket  for  sheriff  of  Wayne  county,  it 
was  apparent  that  he  was  equally  popular  with  both  parties,  as  he  was  elected  by  a 
unanimous  vote  and  re-elected  in  1888.  In  1890  he  refused  renomination  for  the 
office  of  sheriff  and  was  at  once  nominated  for,  and  elected  to,  the  office  which  he 
now  fills  (having  been  re-elected  for  three  consecutive  terms),  as  treasurer  of  the  city 
of  Detroit.  During  the  war  Mr.  Littlefield  served  with  the  2()th  N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry 
and  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battles  of  Bull  Run  and  Groveton,  Va.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  P.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Fairbank  Post  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Detroit. 

Long,  John  R.,  son  of  Richard  and  Cornelia  (Connor)  Long,  born  January  23,  1874, 
in  Detroit,  Mich.  Mr.  Long  acquired  his  primary  education  in  the  parochial  schools 
of  Detroit  and  entered  Detroit  College  in  1886,  where  he  remained  until  1890.  In 
the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  Fordham  College  at  Fordham,  New  York,  and  was 
graduated  in  1893.  On  the  completion  of  his  education  Mr.  Long  returned  to  De- 
troit and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Peninsular  Lead  and  Color  Works,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  In  recognition  of  his  value  as  an  employee  he  was  elected  to  the 
position  of  secretary  in  September,  1894,  in  which  capacity  he  is  at  present  serving. 
Mr.  Long  was  married  April  16,  1895,  to  Edna,  daughter  of  Richard  Beaubien  of 
Detroit.     They  have  two  children,  Carlyle  R.  and  John  C.  Long. 

Look,  Henry,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  25,  1872,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Henry  Look.  He  was  educated  in  St.  Mary's  Parish  School,  and  at  fourteen 
years  of  age  entered  the  law  office  of  William  Look  (his  cousin)  as  office  boy,  remain- 
ing there  and  making  a  close  study  of  law  until  1895.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1893.  In  1895  he  became  associated  with  Harry  F.  Chipman,  and  practiced  law 
until  January  1,  1897,  when  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  sheriff  of  Wayne  county. 
Mr.  Look  is  a  member  of  the  German  Salesmen's  Association,  commodore  of  the 
Citizens'  Yachting  Association,  vice-commodore  of  the  Interlake  Yachting  Associa- 
tion, member  of  the  West  End  Yacht  Club,  and  of  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry. 

Loomis,  De  Witt,  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the  Detroit  Steel  & 
Spring  Co. — Among  the  more  important  industries  of  the  city  is  that  of  the  above 
named  company,  and  its  origin  dates  back  many  years  and  its  present  plant  is  the 
growth  of  years;  springing  from  a  beginning  the  most  insignificant,  it  is  deserving 
of  more  than  passing  notice.  Several  years  ago  Alexander  Delano  and  John  S. 
Newberry,  both  since  deceased,  began  in  a  small  way  in  a  little  shop  that  occupied 
space  that  is  now  but  one  corner  of  an  extensive  plant  covering  upwardsof  five  acres 
at  Michigan  and  Hubbard  avenues.  The  business  had  its  varied  experiences,  suc- 
cumbmg  to  reverse  fortune,  but  with  a  vigor  still  left  that  finally  in  1880  resulted  in 
incorporation  under  the  present  style,  with  Alexander  Delano  as  president,  Charles 

57 


G.  Choate  as  vice-president  and  Allan  W.  Atterbury  secretary.  Tiiey  sought  for  an 
experienced  manager,  one  whose  life  had  been  devoted  to  successful  conduct  of  sim- 
ilar enterprises  and  being  fortunate  in  securing  Mr.  Loomis  to  take  the  position  of 
general  manager,  the  success  was  assured.  From  that  day  to  the  present  the  busi- 
ness done  has  justified  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  its  friends.  Its  output  is 
largely  locomotive,  car,  wagon  and  carriage  springs,  merchant  steel  and  steel  cast- 
ings. The  most  advanced  ideas  have  been  embodied  in  its  processes,  the  most 
skillful  and  intelligent  workmen  employed  and  its  product  has  ever  taken  high  rank 
in  the  commercial  world.  A  capital  of  $250,000  is  now  invested  on  paying  basis. 
Five  hundred  men  are  employed  and  its  pay  roll  is  about  $15,000  monthly.  Ue  Witt 
Loomis, to  whose  skill,  wisdom  and  intelligence  so  much  is  due  in  the  successful  issue 
of  this  business,  is  a  man  of  modest  demeanor,  unassuming,  on  easy  terms  with  all 
the  employees,  yet  confident  in  his  own  power  and  sure  of  results.  The  business  is 
conducted  with  the  ease  and  assurance  that  the  average  man  conducts  a  small  busi- 
ness with  but  few  operatives.  He  knows  what  is  wanted  and  how  to  have  it  done. 
This  alone  has  won  him  the  confidence  of  every  workman,  and  in  his  dealings  with 
them  there  is  freedom  from  the  littleness  often  seen,  and  no  trouble  has  ever  arisen 
with  the  men  that  has  not  met  with  amicable  adjustment.  Mr.  Loomis  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  his  entire  life  has  been  devoted  to  the  steel  industry,  first  for 
ten  years  as  private  secretary  of  Andrew  Carnegie,  and  then  as  partner  in  the  Lin- 
den Steel  Co.  at  Pittsburg  until  1890,  when  he  was  induced  to  accept  his  present 
position.  His  tastes  are  domestic  and  his  fondest  pleasure  is  when  with  his  own 
family  at  his  summer  home  at  Harbor  Point,  where  he  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of 
the  Golf  Club  and  where  he  recreates  with  the  fishing  rod.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Club  and  of  the  Country  Club. 

Lutfring,  Rev.  Casimir,  son  of  Bernard  and  Bernardine  (Impink)  Lutfring,  born 
February  7,  1856,  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  parochial  schools  of  his  native  city,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  thirteen. 
In  1871  he  entered  St.  Lawrence  College  at  Mt.  Calvary,  Wisconsin.  In  1873  he 
joined  the  Capuchin  Order,  completing  his  studies  in  1881.  He  was  ordained  May 
28,  1881,  at  Milwaukee,  by  Archbishop  Heiss  and  appointed  as  assistant  pastor  of  St. 
Joseph's  church  at  Appleton,  Wisconsin.  In  1882  he  was  transferred  to  New  York 
city  and  assigned  as  assistant  pastor  of  Our  Lady  of  Sorrows  church,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1891,  when  he  was  appointed  as  assistant  pastor  of  Sacred  Heart 
church,  Yonkers,  N.  Y.  Rev.  Lutfring  remained  in  Yonkers  until  1894,  when  he 
was  transferred  to  Detroit  and  appointed  as  guardian  of  St.  Bonaventure  Monastery, 
his  present  charge. 

McMath,  Frank  M.,  was  born  at  Niles,  Mich.,  September  23,  1860.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Michigan,  and  his  grandparents  of  New  York,  coming  to  Michigan 
during  the  great  tide  of  immigration  from  that  State  into  Michigan  in  1825-6.  His 
education  was  confined  to  the  public  schools  and  one  year  at  the  State  Normal. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle, 
Hon.  J.  W.  McMath,  at  Bay  City,  and  later  associated  himself  with  the  late  Col. 
Sylvester  Larned  at  Detroit.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1881.  Mr.  McMath 
has  had  a  special  preference  for  commercial  and  real  estate  law,  and  from  the  outset 
of  his  professional  career  has  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  these  specialties,  numbering 

58 


among  his  clients  some  of  the  best  firms  in  Detroit  and  Michigan.  Of  a  social  dis- 
position, he  has  connected  himself  with  various  orders  and  societies,  including  the 
Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Wayne  Club.  He  is  married,  and  resides  in 
a  comfortable  home  on  Cass  avenue. 

McMillan,  James  H.,  son  of  U.  S.  Senator  James  McMillan,  of  Michigan,  was  born 
at  Detroit,  September  17,  1866.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  he 
entered  Yale  College  and  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department  in  1888,  with 
the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  He  then  spent  one  year  in  the  law  department  of  that  institu- 
tion, finishing  his  studies  in  the  law  offices  of  Hon.  William  H.  Wells  at  Detroit.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1890,  and  to  practice  before  the  United  States  Courts.  In 
January,  1893,  he  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Wells,  Angell,  Boynton  & 
McMillan,  composed  of  William  H.  Wells,  Alexis  C.  Angell,  Herbert  E.  Boynton 
and  the  subject,  with  Hon.  Ashley  Pond  as  counsel.  Mr.  McMillan  is  a  member  of 
the  American  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations  and  of  the  Detroit,  Yondotega,  Fellow- 
craft,  Detroit  Boat  Clubs  and  the  Country  Club  of  Detroit.  His  residence  is  at  the 
village  of  Grosse  Pointe  Farms,  Mich.,  where  Mr.  McMillan  has  served  as  one  of  the 
village  trustees  since  its  incorporation.  In  June,  1890,  Mr.  McMillan  married  Julia 
v.,  daughter  of  Alexander  Lewis  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Gladys  V. 
and  James  2d. 

MacLachlan,  Daniel  A.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Archibald  and  Mary  (Robertson)  MacLach- 
lau,  was  born  at  Aylmer,  Ontario,  Can  ,  November  10,  1852.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools  until  twenty  years  of  age,  and  after  two  years  spent  as  a  teacher, 
in  1876  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Drs.  Clark,  of  Aylmer,  one  of 
whom.  Dr.  George  F.  Clark,  was  a  specialist  on  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  and  a 
graduate  of  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  College.  Soon  afterward  he  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1879  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  ;  later  on  he  attended  in  Toronto  and  passed  the  ex- 
aminations before  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Ontario,  and  almost 
immediately  afterwards  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Pontiac,  Mich.  While 
in  college  he  was  president  of  his  class,  and  three  years  after  graduation  was  elected 
president  of  the  Association  of  Alumni  of  his  college.  After  one  year  of  practice 
at  Pontiac  and  five  years  at  Holly,  Mich.,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  professor 
of  theory  and  practice  of  medicine  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  which  chair  he 
filled  for  four  years,  when  he  received  a  leave  of  absence  for  study  abroad,  which  he 
spent  in  the  hospitals  of  London,  Heidelberg,  Vienna  and  Paris.  While  in  the  latter 
city  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  professor  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and 
throat  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  he  resigned  the  former  position  to  accept 
the  latter,  w^hich  he  held  until  October,  1895,  and  then  resigned  the  chair  to  locate 
permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich.  From  first  commencing  practice  he  had  given  special 
attention  to  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear,  and  since  his  appointment  to  that  chair  in 
the  university  he  has  given  it  his  exclusive  attention,  his  success  being  attested  by 
the  many  patients  who  come  from  other  States  to  receive  treatment  at  his  hands. 
During  his  professorship  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  Dr.  MacLachlan  was  for 
several  years  secretary  of  the  Homeopathic  School  of  Medicine  attached  to  that  uni- 
versity. He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopath}',  and 
was  its  first  vice-president  in  1896.     In  1895  he  was  elected  as  president  of  the  Mich- 

59 


gan  State  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  which  office  he  held  for  two  years,  his  term 
of  office  expiring  in  May,  1897.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  New  York  State 
Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  American  Homeopathic 
Ophtlialmological,  Otological  and  Laryngological  Society,  of  which  he  is  still  an  active 
member;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Homeopathic  Practitioners'  Society,  and  of 
the  medical  staff  of  Grace  Hospital  at  Detroit;  for  many  years  was  editor  of  the 
Medical  Counselor,  then  published  at  Ann  Arbor,  but  now  in  Detroit,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent one  of  its  editorial  staff;  he  also  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  and  Wayne  Clubs.  In  1898  Dr.  MacLachlan 
again  visited  Europe,  where  he  spent  several  months  in  the  hospitals  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  and  London,  England,  closely  studying  the  operations  being  performed 
there  on  the  eye  and  ear,  and  making  an  especial  study  of  diseases  affecting  the 
vocal  organs.  In  his  social  intercourse  Dr.  MacLachlan  is  genial,  gentle  and  unpre- 
tentious, and  gains  the  confidence  and  holds  the  esteem  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure 
of  an  acquaintance  with  him.  In  1882  he  married  Bertha  Hadley,  of  Holly,  Mich., 
and  they  have  two  children :    Mary  Winifred  and  Ruth. 

Maclean,  Donald,  M.  D.,  LL.D.,  was  born  in  Seymour  township,  Ontario,  Canada, 
December  4,  1839,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Jane  J.  (Campbell)  Maclean.  He  first  at- 
tended the  grammar  schools  of  Coburg  and  Belleville,  Ont.,  following  this  with  a 
course  in  the  Queen's  University  at  Kingston,  Ont.  He  subsequently  went  abroad 
to  pursue  the  study  of  medicine,  and  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh  in 
1858  under  the  professorial  auspices  of  Syme,  Simpson,  Goodsir,  Christis-on,  Miller, 
Playfair  and  others  equally  noted,  and  after  a  full  four  years'  course  received  in  1863 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  the  same  year  he  became  a  licentiate  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Surgeons  at  Edinburgh.  Returning  at  once  to  Canada  he  located  in  Belleville  for 
a  brief  period.  Attracted  by  the  facilities  for  acquiring  surgical  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience he  came  to  this  side,  and  during  the  j^ears  1863  and  1864  he  was  acting  assist- 
ant surgeon  in  the  United  States  arm3^  In  1864  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of 
clinical  surgery  and  institutes  of  medicine  in  the  Queen's  University  at  Kingston,  Ont. ; 
this  position  he  resigned  in  1869  and  returned  to  Edinburgh  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health  and  future  study.  In  May,  1872,  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  chair  of 
surgery  and  clinical  surgery  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  occupying  that  chair  un- 
til 1889.  In  1883,  while  he  was  still  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  Dr.  Maclean  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  been 
called  to  many  positions  of  responsibility  and  tru.st.  Since  1888  he  has  been  consult- 
ing surgeon  to  Harper  Hospital,  also  to  the  Children's  Free  Hospital,  and  surgeon- 
in-chief  of  the  Michigan  Central  and  Grand  Trunk  Railways.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Association  (of  which  he  was  elected  president  in  1894),  of  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1884;  of  the  Detroit 
Medical  and  Library  Association,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1887;  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  an  honorary  member 
of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  The  Queen's  University  of  Kingston,  Ont.,  the 
faculty  and  trustees  of  which  are  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  details  of  Dr. 
Maclean's  life  and  career,  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  on  the 
occasion  of  its  annual  convocation  in  April,  1893,  an  honor  which  up  to  that  time  had 
been  accorded  to  only  thirteen  individuals,  the  university  having  been  at  that  time 

CO 


sixty  years  in  active  operation.  Dr.  Maclean  is  the  author  of  numerous  papers, 
chiefly  upon  surgical  subjects,  which  have  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  leading 
medical  publications.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  noted  surgeons  in 
America. 

Maire,  Lewis  E.,  M.  D.,  son  of  John  E.  and  Catherine  F.  (Verpillot)  Maire,  was 
born  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  vSeptember  3,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Detroit,  Mich.,  whither  his  parents  removed  while  he  was  still  a  child,  and  in  the 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  at  Detroit:  also  the  Webster  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, takmg  a  course  in  higher  mathematics  and  languages.  He  was  graduated 
with  high  honors  from  the  Detroit  Medical  College  in  1881,  and  afterward  took  spe- 
cial courses  in  the  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  in  the  New  York  Post-Graduate,  Man- 
hattan Eye  and  Ear,  and  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Hospitals,  and  in  the  New  York 
Dispensary  and  Bellevue  Hospital  College  (clinical  department).  Dr.  Maire's  first 
appointment  was  as  lecturer  in  the  Detroit  Medical  College  in  1881,  and  upon  its 
consolidation  with  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  in  1885  as  the  new  Detroit 
College  of  Medicine,  he  was  elected  lecturer  on  materia  medica  and  therapeutics, 
but  declined  that  position,  as  he  desired  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  his  private 
practice,  which  had  grown  to  be  very  extensive.  Dr.  Maire  was  one  of  the  founders, 
in  1887,  of  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  and  has  been  since  its  or- 
ganization professor  of  ophthalmology  and  otology  in  that  institution,  and  is  now  its 
secretary.  He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Emergency  Hospital  at  Detroit, 
and  in  1887  he  founded  the  Detroit  Free  Eye  and  Ear  Dispensary.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  and  Michigan  State  Medical  Associations;  of  the  Detroit  Academy 
of  Medicine  and  was  its  vice-president;  is  now  president  of  the  Wayne  County  Med- 
ical Society  (1897-98);  member  of  the  Michigan  Surgical  and  Pathological  Association 
and  was  president  of  that  body  in  1892-93;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Northern  Tri- 
State  Medical  Association,  and  has  for  years  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  medical 
literature.     Dr.  Maire  has  been  successful  in  his  practice. 

Manton,  Walter  P.,  M.  D.,  is  a  son  of  Walter  B.  Manton,  quartermaster  of  the 
Third  Rhode  Island  Heavy  Artillery,  who  died  at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C,  during  the 
war.  Walter  P.  was  born  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  August  3,  1857,  fitted  for  Brown 
University  in  a  private  English  and  classical  high  school  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  but 
was  obliged  to  abandon  his  college  course  for  the  time  being  on  account  of  ill  health. 
He  spent  a  year  in  Dresden,  Germany,  and  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1875;  he 
matriculated  in  the  medical  school  of  Harvard  University  in  1876,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1881.  From  1880  to  1881  Dr.  Manton  was  hou.se 
surgeon  to  the  Free  Hospital  for  Women  at  Boston,  Mass.  From  1881  to  1884  he 
studied  abroad  under  Wiuckel  at  Dresden;  Crede  at  Leipsic;  HoU  at  Innsbruck; 
and  Spaeth,  Pawlick  and  others  at  Vienna  and  Heidelberg,  and  devoted  eight 
months  in  London,  Eng.,  to  the  study  of  abdominal  surgery  in  the  Samaritan  and 
other  hospitals  under  Bantock,  Thornton,  Meridith,  Sir  John  Williams,  Sir  Spencer 
Wells  and  others.  In  1884  Dr.  Manton  was  tendered  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and 
gynecology  in  the  American  Medical  College  at  Beyrout,  Syria,  but  declined  the 
position,  and  returning  to  the  United  States  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich. 
He  has  continued  in  the  practice  of  his  specialty  since  1884,  and  is  at  present  gynae- 
cologist to  Harper  Hospital ;  genesic  surgeon  to  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd ; 

61 


g^'Dsecologist  to  the  Eastern  and  Northern  Michigan  Asylums  for  tlie  Insane,  and 
consulting  gynaecologist  to  St.  Joseph's  Retreat;  is  vice  president  of  the  Medical 
Board  of  the  Woman's  Hospital  and  Foundling's  Home;  professor  of  clinical  gynaj- 
cology  and  obstetrics  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical 
and  Library  Association  ;  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine,  of  which  he  was  president 
from  1891  to  1894;  Detroit  Gynfecological  Society,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1890; 
American  Association  of  Obstetricians  and  Gynaecologists,  of  which  he  was  vice- 
president  in  1894;  Wayne  Co.  Medical  Society;  Pontiac  Medical  Society;  correspond- 
ing member  of  the  Kalamazoo  (Mich.)  Academy  of  Medicine;  fellow  of  the  British 
Gyn:ccological  Society,  of  the  Zoological  Society  of  London,  Eng. ,  and  of  the  Royal 
Microscopical  Society  of  London,  Eng.  ;  member  of  the  American  Micro.scopical  Soci- 
ety; of  the  Detroit  Club;  Fellowcraft  Club,  and  Pere  Marquette  Fishing  Club;  Har- 
vard Medical  Alumni  Association ;  Detroit  Numismatic  Club,  and  was  its  vice-presi- 
dent in  1894;  and  of  the  Nu  Sigma  Nu  fraternity,  etc.  Dr.  Manton  was  the  first 
gynaecological  specialist  in  America  to  receive  an  appointment  to  the  regular  staff  of 
of  an  insane  asylum.  He  is  the  author  of  a  large  number  of  medical  articles  which 
have  appeared  in  recent  current  medical  literature,  of  a  hand  book  of  embryolog}', 
and  has  also  published  a  series  of  hand  books,  and  has  in  preparation  other  medical 
and  scientific  works.  He  was  married  in  1870  to  Carolyn  M.  Williamson  of  Lake 
City,  Mmn.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Walter  W.,  and  Helen. 

Manzelmann,  Charles,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Mester)  Manzelmann,  was  born 
November  11,  1861,  in  Stralsund,  Germany.  He  received  his  education  in  the  paro- 
chial schools  of  Detroit,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1869.  In  1875  he  began  an 
apprenticeship  in  the  factory  of  the  Detroit  Broom  Company,  where  he  was  continu- 
ouLly  employed  until  1882,  when  he  associated  himself  with  Peter  Farley,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Farley  &  Manzelmann,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brooms. 
On  the  death  of  Mr.  Farley,  in  1892,  he  purchased  his  interest  and  continued  the 
busine.ss.  In  1895  he  built  his  present  factory,  Nos.  741  to  749  Bellevue  avenue.  Mr. 
Manzelmann  employs  a  force  of  twenty- five  men  in  his  factory,  with  a  weekly  output 
of  450  dozen  brooms.  He  was  married,  November  15,  1884,  to  Minnie  Knack,  of  De- 
troit.    They  have  two  children:    Charles,  jr.,  and  Herbert  Manzelmann. 

Marx,  Oscar  B.,  son  of  Stephan  and  Eleanora  (Busch)  Marx,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  July  14,  1866.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  German-American  Seminary 
at  Detroit,  and  later  received  a  thorough  business  training  in  the  Goldsmith,  Bryant 
&  Stratton  College  in  that  city.  For  three  years  he  engaged  in  truck  gardening  on  a 
large  scale,  his  produce  being  shipped  to  the  ports  of  Lake  Superior.  In  1889  he  be- 
came bookkeeper  for  the  United  States  Optical  Co.  (now  the  Michigan  Optical  Co.),  of 
which  his  father  is  president,  and  after  several  years'  service  in  that  capacity  he 
purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  business.  He  reorganized  and  incorporated  the 
company,  and  has  since  acted  as  its  treasurer.  In  1893  Mr.  Marx  was  elected  a  member 
at  large  of  the  Board  of  Estimates  of  Detroit,  but  resigned  that  office  in  the  fall  of 
1895  upon  being  elected  alderman  from  the  Fifteenth  ward  for  a  term  of  two  years. 
He  is  now  serving  his  second  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Harmonie  Singing  So- 
ciety of  Detroit,  and  of  the  local  Turn  Verein,  Concordia,  and  Detroit  Yacht  Club. 
In  February,  1897,  Mr.  Marx  married  Lydia  Darmstaetter,  of  Detroit. 

62 


Mason,  George  D.,  son  of  James  H.  and  Zada  E.  (Griffin)  Mason,  was  born  at 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  July  4,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated from  the  High  School  in  1873.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  architecture  in 
the  office  of  Henry  T.  Brush,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1878,  when  the  present 
firm  of  Mason  &  Rice  was  formed,  his  copartner  being  Mr.  Zachariah  Rice,  a  fellow 
draftsman.  In  1884  Mr.  Mason  spent  some  months  in  Europe,  studying  the  architec- 
ture of  England,  France,  Germany,  Italy  and  other  countries;  he  took  a  course  un- 
der special  instructors  perfecting  himself  in  higher  branches  of  mathematics.  Mr. 
Mason  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects,  and  of  the  Michigan 
chapter  of  that  institution  ;  of  the  Detroit  and  Witenagemote  Clubs ;  Royal  Arcanum  ; 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason.  Mr.  Mason  was  appointed  a  member  on  the  first  Board  of  Building 
Inspectors  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  held  that  position  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1883  he  married  Ida  Whitaker  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Lillian. 

Meginnity,  David,  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Hanna)  Meginnity,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  September  3,  1861,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit, 
which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  well 
known  lumber  firm  of  Lindsay  &  Gamble,  remaining  with  them  seven  years.  In 
1887  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Walter  R.  Hall,  under  the  firm  name  of  Me- 
ginnity &  Hall,  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  lumber  business,  which  firm  continued 
until  1890,  when  Mr.  Meginnity  withdrew  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business,  his 
present  occupation.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  is  among  the  prominent  and 
active  workers  of  his  party  in  Detroit.  He  is  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Alger  Re- 
publican Club  and  is  ex-president  of  that  organization.  In  1893  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Rich  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Jury  Commissioners  for  Wayne  county 
for  a  term  of  six  years.  He  held  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  Michigan  League  of 
Republican  Clubs  during  the  years  1895  and  1896;  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Na- 
tional Republican  Convention  in  1896  and  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  ]\iichigan 
delegation.  Mr.  Meginnity  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Blakeslee  &  Co.  of  56  Grand 
River  avenue,  and  of  Franklin  Assembly,  order  of  Washington  and  Lincoln,  of 
which  he  was  the  first  speaker.  September  9,  1890,  he  married  Grace  A.  Graves, 
daughter  of  Henry  A.  Graves  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  children:  David,  jr., 
Norman  K.  and  Blanche  G. 

Metcalf,  William  F.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Lawrence  and  Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Metcalf, 
was  born  at  Picton,  Ontario,  Canada,  December  27,  1863.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Northumberland  county,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Trenton  (Ontario) 
High  School  in  1881:  he  was  graduated  from  the  Belleville  (Ont.)  Normal  School  in 
1882,  and  from  then  until  the  autumn  of  1885  taught  in  the  public  schools.  In  1884 
Dr.  Metcalf  passed  the  Ontario  medical  matriculation  e.\aminations  and  in  the  fall 
of  the  following  year  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  ^lichigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1888,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  1886  he  com- 
pleted his  course  in  practical  anatomy  and  during  the  winter  of  1886-87  prosected 
for  the  chair  of  anatomy.  During  the  following  winter  he  acted  as  assistant  to  the 
chair  of  gynaecology.  In  July,  1888,  Dr.  Metcalf  opened  an  office  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
and  has  practiced  his  profession   continuously  since.     From  the  beginning  he  has 

63 


performed  all  surgical  work  presented  to  him  and  has  been  conspicuously  successful 
in  his  operations.  His  large  general  practice  led  him  into  the  clinical  study  of  the 
sympathetic  nerve  system,  which  in  turn  caused  him  to  take  up  abdominal  surgery, 
gyniccology  and  diseases  of  the  rectum.  In  these  latter  branches  he  has  taken  post- 
graduate work  in  Chicago,  New  York,  Dublin,  London,  Berlin  and  Paris,  which  have 
gained  for  him  invaluable  knowledge.  He  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  during  his 
studies  in  Europe  in  watching  the  operations  performed  by  some  of  the  world's  most 
famous  surgeons.  In  February,  1896,  Dr.  Metcalf  gave  a  four  days'  post-graduate 
course  in  the  Detroit  Sanitarium,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the  relations  of  sur- 
gery to  the  sympathetic  nerve  system.  He  gave  a  similar  course  at  the  Grace  Hos- 
pital in  October,  1897.  These  courses  were  largely  attended  by  the  surgeons  of 
Michigan.  Besides  suggesting  many  modifications  in  operative  procedures,  he  is 
the  author  of  a  method  of  intestinal  anastamosis  by  means  of  a  sugar-coated  approx- 
imator, by  which  the  operation  is  simplified  and  the  time  required  for  its  perform- 
ance greatly  reduced.  Among  the  monographs  written  by  Dr.  Metcalf  the  most 
important  are:  "Reflex  Disturbances  Attributable  to  Chronic  Cervical  Endome- 
tritis" (1892),  "  The  Sympathetic  Nerve  System"  (1894),  "Treatment  of  Habitual 
Constipation"  (1895),  and  "  Surgical  Relations  of  the  Sympathetic  Nerve  System" 
(1896).  He  is  the  inventor  of  several  surgical  appliances  now  in  general  use,  among 
them  a  needle  for  the  immediate  repair  of  the  perineum,  a  self-restraining  perineal 
retractor  and  a  gut-forcep.  Dr.  Metcalf  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library 
Association,  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine,  the  Detioit  Gynaecological  Society 
and  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society.  He  was  married  on  June  30,  1897,  to 
Agnes  Lovering,  daughter  of  the  late  William  Lovering  of  Detroit. 

Millen,  George  W. ,  son  of  Daniel  S.  Millen,  the  well  known  soap  manufacturer  of 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  was  born  at  Ann  Arbor,  October  17,  1863.  His  mother  was  Lo- 
vicy  Booth.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  until  thirteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  determined  to  strike  out  for  himself,  and  entered  the  dry  goods 
establishment  of  his  uncle,  C.  H.  Millen  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  remained  for 
eleven  years.  From  1889  to  1890  he  was  with  the  National  Life  Insurance  Company 
of  Vermont,  and  in  the  latter  year  took  the  general  agency  at  Detroit  for  the  Im- 
perial Life  Insurance  Company  of  that  city  and  served  that  company  for  one  year. 
In  1892  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  B.  Harrington  and  took  the  general  agency 
at  Detroit  for  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  which  John  A.  McCall  is 
president.  In  November  of  the  following  year  his  partner-ship  with  Mr.  Harrington 
was  dissolved  and  he  w?s  made  agency  director  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  February,  1897,  at  which  time  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  his  present  position  as  manager  for  the  eastern  district  of  Michigan, 
known  as  the  Detroit  branch.  Mr.  Millen  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Commandery  No. 
1,.K.  T.  ;  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  and  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine;  of  the  Fellowcraft,  Michigan,  and  Alger  Clubs,  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
In  1888  he  married  Jessie  C.  Wetmore  of  Concord,  Mich. 

Miller,  Robert,  son  of  Milton  and  Lydia  (Mack)  Miller,  was  born  in  Ithaca,  N.  Y., 
April  18,  1840.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Aurora,  111.,  where  his 
parents  removed  in  1843.     In  1857  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington 

64 


and  Quincy  Railroad,  remaining  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  89th  Illinois  Regiment  of  Infantry,  and  was  appointed  orderly  sergeant.  His 
regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  participated  in  many  of  the 
most  important  battles  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  in  the  fall  of  1865  with  the 
rank  of  first  lieutenant,  and  returned  to  Aurora  and  the  employ  of  the  C,  B.  and  Q. 
Railroad.  In.  1867  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  car  shop,  and 
in  1873  to  the  general  foremanship  of  the  company's  works  at  Aurora.  In  1876  he 
removed  to  Detroit  and  accepted  the  position  of  master  car  builder,  with  charge  of 
the  water  works  and  buildings  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  ;  in  1884  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  general  superintendent  and  in  1889  he  was  made  general  superin- 
tendent. In  1896  he  was  promoted  to  his  present  position,  that  of  superintendent  of 
motive  power  and  equipment.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  De- 
troit Post,  G.  A.  R.  November  16,  1865,  he  married  Mary  Lillie,  of  Aurora,  111. , 
and  they  have  two  children:    Edwin  L.,  and  Guy  A. 

Miller,  Sidney  T.,  A.  B.,  A.  M.,  lawyer,  and  son  of  Hon.  Sidney  D.  and  Kate 
(Trowbridge)  Miller,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  4.  1864.  After  attending 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  Detroit  and  Brown's  Private  Academy,  he  became  a 
student  in  the  class  of  of  1885  at  Trinity  College,  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  received  his 
degree  of  A.  B.  from  that  institution  ;  in  1888  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  During  the  year  1885-86  he  studied  in  the  law  office  of  his  father  at  Detroit, 
and  later  spent  one  year  in  the  law  department  of  Harvard  University.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan  in  1887,  and  at  once  opened 
an  office  in  Detroit.  He  has  been  successful,  his  clientele  representing  many  of  De- 
troit's leading  business  institutions  and  large  moneyed  interests.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  corporation  law,  into  which  he  has  gradually  drifted  through  his  busi- 
ness connections.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  State,  Wayne  County 
and  Detroit  Bar  Associations ;  Detroit,  Yondotega  and  Detroit  Athletic  Clubs  and 
North  Channel  and  Gibralter  Shooting  Clubs  of  Detroit;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Delta  Psi  college  fraternity,  and  a  director  of  the  Detroit  River  and  Wyandotte 
Savings  Bank  of  Detroit.  In  1889  Mr.  Miller  married  Lucy  T.  Robinson,  of  Hart- 
ford. Conn.,  and  they  have  two  children:     Sidney  T.,  jr.,  and  Elizabeth  T. 

Moody,  George  T.,  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Broadlej-)  Moody,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  September  16,  1851.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  Detroit  public 
schools  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  dry  goods  store  of  J.  W.  Farrell  as  a 
package  boy.  When  Newcomb,  Endicott  &  Co.  purchased  the  stock  and  good  will 
of  J.  W.  Farrell,  Mr.  Moody  continued  with  the  said  firm,  and  through  promotion 
filled  every  possible  position  in  the  rapidly  growing  establishment.  In  1887  he  was 
admitted  to  the  general  partnership  and  is  to-day  principal  partner.  Mr.  Cyrenius  A. 
Newcomb* having  practically  retired  from  the  business,  although  continuing  as 
special  adviser.  lu  both  business  and  social  circles  Mr.  Moody  is  equally  prominent 
and  popular,  and  enjoys  the  unqualified  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  is  president  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  that  organization  ;  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Detroit,  with  which  he  has  been  identified  for  more  than  twenty  j^ears ; 
and  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  of  the  board  of  governors  of  which  he  is  a 
member.     He  has  always  vo''ed  the  Republican  ticket,  but  has  never  sought  or  held 

65 


jiublic  office.  August  13,  1879,  Mr.  Moody  married  Lena  C,  daughter  of  James 
Riker,  esq.,  of  Clintonville,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Olive  R.,  aged 
seventeen,  and  Marjorie  E. ,  aged  ten  years. 

Moore,  Hon.  Charles  W.,  son  of  Stei^hen  and  Mary  (Boice)  Moore,  was  born  at 
Canterbury,  N.  H.,  March  22,  1845.  On  the  paternal  side  Mr.  Moore  is  descended 
from  the  Moores  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  on  the  maternal  side  from  the  historical 
Bakers  of  Scotland.  His  maternal  grandmother  was  a  sister  of  former  Governor 
Baker  of  New  Hampshire.  Stephen  Moore  was  a  sturdy  New  England  farmer,  a 
man  of  sterling  worth.  Charles  W.  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm,  attend- 
ing the  district  schools  during  the  winter  months  and  devoting  most  of  his  evenings 
to  study  at  home.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Concord  and  entered 
as  a  clerk  the  large  general  dry  goods  and  notion  store  of  James  Hazelton.  He  had 
been  in  the  store  but  a  few  months  when  Mr.  Hazelton  was  stricken  to  his  bed  with 
illness  and  during  the  two  years  of  his  illness  the  care  of  his  store  devolved  upon 
young  Moore.  About  this  time,  however,  a  serious  accident  which  befell  his  father 
caused  him  to  return  to  the  home  farm  and  assume  its  management  during  the  en- 
suing year.  In  1865  he  went  to  New  York  city  in  search  of  employment,  and,  in 
company  with  his  brother,  who  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  A.  Durkee  &  Co., 
visited  H.  W.  Richardson  &  Co.,  publishers,  who  immediately  offered  him  the  gen- 
eral agency  for  the  sale  of  their  works,  principally  the  lives  of  Lincoln  and  Grant,  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.  He  accepted  the  position  and  set  out  at  once  for  his  destination ;  he 
met  with  almost  phenomenal  success  from  the  start,  his  energetic  manner  of  doing 
business  making  a  deep  impression  upon  his  customers.  Among  the  latter  was  Mr. 
M.  V.  B.  Bull,  the  Albany  general  agent  of  the  Phoenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  offered  Mr.  Moore  a  splendid  salary  with  expenses 
defrayed,  if  he  would  abandon  his  sale  of  books  and  return  to  New  Hampshire  as 
general  agent  for  that  territory  for  his  company.  The  proposition  was  accepted, 
and  Mr.  Moore  soon  found  himself  in  an  office  of  his  own  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  with  a 
competent  corps  of  men  to  assist  him.  For  eleven  yerrs  he  carried  the  New  Hamp- 
shire agency,  and  in  1878  and  1879  was  stationed  at  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  as  superintendent 
of  agencies  for  the  territory  under  the  control  of  Mr.  Bull;  in  March,  1880,  Mr.  Moore 
severed  his  connection  with  the  Phoenix  Insurance  Company  to  accept  the  position  as 
manager  for  the  State  of  Michigan  for  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company.  He 
made  Detroit  his  residence  and  headquarters  and  during  the  twelve  years  of  his  ad- 
ministration of  the  affairs  of  the  New  York  company,  their  business  in  Michigan  in- 
creased fourfold.  Ill  health,  due  to  overwork,  caused  him  to  resign  his  position  in 
1892,  at  which  time  a  contract  was  made  between  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany and  Mr.  Moore,  providing  for  the  payment  to  him,  in  consideration  of  his  long 
and  faithful  service,  and  a  surrender  of  his  then  existing  contracts,  and  his  agree- 
ment to  give  that  company  the  benefit  at  various  times  of  his  counsel  and  advice,  of 
a  royalty  on  all  business  done  in  the  territory  under  control  of  the  Detroit  office,  so 
long  as  he  should  live.  In  the  course  of  a  few  months,  however,  the  company  en- 
deavored to  cancel  the  contract,  which  resulted  in  a  suit  being  instituted  by  Mr. 
Moore  against  the  aforementioned  company,  and  a  settlement  being  made  by  which 
the  company  paid  over  to  Mr.  Moore  a  large  sum  of  money.  Mr.  Moore's  first  step 
into  politics  was  taken  in  the  autumn  of  1892,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  Michigan 

66 


Legislature  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  while  a  member  of  that  body  was  honored  by  being 
chosen  speaker /rt>  tcm.  of  the  house,  and  receiving  a  place  upon  four  of  the  most 
important  committees.  Following  upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  the  Legislature 
Mr.  Moore  was  appointed  controller  of  the  city  of  Detroit  and  held  that  office  until 
July,  of  1896,  when  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Republican  party  to  the  State  Senate  and  took  his  seat  on  January  1,  1897,  being 
now  a  member  of  that  body.  In  church  affairs  Mr.  Moore  is  equally  active  and  was 
for  years  president  of  the  Wayne  County  Sunday  School  Association.  He  has  at- 
tained high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  Knight  Templar,  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  Shriner ;  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Michigan  and  Grande 
Pointe  Clubs.  In  1869  he  married  Lucy  A.  Baldwin  of  Newport,  N.  H.,  and  they  had 
one  child,  Clarence  Atherton,  who  died  when  an  infant. 

Moore,  George  Whitney,  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  June  29,  1845.  His  earlier 
training  was  that  afforded  by  educated  parents  and  the  common  schools.  At  twelve 
years  of  age  he  removed  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  in  the  public  schools  and  the  well 
known  Utica  Free  Academy  he  continued  his  education.  Some  experience  at  the 
mercantile  counter  and  desk  was  followed  by  an  appointment  in  the  United  States 
mustering  and  disbursing  office  at  Utica  in  1861,  in  the  work  incident  to  organizing 
volunteer  troops.  In  1863  he  received  an  appointment  in  the  War  Department  at 
Washington,  was  rapidly  promoted,  and  a  little  later,  in  the  deserters'  bureau  of  the 
provost  marshal-general's  office,  reorganized  the  work  of  returning  the  then  120,000 
reported  absentees  to  their  regiments.  In  1864  he  took  the  chief  clerkship  of  the 
assistant  provost  marshal-general's  ofhce  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  which  position  he  filled 
until  after  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866  he  came  to  Detroit  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. A  serious  illness  in  1868  required  out-of-door  life,  and  the  succeeding  two 
years  were  spent  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  Wyoming  Territory  in  quartz  mining, 
lumbering,  and  hunting,  with  some  experiences  in  Indian  warfare.  Returning  with 
restored  health  in  1870,  he  resumed  the  study  of  law,  begun  in  1864,  and  attended 
the  law  department  of  the  Michigan  University.  In  1872  he  associated  himself  with 
George  W.  Moore  (a  classmate  bearing  the  same  name)  in  the  law  firm  of  Moore  & 
Moore,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  law.  In  1874  he  became 
connected  with  the  business  of  the  late  Capt.  E.  B.  Ward  in  his  fight  for  the  control 
of  the  Burlington  &  Southwestern  Railway,  and  after  his  death,  under  the  leceiver, 
conducted  its  business  for  a  time.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican.  In  1878  he 
was  elected  to  the  Michigan  Legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  received 
6,694  votes,  Leonard  Sale,  Democrat.  6,686;  Benjamm  F.  Stamm,  Greenback,  2,599. 
As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Moore  has  taken  a  leading  place  among  the  practitioners  of  the 
State.  He  is  a  clear,  erudite,  logical  and  strong  in  his  presentation  of  his  cause  be- 
fore both  court  and  jury.  November  21.  1883.  he  married  Zillah,  daughter  of  the 
late  Cornelius  H.  De  Lamater  of  New  York  city.  Mr.  De  Lamater,  it  may  be  added, 
with  John  Ericsson,  developed  the  screw-system  of  propulsion  of  steam  vessels,  m 
accordance  with  Ericsson's  improvements,  and  was  the  principal  constructor  and 
owner  of  the  Monitor  at  the  time  she  fought  and  defeated  the  Merrimac. 

Moore,  Melford  B.,  son  of  Edwin  B.  and  Lucy  A.  (Rettig)  Moore,  was  born  at 
Stanton,  Mich.,  April  11,  1866.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  after  one  year  at  Swinsburg's  Mercantile  School  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich., 

67 


he  entered  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College  at  Detroit,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  1884.  In  1883  Mr.  Moore's  parents  had  located  in  Detroit,  where  his 
father  owned  extensive  property,  and  engaged  actively  in  the  real  estate  business. 
Upon  the  sudden  death  of  his  father  through  an  accident  in  1886,  Mr.  Moore  assumed 
the  management  of  the  business  and  the  estate.  In  1887  he  closed  up  his  father's 
affairs  and  established  himself  in  his  present  business  as  general  real  estate  agent, 
although  most  of  his  time  is  occupied  in  the  management  of  his  personal  estate.  He 
owns  exten.sive  ranch  and  farm  lands  in  Arkansas,  to  which  he  succeeded  upon  his 
father's  death.  Mr.  Moore  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason;  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shnner.  He  is  popular  in 
in  both  business  and  social  circles  and  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact. 

Moore,  William  V.,  son  of  the  Hon.  William  A.  Moore,  was  born  in  Detroit 
Mich.,  December  3,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  after  a 
preparatory  course  of  instruction,  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1878;  he  then  took  a  course  in  the  University  of  Law  at  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  being  graduated  in  1880  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  In  the  same  year  he 
returned  to  Detroit,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  has  since  been  in  continuous  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  winning  for  himself  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar.  Since 
November,  1892,  Mr.  Moore  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Goff,  of 
which  his  father,  Hon.  W.  A.  Moore,  is  the  senior  member.  Mr.  Moore  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Detroit  in  1885,  serving  in  that  capacity 
until  1889,  and  during  the  latter  two  years  of  his  service  was  president  of  that  body. 
He  is  president  of  the  Frontier  Iron  Works  Co.,  and  is  prominently  connected  with 
numerous  manufacturing  concerns.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Fellowcraft, 
Detroit  Athletic,  and  other  clubs,  and  in  his  politics  is  a  Gold  Democrat.  In  1883 
Mr.  Moore  married  Jennie  Andrews  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children,  William 
v.,  jr.,  and  Mary.  Mr.  Moore  has  been  eminently  and  justly  successful  in  his  prac- 
tice and  IS  popular  in  both  professional  and  social  circles. 

Murphy,  Alfred  J.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  1,  1868.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  Detroit  College,  a  classical  school  in  his  native  city, 
spending  five  years  in  the  latter  institution,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1887,  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  then  became  identified  with  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  as  a 
member  of  the  editorial  staff,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  in  the  mean  time 
pursuing  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Detroit  College.  In  1889  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  He  organized  and  became  president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Democratic  Club  of  Detroit,  in  1888,  this  being  his  first  step  in  politics. 
In  1890  he  became  assistant  secretary  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  of 
Michigan,  and  in  1891  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  as  secretary  of  the  State  Senate 
of  Michigan,  being  the  youngest  man  ever  elected  to  fill  that  office.  In  the  same 
year  he  entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  and  was  graduated  in  1893,  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  B.  He  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  in  March,  1893,  and  ujion  graduation 
he  at  once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  has  since  enjoyed  the  greatest 
success,  and  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  position  at  the  bar.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association. 

68 


Neithart,  Rev.  Benedict,  son  of  Nicholas  T.  and  Gertrude  (Klug)  Neithart,  was 
born  March  31,  1840,  in  FHeden,  near  Fulda,  Germany.  In  1842  his  family  removed 
to  America,  settling  at  Cumberland,  Maryland.  His  primary  education  was  acquired 
in  the  parochial  schools  of  that  place,  which  he  attended  until  eleven  years  of  age, 
He  next  attended  a  private  Latin  school  for  four  years,  and  in  1855  he  became  a 
novice  in  the  order  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer.  On  March  12,  1864,  he  was  ordained 
to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop  Whelan,  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia.  He  was  first 
assigned  as  pastor  of  St.  James  church,  Baltimore,  where  he  remained  but  a  few 
months,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  parish  of  St.  Michael,  where  he  remained 
until  1866.  His  next  charge  was  the  parish  of  St.  Alphonsus  at  New  Orleans,  of 
which  he  remained  the  pastor  for  seventeen  years.  In  1883  he  was  appointed  pastor 
of  St.  Alphonsus  church  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  from  which  he  was  transferred  in  1893  to 
the  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Perpetual  Help  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  was  also  superior 
of  the  seminary  of  his  order  situated  there.  In  1894  he  was  assigned  to  the  prepara- 
tory college  of  the  order  at  Kirkwood,  Mo.,  and  of  which  he  was  superior,  serving  in 
that  capacity  until  1894,  when  he  was  transferred  to  his  present  pastorate,  that  of 
Most  Holy  Redeemer  Church,  Detroit. 

Newberry,  Truman  H.,  son  of  the  late  John  S.  Newberry,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  November  5,  1864.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  after  a 
thorough  preparatory  course  entered  Yale  College  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in 
1885.  He  returned  to  Detroit  in  the  same  year  and  at  once  became  connected  with 
the  construction  department  of  the  Detroit,  Bay  City  and  Alpena  Railroad,  later 
becoming  purchasing  agent  for  and  a  director  of  that  road.  Following  his  father's 
death  in  1887  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Newberry  estate;  about  the  same 
time  he  was  made  president  of  the  Detroit  Steel  and  Spring  Co.,  manufacturers  of 
railroad  car  springs;  he  is  also  president  of  the  Detroit  File  Works  Co.,  a  director  of 
the  Union  Trust  Company;  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank;  Union  Depot  and 
Station  Co. ;  Fulton  Iron  and  Engine  Works  Co.,  and  is  prominently  identified  with 
other  large  business  corporations;  he  is  also  a  trustee  of  Grace  Ho.'^pital.  In  1889 
Mr.  Newberry  was  elected  as  estimater  at  large  of  Detroit  and  held  that  office  for 
two  years.  In  1891  he  was  nominated  for  the  Legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket 
but  declined  the  nomination  During  1893-94  he  was  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Jury 
Commissioners  for  Wayne  county.  In  1894  Mr.  Newberry  removed  his  residence  to 
GrossePointe,  Mich.,  and  has  been  treasurer  of  that  village  ever  since.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Yondotega,  Detroit,  Banker.s'  and  other  clubs  of  Detroit  and  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Monroe  Marsh  Company.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Michigan 
State  Naval  Brigade  in  February,  1898,  since  which  time  he  has  been  second  in  com- 
mand. He  is  a  member  of  Corinthian  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  is  a  trustee  of  the  Jeffer- 
son Avenue  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the  Grosse  Pointe  Evangelical  church.  In 
1888  he  married  Harriet  J.  Barnes  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  three  children: 
Carroll,  aged  eight,  and  twin  boys,  Barnes  and  Phelps,  aged  five  years. 

Newberry,  Hon.  John  S.  (deceased),  was  born  in  Waterville,  Oneida  county,  N.  V., 
November  18,  1826.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Elihu  and  Rhoda  (Phelps)  Newberry. 
The  American  branch  of  the  family  was  founded  by  Thomas  Newberry,  who  emi- 
grated from  England  and  settled  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  in  1625.  Mr.  Newberry  re- 
moved to  Michigan  when  he  was  five  years  old  and  after  a  short  stay  in  Detroit  the 

69 


family  settled  in  Romeo,  where  he  participated  in  such  educational  advatages  as 
were  to  be  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  that  day.  Later  he  attended  a  private 
school  in  Detroit  and  in  1841  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating  as 
valedictorian  of  his  class  in  1845.  In  the  mean  time  he  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
civil  engineering  and  surveying,  and  subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  in  the  construction  department,  where  he 
remained  two  j^ears.  The  following  year  he  spent  in  traveling  through  the  western 
Territories,  and  on  his  return  to  Detroit  he  entered  the  office  of  Van  Dyke  &  Em- 
mons, where  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1858;  subsequently  he 
formed  the  firm  of  Towle,  Hunt  &  Newberry;  and  later  withdrawing,  associated 
himself  with  Ashley  Pond,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pond  &  Newberry;  this  firm  took 
in  Henry  B.  Brown  (now  judge  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court),  and  upon  the 
withdrawal  of  Mr.  Pond  continued  the  business  under  the  name  of  Newberry  & 
Brown.  In  1863  Mr.  Newberry  abandoned  the  practice  of  law.  In  1864  the  Michi- 
gan Car  Company  was  organized,  Mr.  Newberry  becoming  the  largest  stockholder 
and  its  president.  From  this  industry  have  sprung  some  of  Detroit's  most  important 
industries,  notably  the  Baugh  Steam  Forge  Co.  ;  Detroit  Car  Wheel  Co.  ;  Detroit 
Steel  and  Spring  Co.  ;  Fulton  Iron  and  Engine  Works  and  many  kindred  establish- 
ments, in  which  Mr.  Newberry  was  a  large  stockholder  and  held  official  positions. 
The  several  industries  transacted  an  average  volume  of  business  ranging  from  three 
to  five  millions  of  dollars  annually  and  giving  employment  to  nearly  three  thousand 
hands.  At  the  time  of  his  death  on  January  3,  1887,  he  was  a  director  in  the  Detroit, 
Mackinac  &  Marquette  Railway;  Detroit  &  Cleveland  Steam  Navigation  Co.  ;  Vulcan 
Furnace  Co.  of  Newberry,  Mich.;  Detroit  National  Bank;  Detroit,  Bay  City  and 
Alpena  Railway;  D.  M.  Ferry  &  Co.  ;  Detroit  Railway  Elevator  Co.  and  many  other 
prominent  corporations  of  Detroit  and  Michigan.  On  reaching  his  majority  Mr. 
Newberry  joined  the  Whig  party,  with  which  he  was  associated  until  the  birth  of  the 
Republican  party  when  he  changed  to  that  candidate  for  public  favor.  He  was  ap- 
pointed provost  marshal  by  President  Lincoln,  serving  in  1862  and  1863  with  the 
rank  of  captain.  In  1879  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  First  district  of 
Michigan  and  served  one  term,  during  which  time  he  rendered  good  service  to  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  country  as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  commerce. 
Realizing  that  his  personal  interests  were  suffering,  he  refused  a  second  nomination 
and  devoted  his  energies  to  his  various  business  enterprises.  During  the  last  of  his 
life,  in  connection  with  his  business  associate,  James  McMillan,  he  founded  Grace 
Hospital,  to  the  establishment  of  which  he  contributed  $100,000.  In  1855  he  mar- 
ried Harriet  N.  Robinson  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  who  died  in  1856,  leaving  one  son, 
Harrie  R.  In  1859  Mr.  Newberry  married  Helen  P.  Handy  of  Cleveland,  O.,  and 
they  had  three  children:  Truman  H.,  John  S.  and  Helen  H. 

Nutten,  Wesley  L.,  son  of  John  B.  and  Maria  A.  (Crane)  Nutten,  was  born  at  Mos- 
cow, Mich. ,  April  6,  1869.  He  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  at  North  Adams, 
Mich.,  in  1886,  and  later  taught  in  the  schools  of  Hillsdale  county  for  two  years. 
He  attended  Hillsdale  College  for  three  years,  taking  the  classical  course,  and  spent 
one  year  in  the  University  of  Michigan.  From  1892  to  1893  he  was  traveling  repre- 
sentative in  the  States  of  Michigan,  Ohio  and  Indiana  for  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  and 
in  1893  entered  the  law  office  of  Henry  M.  Cheever,  where  he  diligently  pursued  his 

70 


studies  until  June,  1895,  at  which  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  has  since 
practiced  his  profession  continuously  and  successfully  at  Detroit,  in  the  office  of 
Judge  John  W.  McGrath,  late  chief  justice  of  the  Michigan  Supreme  Court.  Mr. 
Nutten  is  a  member  of  the  local  Bar  Association  ;  of  the  Alpha  Tau  Omega  fraternity 
of  Hillsdale  College ;  and  of  the  University  of  Michigan  chapter  of  that  fraternity. 
He  was  married  on  December  35,  1895,  to  Luna  May  Van  Vleck,  daughter  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  P.  H.  Van  Vleck  of  Sturgis,  Mich.  Mrs.  Nutten  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  B. 
from  Hillsdale  College  in  1891.     They  have  a  son,  Clyde  V.  Nutten. 

Oakman,  Robert,  son  of  the  late  John  Oakman,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August 
21,  1860.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Detroit  Post,  as  an  apprentice  in  the  mechanical  department,  and 
during  his  seven  years  of  service,  he  mastered  all  the  branches  of  printing.  He  was 
then  called  to  the  business  management  of  the  Every  Saturday,  a  journal  of  society, 
and  remained  with  that  paper  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  started  and 
ran  for  one  year  a  weekly  paper  called  the  Spectator.  In  1885  he  became  interested 
in  real  estate  and  made  that  his  business  until,  in  1893,  he  was  appointed  as  assistant 
city  assessor,  retaining  that  office  for  about  one  year.  In  July,  1895,  he  was  appointed 
secretary  to  Mayor  Pingree  of  Detroit,  to  complete  the  unexpn-ed  term  of  six  months 
of  Alex.  I.  McLeod,  resigned,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  reappointed 
for  two  years.  In  July,  1896,  he  resigned  that  position  to  accept  the  appointment  to 
his  present  position  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  City  Assessors,  of  which  he  is 
chairman.  In  1897  Mr.  Oakman  married  Mamie  R.,  daughter  of  Joseph  A.  Moross, 
the  well  known  builder  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Oakman  is  a  member  of  numerous  clubs  and 
fraternal  organizations. 

Paine,  De  Forest,  son  of  Asa  and  Jane  (Hutchinson)  Paine,  was  born  at  Albion, 
Mich.,  February  21,  1851.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  Albion,  Orleans  county,  N.  Y..  and  after  a  thorough  prepara- 
tory course  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  pursuing  Latin,  scientific  and  law 
courses,  and  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1873  In  the  following  year  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  located  m  Saginaw,  Mich.,  where  he  practiced  until  June, 
1878,  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Durand  &  Paine.  During  his  residence  in  Saginaw 
Mr.  Paine  served  as  circuit  court  commissioner  for  a  period  of  four  years,  having 
been  elected  to  that  office  in  1874,  and  re-elected  in  1876.  In  1878  he  removed  to 
Detroit,  where  he  has  since  been  in  the  uninterrupted  and  deservedly  successful 
practice  of  his  profession.  His  practice  has  been  general.  Mr.  Paine  is  a  member 
of  the  American,  Michigan  State,  and  Local  Bar  Associations;  of  the  Detroit  and  Fel- 
lowcraft  Clubs,  and  enjoys  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the 
public.  .  In  1874  he  married  Ida,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Moore,  of  Saginaw,  and 
they  have  had  three  children:     John  M.,  Jennie  R.  (deceased),  and  Bessie  I. 

Palmer,  Ervin,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  having  been  born  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Le  Roy,  Otsego  county,  October  10,  1832.  His  father  was  born  in  Stoning- 
ton.  Conn.,  of  pure  New  England  stock  and  his  mother  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
General  Herkimer  of  Revolutionary  fame,  a  good  specimen  of  a  Mohawk  German 
family.  Ervin  Palmer  moved  with  his  parents  from  New  York  to  Michigan  in  1833, 
and  settled  in   what  was  afterwards  named  the  township  of  Exeter.     The  country 

71 


was  then  new  and  they  were  the  pioneers  of  all  that  region.  He  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  old  log  school  house  and  then  taught  school  for  a  while.  After  much  toil 
and  self-denial  the  State  bestowed  upon  him  (through  its  university)  the  titles  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  and  Master  of  Arts.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  in  1857  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law  (the  law  department  of  the  university  not  then  having 
been  established)  in  the  office  of  Howard,  Bi.shop  &  Holbrook  or  Detroit,  where  he 
remained  about  one  year  and  then  entered  the  office  of  Lothrop  &  Duffield,  all  cele- 
brated lawyers  of  that  day.  He  was  employed  as  office  clerk  by  Mr.  Lothrop  for 
about  two  years.  On  October  16,  1858,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  of  Michigan.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1860  he  opened  a  law 
office  in  the  city  of  Detroit  and  has  continued  the  practice  of  law  in  that  city  ever 
since  Mr.  Palmer  has  always  been  a  Republican  ;  he  was  elected  circuit  court  com- 
missioner for  the  county  of  Wayne  in  1860  and  held  that  office  for  two  years.  Jan- 
uary 1,  1863,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John  Ward  under  the  firm  name  of  Ward 
&  Palmer,  which  partnership  continued  for  more  than  twenty  years.  The  firm  was 
well  known  throughout  the  State  and  they  had  a  large  practice  and  were  engaged  in 
many  of  the  most  important  suits  in  Detroit.  In  1863  Mr,  Palmer  was  appointed  a 
commissioner  of  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  by  Judge  Ross  Wilkins  and  for  a 
long  time  did  much  of  the  business  pertaining  to  that  office  in  the  Eastern  district  of 
Michigan.  In  1871  he  was  appointed  chief  supervisor  of  elections  by  United  States 
Circuit  Judge  H.  H.  Emmons  and  held  that  office  and  performed  the  duties  pertain- 
ing to  it  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  of  Detroit  for  four  years  from  the  old  Fifth  ward,  when 
religious  and  denominational  diff'erences  produced  heated  contentions.  Mr.  Palmer 
has  often  been  urged  to  accept  important  official  positions,  but  he  has  preferred  to 
pursue  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  has  long  had  a  lucrative  practice  and  is 
noted  as  a  hard  working,  faithful  and  first  class  lawyer,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of 
all  who  know  him.  December  25,  1860,  he  married  Emma  L.  Humphrey,  and  they 
have  had  ten  children:  Alice  E.,  wife  of  Edwin  A.  Henderson  of  the  editorial  staflf 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune;  she  is  quite  well  known  in  the  literary  world  as  a  writer  ' 
and  author;  Henry  E.  Palmer,  a  lawyer  residing  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Lewis  W.,  an 
architect  and  engineer  and  now  in  Klondyke ;  George  Perry,  a  lawyer  and  one  of  the 
assistant  corporation  counsel;  Charles  G.,  an  electric  and  mining  engineer  and  work- 
ing Claim  No.  38  above  on  Sulphur  Creek  in  Klondyke;  Ervin  R.,  a  practicing  lawyer 
in  Detroit  and  now  in  Klondyke;  John  W.,  city  buyer  in  the  Freeman,  Delemater 
Co.  of  Detroit;  Herbert  V.,  country  order  clerk  in  the  Freeman,  Delemater  Hardware 
Co.  store  of  Detroit;  Herbert  V. ;  Zelda  M.,  High  School  student,  and  Alfred  W.  Mr. 
Palmer  in  religious  belief  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  an  active  and  well  known 
member  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Congregational  church  and  has  been  from  its 
organization.  He  is  liberal  in  his  religious  opinions  and  accepts  the  higher  criticism 
interpretation  and  mode  of  studying  the  Bible,  as  the  more  reasonable  and  satisfac- 
tory way  of  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures. 

Palmer,  Jonathan,  jr.,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  A.  (Woodworth)  Palmer,  was 
born  at  Flint,  Mich. ,  August  6,  1869.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  his  native  town,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  in  1888  with  class  honors.  After 
a  course  in  Kalamazoo  (Mich.)  College  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  taking 

72 


a  one  year's  literary  course  there  and  later  completing  the  law  course,  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1893  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  located  for  practice  in  Detroit,  spending  one  year  in  the  office  of  Moore  & 
Goff.  From  1894  to  July,  1897,  he  practiced  entirely  alone,  making  a  specialty 
of  insurance,  banking  and  general  corporation  law,  and  has  met  with  justly  deserved 
success.  A  number  of  notable  cases  have  already  passed  through  his  hands  and  he 
has  prosecuted  them  with  consummate  skill.  He  is  also  attorney  for  a  number  of 
large  estates  and  business  institutions.  Mr.  Palmer  has  established  for  himself  a 
legal  standing  in  the  community  that  has  won  him  many  clients,  and  he  enjoys  the 
unqualified  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the  public.  He  has 
practiced  before  all  the  courts  of  the  State  and  has  the  reputation  of  losing  fewca.ses 
which  are  intrusted  to  his  care.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  well  known  firm  of 
Bacon  &  Palmer  with  offices  at  suite  63  Moffat  building.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations ;  of  the  Alger  Republican  Club  of  Detroit ; 
of  the  Phi  Delta  Phi  fraternity,  and  was  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Alumni  Chapter  of 
Phi  Delta  Phi;  of  the  Detroit  Boat  Club,  and  was  for  some  time  president  of  a  de- 
bating club  known  as  the  "  Detroit  Pros  and  Cons,"  which  has  been  in  existence  for 
nearly  fifteen  years.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  of  which  his  father  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Michigan  Chapter.  Mr. 
Palmer  is  a  direct  descendant  on  the  paternal  side  from  Col.  Jonathan  Palmer,  who 
held  seven  commissions  under  Washington;  and  on  his  father's  mother's  side  is  a 
direct  descendant  of  Gov.  WiUiam  Bradford.  Jonathan,  jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
on  his  mother's  side  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Lucy  Griswold  Ball,  mother  of  George 
Washington,  and  the  other  branch  of  the  family  goes  directly  back  to  Rufus  Heb- 
bard,  who  was  a  patriot  and  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 

Palms,  Francis  F.,  son  of  Francis  and  Martha  (Larned)  Palms,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  April  12,  1837.  Owing  to  the  death  of  his  mother  when  a  child,  he  was 
taken  to  New  Orleans,  La.,  and  placed  in  the  family  of  his  aunt,  where  he  received 
a  thorough  preparatory  education.  In  1854  he  entered  Georgetown  College  at 
Georgetown,  D.  C,  and  was  graduated  in  1857.  LTpon  completion  of  his  collegiate 
course  he  opened  an  engineering  office  in  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  where  he  remained 
until  the  commencement  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Louisiana 
Infantry.  In  1862  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant  and  organized  a  signal  corps, 
rendering  valuable  service  to  the  Confederate  cause  at  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson. 
He  established  a  range  of  signals  extending  for  fifteen  miles  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  by  which  the  besieged  were  informed  of  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  While 
in  command  of  this  position  he  was  captured  by  General  Banks,  and  convej'ed  a 
prisoner  of  war  to  Fortress  Monroe;  after  a  short  confinement  he  was  exchanged 
and  retur-ned  to  his  command,  with  whom  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  On 
conclusion  of  hostilities  he  returned  to  the  parish  of  West  Baton  Rouge  and  engaged 
in  cotton  planting.  Mr.  Palms  removed  to  New  Orleans  in  1867,  having  been  forced 
to  leave  his  plantation  bj^  the  floods  of  that  year.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  was 
appointed  chief  clerk  of  the  register  of  deeds,  which  position  he  held  until  1870, 
when  he  was  appointed  minute  clerk  of  the  Fourth  Civil  District  Court,  Parish  of 
Orleans,  for  a  term  of  eight  years;  he  was  reappointed  at  the  expiration  of  his  term, 
serving   until    1880,   when,    at  the  urgent  request  of  his  father,   he  resigned  and 

73 


accepted  the  position  of  private  secretary  to  his  father.  He  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  management  of  his  father's  affairs  until  the  latter's  death.  His  father  left  two 
heirs,  Francis  F.,  the  subject,  and  his  half  sister,  Clotilde  Palms,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  B. 
Book.  So  large  a  fortune  has  not  yet  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  Michigan  man,  and 
rarely  has  fortune  found  one  so  worthy.  Mr.  Palms  is  president  of  the  Michigan 
Brass  and  Iron  Works;  the  National  Loan  and  Investment  Co.;  Bucks  Stove 
Co.  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. ;  vice-president  of  the  Peninsular  Stove  Co. ;  a  director  of  the 
People's  Savings  Bank ;  Michigan  Stove  Co.  ;  Standard  Life  and  Accident  Insur- 
ance Company ;  Michigan  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Co.  ;  the  Matthews,  Ireland 
Mfg.  Co.,andforatime  was  commissioner  of  the  Park  Board  of  Detroit.  In  July,  1866, 
he  married  Miss  Devall,  daughter  of  a  prominent  planter  of  Baton  Rouge.  Mrs.  Palms 
died  in  that  same  year,  and  in  1869  he  married  Celimene  Pellerin,  of  Breaux  Bridge, 
St.  Martinsville  parish,  La.,  who  died  in  Detroit  in  1888.  In  1890  he  married  Miss 
Marie  Aimee  Martin,  daughter  of  Hon  S.  V.  Martin,  of  St.  Martinsville  parish,  La. 
Mr.  Palms  has  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Charles  L.  is  the  eldest.  Politically 
Mr.  Palms  is  a  Democrat. 

Pendleton,  Edward  Waldo,  was  born  at  Camden,  Maine,  May  22,  1849,  a  son  of 
George  Pendleton,  a  native  of  the  same  State,  who  was  born  on  February  22,  1800. 
George  was  a  son  of  Capt.  John  Pendleton  and  a  descendant  of  the  fifth  generation 
of  Major  Brian  Pendleton,  the  founder  of  the  Pendleton  family  in  America,  who 
came  with  his  family  from  the  town  of  Pendleton,  Lancashire,  England,  in  the  year 
1632,  settling  in  Westport,  Mass.  While  still  a  young  man  George  became  secretary 
to  Commander  Warrington  of  the  United  States  frigate  Constellation,  and  while 
acting  in  that  capacity  took  part  in  the  reception  tendered  to  General  La  Fayette 
upon  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  America  in  1825,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Pendleton  was  a  man  of  conspicu- 
ous integrity  of  character,  of  broad  views,  with  cultivated  and  cordial  manners.  In 
1831  he  married  Susan  Johnson,  of  Canterbury,  Conn.,  who  was  a  descendant  of 
Edward  Johnson,  the  prmcipal  founder  of  Woburn,  Mass.,  and  author  of  "The 
Wonder-working  Providence  of  Zion's  Savior  in  New  England,"  and  also  of  the  his- 
toric Huntingtons,  of  Connecticut.  Mr.  Pendleton  died  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August 
27,  1875,  at  the  home  of  his  son.  Edward  W.  received  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  Gorham  (Maine)  Academy  and  in  Bowdoin  College,  at  Brunswick,  Maine;  in 
1870  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1872, 
receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.  During  the  years  1872  and  1873  Mr.  Pendleton  was 
superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Owosso,  Mich.,  and  subsequently  was  instructor  in 
classics  in  the  Detroit  High  School  for  two  years.  For  one  year  he  attended  the 
law  department  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  made  his  final  preparations  for 
practice  in  the  office  of  Hon.  C.  I.  Walker,  of  Detroit ;  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1876,  and  has  ever  since  been  in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Detroit.  During  his  years  of  practice  Mr.  Pendleton  has  handled  many  cases  of 
importance,  among  them  a  famous  extradition  case,  in  the  conduct  of  which  he  was 
appointed  special  agent  by  President  Harrison  to  go  to  England.  He  is  a  man  of 
liberal  education  and  has  traveled  extensively;  in  the  law,  honorable  in  the  methods 
of  his  practice,  trustworthy  in  his  statements  to  the  courts,  polite  and  courteous  in 
his  bearing  toward  members  of  the  bar,  and  commands  the  unqualified  respect  of 


the  profession.  ?Ie  is  public  spirited  and  active  in  promoting  the  general  welfare  of 
his  city.  In  social  life  his  genial  and  unpretentious  manner  gains  the  confidence 
and  holds  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Mr.  Pendleton  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  of  the  city  of  Detroit.  In  politics  he  has 
always  been  a  Republican  and  a  persistent  advocate  of  protection  to  home  industries 
November  26,  1895,  he  married  Mary  E.  Leggett,  who  died  March  9,  1897. 

Pitts,  Thomas,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Merrill)  Pitts,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  October  11,  1841.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  Mr.  Pitts  was  born  in  a  cottage 
then  situated  on  the  present  site  of  the  Union  Railway  depot.  He  obtained  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  a  private  school.  With  a  complete  classical  course  in  view,  he 
entered  the  preparatory  school  at  Andover,  Mass.,  in  1857,  intending  to  enter  Har- 
vard University,  just  as  many  of  his  forefathers  for  a  century  and  a  half  had  done; 
but  a  sudden  turn  in  his  health,  due  to  an  accident  received  while  he  was  indulging 
in  athletic  sports,  compelled  him  to  return  home  after  two  years  of  study.  Upon  re- 
turning to  Detroit  Mr.  Pitts  at  once  turned  his  attention  to  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber and  salt,  in  company  with  his  father,  who  owned  large  interests  in  Bay  City, 
Detroit  and  Flint,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Thomas  Cranage.  In  1868,  owing  to  the 
death  of  Samuel  Pitts,  the  business  was  continued  under  the  title  of  Thomas  Pitts  & 
Co.,  later  Pitts  &  Cranage,  and  on  the  retirement  of  Thomas  Cranage  in  1892,  the 
firm  became  Pitts  &  Co.  Since  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Cranage  Mr.  Pitts  has  had  ex- 
clusive control  of  the  business.  He  has  always  resided  in  Detroit.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  month.s'  service  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  asylum  at 
Pontiac,  by  appointment  of  Governor  Jerome,  Mr.  Pitts  has  never  held  public  office, 
although  frequently  urged  to  do  so.  Despite  the  extensive  business  which  he  has 
governed  for  many  years,  he  has  taken  considerable  time  for  foreign  travel.  From 
1882  to  1890  he  spent  more  than  half  his  time  in  Europe,  where  his  children  were 
then  receiving  their  education.  On  June  21,  1871,  Mr.  Pitts  man-ied  Louise  Chapin 
Strong,  daughter  of  H.  Norton  Strong,  for  many  years  a  large  vessel  owner  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  Detroit.  They  have  two  children:  Helen  Strong 
and  Samuel  Lendall,  the  latter  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1897  of  Harvard  University. 
Samuel  L.  returned  to  Europe  after  his  graduation  in  1897,  and  in  Paris  continued 
the  study  of  art  under  the  best  masters  of  the  French  capital.  In  college  he  was 
the  leader  in  the  most  prominent  college  societies  and  an  editor  of  college  papers. 
He  is  the  possessor  of  high  artistic  and  literary  talents,  and  both  are  now  being  care- 
fully cultivated  under  the  direction  of  illustrious  teachers.  Mr.  Pitts  inherited  from 
his  father,  who  was  one  of  the  famous  class  of  Harvard  University  of  1830,  an  ele- 
gant style  of  speech  and  language  and  has  been  always  a  student  of  the  best 
English,  French  and  German  tongues,  all  of  which  he  speaks  with  fluency.  His 
private  library  is  particularly  fine  and  when  he  and  his  brother-in-law.  Judge 
Henry  B.  Browm  and  Col.  Henry  M.  Duffield,  lived  as  adjoining  neighbors,  their 
joint  collections  made  one  of  the  literary  centers  of  the  city.  Some  of  Mr.  Pitts's 
descriptions  of  foreign  scenes  were  so  clear  and  admirable  that  although  not  written 
for  publication  some  of  his  friends  allowed  them  to  be  printed  in  the  Detroit  news- 
papers. When  the  engrossment  of  business  has  somewhat  subsided,  some  good 
work  from  his  pen  as  a  reviewer,  wit  and  critic  may  confidently  be  looked  for.  Mr. 
Pitts's  homestead  is  a  museum  much  prized  by  the  Sons  and  the  Daughters  of  the 

75 


American  Revolution  and  the  Colonial  Dames,  as  he  possesses  undoubtedly  the 
largest  list  of  portraits  in  the  West,  including  his  own  portrait  by  Gari  Melchres,  and 
his  son's  by  Franz  Till.  He  has  nine  generations  of  family  portraits,  beginning 
with  old  Joseph  Bowdoin  of  Boston,  by  Joseph  Badger,  and  including  examples  of 
John  Smibert,  J.  B.  Blackburn,  J.  S.  Copley,  Cole  and  others.  Among  the  patriotic 
relics  are  letters  of  Governor  Bowdoin,  John  Hancock,  General  Warren,  Lendall 
Pitts,  the  leader  of  the  tea  party,  and  of  James  Pitts,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  the  parchment  commissions  of  his  grandfather,  Major  Thomas  Pitts,  in 
the  war  of  1812,  signed  by  President  Madison. 

Parker,  Clarence  L.,  son  of  Lorenzo  D.  and  Mary  E  (Brown)  Parker,  was  born  in 
Hallsport.  N.  Y.,  February  14,  1870.  Reacquired  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Hallsport  and  later  in  Au  Sable,  Mich.,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1880.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  employed  as  tally  boy  for  a  lumber  inspector,  and  after 
three  years'  service  with  him  was  given  employment  as  an  inspector,  in  which 
capacity  he  continued  for  several  years.  In  1890,  with  Mr.  Thomas  Keer,  he  formed 
the  firm  of  Keer  &  Parker,  and  they  engaged  in  the  shipping  and  inspection  of  lum- 
ber, with  Au  Sable  as  their  headquarters.  In  1892  he  disposed  of  his  interest  at 
Au  Sable  and  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  engaged  in  dealing  in  lumber  and  be- 
came a  vessel  owner.  In  1896  he  established  his  present  business,  and  in  1898  he  or- 
ganized the  Parker  Chartering  Company,  which  succeeded  him,  and  of  which  he  is 
manager.  He  was  married,  December  26,  1890,  to  Miss  Anna  Forsythe,  of  Halls- 
port, N.  Y.     They  have  one  child.  Norma  E.  Parker. 

Parshall,  J.  Harry,  son  of  Charles  and  Ellen  L.  (Darcy)  Parshall,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  February  13,  1866.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School  at 
Detroit,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered  the  drug  store  of  J.  E.  Davis  to  learn  the 
business.  Three  years  later  he  left  the  drug  business  and  entered  business  with  his 
father,  in  the  manufacture  of  lubricating  machinery.  In  1892  he  accepted  his  pres- 
ent position,  as  manager  for  the  States  of  Michigan  and  Ohio  for  the  Ball  Engine 
Co.  of  Erie,  Pa.,  manufacturers  of  Ball  engines  for  electric  lighting  and  electric  rail- 
ways, which  are  used  in  nearly  all  of  the  large  cities  of  the  civilized  world.  Mr. 
Parshall  was  married  in  1888  to  Flora  A.  Newman,  of  Pontiac,  Mich.,  and  they  have 
two  children:     Helen  L.  and  Dorothy  J. 

Payne,  Isaac  N.,  son  of  Benjamin  D.  and  Mary  R.  (Baldwin)  Payne,  was  born  at 
Port  Clinton,  Ohio,  October  27,  1854.  He  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  until 
fifteen  years  of  age,  then  becoming  a  teacher  for  one  year.  During  the  year  1870-71 
he  was  a  student  in  the  Baldwin  University  at  Berea,  Ohio,  and  from  1871  to  1875 
managed  the  home  farm  at  Port  Clinton,  his  father  having  passed  away  some  time 
before.  In  1875  and  1876  he  attended  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware, 
Ohio,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Ann  Arbor  (Mich.)  High  School  in  1877;  he  was 
graduated  B.  A.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1881,  and  after  a  one  year's  law 
course  in  the  same  institution  he  completed  his  studies  in  the  office  of  William  E. 
Depew  at  Ann  Arbor,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Payne 
has  continuously  practiced  his  profession  at  Detroit  and  has  won  for  himself  honor- 
able standing  at  the  bar  and  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  has 
contributed  several  articles  to  legal  literature,  some  of  which  are   printed  in   the 

76 


American  and  English  Encyclopaedia  of  Law.  From  1882  to  1885  Mr.  Payne  had  as 
a  partner  Mr.  A.  G.  McKeen.  under  the  style  of  Payne  &  McKeen.  He  was  married 
in  1882  to  Nellie  Stanley  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Dora  R. 
and  Stanley  W.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Peckham,. Cyrus  T.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Stephen  and  Frances  (Gates)  Peckham,  was 
born  at  Ledyard,  Conn.,  November  11,  1852.  Armed  with  a  common  district  school 
education  Dr.  Peckham  entered  a  preparatory  course  of  study  at  East  Greenwich, 
R.  I.,  and  graduated  in  1871.  In  1872  he  entered  Harvard  University  and  graduated 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1876.  He  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department 
m  1879.  On  leaving  college  he  practiced  in  Boston,  Mass.,  for  one  year,  at  the  same 
time  taking  a  private  course  in  diseases  of  the  eye  with  Dr.  O.  F.  Wadsworth,  Bos- 
ton. While  thus  engaged  he  was  selected  as  acting  assistant  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  Marine  Hospital  service.  October  20,  1881,  he  passed  the  required  examina- 
tion and  was  admitted  as  assistant  surgeon,  in  which  capacity  he  served  three  years. 
In  1884  he  was  promoted  to  passed  assistant  surgeon.  He  was  stationed  at  New  York 
for  two  years.  He  was  given  charge  of  the  Marine  Hospital  at  Wilmington,  N.  C, 
in  1883,  and  there  served  four  years;  next  he  was  ordered  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  re- 
maining there  three  years,  and  then  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  serving  four  years  at  that 
station.  While  at  St.  Louis  be  was  professor  of  genito-urinary  surgery  in  Barnes 
Medical  College.  Dr.  Peckham  at  this  time  received  orders  to  assume  command  of 
the  quarantine  at  Angel  Island,  San  Francisco,  and  served  there  two  years.  He  then 
went  to  Port  Townsend,  remaining  there  eight  months,  and  his  next  station  was 
Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  various  medical  associations  of  the  cities  in  which 
he  has  resided  and  of  the  Harvard  Medical  Association.  In  1872  he  married  Lydia 
Ayer  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  they  have  one  child.  Several  years  after  the  death  of 
his  first  wife  Dr.  Peckham  married  Ella  Stanton,  also  of  Norwich,  on  July  8,  1891. 
He  remained  in  Detroit  one  year  and  is  at  present  stationed  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in 
command  of  the  service. 

Pitcher,  Sheldon,  M.  D.,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Eliza  T.  (Strong)  Pitcher,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  10,  1862.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School 
of  Detroit,  and  in  1887  entered  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1890  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  the  .same  year  he 
located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  .since  practiced  his  profession  with  marked  success. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society  and  of  the  Detroit  Patholog- 
ical Society.  Dr.  Pitcher  is  still  a  bachelor  and  is  popular  in  both  professional  and 
social  circles. 

Pittman,  Gen.  James  E.,  son  of  Daniel  and  Eliza  (SpoiTord)  Pittman,  was  born  in 
Tecumseh,  Mich.,  September  5,  1826.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Tecumseh  and  at  the  branch  of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  Tecum- 
seh, which  he  left  in  1843  to  accept  a  position  with  Lawson,  Howard  &  Co.  of  De- 
troit, commission  merchants  and  dealers  in  grain,  their  warehouse  being  situated  at 
the  foot  of  Griswold  street.  In  1847  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Cornelius  Wick- 
ware,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wickware  &  Pittman,  and  purchased  the  business  of 
his  former  employers.  He  continued  in  this  venture  until  the .  call  of  the  United 
States   government   in  1847,  for  one   regiment  of  Michigan  volunteers,  for  the  War 

77 


with  Mexico,  when  he  at  once  enlisted  in  that  re,2:iment,  serving  through  the  cam- 
paign and  returning  to  Detroit  in  the  summer  of  1848.  On  his  return  he  entered  the 
employ  of  E.  W.  Hudson,  commission  merchant,  foot  of  Shelby  street,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  1852,  and  then  associated  himself  with  Edmund  Trowbridge  and  J. 
Huff  Jones,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pittman,  Trowbridge  &  Jones.  They  engaged 
in  a  general  commission  business  and  were  the  agents  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland 
steamers,  their  warehouse  being  at  the  foot  of  Griswold  street.  In  1855  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Dr.  E.  M.  Clark,  under  the  firm  name  of  James  E.  Pittman  &  Co., 
and  embarked  in  the  coal  and  commission  business,  and  were  the  agents  in  Detroit 
of  the  Erie  Railroad  Co.,  their  place  of  business  being  at  the  foot  of  Cass  street.  In 
185G  Mr.  Pittman  purchased  the  interest  of  Dr.  Clark  and  continued  the  business. 
In  1875  he  removed  to  the  foot  of  Riopelle  street.  In  1885  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  C.  A.  Dean  and  L.  M.  Pittman.  under  the  firm  name  of  Pittmans  &  Dean.  In 
1886  they  consolidated  with  the  firms  of  L.  Peocock  &  Son  and  Hall  &  Ashley,  form- 
ing the  present  firm  of  Pittmans  &  Dean  Company.  Upon  the  call  of  President 
Lincoln  for  troops  in  1861,  Mr.  Pittman  was  appointed  an  officer  on  the  staff  of  Gen. 
A.  S.  Williams  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  organization ;  subsequently  he  was  ap- 
pointed paymaster  of  State  troops  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  In  the  summer  of  1861 
he  was  appointed  second  in  command  of  Fort  Wayne,  where  a  school  of  instruction 
had  been  established.  In  the  winter  of  that  year  he  was  appointed  inspector-general 
of  State  troops,  wnth  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  in  the  summer  of  1862  he 
organized  the  17th  Mich.  Infantry.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  State  Military 
Board  until  1868.  He  was  appointed  trustee  of  the  Asylum  for  Insane  at  Kalama- 
zoo; he  also  served  as  inspector  of  the  House  of  Correction  at  Detroit.  In  1873  he 
was  appointed  commissioner  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  and  served  as  such  until  1885 
when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  police,  filling  that  position  until  1892. 
General  Pittman  is  a  member  of  the  Third  Class  of  the  Military  Order  of  tfie  Loyal 
Legion,  and  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Savings  Bank.  Politically  he  was  first  a  Whig 
and  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  became  identified  with  it  and  has 
remained  a  staunch  supporter  since.  In  1851  he  married  Elizabeth  Hutchinson  of 
Bristol,  Pa.,  and  they  had  four  children,  all  now  deceased. 

Post,  James  A.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Edmund  R.  and  Almira  M.  (Collins)  Post,  and  only 
brother  of  Hon.  Hoyt  Post,  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vt.,  November 
18,  1838.  At  an  early  age  he  i-emoved  with  his  parents  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  attended  public  school  until  1846 ;  from  Rochester  they  removed  to  Dayton,  Ohio, 
and  still  later,  in  1848,  to  Detroit,  Mich.  They  finally  settled  at  Birmingham,  Mich., 
in  1856,  and  after  careful  preparation  for  college  in  the  Birmingham  Academy  j'oung 
Post  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  being  graduated 
therefrom  B.  S.  in  1861,  and  then  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  university. 
In  September,  1862,  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  for  two  months  he  .served 
as  a  medical  cadet  in  the  military  hcsijitals.  From  Washington  he  enlisted  in  the 
army  as  a  hospital  steward,  being  sent  at  once  to  Louisville,  Ky. ,  and  after  six  months' 
active  service  in  the  hospitals  of  that  city  he  passed  an  examination  before  a  board 
of  army  surgeons,  and  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  to  the  28th  Kentucky  In- 
fantry', serving  in  the  Second  Division,  Fourth  Army  Corps  (Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land), under  Col.  W.  P.  Boone.     He  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  surgeon  of 

78 


the  same  regiment,  and  July  4,  1865,  resigned  his  commission  on  account  of  poor 
health,  while  stationed  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Michigan. 
In  the  autumn  of  1865  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, and  was  graduated  therefrom  M.  D..  in  the  following  spring.  From  1866  to 
1868  Dr.  Post  practiced  his  profession  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  at  the  same  time  con- 
ducting a  drug  store  in  that  town.  He  returned  to  Birmingham  in  1868  and  was 
actively  engaged  as  medical  practitioner  there  until  1884,  when  he  located  perma- 
nently in  Detroit.  In  November,  1885,  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as 
general  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Association  of  Charities.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Central  Christian  church  of  Detroit,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  elders;  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  In  1864  he  married  Kalherine  M., 
daughter  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Goodwin,  of  Jeffersonville,  Ind. 

Proud,  Charles  I.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaret  S.  (Wagner)  Proud,  was  born  at 
Ottawa,  Canada,  May  11,  1857.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  entered  the  employ  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  Companv  as  bill- 
ing clerk  at  Rouse's  Point,  N.  Y.  From  1877  to  1878  he  was  in  charge  of  the  steam- 
ship freight  department  for  the  same  company  at  Montreal,  Canada;  from  1878  to 
1880  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Co.  as  conductor;  from  1880  to 
1882  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  with  his  brother  at  Winnepeg,  Manitoba; 
from  1882  to  1889  he  had  charge  of  the  transferring  of  freight  from  the  D.  &  M.  and 
G.  T.  R.  R.  Co., "from  the  road  of  that  company  to  the  Wabash  Railroad  at  Detroit; 
from  1889  to  1891  he  was  in  charge  of  the  city  business  for  the  Detroit  Transit  Rail- 
road Co.  at  Detroit;  and  later  served  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  Wa- 
bash Railroad  Companies  in  their  Detroit  offices.  Since  May,  1895,  Mr.  Proud  has 
been  bookkeeper  for  the  Delta  Lumber  Co.  of  Detroit.  August  18,  1897,  he  married 
Grace  Hartman  of  Piqua,  Ohio. 

Reid,  Rev.  John,  D.  D.,  son  of  Robert  and  Jean  (Wallace)  Reid,  was  born  in  St. 
John,  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  November  19,  1850.  His  parents  moved  to  New 
York  city  in  1851  and  his  early  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
city.  In  1862  he  entered  the  New  York  University  Grammar  School  under  Moses  M. 
Hobby,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  entered  the  University  of 
New  York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1870.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  April, 
1873.  Rev.  Mr.  Reid  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Morris  and 
Orange,  his  ordination  taking  place  at  Lower  Valley,  N.  J.,  May  6,  1873.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1876,  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  where  he  remained  until  1879,  when  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Yonkers,  N.  Y.  He  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit  in  November,  1895,  and  has  filled  that  pulpit  up  to 
the  present  time.  He  was  moderator  of  the  Presbytery  of  Jersey  City  in  1876;  was 
a  commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1877  held  in  Chicago;  and  also  to  that  of 
1884  held  in  Saratoga;  and  to  the  Centennial  Assembly  held  m  Philadelphia  in  1888. 
In  1888  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Alliance  of  the  Reformed  Churches  holding  the 
Presbyterian  System,  held  in  Exeter  Hall,  London.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divin- 
ity was  conferred  upon  him  by  the   University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  June  14, 

79 


1888.     In  1889  he  was  elected  to  the  Council  of  that  university,  holding  this  position 
and  serving  as  secretary  until  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Detroit. 

Remick,  Jerome  H.,  son  of  James  A.  and  Mary  (Hosmer)  Remick,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  November  15,  1868.  He  attended  private  and  public  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Detroit  Business  College  in  1887.  Prior  to  entering  the 
business  school  Mr.  Remick  had  received  practical  business  experience  as  a  messen- 
ger in  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Detroit.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he 
began  an  active  business  career  as  log-sealer,  book  and  timekeeper  and  supply  pur- 
chasing agent  for  Whitney  &  Remick,  of  which  firm  his  father  was  a  member,  in  the 
lumber  camps  of  northern  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1893,  after  a  sojourn  of  several  months  in  Europe,  Mr.  Remick  located  perma- 
nently in  Detroit  and  in  the  following  .spring  was  elected  to  his  present  position  as 
secretary  of  the  Home  Building  &  Loan  Association.  In  January,  1896,  he  was  ap- 
pointed trustee  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce,  his  term  of  office  expiring  in 
January,  1898  Mr.  Remick  is  a  director  of  the  "Big  4"  gold  mine  of  Leadville, 
Col.,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Crane  Building  Co.  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Riding  and  Athletic 
Clubs,  and  the  Country  Club.  In  June,  1895,  he  married  Adelaide  F.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  William  B.  McCreery  of  Flint,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Katharine. 

Reves,  Frank  N.,  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Wilhelm)  Reves,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  March  29.  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  Detroit  public  schools  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  employ  of  R.  G.  Tyler,  grocery  merchant,  where  he 
remained  as  a  clerk  until  1871.  In  that  year  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the 
business,  continuing  for  six  years  more.  In  1877  he  bought  out  the  establishment 
where  he  is  now  located  and  has  been  prosperous  from  the  beginning.  He  is  also 
engaged  in  the  management  of  his  mother's  estate.  Mr.  Reves  was  elected  as  alder- 
man from  the  Third  ward  of  Detroit  in  1885,  for  three  terms  of  two  years  each  and 
was  again  elected  to  that  office  in  1895;  his  present  term  will  expire  on  January  12, 
1898.  In  April,  1897,  he  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  De- 
troit for  a  period  of  one  year.  Mr.  Reves  is  a  member  of  the  orders  of  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  and  K.  P. ;  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  old  Michigan  Yacht  Club 
of  Detroit.  In  1872  he  married  Mary  Streeter,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  four 
of  whom  survive:  Maud  M.,  Elizabeth  W.  (now  the  wife  of  Arthur  Rothwell  of  De- 
troit), Frank  W.  and  Addie.     Hazel  died  in  June,  1895,  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

Rori.son,  Brainard. — It  is  authentic  that  nearly,  if  not  quite  all,  of  the  Rorisons  in 
America  are  descendants  of  three  brothers,  who  came  from  Scotland  in  the  last  cent- 
ury. A  grandson  of  the  youngest  of  these  brothers,  David  Barbour  Rorison,  settled 
m  Michigan  in  the  late  forties.  He  took  immediate  rank  as  one  of  the  substantial 
business  men  of  the  State,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  at  the  family  home  in 
Ypsilanti,  where  he  had  lived  for  about  half  a  century.  The  old  homestead  of  four 
acres  has  been  recently  sold  to  the  State,  and  now  comprises  a  part  of  the  State  Nor- 
mal grounds.  His  son,  Brainard  Rorison,  early  engaged  in  business  in  Indianapolis, 
and  in  1883,  when  electrical  inventions  attracted  general  attention,  he  secured  the 
services  of  C.  D.  Jenney  (the  inventor),  and  with  Nordyke  and  Marmon  organized, 
and  for  many  years  was  general  manager  and  active  business  head  of  the  Jenney 

80 


Electric  Company.  This  company  did  an  extensive  business  in  the  manufacture  of 
electrical  apparatus,  its  products  reaching  nearly  every  civilized  country.  Mr.  Rorison 
was  also  for  six  years  president  of  the  Louisiana  Electric  Light  Company,  the  largest 
lighting  and  power  plant  in  existence.  It  was  built  under  his  presidency  at  a  cost  of 
upward  of  $3,000,000,  and  in  addition  to  the  city  lighting,  furnishes  power  for  the 
electric  railways  of  that  city.  A  favorable  opportunity  offering,  through  the  concen- 
tration of  electrical  interests,  Mr.  Rorison,  the  principal  stockholder,  with  his  part- 
ners, sold  their  stock  in  the  Jenney  Company,  and  it  was  absorbed  by  the  general 
electric  combination.  In  1894  Mr.  Rorison,  whose  family  had  gone  to  Europe  the 
previous  year,  joined  them  for  a  year's  sojourn  in  London.  During  this  time  he  met 
the  president  of  the  Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Company,  and  formed  an  alliance  with 
that  company  in  the  management  of  part  of  its  western  territory,  which  still  con- 
tinues with  notable  success.  Mr.  Rorison  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican, 
and  took  an  active  part  in  political  matters  during  his  twenty  years'  residence  in  In- 
dianapolis in  the  time  of  Morton-Hendricks  and  Harrison.  He  has,  with  two  excep- 
tions, attended  every  Republican  National  Convention  since  the  war.  Believing 
that  extensive  travel  goes  far  toward  a  liberal  education,  he  has,  in  much  journeying, 
been  accompanied  whenever  practicable  by  his  family,  and  they  have  visited  every 
State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  as  well  as  the  principal  countries  of  Europe,  where 
Mrs.  Rorison  spent  several  years  in  the  education  of  their  daughters.  Mrs.  Rorison, 
of  the  Vance-Bates  family  of  Indianapolis,  is  the  great-great  grandaugher  of  Gen. 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  has  in  her  possession  official  commis- 
sions bearing  the  signatures  of  Washington  and  Adams,  and  family  mementoes  of 
colonial  times. 

Ross,  William  A.,  son  of  William  and  Ann  (Allan)  Ross,  was  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  April  25,  1843.  He  attented  the  Balfour  School  at  Glasgow  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  immense  lithographing  and  engraving  establish- 
ment of  McLure  &  McDonald,  lithographers  to  the  Queen,  at  Glasgow,  to  learn  the 
business,  and  remained  in  their  employ  for  six  years.  During  the  years  1863,  1864 
and  1865  he  served  the  C.  S.  A.  as  a  printer  at  Columbus,  South  Carolina,  and  after 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Scotland.  For  a  short  period,  later,  he  served 
the  well-known  firm  of  Marcus  Ward  &  Co.  at  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  in  1866  returned 
to  America,  settling  permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich.  In  1867  he  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  the  Calvert  Lithographing  Co.  of  Detroit,  and  has  ever  since  been  con- 
nected with  that  concern.  He  operated  the  first  steam  power  printing  press  used  by 
the  Calvert  Co.  In  1870  Mr.  Ross  married  Ellen  A,  Brennan,  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Helen  Marie,  wife  of  James  F.  Murphy,  of  Detroit,  Marie 
Allan,  and  Jessie  Adele. 

Rudy,  "Robert  C.  M.  D.,  son  of  Preston  O.  and  Catherine  (Harding)  Rudy,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Paris,  111.,  November  1,  1863.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  the  Butler  University  at  Irvington,  Ind.  In  1883 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  (Homeopathic 
school),  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1886  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  During  his 
senior  year  in  the  university  Dr.  Rudy  was  assistant  to  the  chair  of  materia  medica; 
following  his  graduation  he  was  appointed  resident  physician  and  surgeon  to  the 
hospital  and  later  in  the  year  was  appointed  to  the  medical  staff  of  the  Alma  Sani- 

81 


tarium  at  Alma,  Mich.,  resigning  that  position  in  1887  to  locate  in  Detroit,  where  he 
has  since  been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Rudy  is  a  member  of 
the  medical  staff  of  Grace  Hospital  at  Detroit,  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homeopathy,  also  of  the  Michigan  State  and  Local  Societies.  He  is  still  a 
bachelor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  Royal  Arcanum,  Wayne  Club,  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  Association  of  Detroit,  and  a  Mason.  He  is  popular  in  both  the 
professional  and  social  world  of  Detroit. 

Russell,  Hon.  Alfred,  was  born  at  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  March  18,  1830,  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Wallace  and  Susan  C.  (Webster)  Russell,  a  kinsman  of  Daniel  Webster.  He 
attended  school  in  the  Holmes  Academy  at  Plymouth;  Gilmanton  Academy  at  Gil- 
manton;  Kimball  Union  Academy  at  Meriden,  and  Dartmouth  College  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1850.  He  at  once  entered  the  law  office  of  William  C.  Thomp- 
son of  Plymouth,  a  son  of  the  preceptor  of  Daniel  Webster,  and  later  took  a  course 
in  the  law  department  of  Harvard  University,  being  graduated  in  1852  as  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Meredith  Bridge  (now  Laconia),  N.  H.,  in 
October,  1853,  and  removed  to  Detroit  in  the  following  month,  where  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  late  James  F.  Joy,  Detroit's  Grand  Old  Man,  and  after  passing  one  year 
there  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  C.  L  Walker  and  his  brother  until  1861,  at 
which  time  he  was  appointed  by  President  Lincoln  as  United  States  district  attorney 
for  Michigan,  w^hich  is  the  only  office  he  ever  consented  to  hold.  During  the  war  he 
was  sent  on  diplomatic  missions  to  Canada,  by  Secretary  of  State  Seward,  in  con- 
nection with  the  St.  Albans  and  Lake  Erie  raids.  Mr.  Russell  is  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  Historical  Society;  Webster  Historical  Society;  is  president  of  the  Michi- 
gan Political  Science  Association,  and  ex-president  of  the  Detroit  Club.  He  \^as  a 
founder  of  the  Detroit  Boat  Club  and  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard,  which  sent  eighty 
officers  to  the  United  States  army  during  the  Civil  war.  He  was  director  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  at  the  inception  of  the  enterprise  and  was  instrumental  in 
procuring  legislation  for  it  and  in  selecting  a  site  for  the  building.  He  is  general  at- 
torney in  Michigan  for  the  Wabash  Railroad  Company  and  holds  other  offices  of  im- 
portance. October  28,  1857,  he  married  Ellen  P.  England  (nee  Wells)  of  St.  Albans, 
Vt.,  and  they  have  four  daughters.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D. 
from  Dartmouth  College  in  1890. 

Russell,  Francis  G.,  was  born  at  Green  Oak  township,  Livingston  county,  Mich., 
April  16,  1837,  a  son  of  WiUiam  S.  and  Jane  A.  (Knox)  Russell.  Francis  was  brought 
up  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
he  entered  the  State  Normal  School  of  Ypsilanti,  Mich. ,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1858 ;  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  became  principal  of  the  Middletown  Union 
School  at  Lansing,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  April,  1861,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  position  in  the  Census  Division  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  examiner  of  pension 
claims,  but  resigned  in  1864,  and  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  built  up  a  successful 
business  in  the  prosecution  of  war  claims  against  the  government.  In  1865  he  was 
appointed  as  the  first  secretary  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Department,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  1866,  when  he  resigned  and  returned  to  his  old  home  to  care  for 
his  enfeebled  father.  In  1867  he  returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  studied  law  with 
Hon.  A.  W.  Buel,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868,  upon  a  rigid  examination  be- 

82 


fore  the  Supreme  Court,  and  shortly  afterwards  became  secretary  to  Governor  Bald- 
win, so  acting  during  his  two  terms.  In  1872  he  was  elected  city  attorney  and  re- 
elected in  1874.  He  also  served  as  alderman  from  1878  to  1880.  and  in  the  latter 
year  was  again  elected  city  attorney,  making  in  all  six  years  of  service  in  that  capac- 
ity. As  a  municipal  official  he  was  particularly  energetic  and  was  an  active  pro- 
moter of  the  purchase  of  Belle  Isle  for  a  public  park.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Bar  Association.  His  professional  work  has  been  largely  the  handling  of  estates. 
September  10,  1863,  Mr.  Russell  married  Helen  Edwards,  who  was  born  at  Medina, 
N.  Y.  She  died  on  May  3,  1890,  leaving  him  with  a  family  of  three  children:  Clin- 
ton W.,  Frank  P.  and  Lela  (wife  of  C.  W.  Harrah).  who  all  reside  in  Detroit.  An- 
other bright  and  very  promising  son,  Walter  K.,  died  in  September,  1888,  aged 
fifteen  years. 

Sargent,  Erie  H.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Winthrop  E.  and  Louise  (Hojrsie)  Sargent,  was 
born  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  September  5,  1863.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Medina  High  School  in  1881,  and  in  1883  entered  Cornell  University.  After  com- 
pleting the  scientific  course  he  was  graduated  in  1887,  and  elected  to  a  fellowship  in 
the  university.  In  the  following  year  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  M.  S. 
From  1888  to  1893  Dr.  Sargent  was  in  charge  of  the  scientific  department  of  the 
Michigan  Military  Academy  at  Orchard  Lake,  and  resigned  his  professorship  to 
pursue  the  study  of  medicine.  While  in  the  scientific  department  at  Cornell,  Dr. 
Sargent  also  took  his  preparatory  medical  course.  He  was  graduated  M.  D.  from 
the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1894,  and  from  1894  to  1895  served  as  resident 
physician  to  Harper  Hospital.  Since  1895  he  has  practiced  continuously  and  suc- 
cessfully in  Detroit.  He  is  lecturer  on  bacteriology,  and  in  charge  of  the  Bacteri- 
ological laboratory  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine;  microscopist  to  Harper  Hos- 
pital ;  microscopist  and  bacteriologist  to  the  Eastern  Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Insane  ; 
and  examiner  of  contagious  diseases  for  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine;  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science;  of  the  Beta  Theta  Phi  and  Sigma  Xi  fraternities  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity; and  of  the  Nu  Sigma  Nu  fraternity  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  Dr. 
Sargent  is  popular  in  both  professional  and  social  circles,  and  one  of  Detroit's  rising 
young  physicians. 

Schwab,  Rev.  Francis  W.,  son  of  Philip  J.  and  Mary  (Muessle)  Schwab,  was  born 
in  Wyhl,  near  Endingen,  Baden,  Germany,  October  1,  1844.  In  youth  he  obtained 
his  education  in  the  paroch'al  schools  of  Wyhl,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  entered  the 
gymnasium  of  Freiburg,  Baden,  and  remained  until  1857.  In  that  year  he  removed 
to  lourin,  Bretagne,  France,  and  in  1858  entered  the  University  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Langonnet,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1861.  After  graduation  he  removed  to 
Paris  and  studied  philosophy  until  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Chevilly  to  take  up  the 
study  of  theology.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Theological  College  of  Chevilly  in 
1868  and  was  ordained  during  the  same  year.  After  ordination  he  entered  the  mon- 
astery of  Marienstatt,  Nassau,  where  he  remained  until  1872,  and  then  emigrated  to 
the  LTnited  States.  His  first  charge  was  at  Piqua,  Ohio;  in  1876  he  was  transferred 
to  St.  Mary's  church  at  Sharpsburg,  Pa.  While  rector  of  that  church  he  assisted  in 
the  erection  of  the  St.  Mary's  parish  school,  the  sisters'  residence  and  rectory.  In 
1893  he  was  appointed  rector  of  St.  Mary's  church.  Detroit,  where  he  is  now  retained. 


Scott,  H.  Byron,  was  born  in  Colborne,  Ontario,  February  27,  1848.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  but  a  small  boy.  His  early  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  public  schools,  and  his  college  days  were  .spsnt  at  Clarke  College, 
Aurora,  111.  His  business  career  has  been  entirely  confined  to  the  retail  dry  goods 
business,  which  he  learned  in  the  establishment  of  Barnes  &  Bancroft  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  afterwards  served  the  firm  of  L.  S.  Ayres  &  Co.  of  Indianapolis,  Ind  , 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1881  Mr.  Scott  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  be- 
came connected  with  the  firm  of  Newcomb,  Endicott  &  Co.,  through  the  solicitation 
of  Mr.  Newcomb,  who  had  met  and  known  Mr.  Scott  as  a  buyer,  when  in  New  York, 
for  several  years.  After  serving  as  buyer  for  this  establishment  for  a  few  years,  he 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  business,  and  since  1896  has  been  one  of  the  general 
partners,  and  now  takes  an  active  part  in  the  business.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Boat  Club,  and  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.  He 
has  a  beautiful  home  at  Grosse  Isle  called  "  Halcyon  Place,"  where  he  and  his  wife 
spend  a  greater  part  of  the  year.  Grosse  Isle  is  a  beautiful  island  situated  in  the  De- 
troit River,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  and  about  twenty  miles  from  Detroit. 

Sellers,  Elias  H.,  son  of  John  and  Almira  (Filkins)  Sellers,  was  born  in  the  town- 
ship of  Deerfield,  Livingston  county,  Mich.,  May  5,  1848.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
Samuel  Sellers,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  and  settled  near  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in 
1683.  Mr.  Sellers  attended  the  district  schools  of  Deerfield,  and  public  schools  of 
Fenton,  Mich.,  entering  the  High  School  at  Ann  Arbor  in  1872,  and  prepared  for 
college.  In  1875  he  entered  Cornell  University  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1878  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  From  1869  to  1871  he  was  engaged  in 
farming,  and  was  elected  supervisor  of  Deerfield  township  for  the  year  1871.  Subse- 
quent to  his  graduation  from  Cornell  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  associated  himself 
with  Levi  Bishop  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1880  he  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  Mr.  Bishop  and  was  associated  with  F.  A.  Baker,  which  continued  until 
1883.  From  1883  until  the  present  time  Mr.  Sellers  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law.  In  August,  1897,  he  organized  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  American  party, 
and  was  elected  chairman  of  the  National  Committee,  which  position  he  now  holds. 
He  is  a  member  of  Ashlar  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Monroe  Chapter,  R.A.M. ;  Fenton 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  and  deputy  grand  master,  State  of  Michigan,  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Sherwood,  Theodore  C. — In  financial  circles  there  is  none  better  known,  or  re- 
spected, than  Mr.  Theodore  C.  Sherwood,  who,  in  October  last,  after  a  term  of  nearly 
eight  years'  service  as  commissioner  of  banking  in  Michigan  resigned  that  office  to 
accept  the  presidency  of  the  Peninsular  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Sherwood 
was  born  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  January  29,  1839,  and  attended  the  common  schools  of 
that  State.  Coming  to  Michigan  in  1854  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Wayne 
county,  he  entered  the  Ypsilanti  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1859. 
After  teaching  school  three  years  Supt.  C.  H.  Hurd  proffered  him  the  position  of 
cashier  in  the  office  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  This  he 
accepted  and  held  for  one  year,  resigning  to  become  bookkeeper  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Battle  Creek,  where  he  remained  until  1872,  when  he  was  made  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Plymouth,  in  the  village  in  which  he  now  resides.  He 
held  this  position  until  1881,  when,  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Na- 

84 


tional  Bank,  he  was  elected  its  cashier.  '  In  1884  ill  health  compelled  him  to  tender 
his  resignation  and  to  return  to  his  home  at  Plymouth.  After  a  year's  rest  he  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  Plymouth  National  Bank,  and  was  elected  its  president, 
acting  as  such  until  1889,  when  he  was  appointed  commissioner  of  banking  by  Gov- 
ernor Luce,  a  position  he  held  under  three  different  governors,  elected  by  two  dis- 
tinct political  parties.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  those  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  Peninsular  Savings  Bank,  Detroit,  Mr.  Sherwood  resigned  the  office  of  com- 
missioner of  banking  to  accept  the  presidency  of  this  bank,  entering  upon  his  duties 
as  such  on  November  2,  1896.  The  sterling  character  and  honorable  reputation  of 
Mr.  Sherwood  as  an  able  financier,  made  his  services  of  untold  value  as  commissioner 
of  banking  to  the  people  of  Michigan  during  the  panic  of  1893,  a  period  when  the 
most  conservative  bankers  of  Detroit  gave  up  hope  as  to  the  final  outcome,  but  the 
visits  of  the  commissioner  to  the  banks  and  bankers  of  Detroit  revived  their 
spirits  and  caused  them  to  put  forth  unusual  energy  in  the  maintenance  of  bank 
values  and  credits.  His  presence  at  a  meeting  of  the  Clearing  House  As.sociation  at 
the  time  a  "  run  "  was  being  made  on  one  of  the  largest  banks  of  the  city,  is  mem- 
orable for  the  advice  given  on  that  occasion,  and  the  renewed  confidence  aroused  by 
his  wise  counsels  and  words  of  encouragement.  It  was  to  his  thorough  personal 
knowledge  of  the  upright  and  honorable  characters  in  the  directors  and  official  staff 
of  Detroit  banks  and  bankers  that  he  was  enabled  to  give  such  latitude  in  the  con- 
duct of  bank  affairs  as  to  allow  bank  ofhcials  to  care  for  the  interests  intrusted  to 
them  in  a  manner  that  averted  the  financial  disaster,  that  at  one  time  was  appre- 
hended in  the  financial  affairs  of  this  city  and  State.  Mr.  Sherwood's  talents  and 
culture  as  a  writer  and  platform  speaker  are  in  continuous  requisition  on  this  all- 
absorbing  question  of  finance  and  banking.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
prominent  m  the  ranks  of  his  party.  April  16,  1862,  he  married  Martha  J.,  daughter 
of  S.  S.  Mason,  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children  :  Helen,  wife 
of  C.  A.  Reekie,  of  Detroit:  Louis  C. ,  assistant  cashier  of  the  Union  National  Bank, 
Detroit,  and  Maud,  at  home. 

Smith,  Andrew,  jr.,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  June  30,  1850,  a  son  of  the 
late  Andrew  Smith,  who  was  a  prominent  civil  lawyer,  S.  S.  C.  He  was  educated 
in  Edinburgh,  and  at  fourteen  years  of  age  entered  a  large  book  store  in  that  city, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years,  thoroughly  mastering  all  the  details  of  the  busi- 
ness. In  1869  he  removed  to  London,  England,  where  he  was  employed  for  two 
years  in  the  book  business,  and  finally,  in  1871,  he  took  passage  for  America,  and 
upon  arriving  in  this  country  at  once  repaired  to  Detroit,  which  has  ever  since  been 
his  place  of  residence.  For  about  six  years  he  was  engaged  successively  with  W.  E. 
Tunis  (wholesale  and  retail  book.s);  James  Lowrie  &  Son  (dry  goods),  and  with  F. 
Buhl-Ne.wland  &  Co.,  and  in  1877  became  bookkeeper  for  the  Michigan  Bolt  and  Nut 
Works,  where  he  remained  for  ten  years.  In  1887  he  was  appointed  as  entry  clerk 
in  the  United  States  custom  office  at  Detroit,  and  later  became  special  deputy  col- 
lector, which  position  he  still  retains.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge  No.  2, 
F.  &  A.  M.  and  of  the  Loyal  Guards  of  Detroit.  In  1875  he  married  Miss  Alison 
Gray,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  survive. 

Smith,  Dudley  W.,  son  of  George  B.  and  Juliette  (Wetraore)  Smith,  was  born  at 
Delaware,  Ohio,  December  10,  1849.     At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  parents 

85 


to  Marion,  Ohio,  and  in  that  city  attended  the  public  schools;  later  he  took  a  course 
in  Kenyon  College  at  Gambler,  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  became  a 
clerk  in  the  hardware  establishment  of  Donnelly,  Rayl  &  Co.  at  Wooster,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  for  four  years.  From  1S71  _to  1875  he  engaged  in  various  mer- 
cantile pursuits  and  in  the  latter  year  formed  a  partnership  with  his  former  employer, 
Mr.  T.  B.  Rayl,  and  under  the  style  of  T.  B.  Rayl  &  Co.  they  located  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  they  purchased  the  stock  and  good  will  of  Arthur  Glover,  hardware 
merchant,  and  established  their  present  well  known  business  as  dealers  in  builders' 
hardware,  stoves  and  ranges,  tools  of  every  description  for  mechanics  and  general 
sporting  goods.  Since  the  beginning  Mr.  Smith  has  acted  as  secretary-treasurer  of 
the  company,  and  to  his  able  management  of  its  affairs  is  largely  attributed  the  suc- 
cess of  the  T.  B.  Rayl  &  Co.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  Y.  M.  C.  A.  ;  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  being  a  descendant  of  the  old 
New  England  families  of  Root,  Wetmore  and  Rathbone;  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Detroit  Athletic  Club;  and  St.  John's  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  is  an  active  worker.  In  1878  Mr.  Smith  married  Susan  Beard  of  Detroit, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Bessy  E. 

Smith,  Eugene,  M.  D.,  son  of  J.  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Van  Camp)  Smith,  was  born  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  June  4,  1846.  At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  where  he  attended  private  and  public  schools  and  later  took  a  course  in 
St.  Joseph's  College.  In  1863  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Buffalo  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  honors  in  1866,  receiving  his  degree 
of  M.  D.  Following  his  graduation  he  located  at  Mansfield,  Pa.,  and  practiced  for 
two  years,  removing  to  Detroit  in  1868,  where  he  has  since  practiced  continuously. 
Several  months  of  1873  and  1874  he  spent  in  the  special  study  of  diseases  of  the  eye 
and  ear  in  New  York,  London,  Paris,  Vienna  and  Berlin,  and  to  which  branch  of  his 
profession  he  has  since  1868  devoted  himself  exclusively.  While  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Buffalo  Dr.  Smith  spent  three  years  as  assistant  in  the  office  of  the 
famous  surgeon,  J.  F.  Miner,  who  was  at  that  time  a  professor  in  the  universitj^. 
Since  locating  in  Detroit  he  has  visited  each  year  the  hospitals  of  the  principal  cities 
of  Europe,  closely  observing  the  operations  performed  on  the  eye  and  ear,  and  has 
gained  therefrom  a  vast  amount  of  knowledge.  His  practice  extends  over  the  entire 
United  States,  as  he  has  won  for  himself  not  only  a  national,  but  an  international 
reputation.  In  Michigan  he  holds  a  number  of  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust 
in  his  profession.  He  is  professor  of  diseases  of  the  eye  and  ear  in  the  Detroit  Col- 
lege of  Medicine  and  has  been  for  many  years  oculist  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  at  De- 
troit. He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  is  ex-president  of  the  section  on  the  eye  and  ear  of  that  association. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  and  local  Medical  Societies,  was  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  former,  and  is  ex-president  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Associa- 
tion. Dr.  Smith  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  and  is  prominent  and  popular  in  both  professional  and  social  circles 
in  Detroit.  He  is  a  surgeon  of  excellent  ability  and  sound  judgment,  a  high-minded 
gentleman  of  the  purest  character,  cultured  by  wide  reading  and  much  travel,  mak- 
ing him  at  all  times  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men.  He  has  been  married 
twice,  first  in   1866  to  Jane  Townsend  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  who  died  in  1884,  leaving 

86 


him  a  daughter,  Mabel ;  in   1886  he  married  Carrie   Freeman  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Eugene,  jr.,  and  one  daughter,  Karolyn. 

Snyder,  Emil  WilHam,  only  child  of  William  and  Augusta  Strecker  Snyder,  was 
born  at  Zduny,  Posen,  Germany,  December  18,  18G7.  Both  of  his  parents  having 
passed  away  while  he  was  still  an  infant,  the  year  1870  finds  him  in  the  home  of  his 
maternal  grandmother  at  Breslau,  Silesia,  Germany.  His  early  education  was  fur- 
nished by  private  tutors  and  private  schools,  the  balance  being  obtained  at  the 
"Gymnasium,"  a  semi-university  in  Breslau.  He  had  the  distinction  of  being  the 
youngest  member  of  its  graduating  class,  being  but  fourteen  years  of  age.  In  1881 
he  emigrated  to  America,  and  at  once  took  up  his  residence  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 
Bay  City  was  the  field  of  his  first  labors,  being  for  two  years  in  the  employ  of  W.  & 
J.  Sempliner,  dealing  in  fancy  goods.  For  several  years  thereafter  he  alternated  as 
clerk  in  various  enterprises  between  Bay  City  and  Detroit.  In  1886  he  engaged  in 
the  retail  grocery  business  at  Bay  City  in  partnership  with  Henry  W.  Ziegler,  under 
the  style  of  Ziegler  &  Snyder,  the  firm  remaining  in  existence  for  almost  three  years. 
While  engaged  in  this  business  Mr.  Synder  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  private.  In 
1889  he  became  a  permanent  resident  of  Detroit,  engaging  with  Floyd  &  Foster  in 
the  wholesale  turf  goods  business,  with  which  firm  he  remained  until  one  year  prior 
to  his  admission  to  the  bar.  During  his  connection  with  Floyd  &  Foster  he  spent 
nearly  all  of  his  spare  time  in  the  study  of  the  law,  becoming  a  charter  member  of 
the  Cooley  Law  Association,  and  being  at  various  times  elected  as  vice-president  and 
director.  In  1892  Mr.  Snyder  entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Law  and  graduated  as 
Bachelor  of  Law  in  1894.  He  was  admitted  by  Judge  Frazer  in  1893,  and  imme- 
diately entered  the  office  of  Frank  E.  Robson,  with  whom  he  remained  until  August, 
1894.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Alfred  J.  Ducharme,  under  the  style  of 
Snyder  &  Ducharme,  and  opened  offices  in  the  Buhl  building,  enjoying  a  good  and 
growing  practice.  In  April,  1895,  he  became  identified  with  the  Sprague  Corres- 
pondence School  of  Law,  the  first  and  largest  correspondence  school  in  professional 
lines  in  the  world,  as  instructor  and  chief  examiner,  which  position  he  still  occupies. 
Mr.  Snyder  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  well  known  helps  for  law  students.  He  be- 
came a  citizen  of  the  United  States  in  1889.  Mr.  Snyder  does  not  belong  to  any  so- 
cieties excepting  the  Alumni  Association,  D.  C.  L.,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  directors, 
preferring  a  quiet  home  life.  In  1895  he  was  married  to  Charlotte  Slahl,  daughter  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  T.  Stahl.  One  son  has  been  born  to  bless  this  union.  Mr. 
Snyder  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Bethany  Presbyterian  church,  and  secretary 
of  its  Sunday  school. 

Standart,  Joseph  G.,  son  of  Henry  W.  and  Anne  (Gardner)  Standart,  was  born  in 
Monroeville,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  July  17,  1834.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  whither  he  removed  with  his  parents  in  1842.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  entered  the  employ  of  Terrill  &  Johnson,  hardware  merchants  at 
Auburn,  but  remained  only  a  year,  removing  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1853,  where  he 
spent  nearly  two  years  in  the  same  business  with  George  Worthington  &  Co.  In 
September,  1855,  Mr.  Standart  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  during 
the  first  eight  years  of  his  residence  in  that  city  served  the  firm  of  Buhl,  Ducharme 
&  Co.,  wholesale  hardware  dealers,  as  a  clerk.  In  1863  he  entered  partnership  in 
the  same  line  _with  his  father  and  elder  brother  George,  who  had  come  to  Detroit 

87 


in  that  year  with  a  view  to  establishing  the  present  business,  which  has  grown  from 
a  small  beginning  to  enormous  proportions.  The  firm  has  always  been  known  as 
Standart  Bros.,  wholesale  dealers  in  hardware,  and  since  1873  has  been  composed  of 
Joseph  Standart  and  his  brother  Robert  W.,  the  elder  Mr.  Standart  and  his  son 
George,  having  withdrawn  from  the  business  about  1870.  Mr.  Standart  is  a  member 
of  the  Michigan,  Fellowcraft,  and  Old  Clubs,  St.  Clair  Flats;  of  the  order  of  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  and  is  a  veteran  member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard.  In 
1858  he  married  Mary  C.  Miller  of  Austinburg,  Ohio. 

Stanton,  Marvin  M.,  son  of  Amasa  and  Hannah  (Barton)  Stanton,  was  born  in 
New  Lisbon,  N.  Y.,  May  7,  1847.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Oxford,  Mich.,  whither  his  parents  removed  in  1858;  he  entered  Alfred 
University  at  Alfred,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867.  On  completing 
his  studies  Mr.  Stanton  traveled  through  the  Western  States  until  1872,  when  he 
came  to  Detroit  and  associated  himself  with  Oliver  P.  Hazard  and  James  E.  Brews- 
ter, under  the  firm  name  of  Hazard  &  Brewster,  and  engaged  in  dealing  in  men's  fur- 
nishings at  wholesale.  In  1879  Mr.  Hazard  retired  and  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  Brewster  &  Stanton  and  the  business  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Brewster 
in  1887.  Subsequent  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Brewster  Mr.  Stanton  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  George  L.  Sampson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Stanton  &  Sampson  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  laboring  men's  clothing  and  furnishings.  In  1890  Mr. 
Stanton  retired  and  the  firm  was  changed  to  Stanton  &  Morey,  with  A.  E.  Morey  as 
junior  member;  in  1897  Mr.  Morey  retired  and  the  business  was  continued  by  Mr. 
Stanton  as  sole  owner.  He  occupies  the  stores  at  124  and  126  Jefferson  avenue,  and 
employs  400  hands  in  the  manufacture  of  his  products.  He  is  a  member  of  Michi- 
gan Sovereign  Consistory ;  Detroit  Commandery;  Moslem  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine; 
Detroit  Club  and  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club.  Mr.  Stanton  is  a  regu- 
lar attendant  at  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church.  July  5,  1873.  he  married 
Alice  M.  Lee  of  Oxford,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  son,  Marvin  L. 

Steele,  Walter  D.,  son  of  William  and  Margaret  Steele,  was  born  in  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
August  9,  1870,  and  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place, 
remaining  in  attendance  until  1888,  when  he  entered  the  Iowa  State  College  at 
Ames,  and  joined  the  mechanical  engineering  class,  graduating  in  November,  1891, 
with  the  degree  of  B.  M.  E.  He  located  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  and  was  engaged  as  chief 
draftsman  of  the  Addyston  Pipe  &  Steel  Co.'s  Foundry,  remaining  in  the  employ 
of  that  concern  about  six  months.  Mr.  Steele  then  removed  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  was 
associated  as  electrical  engineer  with  the  Brush  Electric  Co.  until  1893,  when  he 
came  to  Detroit  and  was  made  general  assistant  to  the  city  electrician.  In  June, 
1895,  he  was  made  assistant  city  electrician,  and  the  sequence  of  his  service  for  one 
year  in  that  capacity  was  the  appointment  of  city  electrician  by  the  Public  Lighting 
Commission.  Mr.  Steele  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Engineering  Society  and  the 
American  Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers. 

Stevens,  Charles  B. ,  son  of  Asa  W.  and  Dorcas  (Swift)  Stevens,  was  born  in  Cen- 
terville,  Mass.,  November  27,  1858.  Mr.  Stevens  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  place,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twenty.  His  early 
musical  education   was  received  from  his  father  and  local  teachers;  at  the  age  of 


twenty  he  entered  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Boston,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year.  In  1881  he  placed  himself  under  the  instruction  of  John  L.  Hods- 
don,  through  whom  he  developed  rare  talent  as  a  singer.  In  1883  he  traveled  abroad, 
where  he  filled  many  professional  engagements  and  studied  with  some  of  the  noted 
voice  masters  of  London.  He  returned  to  America  in  1884  and  in  1885  was  engaged 
as  tenor  of  the  New  York  Casino  Opera  Company.  While  filling  an  engagement  in 
Detroit  with  this  company  he  decided  to  abandon  the  stage  and  devote  his  attention 
to  teaching,  upon  an  invitation  from  Mr.  J.  D.  Mehan  to  become  his  associate.  After 
a  year  Mr.  Stevens  decided  to  open  his  own  studio  and  from  that  time  on  he  has 
occupied  a  constantly  enlarging  sphere  in  the  musical  life  of  the  city.  He  has  acted 
in  the  capacity  of  director  of  the  Apollo  Club;  Madrigal  Club;  Boylston  Club;  Men- 
delssohn Quartet;  Westminster  Choral  Society;  Detroit  Choral  Society;  D.  A.  C. 
Glee  Club  and  the  quartet  choirs  of  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  and  Jefferson  Avenue 
Presbyterian  churches.  Mr.  Stevens  has  wisely  chosen  to  be  voice  specialist  and 
during  all  these  years  has  had  the  one  end  in  view,  viz.,  to  master  the  art  of  voice 
use  and  the  science  of  impartmg  it  to  others.  A  large  class  of  pupils,  many  of  them 
favorite  public  singers,  attest  his  success.  Mr.  Stevens's  artistic  singing  has  been 
in  much  demand  since  he  located  in  Detroit,  and  although  he  did  not  bid  for  public 
engagements,  preferring  to  give  his  best  thought  and  effort  to  his  pupils,  he  has  fre- 
quently been  called  upon  for  concert  and  oratorio  work  in  Detroit  and  other  cities 
where  his  ability  was  known.  December  33,  1892,  he  married  Isabel  P.,  daughter  of 
Fred  Baker  of  Detroit. 

Stevens,  Rollin  H.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Nathan  H.  and  Ada  (Burk)  Stevens,  was  born  at 
Blenheim,  Ontario,  Can.,  January  7,  1868.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Chatham 
(Ontario),  High  School  in  1885,  and  passed  his  first  year's  examination  in  the  Toronto 
University  in  the  spring  of  1886;  in  the  autumn  of  1886  he  entered  the  Homeopathic 
School  of  Medicine  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  1889.  In  the  same  year  he  passed  the  required  examination  and  be- 
came a  licentiate  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Ontario,  Canada. 
After  practicing  for  a  few  months  in  Canada  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich  ,  in  1889, 
and  was  almost  at  once  made  house  surgeon  of  Grace  Hospital,  retaining  that  posi- 
tion for  two  years.  After  a  year  of  travel  in  British  Columbia  and  California  Dr. 
Stevens  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  been  an  active  prac- 
titioner of  his  profession.  He  is  gynecologist  to  Grace  Hospital  and  gynaecologist 
and  vice-president  of  the  dispensary  staff  of  that  institution  ;  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Homeopathy;  of  the  State  Homeopathic  and  the  Detroit  Homeo- 
pathic Practitioners'  Society,  having  been  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the 
latter  society  in  1893,  and  was  secretary  of  it  for  the  first  three  years  of  its  existence. 
He  is  als©  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  and  Fortnightly  Club  of  Detroit;  a 
member  of  the  board  of  Midwife  Examiners  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health ;  of  Grand 
River  Tent,  No.  409  of  the  Maccabees,  and  has  been  physician  to  that  body  for  sev- 
eral years.  While  in  California  he  was  a  member  of  the  California  Homeopathic 
Society;  is  late  business  manager  and  surgical  editor  of  the  Medical  Counselor,  pub- 
lished at  Detroit,  taking  an  active  part  in  founding  that  journal  in  the  fall  of  1895. 
He  was  married  on  March  16,  1893,  to  Mary  E.  Thompson,  M.  D.,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  M.  Thompson,  of  Lapeer,  Mich.     Dr.  Mary  Thompson  Stevens  was  born  at 

89 


Hadley,  Mich,  January  29,  1864.  She  was  graduated  from  the  Lapeer  High  School 
in  1879,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  received  the  degrees  of  A.  B.  in  1885,  and  M.  D.  in 
1888  from  the  University  of  Michigan.  Following  her  graduation  in  1888  she  was 
assistant  gynaecologist  to  the  University  of  Michigan  for  one  year ;  in  1889  she  located 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  she  has  practiced  continuously,  both  prior  to  and  since  her 
marriage.  In  1880  she  was  librarian  to  the  famous  Antioch  College  at  Yellow  Springs, 
Ohio,  and  from  1881  to  1884  occupied  a  like  position  in  the  Buchtel  College  at  Akron, 
Ohio.  She  is  at  present  a  member  of  all  the  medical  societies  to  which  her  husband 
belongs;  is  ptedologist  to  Grace  Hospital  at  Detroit,  and  a  member  of  both  the  reg- 
ular and  dispensarv  medical  staffs  of  that  institution.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  Club;  of  the  Fortnightly  Club;  of  the  Delta  Gamma  fraternity, 
and  was  instrumental  in  organizing  that  fraternity  at  the  University  of  Michigan ; 
and  of  the  Association  of  Collegiate  Alumnae  of  the  U.  S.  During  the  autumn  fol- 
lowing their  marriage  Dr.  Stevens  and  wife  visited  California,  where  they  together 
took  a  three  months'  literary  course  in  the  Leland  Stanford  University. 

Stewart,  Charles  C,  son  of  Alexander  and  Maria  (Cummings)  Stewart,  was  born  in 
Centerville,  Mich.,  February  8,  1851.  He  prepared  for  college  in  the  public  schools 
at  Ann  Arbor  and  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
graduatmg  from  there  in  1873.  Two  years  later  he  was  graduated  from  the  law  de- 
partment. In  1876  he  took  the  A.  M.  degree  in  the  literary  department.  On  leav- 
ing college  Mr.  Stewart  came  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  law  office  of  Henry  M. 
Cheever,  and  later  opened  an  office  for  himself,  and  has  had  a  varied  and  extensive 
practice.  In  1883  Mr.  Stewart  married  Susie  Ellis  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  who  died  one 
year  later.  October  23,  1893,  he  married  Nellie  Nott  of  Pontiac,  Mich.  His  only 
child  is  by  his  second  wife,  and  is  Nellie  Marguerite  Stewart.  Mr.  Stewart  is  a 
member  of  the  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory  and  Mystic  Shrine. 

Stockwell,  George  W.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Keziah  (Knight)  Stockwell,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  December  1,  1863.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  1877,  when  he 
accepted  a  clerical  position  in  the  office  of  the  late  Daniel  J.  Campau ;  in  1878  he  en- 
tered the  service  of  the  American  District  Telegraph  Co.,  conducted  by  the  Michi- 
gan Telephone  Co.  In  consequence  of  efficient  service  he  was  made  inspector  in 
1881 ;  in  March,  1885,  he  was  engaged  as  chief  operator  of  the  fire  department  tele- 
graph service  and  retained  that  position  until  October,  1893,  when  he  was  appointed 
assistant  secretary  of  the  fire  department.  On  the  resignation  of  Secretary  James 
E.  Tryon,  June  30,  1896,  Mr.  Stockwell  was  made  acting  secretary  for  the  term  end- 
ing April  1,  1897.  He  was  reappointed  for  one  j'ear,  April  1,  1897,  and  again  in 
1898.     He  was  married,  December  26,  1889,  to  Ottilie  Danger  of  Detroit. 

Stoddard,  Elliott  J.,  son  of  Joseph  N.  and  Sophia  I.  (Budington)  Stoddard,  was  born 
at  Seymour,  Conn.,  February  14,  1859.  He  was  educated  in  the  Hopkins  Grammar 
School  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  took  the  course  in  engineering  in  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School  of  Yale  College.  He  then  went  to  New  York  city  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  department  of  Columbia  College  in  1881  with  the  degree  of  LL.B. 
Returning  to  Yale  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  engineering  and  removed  to 
Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1883,  where  he  has  since  been  actively  and  continuously  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  patent  law  and  has  met  with  success.     He  is  a  member  of  the  State 

90 


and  Local  Bar  Associations ;  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  ;  the  Foresters,  the  Berzelius  Society 
of  Yale  College,  and  of  the  National  Association  of  Stationary  Engineers.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Engineers'  and  Mechanics'  Club  of  Detroit  and  consulting  en- 
gineer for  the  Henry  C  Hart  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1895  Mr.  Stoddard  mar- 
ried Jennie  E.  Harris  of  Mayville,  Mich. 

Stone,  James  H.,  son  of  James  A.  B.  and  Lucinda  (Hinsdale)  Stone,  was  born  in 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  July  19,  1847.  His  education  was  acquired  in  Kalamazoo  College, 
and  during  the  year  1863  he  taught  school.  He  then  removed  to  Detroit  and  for  a 
number  of  years  served  the  Advertiser  and  Tribune  as  reporter,  afterward  becoming 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Kalamazoo  Telegraph  and  Port  Huron  Times,  success- 
fully managing  each  paper  for  four  years.  After  a  year  spent  abroad  Mr.  Stone 
returned  to  Detroit  and  from  1878  to  1882  acted  as  manager  of  the  Detroit  Post  and 
Tribune.  In  1886  he  purchased  the  Tribune  and  was  editor  and  proprietor  of  that 
journal  until  1891,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest  to  James  E.  Scripps,  the  present 
owner.  In  1895  Mr.  Stone,  in  company  with  Mr.  Fred  Kelly,  purchased  the  stock 
and  good  will  of  the  Thomas  Smith  Printing  Co.,  and  under  the  style  of  James  H. 
Stone  &  Co.,  printers  and  binders,  they  are  recognized  as  among  Detroit's  most  en- 
ergetic and  enterprising  business  men,  as  well  as  among  the  most  successful.  From 
1883  to  1885  Mr.  Stone  administered  the  affairs  of  the  office  of  Collector  of  Internal 
Revenue  at  Detroit,  and  again  served  in  that  capacity  from  1889  to  1893,  proving 
himself  a  faithful  and  trusted  public  servant.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  and  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  In  1879  he 
married  Margaret  Webster  of  Plymouth,  N.  H.,  and  they  have  three  children:  Web- 
ster, Lucile  and  Blinn. 

Stuart,  Reed,  son  of  James  C.  and  Anne  (Miller)  Stuart,  was  born  October  21,  1845, 
in  Elizabethtown,  Va.  Mr.  Stuart  received  his  early  education  from  his  parents. 
In  1859  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Monmouth,  111.  where',  in  1865,  he  entered 
the  Monmouth  Academy,  pursuing  his  studies  one  year,  and  then  entered  the  Mon- 
mouth College.  He  was  graduated  in  1870  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  in  1872 
received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  During  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  attended  the  Mc- 
Cormick  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  remaining  until  1871,  when  he  returned  to 
Monmouth  and  entered  the  United  Presbyterian  Seminary.  Mr.  Stuart  was  graduated 
from  the  seminary  in  1872  and  ordained  minister  in  August  of  the  same  year.  In 
the  fall  of  1872  he  was  called  to  Oneida,  111.,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  In  1877  Mr.  Stuart  accepted  a  call  to  Battle  Creek  as  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  He  resigned  in  1886,  removed  to  Detroit  and  became  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  Unitarian  church.  May  1,  1872.  Mr.  Stuart  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Helen  Soule,  of  Monmouth,  111.  Their  children  are  Duane  R.  and 
Donald  C.  Stuart. 

Summers,  Frank  D.,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Isabelle  (Wells)  Summers,  was 
born  at  Utica,  Macomb  county,  Mich.,  March  31,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Utica  Union  School  and  under  private  tutors,  and  read  medicine  with  Dr.  William 
Brownell  at  Utica  for  one  year.  He  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Detroit 
Medical  College  in  1883,  and  took  special  courses  in  surgical  and  medical  diseases  of 
women  in  New  York  city  in  the  spring  of  1895  and  spring  of  1897.     He  has  been  an 

91 


active  practitioner  of  his  profession  at  Detroit  since  1883,  and  has  met  with  gratify- 
ing success,  particularly  in  his  specialty  of  diseases  of  women.  Dr.  Summers  was 
for  a  number  of  years  lecturer  and  clinical  gynoecologist  to  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine  and  assistant  visiting  gynaecologist  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital;  and  is  at 
present  visiting  gynaecologist  to  the  latter  institution.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Wayne  County  Medical  Society ;  Detroit  Medical 
and  Library  Association ;  and  Detroit  Gynaecological  Society.  In  March,  1889,  Dr. 
Summers  married  Berenice  Cline  of  Detroit. 

Sutherland,  David  S.,  son  of  James  and  Helen  (Buie)  Sutherland,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  February  13,  1849.  His  parents  came  to  Detroit  from  Scotland  in  1835 
while  Michigan  was  a  Territory.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  fourteen 
years  of  age  and  has  since  been  continuously  identified  in  some  capacity  with  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company.  He  commenced  his  railroad  career  as  a  mes- 
senger boy,  was  later  a  car  checker  for  several  years,  yardmaster  for  a  number  of 
years  and  from  1875  to  1881  trainmaster  at  Detroit.  In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Suther- 
land was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Detroit  divisions 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  president 
of  the  Detroit  Association  of  Railroad  Officers;  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  and  To- 
ledo Railroad  Associations;  and  has  served  a  term  as  vice-president  of  the  Central 
Association  of  Railroad  Officers.  Mr.  Sutherlaad  is  a  member  of  Zion  Lodge  No.  1, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  Monroe  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Detroit  Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  for  the 
space  of  twenty-one  years  has  been  an  active  member.  He  is  now  member  of  the 
Old  Guard,  Detroit  Commandery.  He  has  been  married  twice,  first  in  January, 
1875,  to  Isabella  Hunter,  who  died  in  October,  1896,  leaving  four  children:  Edward 
W.,  Robert  T. ,  James  I  ,  and  Grace  I.  In  December,  1897,  Mr.  Sutherland  married 
Isabella  Black  of  Jackson,  Mich. 

Taylor,  Frank  D.,  son  of  Nathaniel  T.  and  Laura  (Winchell)  Taylor,  was  born  at 
Dryden,  Lapeer  county,  Mich.,  June  11,  1842.  He  is  of  New  England  ancestry, 
combining  Puritan  and  Pilgrim  blood.  His  parents  came  to  Michigan  in  1833.  At 
the  age  of  six  years  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  where  he  attended 
school  until  1854.  During  the  ensuing  six  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  L.  F.  Har- 
ter,  tea  and  coffiee  merchant,  and  in  1860  became  a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  establish- 
ment of  Farrell  &  Bro.,  rising  through  several  grades  and  thoroughly  mastering  the 
details  of  the  business.  In  1866  when  the  dry  goods  firm  of  Newcomb,  Endicott  & 
Co.  was  organized,  Mr.  Taylor  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  and  continued  as  such 
until  1880,  when  he  became  senior  partner  of  the  new  firm  of  Taylor,  Woolfenden  & 
Co.,  and  in  1894  when  the  Taylor,  Woolfenden  Co.  was  incorporated  he  was  made 
vice-president  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity.  This  firm  is  composed  of  A.  W. 
Wright,  president;  F.  D.  Taylor  and  J.  B.  Woolfenden.  vice-presidents,  and  William 
H.  Perkins,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  firm  are  heavy  importers  and  among  the 
largest  retail  dealers  in  fine  dry  goods  in  the  State.  Mr.  Taylor  has  always  been  an 
active  chvirch  worker,  is  a  member  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Congregational  church, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  has  been  one  of  its  deacons  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Detroit  Y.M.C.A.  and  other 
Christian  bodies  and  institutions,  and  is  active  in  charitable  enterprises.  In  1866 
he  married  Phoebe  E.  Shourds,  who  passed  away  in  1885,  leaving  him  three  daugh- 

'J3 


ters.  In  1890  he  married  Mrs.  Eleanora  H.  Snover  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Taylor  has  a 
pleasant  home  at  105  Watson  street  and  a  cottage  for  summer  residence  at  Orchard 
Lake,  Mich. 

Taylor,  George,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  and  representative  men  of  Detroit, 
is  a  native  of  Scotland,  having  been  born  August  22,  1853,  near  Turriff,  Aberdeen- 
shire, a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Alexander)  Taylor.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  place.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
dry  goods  trade  at  Turriff,  and  was  thus  employed  until  1868,  when  he  accepted  a 
situation  in  Glasgow.  Four  years  later,  in  1872,  he  came  to  the  United  States  and 
secured  employment  in  Hartford,  Conn.  After  filling  other  positions  m  New  York 
and  Indianapolis,  he  removed  to  Detroit  in  1876,  entering  the  employ  of  George  M. 
Traver,  dealer  in  dry  goods,  located  on  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Con- 
gress street.  Later  he  left  the  employ  of  Mr.  Traver  and  entered  that  of  George 
Peck  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  until  the  firm  sold  out  to  W.  J.  Sparling  &  Co.  In 
1888  Mr.  Taylor  became  connected  with  the  firm  of  Winans  &  Co.,  with  an  interest 
in  the  business.  Five  years  later,  in  1893,  he  with  Maurice  R.  Marr  formed  the  firm 
of  Marr  &  Taylor,  dealing  in  dry  goods,  and  is  still  a  member  of  that  firm.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor is  a  member  of  Palestine  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Damascus  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  In  1877  he  married  Isabella  E.  Marr,  daughter 
of  Maurice  and  Jane  Marr  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  May  J.  and 
George  M. 

Taylor,  Orla  B.,  son  of  James  and  Mariette  (Benedict)  Taylor,  was  born  at  Fowler- 
ville,  Mich.,  September  29,  1865.  Mr.  Taylor  secured  his  education  at  Chelsea,  Mich., 
and  later  at  the  Ann  Arbor  High  School,  preparing  for  college.  He  attended  the 
University  of  Michigan  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  in 
1886,  and  B.LL.  in  1887.  During  his  residence  at  Ann  Arbor  he  studied  law  in  the 
offices  of  Sawyer  &  Knowlton  and  in  1888  came  to  Detroit,  associating  himself  with 
Edwin  F.  Conely,  where  he  has  since  remained  and  established  a  lucrative  practice 
with  gratifying  success.     October  21, 1891,  Mr.  Taylor  married  Dorothea  De  Tromble. 

Teagan,  John  B.,  justice  of  the  peace  for  Wayne  county,  a  son  of  George  S.  and 
Mary  (Teagan)  Teagan,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  24,  1869.  He  entered 
the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  received  the  foundation  for  an  English  course  in 
the  Detroit  Episcopal  Academy,  which  he  completed  about  1886.  He  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  James  H.  Pound  and  later  in  the  office  of  Peter  E.  Park. 
Mr.  Teagan  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April,  1890,  and  December  15,  1890,  he  es- 
tabli.shed  an  office  of  his  own  which  he  conducted  until  1891,  when  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  18S5  he  was  re- 
elected for  another  term  of  four  years  and  retains  the  office  at  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Teagan  is  past  grand  chief  of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle,  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  Maccabees  and  Royal  Arcanum.  On  March  27,  1894,  he  married  Lizzie  M. 
Harger  of  Detroit. 

Ternes,  Rev.  Anthony  P.,  son  of  Peter  and  Theresa  (Renter)  Ternes,  was  born  in 
Springwells,  a  suburb  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  1,  1863.  He  received  his  earl}- ed- 
ucation in  the  parochial  schools  of  Detroit  and  entered  the  seminar}^  of  St.  Francis 
at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in  1878.     In  1883  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  attended  Assump- 

93 


tion  College  at  Sandwich,  Ont.,  remaining  until  1884,  when  he  entered  vSt.  Mary's 
Seminary.  Baltimore,  Md.  He  was  ordained  July  24,  1887,  by  Bishop  Borgess  at 
Detroit,  and  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Michael's  church  at  Port  Austin,  Mich.,  remain- 
ing till  March,  1890,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Agatha's  church 
Gagetown,  Mich.  In  September,  1890,  he  was  recalled  to  Detroit  as  assistant  pastor 
of  Sacred  Heart  church,  where  he  remained  until  1892  and  was  then  appointed  pas- 
tor of  St.  Joseph's  church  at  Adrian.  July  14,  189G,  he  was  assigned  to  his  present 
pastorate,  St.  Elizabeth's  church,  Detroit,  and  has  done  much  toward  placing  his 
charge  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

Tibbals,  William  I.,  Ph.  C,  F.C.S.,  son  of  Henry  E.  and  Mary  (Burr)  Tibbals,  was 
born  in  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  April  14,  1867.  While  still  an  infant  his  parents  removed 
to  Connecticut  where  he  received  his  early  education.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Hillhouse  High  School  of 
that  city.  He  received  his  degree  of  Ph.  C.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1890, 
after  completing  a  full  course  in  the  chemical  laboratory  of  that  institution.  Since 
his  graduation  Mr.  Tibbals  has  followed  his  profession,  devoting  his  entire  time  to 
the  subjects  of  analytical  and  industrial  chemistry,  and  has  already  attained  promi- 
nence as  an  analytical  and  consulting  chemist  and  bacteriologist.  From  the  spring 
of  1890  until  the  autumn  of  1891  he  occupied  a  position  of  some  responsibility  in  the 
New  York  State  Experimental  Station  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  during  the  college  year 
1891-92  he  took  a  special  post-graduate  course  in  chemistry  in  the  University  of 
Michigan.  He  then  became  associated  with  John  A.  Miller,  Ph.  D.,  chemist  of  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  and  remained  in  that  city  until  March,  1895,  when  he  was  appointed  to 
his  present  position  as  city  chemist,  by  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health.  In  1895  Mr. 
Tibbals  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Fellow  of  the  Chemical  Society  of 
London,  England.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Chemical  Society  and  of  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 

Towar,  George  W.,  jr.,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Hannah  (Mathews)  Towar,  was 
born  in  Lyons,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y. ,  December  14,  1835.  In  1845  his  parents  removed 
to  Oxford  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  received  his  early  education;  in  1851 
he  entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Oberlin  College  at  Oberlin,  O.,  where  he 
continued  his  studies  until  1855.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  George  W.  Bingham  of  Tillsonburg,  Ontario,  and  in  1856  entered  the 
medical  department  of  Harvard  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1858. 
On  completion  of  his  medical  course  he  removed  to  the  Western  States  and  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Mountain  City,  Col.,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  and 
later  in  Denver,  Col.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war  he  returned  to  Michigan 
and  enlisted  in  the  24th  Mich.  Infantry  and  was  commissioned  assistant  surgeon, 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  mustered  out  of  service  on  June  30,  1865.  Subse- 
quently he  removed  to  Montana  and  established  a  practice  at  Jefferson  City,  remain- 
ing until  the  following  year,  when  he  returned  to  Michigan  and  again  enlisted  in  the 
regular  army  as  acting  assistant  surgeon,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Platte,  remaining  in  the  service  until  1882.  In  August  of  that  year  he 
removed  to  Detroit  and  established  the  Michigan  Creamery,  which  he  conducted  un- 
til 1885,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Towar  Brothers,  of  which  firm  his  father 
was  senior  member.     In  1889  the  firm  was  reorganized  and  incorporated  under  the 


title  of  the  Wayne  Connty  Creamery,  with  Dr.  Towar  as  vice-president.  On  the  re- 
tirement of  his  father  in  1896  he  became  the  president  of  the  company.  In  addition 
to  his  large  interest  in  the  above  establishment  he  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
J.  M.  Flinn  Ice  Cream  Company.  November  6,  1878,  Dr.  Towar  married  Maria  W. 
Cook  of  Chillcothe,  Ohio,  and  they  have  six  children:  Eleanor,  Henry  M.,  Scott  C, 
George  S.,  Mary  P.,  and  Mathew  S. 

Trowbridge,  Alexander  B.,  son  of  Luther  S.  and  Julia  M.  (Buel)  Trowbridge,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  3,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at 
Detroit,  and  later  took  a  four  years'  course  in  the  College  of  Architecture  at  Cornell 
University,  being  graduated  m  1890.  He  spent  the  ensuing  three  years  in  the  offices 
of  several  of  the  leading  firms  of  architects  in  Boston,  Mass.,  as  a  draftsman,  and 
from  1893  to  1895  studied  architecture  under  Marcel  Lambert  in  the  Ecole  des  Beaux 
Arts  at  Paris,  France.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  August,  1895,  and  later 
in  that  year  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  January  1, 
1896,  Mr.  Trowbridge  formed  a  copartnership  with  Messrs.  G.  W.  Nettleton  and 
Albert  Kahn,  under  the  firm  of  Nettleton,  Kahn  &  Trowbridge,  who  have  won  for 
themselves  a  place  in  the  foremost  rank  of  their  profession  in  the  State  of  Michigan, 
being  young  men  of  enterprising  character  and  high  business  qualifications.  They 
have  gained  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  entire  community,  as  well  as  the  high 
regard  of  all  having  business  dealings  with  them.  Mr.  Trowbridge  has  recently 
been  tendered  the  chair  as  professor  in  charge  of  the  College  of  Architecture  in  Cor- 
nell University,  which  he  has  accepted,  and  will  assume  the  duties  of  that  position 
in  September,  1897.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kappa  Alpha  Society  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity;  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserves  and  Detroit  Boat  Club.  He  was  married 
in  August,  1896,  to  Gertrude  Sherman,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Sherman. 

Turner,  William  H.,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  February  17, 
1863.  During  the  winter  months  he  attended  the  district  schools,  and  employed  his 
summer  vacations  in  working  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  the 
Fort  Wayne  College,  and  was  graduated  in  1880,  having  completed  the  commercial 
course.  He  then  took  the  academic  course  in  the  same  institution,  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1882;  he  later  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  took  both  the 
literary  and  law  courses,  being  graduated  from  the  latter  branch  in  1888.  In  July  of 
the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Indiana,  and  upon  his  removal  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  in  1889,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that  State.  He  then  formed  a  part- 
nership with  George  B.  Yerkes,  which  was  dissolved  at  the  end  of  one  year.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  in  active  practice  alone,  and  has  won  for  himself  a  place  of 
honor  at  the  bar.  Since  November,  1895,  he  has  been  assistant  prosecuting  attorney 
for  Wayne  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  and  Wayne  Clubs  of  Detroit ; 
of  Zion  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory,  and  other  fraternal  or- 
ganizations. 

Utley,  Henry  M.,  librarian  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  is  a  son  of  Hiram  Utley,  and 
was  born  on  a  farm  at  Plymourh,  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  August  5,  1836.  He 
attended  the  district  schools  and  the  old  seminary  (now  High  School)  at  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.      He  taught  school  for  five  years  to  raise  funds  to  complete  his  education,  and 

95 


later  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  He  then  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  reporter 
for  the  Free  Press,  and  was  afterward  for  several  years  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the 
Post-Tribune.  Mr.  Utley  filled  the  position  of  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  Detroit  for  five  years,  and  in  1885  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Detroit  Public 
Library,  as  librarian,  and  still  ably  discharges  the  duties  of  that  position. 

Van  Antwerp,  Rev.  Francis  J.,  son  of  Francis  and  Mary  (Gore)  Van  Antwerjj,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April  23,  1858.  He  received  his  primary  education  in  St. 
Mary's  Academy,  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twelve,  when  he  en- 
tered Assumption  College,  Sandwich,  Ontario,  where  he  remained  until  1876.  He 
studied  philosophy  and  divinity  at  St.  Mary's  Seminary,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
was  graduated  in  1880.  He  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Borgess,  May  6,  1881,  and  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  St.  Rose's  church,  Hastings,  Mich.,  shortly  after  his  ordination, 
remaining  there  one  year.  In  1882  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Paul's  parish  at  Grosse 
Pointe,  and  in  1885  to  that  of  St.  Philip  at  Battle  Creek.  In  1889  he  was  appointed 
pastor  of  the  newly  established  parish  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Rosary  at  Detroit,  where 
he  has  since  remained  in  charge  and  is  building  up  the  parish.  He  is  a  diligent 
worker  and  by  his  genial  manners  endears  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact.     He  is  a  pleasing  and  eloquent  speaker. 

Varney,  Almon  C,  son  of  Abner  M.  and  Meriam  J.  (Clother)  Varney,  was  born  in 
Luzerne,  Washington  county,  N.  Y.,  March  28,  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  private  schools  of  Luzerne,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Grangerville,  Saratoga  count5%  N.  Y.,  where  he  again  attended  the  public 
schools.  At  eighteen  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  millwright  and  carpenter  with 
his  father,  and  in  1868  left  home  to  seek  his  own  fortune.  During  the  ensuing  ten 
years  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  carpenter  in  Massachusetts  and  New  York,  part  of 
the  time  as  journeyman  and  later  as  a  contractor:  all  but  three  years  of  this  time  he 
was  in  business  for  himself.  He  was  of  a  studious  turn  of  mind  and  spent  his  leisure 
moments  and  evenings  in  the  study  of  architecture  and  fine  carpentry  work.  In 
1878  he  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  established  himself  in  business  as  an  architect 
and  superintendent.  He  was  afterward  joined  by  his  brother,  F.  N.  Varney,  form- 
ing the  firm  of  A.  C.  Varney  &  Co.,  under  which  style  they  have  been  eminently 
successful  in  all  their  transactions  and  have  erected  many  costly  and  imposing  edi- 
fices. Mr.  Varney  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  ;  a  member  of  the  Rushmere 
Club  of  Detroit,  and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  identified  as  a  member  of  and 
regular  attendant  at  the  First  Congregational  church  of  Detroit.  In  July,  1896,  he 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  F.  B  Dickerson  as  commissioner  of  the 
poor  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.  ;  in  July,  1897,  he  was  reappointed  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  In  1872  he  married  Lizzie  C.  Scidmore,  daughter  of  Freeman  Scidmore  of 
Saratoga,  and  they  have  two  children:    Eva  J.  and  A.  Chester. 

Walker,  Frank  B.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Roger  T.  and  Harriet  (Banghart)  Walker,  was 
born  in  Lapeer  county,  Mich.,  April  25,  1867.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Lapeer 
High  School  in  1883,  and  from  the  FHnt  (Mich.)  High  School  in  1885.  He  received 
the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1890,  and  in  1892  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  from  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.     Since  his  graduation  Dr.  Walker 

96 


has  been  associated  continuously  with  Dr.  H.  O.  Walker  of  Detroit,  as  assistant  in 
his  practice,  and  has  built  up  for  himself  a  large  independent  i^raetice.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Association;  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society; 
the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association ;  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine, 
and  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society.  He  is  demonstrator  of  operative  surgery 
in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  and  registrar  of  that  institution  ;  and  is  assistant 
surgeon  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  at  Detroit.  He  is  associate  editor  of  the  Physician 
and  Surgeon,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  In 
1894  he  married  Hattie  B.,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Venning  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  a  son,  Roger  V. 

Walters,  Henry  C,  was  born  in  Lac  la  Hache,  British  Columbia,  August  24,  1870, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Walters,  retired,  formerly  surveyor  and  miner  of  that  section, 
who  removed  with  his  family  to  Canfield,  Ontario,  Can.,  in  1871.  In  the  latter  place 
Henry  C.  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  the  public  schools  of  Essex,  Essex 
county.  Can.  In  1885  he  entered  the  Essex  Collegiate  Institute,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1888.  In  August  of  that  year  he  began  reportmg  for  the  Essex  Lib- 
eral, and  on  January  1  following  was  made  assistant  manager  of  the  paper,  which 
position  he  filled  until  July,  1889,  when,  in  company  with  his  brother,  Frank  Walters, 
he  purchased  the  interest  of  his  employer  and  changing  the  name  of  the  paper  to  the 
Essex  Free  Press,  ran  it  successfully  until  1892.  In  that  year  he  entered  the  law 
department  of  Ann  Arbor  University  and  was  graduated  m  1894.  He  then  entered 
the  law  office  of  John  Atkinson  of  Detroit,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  until 
April,  1897,  when  he  practiced  his  profession  alone,  then  becoming  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Walters,  Humphry  &  Walters,  of  which  his  brother  is  the  senior  member. 
Mr.  Walters  is  an  instructor  in  the  Gutchess  College,  and  devotes  a  couple  of  hours 
a  week  to  the  delivery  of  lectures  on  Commercial  Law  and  Political  Economy  to  the 
students  of  that  institution.  He  is  prominent  and  popular  in  both  business  and 
social  circles  and  is  a  member  of  Masonic  and  other  organizations. 

Ward,  George  H.,  was  born  at  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  October  16,  1862,  a  son  of 
Joseph  M.  Ward,  a  prominent  banker  and  capitalist  of  that  place,  and  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Michigan,  settling  in  that  State  about  the  year  1840.  George  H. 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  Helmuth  College  at 
London,  Ontario,  Can.  In  1881  he  removed  to  New  York  city,  where  for  several 
years  he  was  connected  with  a  prominent  stock  exchange  house.  In  the  summer  of 
1889,  after  five  years  of  continuous  travel  through  the  southern  and  western  States, 
he  returned  to  the  State  of  Michigan,  settling  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  ever  since  re- 
mained. For  a  period  of  four  years  he  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  receiver  and 
shipper  of  grain ;  in  1896  he  established  his  present  business,  that  of  stock  and  grain 
brokerage,  having  private  wires  to  all  the  leading  exchanges  of  the  country,  and  has 
been  eminently  successful.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Trade 
since  1890;  was  its  vice-president  during  1894  and  1895,  and  was  made  president  of 
that  body  in  1896,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  the  following  year.  He  is  also  a  di- 
rector of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club,  and  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Club. 

Wermers,  Very  Rev.  Bernard  J.,  son  of  Gerhard  and  Marie  (Brinkmann)  Wermers, 

97 


was  born  in  Germany,  September  7,  1836.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
pubHc  schools  of  his  native  place  and  entered  the  gymnasium  at  Rheine  on  the  Ems 
in  1853;  in  1857  he  entered  the  gymnasium  at  Coesfeld,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1860.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  began  the  study  of  philosophy  and  theology 
at  the  University  of  Muenster,  where  he  remained  until  1862,  and  then  entered  the 
University  of  Louvain,  Belgium.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1864  and 
continued  his  studies  until  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  was  assigned  to 
the  pastorate  of  St.  Andrew's  church,  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  In  1868  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  St.  Patrick's  church  at  Stony  Creek,  Monroe  county,  remaining  until  1872, 
when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  was  assigned  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Boniface's 
church.  In  1890  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  Sacred  Heart  church,  where  he  re- 
mained until  transferred  to  his  present  charge,  that  of  St.  Joseph's  church.  During 
the  time  of  his  service  at  St.  Boniface's  church  he  built  the  present  church  edifice  and 
parsonage  at  an  expense  of  about  |50,000.  In  his  present  charge  there  are  about 
800  families,  or  about  4,000  belonging  to  the  parish  of  St.  Joseph's,  connected  with 
which  are  parochial  schools  under  charge  of  Sisters  of  I.  H.  M.  and  the  Christian 
Brothers;  also  a  business  college  under  the  charge  of  the  same  Christian  Brothers. 
At  the  same  time  Very  Rev.  B.  J.  Wermers  is  dean  of  E.  Detroit  Deanery;  diocesan 
consultor;  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Fund,  and  one  of  the  examiners  of 
clergy.  As  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  church,  he  is  one  of  the  five  irremovable  pastors 
of  the  Diocese  of  Detroit. 

Westcott,  John  W.,  son  of  David  H.  and  Mary  J.  (Ward)  Westcott,  was  born  at 
Warnersville,  on  Lime  Island,  intheSault  Ste.  Marie  River,  Mackinaw  county  Mich., 
December  19,  1848.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  New  York  State,  and 
migrated  with  their  respective  families  to  Michigan  in  the  thirties.  His  father, 
David  H.  Westcott,  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  April  24,  1823.  He  re- 
moved to  Michigan  in  1842,  and  in  the  following  year  began  sailing  on  the  steamer 
Huron,  the  first  the  Wards  ever  built.  He  met  Mary  J.  Ward,  daughter  of  the 
keeper  of  the  Manitou  Island  light  house  in  1848,  and  wedded  her  on  the  steamer 
James  Madison  v^^hile  she  lay  at  her  moorings  at  Mackinac  Island,  April  23,  1844, 
and  for  two  years  the  happy  couple  were  the  sole  white  inhabitants  of  Lime  Island, 
removing  to  Newport  in  1846.  John  W.  was  educated  in  the  schools  at  Newport 
(now  Marine  City),  Mich.,  and  having  inherited  a  love  for  the  water,  at  an  early  age 
shipped  on  a  steamer  plying  the  Great  Lakes.  From  "boy  "he  rose  through  all 
possible  grades  to  the  station  of  "master."  At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  in  1873,  he 
abandoned  sailing  and  settled  at  Grosse  Pointe,  Mich.,  where  for  one  year  he 
tended  the  Grosse  Pointe  channel  lights;  removing  to  Detroit  m  1874,  he  established 
himself  in  his  present  business  as  marine  reporter  and  general  freight  and  vessel 
agent,  in  which  he  has  met  with  the  success  that  he  so  justly  deserves.  Mr.  West- 
cott was  the  originator  of  the  present  system  of  delivering  and  receiving  mail  by 
small  boats  to  and  from  passing  vessels,  which  is  in  general  use  along  the  lakes; 
he  is  also  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Westcott  Wrecking  Co.,  doing  an 
extensive  business  on  the  lakes.  Mr.  Westcott  is  domestic  in  his  tastes,  spending 
most  of  his  leisure  time  in  the  home  circle.  He  is  the  proud  posses.sor  of  a  well- 
stocked  library,  which  numbers  among  its  volumes  many  valuable  works.  He  has 
allowed  himself  to  become  a  candidate  for  but  one  public  office,  that  of  alderman 

98 


from  the  Fourth  ward  of  Detroit,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1885  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  In  1879  Mr.  Westcott  married  Henrietta  E.  Crane,  of  Detroit,  formerly  of 
Newark,  N.  J.,  and  they  have  four  children:  Mary  L.,  Henrietta  E  ,  John  W.,  jr., 
and  Charles  H.  2d.  Mr.  Westcott  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  First  Congregational  church  of  Detroit. 

Wetherbee,  Hon.  William  H.,  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  was  born 
at  Stone  Hill,  Medina  county,  Ohio,  September  8,  1858,  a  son  of  the  late  Cyrus  W. 
Wetherbee,  who  removed  with  his  family  to  Detroit  in  1869.  His  education  began 
in  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland,  O.  After  removing  to  Michigan,  his  parents 
being  unable  to  give  him  the  education  for  which  he  had  a  consuming  desire,  he  de- 
termined to  strike  out  for  himself,  which  he  did  in  1872,  shipping  "before  the-mast" 
on  a  merchant  schooner  plying  the  Great  Lakes.  Four  years  later  he  returned  to 
Detroit,  where  he  entered  a  mercantile  busmess,  and  having  procured  sufficient 
funds  he  purchased  books  and  during  his  leisure  hours  pursued  his  studies  alone. 
Later  on  he  attended  Professor  Jones's  Classical  School  for  Boys  and  still  later  en- 
gaged the  services  of  private  tutors.  In  1877  he  entered  the  office  of  Claude  N. 
Riopelle  of  Detroit,  where  for  nearly  two  years  he  remained  reading  law.  From 
there  he  went  to  Hon.  Horace  E.  Burt,  then  a  practicing  attorney  in  Detroit,  but  re- 
mained a  short  time  only,  as  he  was  compelled  to  seek  more  lucrative  employment. 
During  the  following  twelve  years,  however,  he  kept  up  his  reading  of  law,  and  in 
1891  entered  the  ranks  of  his  chosen  profession,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that 
year.  Mr.  Wetherbee  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  es- 
tablished :n  1890,  and  it  is  through  his  untiring  efforts  and  progressive  business 
methods  that  the  present  marked  success  of  the  enterprise  is  due.  He  entered  its 
first  junior  class  and  was  graduated  with  it,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  In  spite 
of  the  exacting  duties  of  a  growing  practice  he  devotes  much  time  to  the  law  school, 
and  no  student  every  finds  him  too  busy  or  too  hurried  to  give  time  and  attention  to 
every  want.  Mr.  Wetherbee  is  also  an  active  church  worker,  having  been  a  member 
of  the  old  First  Congregational  church  of  Detroit  for  the  past  eighteen  years.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Congregational  Club  of  Eastern  Michigan;  a  member  of 
the  Y.M.C.A.  ;  of  the  Alger  Club;  Michigan  Club  and  numerous  Masonic,  social  and 
fraternal  organizations,  being  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason. 
In  character  Mr.  Wetherbee  is  modest  and  unassuming  and  is  respected  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  have  the  good  fortune  to  know  him.  In  1896  he  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  to  represent  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  during  his  term  of  office  was 
called  many  times  to  fill  the  chair  in  committee  of  the  whole  when  subjects  of  im- 
portance were  to  receive  consideration.  Mr.  Wetherbee  married  Martha  M.  Noble 
of  Dearborn,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Mary  W.  and  Ross  N. 

WetzeK  Henry  Adolph,  son  of  Edward  and  Lina  Wetzel,  was  born  at  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, June  1,  1845.  His  education  was  acquired  in  private  schools,  the  Royal  Fred- 
erick William's  Gymnasium,  and  the  Royal  Realschule  at  Berlin,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1863.  After  his  graduation  he  served  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  in 
the  drug  business  at  Berlin,  and  in  1866,  when  war  with  Austria  broke  out,  he  en- 
tered the  army  as  a  volunteer  for  one  year.  In  1867,  immediately  following  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  chemical  laboratory  of  E. 
Schering  at  Berlin,  of  hydrate  of  chloral  fame,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking 

99 


out  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war  m  1870,  during  which  he  served  as  first  lieutenant  of 
infantry  guards.  In  October,  1872,  he  came  to  America,  and  was  for  a  time  located 
at  Chicago,  111.,  where,  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  aflfairs  of  this  country,  he 
spent  a  year  in  one  of  the  large  commercial  agencies.  In  1873  he  accepted  a  position 
as  traveling  representative  of  the  G  Mallinckordt  Chemical  Works  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  remained  with  that  company  until  the  panic  of  1875,  when  he  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  business  of  Allaire,  Woodward  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists  of  Peoria, 
111.  In  1877  Mr.  Wetzel  became  identified  with  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing 
chemists  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  as  traveling  and  foreign  representative.  Later  he  be- 
came superintendent  of  the  extensive  laboratories  of  that  company  at  Detroit,  and 
in  1891  was  elected  to  his  present  position  as  its  secretary;  he  has  also  been  a  director 
of  the  establishment  since  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Con- 
ference; of  the  Society  for  Applied  Chemical  Industries;  a  Fellow  of  the  Chemical 
Society;  a  Fellow  of  the  Imperial  Institute  of  London,  Eng.  ;  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Club;  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club;  Country  Club  and  Detroit 
Boat  Club;  also  a  member  of  the  Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit. 
June  18,  1885,  he  married  Harriet  A.  Greiner,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Hervey  Edward. 

Wheeler,  Rev.  James,  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (McQueeney)  Wheeler,  was  born 
in  Pompton,  N.  J.,  May  11,  1848.  Both  his  parents  were  natives  of  Ireland,  his 
father  having  been  born  in  Westmeath  and  his  mother  in  County  Leitrim.  They 
came  to  this  country  when  single,  and  were  married  here ;  thus  it  will  be  seen  that 
Father  Wheeler  is  of  staunch  Irish-American  stock.  During  his  childhood  his  parents 
removed  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where  he  received  his  early  education.  In  1862  he 
entered  St.  Mary's  College  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  remaining  there  until  1863,  when  he 
began  his  theological  studies  in  BaiTC  Wavre  College  at  Wavre,  and  afterward  at  the 
University  of  Louvain,  Belgium,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1873.  Rev.  Mr. 
Wheeler  was  ordained  May  15,  1873,  by  Bishop  Borgess  at  Detroit,  and  appointed 
pastor  of  St.  John  church,  Fenton,  where  he  remained  until  1876.  He  was  next 
assigned  to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Patrick's  church  at  Brighton,  where  he  remained  but 
a  few  months,  and  was  then  transferred  to  St.  Paul's  church  at  Owasso.  In  1887  he 
was  appointed  to  his  present  charge,  that  of  the  church  of  Our  Lady  of  Help,  De- 
troit, and  has  done  much  to  place  the  parish  in  a  prosperous  condition.  May  1, 
1894,  he  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  present  school  edifice,  which  he  has  completed 
at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  During  his  residence  here  he  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker 
in  the  cause  of  his  church,  and  the  parochial  school  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  city. 
Father  Wheeler  is  a  man  of  genial  presence,  and  has  endeared  himself  to  the  people 
of  his  parish.     He  is  an  able,  forcible  and  eloquent  speaker. 

Whitaker,  Herschel,  was  born  at  Turin,  N.  Y.,  July  25,  1847,  and  resided  there 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  engaged  in 
grain  and  produce  brokerage  business  until  1872.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1872 
he  removed  to  New  York  city  and  for  two  years  made  a  close  study  of  phonography 
and  its  uses.  In  1874  he  settled  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  maintained  his 
residence.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he  was  appointed  official  stenographer 
for  the  United  States  Circuit  and  District  Courts  for  the  Eastern  district  of  Michigan 
and  retained  that  position  until  1889,  when  he  was  appointed  stenographer  for  the 

100 


Probate  Court  of  Wayne  county.  Mr.  Whitaker  also  made  a  special  study  of  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1878.  He  is  an  ardent  lover  of  the  sport  of  fishing 
and  has  been  successively  vice-president,  president  and  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  American  Fisheries  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  since 
1889  and  for  which  he  has  written  a  number  of  valuable  papers.  In  1883  he  was  ap- 
pointed as  first  regular  secretary  of  the  Michigan  Fish  Commission,  which  position 
he  resigned  in  the  following  year  to  accept  an  appointment  from  the  governor  on  the 
Board  of  Fish  Commissioners.  He  has  been  reappointed  four  times  since  that  time, 
each  term  being  six  years  in  duration,  and  has  been  president  of  the  board  since 
1889.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education  for  two  years.  Mr. 
Whitaker  has  been  president  of  the  State  Association  of  Stenographers,  and  was 
from  1881  to  1890  senior  member  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Whitaker,  Maitlar^d  & 
Co. ;  since  that  date  he  has  been  practicing  his  profession  alone. 

Whitaker,  William  H.,  son  of  Byron  and  Fidelia  (Moore)  Whitaker,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  January  27,  1862.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools 
and  he  later  took  a  course  of  instruction  in  Mayhew's  Business  College  at  Detroit. 
For  two  years  he  served  as  bookkeeper  and  shipping  clerk  for  Gordon  &  Campbell, 
cigar  manufacturers,  and  afterward  spent  a  year  in  the  office  of  his  father,  who  is 
one  of  Detroit's  best  known  vessel  and  insurance  agents.  During  the  winters  of 
1881,  1882  and  1883  Mr.  Whitaker  acted  as  a  clerk  m  the  Chicago  offices  of  the  Michi- 
gan Central  Railroad  Co.,  spending  the  summer  months  in  Detroit  with  his  father. 
In  1883  he  accepted  the  position  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Marine  City  (Mich.)  Stave 
Company  and  later  became  secretary  of  that  company.  In  January,  1888,  he  located 
permanently  in  Detroit  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  B.  Whitaker  &  Sons, 
general  insurance  agents,  which  firm  was  changed  through  the  withdrawal  of  Mr. 
Whitaker,  sr.,  in  January,  1897,  to  its  present  style  of  Whitaker  Bros.,  fire,  marine, 
employer's  liability,  boiler,  elevator  and  sprinkler  insurance  and  general  agents  in 
Michigan  for  the  Fidelity  &  Deposit  Co.  (surety  bonds)  of  Baltimore,  Md.  Whitaker 
Bros,  have  made  a  specialty  of  writing  fidelity  and  judicial  bonds  and  have  met  with 
remarkable  success.  They  are  members  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  Detroit,  and  otherwise  prominently  connected  in  business  circles.  Mr. 
Whitaker  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club;  worshipful  master  of  Kilwinning  Lodge 
No.  297,,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  a  member  of  King  Cyrus  Chapter  No.  ]33.  R.  A.  M. ;  Monroe 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and  of  Sicily  Lodge,  K.  of  P. 

Whitman,  Charles  Rudolphus,  son  of  William  G.  and  Laura  J.  (Finch)  Whitman, 
was  born  at  South  Bend,  Ind.,  October  4,  1847.  He  attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
town  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  then  removing  with  his  parents  to  Chicago,  was 
admitted  to  the  Foster  School,  receiving  upon  graduation  therefrom  the  Foster 
medal,  awarded  for  excellence  of  scholarship,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Chicago  High 
School  in  1862.  During  the  winter  of  1864-65  he  attended  the  High  School  at  Ann  • 
Arbor,  Mich.,  afterward  entering  the  Ypsilanti  Seminary,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1866.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  became  a  member  of  the  class  of  1870 
in  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  From  1870  to  1871  he  was  principal  of  the  Ypsilanti 
Seminary.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan   and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1873  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. ;  in  1875 

101 


he  also  received  from  the  university  the  degree  of  M.  A.  Followiiig  his  graduation 
Mr.  Whitman  located  for  practice  in  Ypsilanti,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  (which 
existed  until  1883)  with  Hon.  Chauncey  Joslyn,  who  subsequently  became  circuit 
judge.  Mr.  Whitman  was  elected  circuit  court  commissioner  for  Washtenaw  county 
in  1876,  serving  for  two  years,  and  in  1882  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney,  being 
re-elected  in  1884  and  serving  for  two  terms.  In  1885  he  was  elected  as  regent  of 
the  University  of  Michigan  and  filled  that  position  during  the  ensuing  eight  years. 
In  1887  Mr.  Whitman  removed  to  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  where  he  resided  and  practiced 
his  profession  until  January,  1895,  when  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit.  In  1893 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Winans  railroad  commissioner  for  the  State  of  Mich- 
igan, and  to  succeed  Hon.  John  T.  Rich.  Mr.  Whitman  was  appointed  to  his  present 
position  as  assistant  United  States  district  attorney  at  Detroit  in  the  spring  of  1896. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American,  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  as  a  lawyer, 
official  and  citizen  has  won  the  confidence  and  unqualified  esteem  of  his  professional 
associates  and  the  public.  In  1871  he  married  Elvira  C,  daughter  of  rfon.  Chauncey 
Joslyn  of  Ypsilanti,  and  they  have  four  sons:  Ro.ss  C,  born  in  March,  1873,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1894,  and  at 
present  a  student  of  medicine  in  that  institution;  Lloyd  C,  born  in  June,  1875,  a 
graduate  of  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1896,  now  a 
member  of  the  law  class  of  1898  in  that  institution;  Roland  D.,  born  in  June,  1877, 
a  graduate  of  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  class  of  1897, 
now  a  member  of  the  class  of  1899  in  the  law  department  of  the  university ;  and 
Bayard  J.,  now  a  student  in  the  Ann  Arbor  (Mich.)  High  School. 

Wicker,  William  W.,  son  of  William  W.  and  Charlotte  A.  (Palmer)  Wicker,  was 
born  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  November  17,  1861,  and  attended  the  public  schools  there 
until  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  then  became  errand  boy  in  a  large  clothing  store 
at  Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  while  there  studied  stenography.  In  1882  he  turned  his  face 
westward  to  Colorado,  where  for  six  years  he  was  a  court  reporter  and  general 
stenographer.  In  1888  he  returned  to  Saginaw,  Mich.,  and  studied  law,  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  January,  1891 ;  in  that  same  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
T.  E.  Tarsney,  and  under  the  style  of  Tarsney  &  Wicker  they  successfully  practiced 
their  profession  at  Saginaw  until  January,  1894,  when  they  removed  to  Detroit ;  they 
dissolved  partnership  in  January,  1897.  Mr.  Wicker  married,  October  4,  1892,  Dora 
Ostrander  of  Saginaw.  On  the  paternal  side  Mr.  Wicker  is  descended  from  "  Green 
Mountain"  stock,  and  on  the  maternal  side  from  the  Saillys  and  Palmers  of  Platts- 
burg,  N.  Y. 

Wild,  William  L.,  son  of  John  L.  and  Wilhelmina  Wild,  was  born  in  Corunna, 
Shiawassee  county,  Mich.,  December  28,  1858.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Corunna  until  1869,  when  his  parents  moved  to  Bay  City,  where  he  attended  school 
until  1875,  at  which  time  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Holmes,  Collins  &  Stoddard, 
with  whom  he  remained  two  years.  Mr.  Wild  came  to  Detroit  in  1877  and  was  em- 
ployed in  the  management  of  his  father's  affairs  until  1878,  when  he  embarked  in 
the  laundry  business.  In  1881  he  associated  himself  with  C.  H.  Wheeler  and  C.  A. 
Chidsey  under  the  firm  name  of  Wild,  Wheeler  &  Co.  ;  subsequently  organizing  the 
Banner  Laundering  Co.  in  1889,  of  which  Mr.  Wild  is  secretary  and  manager.  He 
is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  National   Union, 

102 


Union  League,  and  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Mr.  Wild  has  been  the  representa- 
tive from  this  State  to  the  National  Union  for  the  past  nine  years  and  is  the  present 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee. 

WiUiams,  Morris  L.,  son  of  Rev.  William  and  Emma  (Prytherch)  Williams,  of  the 
Oliver  Cromwell-Williams  family,  was  born  in  the  Island  of  Anglesea,  Wales,  May 
9,  1841.  In  youth  Mr.  Williams  availed  himself  of  the  educational  advantages  to  be 
had  at  Birmmgham,  England.  He  chose  a  banking  career,  which  he  began  Octol:)er 
20,  1855,  in  the  North  and  South  Wales  Bank  of  Liverpool,  and  remained  in  the  em- 
ploy of  that  bank  until  he  came  to  Detroit  m  1865.  Here  he  became  connected  with 
the  American  National  Bank  and  served  as  assistant  cashier  seventeen  years.  His 
years  of  service  and  vast  knowledge  of  bank  and  commercial  affairs  made  for  Mr. 
Williams  a  standing  that  led  to  a  demand  for  his  services  in  the  establishment  of  a 
new  bank.  He  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of 
Detroit  and  holds  the  position  of  vice-president  and  cashier  and  a  prominent  stand- 
ing with  the  bankers  of  the  country.  Mr.  Williams  is  a  Mason  and  has  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club.  May  7,  1807,  he 
married  Kate  L.  Williams.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Williams  are  members  of  the  First  Congregational  church. 

Wilson,  Edward,  eldest  son  of  the  late  Capt.  William  H.  and  Mary  (Ledbeter) 
Wilson,  was  born  in  Detroit  Mich.,  April  17,  1863.  His  early  education  was  acquired 
in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twelve,  when 
through  an  accident  he  suffered  the  loss  of  his  eyesight.  Later  he  became  a  student 
at  the  school  for  the  blind  at  Lansing,  Mich.,  taking  both  the  academic  and  musical 
course,  and  was  graduated  in  1883.  On  completion  of  his  education  he  engaged  in 
teaching  music,  a  calling  he  followed  until  1891,  when  he  established  his  present 
business  at  No.  480  Baker  street,  dealing  in  musical  instruments  and  merchandise. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  Immanuel  Presbyterian  church,  and  has  been  active  in 
church  work  for  several  years.  He  was  married  June  20,  1888,  to  Marianna  White- 
head, daughter  of  James  Whitehead  of  Wyandotte,  Mich.  They  have  one  child, 
Ruth  Haviland  Wilson. 

Wilson,  Thomas  Ledbeter,  son  of  Capt.  William  H.  and  Mary  (Ledbeter)  Wilson, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  1,  1868.  Mr.  Wilson  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  later 
received  a  year's  course  in  the  Goldsmith's  Business  College.  On  completion  of  his 
education  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  as  clerk,  remain- 
ing with  that  corporation  five  years,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  his  present  position, 
that  of  cashier  for  Hammond,  Standish  &  Company  at  their  Twentieth  street  office. 
In  politigs  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Union  and  of 
Immanuel  Presbyterian  church.  He  was  married.  July  12,  1892,  to  Miss  Eda  May 
Scott,  daughter  of  William  B.  Scott  of  Detroit.  They  have  one  child,  William  Scott 
Wilson. 

Wisner,  George  Y.,  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Downey)  Wisner,  was  born  in  West 
Dresden,  Yates  county,  N.  Y.,  July  11,  1841.  He  worked  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  1862,  attending  the  district  school  in  winter  with  the  exception  of  two 
terms  in  the  Ayres  Private  Seminary  at  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  and  one  term  at  Starkey 

103 


Seminary,  N.  Y.  Incidental  to  his  other  work  Mr.  Wisner  took  up  studies  which 
enabled  him  to  enter  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  as  a  sophmore  in 
1862,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  as  a  civil  engineer  in  1865.  During 
the  last  year  of  his  college  life  he  was  assistant  to  Prof.  De  Volson  Wood  of  the  civil 
engineering  department.  On  leaving  college  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  as  assistant  civil  engineer  and  was  connected  with  the  survey  of 
the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  River  for  fifteen  years,  having  charge  of  the 
astronomical  and  triangulation  parties  of  those  surveys.  In  1880  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Mississippi  River  Commission  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  making 
surveys  and  investigations  relative  to  the  improvement  of  the  Mississippi,  Desplains 
and  Illinois  Rivers.  In  1884  he  was  made  superintendent  of  construction  for  the 
Tenth  and  Eleventh  Light  House  Districts  with  headquarters  at  Detroit.  From 
1887  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Wisner  has  been  engaged  in  the  private  practice  of  his 
profession.  Among  his  more  important  works  are  the  rebuilding  of  the  famous  Eads 
jetties  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River;  the  construction  of  the  deep  water 
harbor  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brazos  River  in  Texas;  and  the  development  of  plans 
for  the  regulation  of  levels  of  the  Great  Lakes,  by  which  it  is  expected  that  the  pres- 
ent annual  fluctuations  of  the  lake  surfaces  of  four  to  five  feet  will  be  reduced  to  a 
few  inches.  In  1895  Mr.  Wisner  organized  the  sanitary  department  of  the  Detroit 
Board  of  Health  and  served  as  chief  of  that  department  until  1897.  July  28,  1897, 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  "  Deep  Waterways  Commission  "  by  President 
McKinley,  the  duties  of  which  are  to  develop  routes,  design  plans  and  estimate  cost 
for  a  thirty  foot  canal  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Atlantic.  Mr.  Wisner  is  a  mem- 
ber and  director  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers;  president  of  Detroit 
Engineering  Society ;  member  of  the  Engineers'  Club  of  New  York;  Detroit  Club; 
and  of  the  Detroit  Fellowcraft  Club.  October  15,  1867,  he  married  Carrie  Palmer  of 
Moravia,  N.  Y..  and  they  have  two  children:  George  M.  and  Ralph  E. 

Woodruff,  Charles  M.,  LL.  B.,  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  M.  (Jones)  Woodruff,  was 
born  in  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  August  18,  1851.  When  he  was  six  months  old  his  pa- 
rents removed  to  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  in  which  city  he  attended  the  Union  Seminary 
(the  first  high  school  established  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  founded  by  his  father, 
the  Hon.  Charles  Woodruff),  being  graduated  therefrom  in  1869.  In  the  autumn  of 
the  same  year  he  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
completed  his  freshman  course ;  but,  being  prevented  by  sickness  from  attending 
during  the  sophomore  year,  he  returned  to  the  university  in  1871  and  took  up  the 
study  of  law,  receiving  his  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1873.  On  April  16,  1873,  after  a  rigid 
examination  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
all  of  the  Michigan  courts.  During  the  ensuing  seven  years  Mr.  Woodruff  practiced 
his  profession  in  Ypsilanti  and  Detroit,  and  from  1880  to  December  18,  1882,  he 
acted  as  telegraph  editor  of  the  Detroit  Daily  Post.  Since  the  latter  year  he  has 
been  connected  with  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists,  at  their  home 
offices  at  Detroit,  as  confidential  counsel  and  assistant  general  manager  of  the  busi- 
ness department.  While  a  resident  of  Ypsilanti  Mr.  Woodruff  was  honored  with  the 
offices  of  city  clerk,  1873  to  1875;  and  justice  of  the  peace,  1874  to  1875.  He  was 
also  regular  correspondent  for  the  Detroit  Free  Press.  He  is  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Bar  Association;  past  grand  regent  of  the  Royal  Arcanum;  and  member  of  the 

104 


I.  O.  G.  T.  October  9,  1873,  Mr.  Woodruff  married  Alice  A.  Barnaby,  of  Raisin- 
ville,  Mich.,  and  they  have  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  survive:  Mary  G.,  John 
B.,  Alice  J.,  Fred  B.,  and  Willfred. 

Woodbury,  Warren  H. ,  son  of  Giles  T.  and  Matilda  (Gardiner)  Woodbury,  was 
born  at  Allendale,  Mich.,  August  22,  1864.  He  was  graduated  from  Olivet  College, 
Michigan,  as  Bachelor  of  Science,  in  1888,  and  in  1891  the  same  institution  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science,  In  the  autumn  of  1888  he  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  LL.  B. 
in  1890.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  the  summer  of  1890,  and 
at  once  located  in  Detroit,  where  for  one  year  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  George  W. 
Radford.  In  May,  1891,  he  opened  an  office  of  his  own,  and  has  since  carried  on  a 
general  law  practice  with  gratifjnng  success.  Mr.  Woodbury  is  retained  as  counsel 
and  attorney  by  numerous  large  firms  and  concerns,  and  occupies  an  honorable  posi- 
tion at  the  Detroit  bar.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  and  Local  Bar  Asso- 
ciations, and  is  popular  in  business  and  social  circles.  In  1891  he  married  Zella  B., 
daughter  of  Robert  D.  Wheaton,  of  Charlotte,  Mich. 

Wright,  John  MacNair,  son  of  William  J.  and  Julia  (MacNair)  Wright,  was  born 
at  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  Augusts,  1860.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  the  various 
-cities  in  which  his  parents  lived  until  1871,  when  he  went  to  Europe  with  his  parents 
and  there  attended  the  schools  of  Scotland,  England,  France  and  Italy.  After  re- 
turning to  the  United  States,  in  1874,  he  again  attended  school,  completing  his 
education  in  the  Pennsylvania  State  Normal.  In  1879  be  was  appointed  to  a  posi- 
tion in  the  signal  service  of  the  United  States  army  and  during  his  seven  years'  ser- 
vice was  stationed  at  various  times  at  nearly  all  the  more  important  signal  stations 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  Early  in  1886  he  resigned 
from  the  signal  service  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  became  identified  with 
the  Barber  Asphalt  Paving  Co.  After  a  three  months'  apprenticeship  in  a  minor 
position  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  assistant  superintendent,  later  becoming 
superintendent  of  the  Erie,  Pa.,  branch  of  the  business.  He  subsequently  filled  like 
positions  with  the  same  ccmpany  at  Scranton  and  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.,  Louisville,  Ky. , 
and  Youngstown,  Ohio,  building  asphalt  plants  in  several  of  these  cities,  and  in 
1892  returned  to  his  original  post  at  Erie,  Pa.  He  was  later  located  at  Mt.  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  and  Fort  Wayne,  Ind  ,  and  m  1895,  upon  the  establishment  of  the  Detroit 
office,  he  was  sent  to  that  city  as  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  districts  of  Michi- 
gan, Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  still  serves  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Wright  is  prominent 
m  Masonic  circles  and  is  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  of  Louisville,  Ky.  He  was 
married  in  1886  to  Eleanore  Brown  of  Erie.  Pa.,  and  they  have  one  son,  John  Mac- 
Nair, jr.,  who  is  the  ninth  to  bear  the  name  of  John  MacNair  in  lineal  succession. 
Mr.  Wright's  mother,  Julia  MacNair,  the  well  known  author,  is  a  lineal  descendant 
from  James  MacNair,  one  of  the  founders  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

Youngblood,  Edward  B. ,  son  of  Hon.  Bernard  and  Frances  (Meyers)  Youngblood, 
was  born  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  23,  1866.  He  acquired  his  education  in  St. 
Joseph's  Parish  School  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business 
College  at  Detroit.  From  1881  to  1886  he  served  with  his  father  in  the  grocery  and 
flour  and  feed  business:  from  1886  to  1888  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  treasurer 

105 


of  Wayne  county,  Mich.  ;  from  1888  to  1891,  again  with  his  father  (as  partner)  in  the 
grocery,  flour  and  feed  business ;  from  1891  to  1893  special  assessment  clerk  under 
C.  K.  Twombly,  receiver  of  taxes  for  the  city  of  Detroit;  and  on  April  9,  1894,  he 
was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  U.  S.  custom  gauger,  weigher,  examiner 
and  clerk  at  the  port  of  Detroit.  In  September,  1893,  Mr.  Youngblood  married 
Catherine  Hawkins  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  children:  Evelyn,  Dorathy,  and 
Bernard  J. 

Zickel,  Harry  H.,  son  of  Theodore  and  Nanny  (Stark)  Zickel,  was  born  at  Oil  City, 
Pa.,  March  3,  1871.  While  yet  an  infant  his  parents  visited  Europe  and  upon  their 
return  to  America  settled  at  Cleveland,  O.,  where  Mr.  Zickel  attended  private  school. 
In  1879  the  family  removed  to  Akron,  O.,  and  two  years  later  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
which  has  ever  since  been  their  home  with  the  exception  of  one  year  at  New  York 
city  in  1883.  Mr.  Zickel  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  for  six  years 
made  a  close  study  of  the  piano  under  competent  tutors.  Although  he  was  for  a 
number  of  years  associated  with  the  professional  musicians  of  Detroit,  his  name  was 
hardly  known  until  1893,  when  suddenly  he  gained  international  fame  through  his 
composition  of  the  "  Columbian  March,"  which  has  been  played  by  every  band  and 
orchestra  of  any  pretensions  throughout  the  civilized  world.  This  piece  was  followed 
in  1895  by  his  famous  "Black  America,"  dedicated  to  and  published  through  the 
courteous  permission  of  Mr.  Nate  Salsbury,  proprietor  of  the  popular  show  of  that 
name.  Three  other  pieces  have  followed  "Black  America"  in  quick  succession : 
"  Belle  of  Koontucky ;"  "The  Girl  of  '99;"  and  his  latest  success  "  The  Pacemaker," 
all  of  which  have  the  voluntary  endorsement  of  John  Philip  Sousa  of  Sousa's  world 
famous  band  and  are  declared  by  musicians  generally  "  the  hits  of  the  day."  In  the 
tours  of  Sousa's  band  Mr.  Zickel's  music  is  performed  among  the  compositions  of 
the  world's  greatest  composers,  and  his  "  Black  America"  was  used  as  a  two-step 
at  the  McKinley  inaugural  ball.  Mr.  Zickel  has  also  been  a  contributor  to  "  Fash- 
ions," a  monthly  magazine  pubUshed  in  New  York,  and  for  numerous  other  journals 
of  art  and  music.  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
National  Union  and  Musician's  Protective  and  Benevolent  Association  of  Detroit. 
In  January,  1898,  Mr.  Zickel  and  his  brother  Edward  began  the  publication  of  music 
under  the  style  of  Zickel  Brothers.  He  is  still  a  bachelor  and  immensely  popular 
wherever  he  appears  in  professional  or  social  circles. 

Abel,  Frederic  L.,  son  of  Frederic  and  Nancy  D.  (Clary)  Abel,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  near  Monroeville,  August  29,  1857,  while  his  parents  were 
there  on  a  visit,  their  home  being  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Young  Abel's  father  is  a 
musician  of  note  and  for  a  number  of  years  led  a  traveling  life,  residing  for  a  brief 
period  at  a  time  in  numerous  large  cities  of  the  United  States.  When  Frederic  was 
four  years  of  age  the  family  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  later  to  Chicago; 
when  the  great  fire  of  1871  swept  the  latter  city  they  again  removed  to  Milwaukee, 
and  from  there  in  1872  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  city  has  since  been  their  home. 
After  receiving  a  thorough  preparatory  education  in  Detroit  in  1876  young  Abel  was 
sent  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany,  to  pursue  his  musical  studies.  He  studied 
the  violoncello  under  Cossman;  singing  under  Stockhausen  ;  piano  under  Uhrspruch; 
and  composition  under  Raff,  who  was  then  director  of  the  Frankfort-on-the-Main 
Conservatory.     Upon  returning  to  the  United  States  and  to  Detroit  in  1880,  Mr.  Abel 

106 


was  at  once  appointed  as  professor  of  'cello,  voice  and  piano  in  the  Detroit  Conserva- 
tory of  Music,  and  has  continued  in  that  position  ever  since.  For  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  been  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Music  Teachers'  Association; 
was  the  organizer  of  the  original  Philharmonic  Club;  and  was  conductor  of  the  Schu- 
bert Club  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  for  two  years.  In  1882  he  enlisted  in  the  Detroit  Light 
Guard  as  a  private  and  through  promotion  finally  served  as  captain  of  that  company 
from  1885  to  1888,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  pressure  of  business  affairs.  Since 
1894  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Michigan  National  Guard  as  regimental  adjutant 
of  the  4th  Infantry.  May  8,  1898,  he  was  appointed  regimental  adjutant,  31st  Mich. 
Vol.  Infantry,  under  Col.  Cornelius  Gardener.  He  left  for  the  front  May  15,  and  is 
now  at  Chicamauga,  acting  assistant  adjutant-general,  1st  Brigade,  2d  Division,  1st 
Army  Corps.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  K.  T.,  and  Shriner,  and  is  very 
popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  In  1895  Mr.  Abel  married  Mary  E.  Leg- 
gett,  daughter  of  Mortimer  A.  Leggett  of  Drayton  Plains,  Mich. 

Allison,  William  H.,  son  of  James  D.  Allison,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  July 
28,  1852.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Business  College.  In  1872  he  entered  the  employ  of  F.  G.  Baker  (custom 
house  broker),  with  whom  he  remained  for  eight  years,  thoroughly  mastering  a"l  the 
details  of  the  business.  In  1880  he  established  himself  in  the  same  line  of  business 
and  has  followed  it  ever  since  with  unlimited  success.  Mr.  Allison  is  a  member  of 
the  Rushmere  and  Fellowcraft  Clubs  of  Detroit,  and  was  president  of  the  Detroit 
Light  Guard  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Union  Lodge  No.  3, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Peninsular  Chapter  No.  12,  R.  A.M.,  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  K.  T., 
and  is  grand  secretary  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistoi-y,  Scotish  Rite  Bodies.  In 
1875  he  married  Agnes  Greene,  daughter  of  Charles  P.  Greene  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Harvey  C.  and  Mourton  D. 

Anderson,  John  W.,  was  born  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  September  25,  1869,  a  son  of 
Hon.  Wendell  A.  Anderson,  M.  D.,  late  United  States  consul-general  at  Montreal, 
Canada,  and  Susan  M.  (Small)  Anderson.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at  La 
Crosse,  and  after  graduating  from  the  High  School  he  entered  Cornell  University, 
where  he  pursued  a  two  years'  special  course  of  study  in'  history  and  political 
economy.  Then  after  a  year's  course  of  lectures  at  the  McGill  University  at  Mont- 
real he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  received  his 
degree,  LL. B.,  in  1890.  Following  his  graduation  he  located  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and 
for  three  years  was  associated  with  the  law  firm  of  Bowen,  Douglas  &  Whiting. 
From  October,  1893,  to  January,  1896,  he  was  in  partnership  with  George  P.  Codd, 
then  assistant  city  attorney,  as  Anderson  &  Cobb,  and  in  November,  1896,  formed 
his  present  partner.ship  with  Horace  H.  Rackham  as  Anderson  &  Rackham,  their 
offices  being  at  suite  68-69  Moffat  building.  Their  specialty  is  commercial  law,  in 
which  they  have  been  very  successful,  among  their  clientele  being  found  the  names 
of  R.  G.  Dun  &  Co.  and  the  National  Surety  Company  of  New  York.  Mr.  Anderson 
is  a  member  of  the  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations;  Chi  Psi  College  fraternity 
(Ann  Arbor  and  Cornell  Chapters);  Fellowcraft  Club;  Comedy  Club;  Detroit  Boat 
Club  and  a  director  of  the  University  of  Michigan  Alumni  Association.  June  19, 
1895,  he  married  Gustava  C,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  William  Doeltz  of  Detroit. 

Armstrong,  Henry  I.,  of  the  firm  of  Armstoug  &    Graham,   wholesale  manufac- 

107 


turers  of  saddlery  aud  harness  goods,  Detroit,  Mich.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  December 
10.  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Armstrong.'  Henry  I.  received  his  education  in 
the  Detroit  public  schools.  Olivet  (Mich.)  College  and  the  University  of  Michigan.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  entered  the  chemical  laboratory  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  at 
Detroit  where  he  remained  for  nearly  two  years.  He  afterward  served  Hayden  &  Bald- 
win in  the  harness  and  saddlery  business  for  one  year,  and  Glover  &  Campau  in  the 
hardware  business  for  a  like  period.  From  1875  to  1885  he  was  connected  with  the 
wholesale  hardware  firm  of  Buhl,  Ducharme  &  Co.  (now  Buhl  Sons  &  Co.),  at  De- 
troit, and  in  the  latter  year  severed  his  connection  with  that  firm  and  became 
actively  interested  as  a  partner  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  saddlery  and  saddlery 
hardware  goods  with  his  brother,  Edwin  E.  Armstrong,  and  Burke  M.  Graham.  Mr. 
Armstrong  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  and  is  active  in  church  work,  having 
been  an  elder  of  the  Westminster  Presbyterian  church  of  Detroit  for  a  number  of 
years.  March  21,  1877,  he  married  Sarah  Aikman,  and  they  have  three  children : 
Estelle  R.,  now  a  student  at  Vassar  College;  Aikman,  a  student  at  Michigan  Uni- 
versity; and  Henry  I.,  jr. 

Arnold,  Rev.  Charles  L.,  son  of  James  P.  and  Emma  (Tanner)  Arnold,  was  born 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  October  14,  1854.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Louisville  and  Milton,  Ky.,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  six- 
teen and  then  prepared  for  college  at  the  Jubilee  Preparatory  School  near  Peoria, 
111.  In  1871  he  entered  Hobart  College  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  there- 
from in  1875  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  being  valedictorian  of  his  class.  Subsequent 
to  his  graduation  Rev.  Mr.  Arnold  returned  to  Louisville  and  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Byron  Bacon,  where  he  remained  until  1876,  when  he  accepted  the 
position  of  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Tidioute,  Pa.  In  1880  he  resigned  to 
accept  a  similar  position  at  Kittaning,  Pa.,  remaining  until  1884,  when  he  removed 
to  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  and  was  engaged  as  editor  of  the  Wyoming  County  Democratic 
Review ;  in  1886,  at  the  urgent  request  of  Bishop  Perry,  of  Iowa,  Rev.  Mr.  Arnold 
accepted  the  editorship  of  the  Wilton  Review,  of  Wilton,  Iowa,  remaining  until  the 
fall  of  that  year,  and  was  then  appointed  professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  Griswold 
College  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  During  his  connection  with  Griswold  College  at  Dav- 
enport he  began  the  study  of  theology,  was  admitted  to  the  ministry  the  same  year 
and  ordained  to  the  priesthood  May  18,  1887,  by  Bishop  Perry.  In  February,  1887. 
he  was  called  to  the  rectorship  of  Grace  church  at  Galena,  111.,  remaining  until 
November  of  that  year,  when  he  accepted  a  call  from  St.  Paul's  church,  Wilmington, 
N.  C.  In  1890  he  removed  to  Goldsboro,  N.  C  ,  to  accept  the  rectorship  of  St. 
Stephen's  church,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1891,  when  he  was  called  to  his 
present  charge,  St.  Peter's  church,  Detroit.  In  1886  he  was  chairman  of  the  Niagara 
(N.  Y.)  Senatorial  District  Convention,  and  in  1896  was  appointed  arbitrator  of  the 
differences  between  Pingree  &  Smith  and  their  employees  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
parties.  In  1897  Mr.  Arnold  took  a  leading  part  in  the  organization  of  the  Non- 
Partisan  League  of  Detroit ;  during  this  year  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  Hobart  College.  Rev.  Mr.  Arnold  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Sov- 
ereign Consistory ;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  the  American 
Historical  Society.     He  is  the  author  of  a  scientific  work  about  to  be  published  en- 

»  See  sketch  of  Edwin  E.  Armstrong. 

108 


titled  "The  Evolution  of  the  Spiritual."      December  3,  1875,  he  married  Lulu  M. 
Richardson,  of  Geveva,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Mabel  E. 

Baby,  Raymond  F.,  A.  B.,  LL.  B.,  was  born  at  Sarnia,  Canada,  in  December, 
1876,  a  son  of  Capt.  Raymond  A.  Baby,  a  retired  banker  of  vSarnia,  formerly  an 
officer  of  the  13th  Queen  Hussars,  and  Josephine  C.  (Cliapoton)  Baby,  a  sister  of  Hon. 
Alexander  and  Dr.  Edmund  Chapoton,'  of  Detroit.  Raymond  F.  Baby  was  pre- 
pared for  college  in  the  Upper  Canada  College  at  Toronto,  Ontario,  and  received  his 
A.  B.  from  Georgetown  University  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1895.  In  the  same  year 
he  located  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  attended  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  from  which 
he  graduated  LL.  B  in  June,  1897.  Since  September,  1895,  Mr.  Baby  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  law  firm  of  Dickinson  &  Thurber  at  Detroit,  as  an  assistant  attorney. 
In  his  individual  practice,  he  is  the  Detroit  representative  of  several  Canadian  syn- 
dicates, who  are  making  investments  in  the  United  States.  He  is  a  bachelor;  a 
member  of  the  Country  Club,  and  an  active  member  of- the  Comedy  Club. 

Backus,  Theodore  L.,  son  of  Frederick  H.  A.  and  Dorathy  (Stange)  Backus,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  10,  1851.  Frederick  H.  A.  Backus  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  immigrated  to  the  United  States  early  in  the  forties,  .settling  in 
Detroit,  Mich.  While  in  his  native  country  he  had  been  apprenticed  to  a  manufac- 
turer of  and  dealer  in  blank  books  and  other  commodities  of  that  sort  and  had  tlior- 
oughly  mastered  all  details  of  the  business.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Detroit  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Arouet  Richmond,  and  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  blank  books,  etc. ;  the  firm  was  then  known  as  Richmond  &  Backus.  Later  B.  B. 
Richmond  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  business,  and  for  years  thereafter  the 
style  was  Richmond,  Backus  &  Co.  In  1885  the  business  passed  under  the  control 
of  a  stock  company,  since  known  as  the  Richmond  &  Backus  Co.  Theodore  L.  at 
tended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Richmond,  Backus  &  Co.,  to  learn  the  business.  From  office  boy  he 
passed  through  all  possible  grades,  becoming  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  details 
of  the  business.  In  1886,  upon  the  decease  of  his  father,  Mr.  Backus  was  elected  as 
president  of  the  Richmond  &  Backus  Co.,  and  still  ably  fills  that  po.sition.  Mr.  Backus 
is  a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise,  and  is  prominent  and  popular  in  both  busine.ss 
and  social  circles.  He  holds  an  exalted  position  in  the  Masonic  order  of  Detroit, 
and  is  a  mem.ber  of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  In  1877  Mr.  Backus  married  Anna 
L.,  daughter  of  Hon.  Valentine  Geist  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children,  Fred- 
erick C.  and  Irvin  T. 

Barker,  William  E.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Brette)  Barker,  was  born  in  Cam- 
bria, Niagara  county,  N.  Y.,  April  34,  1848  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
High  Scliool  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  then  entered  the 
furniture  business  as  a  clerk  with  Tucker,  Cook  &  Rogers  at  Lockport.  In  1870  he 
removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture and  sale  of  furniture  and  upholstery  goods.  For  two  j-ears  he  was  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Pixley,  Mills  &  Barker  and  later  for  two  years  was  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Mills  &  Barker;  subsequently  the  firm  became  Mills,  Barker  &  Barker,  by  the  ad- 
mission of  H.  B.  Barker  to  the  firm.     In  1889  Mr.  Barker  established  the  business  of 

1  See  genealogy  Chapoton  family. 

109 


W.  E.  Barker  &  Co.,  from  which  he  retired  in  1898,  leaving  H.  B.  Barker  as  sole 
proprietor.  In  1884  he  also  established  the  Adrian  (Mich.)  Furniture  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  which  he  is  president  and  general  manager.  He  is  a  director  of  and 
heavy  stockholder  in  the  Wolverine  Furniture  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  he  was 
president  for  several  years;  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Michigan  Central  Savings  Banks 
of  Detroit;  and  was  a  director  of  the  latter  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  ;  and  a  Knight  Templar  of  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1 ;  also 
a  member  of  the  Rushmere  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich. 

Barton,  Frank  G.,  son  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Totter)  Barton,  was  born  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  March  27,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  Youngstown  public 
schools  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  large  general  store  in 
that  town.  He  was  later  made  manager  of  the  store  and  eventually  became  proprie- 
tor. In  1875  the  entire  establishment  was  ruined  by  fire  and  Mr.  Barton  then  re- 
moved to  Cincinnati,  where  he  became  identified  with  the  firm  of  Snider  Bros.  &Co., 
wholesale  cracker  bakers,  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  1877  he  returned  to  Youngs- 
town and  in  company  with  one  of  his  former  fellow  clerks,  under  the  style  of  Davis 
&  Barton,  again  engaged  in  mercantile  business  and  continued  as  a  member  of  that 
firm  until  1878,  when  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  business  to  Mr.  Davis  and  erected 
a  store  of  his  own,  in  which  he  carried  on  a  prosperous  general  store  trade  for  sev- 
eral years.  Ill  health  caused  him  to  abandon  his  business  in  1881  and  remove  to 
Colorado,  but  after  a  short  stay  there  he  located  at  Centralia,  111.,  and  engaged  in 
the  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  business.  In  1882  he  visited  Detroit,  Mich. ,  and 
has  remained  in  that  city  ever  since.  In  1883  he  took  charge  of  the  books  and  office 
of  P.  A.  Billings,  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  mantels,  tiling,  gas  and  electric  fix- 
tures, etc.,  and  was  finally  made  manager  of  that  establishment.  A  few  years  later 
the  firm  became  known  as  P.  A,  Billings  &-  Co.,  Mr.  Barton  having  been  admitted  to 
partnership.  Still  later  the  style  became  Billings  &  Drew  and  Mr.  Barton  then  sold 
out  his  interest  in  the  business  and  in  company  with  Mr.  Arthur  MacBean,  as  Bar- 
ton &  MacBean,  in  1894,  established  their  present  stand,  where  they  carry  one  of  the 
mo.st  complete  stocks  of  goods  in  their  line  in  the  city  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Barton  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  In  1878 
he  married  Ida  R.  Emerson  of  Youngstown,  Ohio. 

Batchelder,  John  L.,  son  of  Mark  and  Ruxby  (Conant)  Batchelder,  was  born  in 
Peru,  Bennington  county,  Vt.,  April  29,  1833.  He  remained  in  Peru  until  1851,  at- 
tending in  the  mean  time  the  Chester  Academy  for  boys.  During  his  residence  there 
he  spent  the  summer  months  at  the  summer  resorts  clerking  in  different  hotels.  In 
1852  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  of  the  Bard  well  House,  Rutland,  Vt.,  remaining  there 
four  years,  when  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  of  the  Lake  House,  Burlington,  Vt.  After 
a  service  of  one  year  in  that  hotel  he  removed  to  Northfield,  Vt.,  and  was  engaged  as 
proprietor  of  the  Northfield  House.  In  18G0  he  removed  to  Dorset,  Vt  ,  and  became 
connected  in  the  working  of  the  marble  quarries  of  Dorset  and  Rutland.  Mr.  Batch- 
elder  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Dorset  from  1865  to  1870,  and  in  1880  came  to  De- 
troit and  founded  the  Detroit  Marble  Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in  marble.  In  1885  he 
sold  his  interest  and  became  associated  with  Leonard  Read,  the  firm  taking  the  name 
of  Batchelder  &  Read;  on  retirement  of  Mr.  Read  the  firm  became  Batchelder,  Was- 
mund  &  Co.  In  1892  he  was  elected  alderman  from  the  Fourth  ward  on  the  Repub- 
lic 


lican  ticket,  and  has  been  honored  by  re-election  three  times,  the  last  by  a  majority 
of  1,293,  the  largest  plurality  ever  given  any  candidate  in  a  single  ward.  While 
serving  as  alderman  and  supervisor  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  public 
buildings  and  assisted  in  securing  the  plans  and  bringing  about  the  construction  of 
the  new  county  jail.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  (Republican)  Club,  the  New- 
England  Society  and  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  Zion  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory,  and  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  January  1,  1858,  he  married  Rachel  M.  Slocum  of  Manchester,  Vt., 
and  they  have  two  children:  John  M.  and  Charles  L. 

Beals,  David  S.,  son  of  Caleb  and  Lydia  (Sherman)  Beals,  was  born  in  North 
Adams,  Mass.,  October  10,  1824.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Lenawee  county, 
Michigan,  in  early  childhood,  where  his  father  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Beals  re- 
ceived such  an  education  as  the  public  schools  of  that  time  afforded,  assisting  his 
father  in  the  management  of  his  farm  during  the  summer  and  attending  school  in 
the  winter.  Upon  attaining  the  age  of  twenty  one  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  furniture,  continuing  in  that  line  until  1851,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Railway  Co.,  in  the  capacity  of  car  repairer,  at  their  shops  at  Adrian, 
Mich.  Mr.  Beals  continued  in  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railway  for  twenty 
years,  and  in  1871  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Michi- 
gan Car  Co.,  remaining  in  their  service  two  years.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  the  Detroit  Railroad  Elevator,  and  in  1882  the  Union  Elevator  was  also 
placed  under  his  control.  Since  his  appointment  as  superintendent  of  these  prop- 
erties he  has  given  his  entire  time  to  his  employers'  interests  and  his  successful  man- 
agement of  them  has  proven  the  judgment  of  the  owners  in  placing  them  under  his 
control.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  conservative,  yet  affable,  and  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  member  of  Monroe  Chap 
ter,  R.  A.  M.,  Monroe  Council,  R.  S.  M.,  and  Zion  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  Mr.  Beals  was 
married,  December  8,  1846,  to  Miss  Sarah  Mosher,  daughter  of  Shubal  Mosher  of 
Tecumseh,  Mich.  To  them  were  born  two  daughters:  Marietta  (Mrs.  H.  F.  Doane 
of  Detroit,  Mich.),  who  died  in  August,  1893,  leaving  two  children:  Harry  B.  and 
Sadie  L. ;  and  Maria  Adelia  (Mrs.  J.  M.  Bailey  of  Jackson,  Mich.) 

Belanger,  Francois  Joseph  Denis,  was  born  at  St.  Joseph,  Lower  Canada,  October 
8,  1848.  He  is  descended  from  an  old  French  family  whose  first  ancestor.  Frangois 
Belanger,  emigrated  from  Ncrmandie  to  Quebec,  then  New  France,  in  1636.  This 
ancestor  married  Marie  Guyon,  who  became  the  aunt  of  the  wife  of  Antoine  de  la 
Mothe  Cadillac,  the  founder  of  Detroit  in  1701.  Louis  XIV,  in  1677,  conceded  to 
him,  Frangois  Belanger,  the  seigneury  of  Bonsecours,  located  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  below  Quebec,  a  portion  of  this  property,  comprising  the  homestead,  having 
remained  m  the  continuous  possession  of  a  branch  of  his  descendants  up  to  this 
day.  Mr.  Belanger  was  educated  in  St.  Mary's  College  (Quebec),  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1864.  He  then  entered  the  School  of  Military  Instruction  at  Quebec, 
and  graduated  m  July,  1865,  receiving  certificates  of  the  second  and  first  class,  the 
latter  entitling  him  to  the  command  of  a  battalion  in  the  field.  During  the  ensuing 
three  years  he  was  a  student  in  the  office  of  a  notary  in  Quebec,  and  in  1868,  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  Mich.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  that  city  he  began  the  study  of 
law,  but  relinquished  it  in  1869  to  enter  the  insurance  business  with  Charles  Peltier 

111 


&  Son.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Peltier  in  1871,  Mr.  Belanger  formed  a  partnership 
with  Charles  F.  Peltier,  as  Peltier  &  Belanger,  and  carried  on  the  business  success- 
fully until  May,  1892,  at  which  time  Mr.  Belanger  withdrew  from  the  firm  and 
established  his  present  business  as  general  insurance,  loan  and  real  estate  agent, 
and  is  also  notary  public.  On  March  27,  1889,  he  was  appointed  consular  agent  of 
France  at  Detroit,  which  position  he  still  retains.  Mr.  Belanger  became  a  natural- 
ized citizen  of  the  United  States  in  1873,  and  in  the  same  year  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Madeleine  Askin  Peltier  of  Detroit,  who  has  borne  him  three  sons:  Harvey 
Francis,  who  is  associated  in  business  with  his  father;  Joseph  Theodore,  a  student  at 
Detroit  College  of  Law;  and  Charles  Alfred,  student.  Mr.  Belanger  represents  some 
of  the  oldest  and  wealthiest  American  and  foreign  fire  insurance  companies  and 
handles  large  sums  of  money  in  loans  annually.  He  is  a  staunch  Democrat  in  na- 
tional politics,  ex-president  and  present  treasurer  of  the  Lafayette  and  Ste.  Jean  de 
Baptiste  Societies,  both  old  French  organizations  of  Detroit,  a  member  of  the  order 
of  Knights  of  Columbus,  Wayne  County  Historical  and  Pioneer  Society,  and  other 
organizations.  Mr.  Belanger  has  also  been  made  an  honorary  member  of  L' Associ- 
ation Universelle  of  France. 

Bennett,  Charles  T  ,  M.  D.,  son  of  Benjamin  H.  and  Rebecca  (Mapes)  Bennett,  was 
born  in  Goshen,  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  March  19,  1842,  and  came  with  his  parentsto 
Adrian,  Mich.,  when  a  babe  in  arms.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Adrian,  after  which  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March,  1873.  He  began  practicing  his 
profession  in  Morenci,  Mich.,  and  remained  there  twenty  years.  Previous  to  his  col- 
lege career  Dr.  Bennett  enlisted  in  September,  1862,  in  the  18th  Michigan  Vols.,  and 
returned  home  to  Adrian  on  receiving  his  discharge  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865. 
July  27,  1871,  Dr.  Bennett  married  Lovina  A.  Rorick,  of  Seneca,  Mich.,  and  they 
have  two  children:  Georgia  R.  and  Bessie  B.  Seven  years  ago  Dr.  Bennett  took 
up  his  residence  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced  with  the  exception  of  the 
time  his  business  called  him  to  other  cities  of  the  State. 

Bowers,  Joseph  F.,  jr.,  son  of  Joseph  F.  and  Catherine  (Lucho)  Bowers,  was  born 
at  Detroit,  Mich.,  July  4,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Detroit, 
Mich.  In  the  autumn  of  1872  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  A.  J. 
Lindsay  at  Detroit,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year.  From  1873  to  1880  he  served 
the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Co.  as  a  car  finisher,  having  learned  the  trade  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  during  that  time  he  diligently  pursued  his  law  studies  at  home  in  the 
evenings.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  December,  1893.  In  1880  Mr.  Bowers  was 
elected  as  constable  from  and  for  the  Ninth  ward  of  Detroit,  and  retained  that  office 
until  January,  1896.  Since  then  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  De- 
troit, with  well  merited  success.  In  1873  Mr.  Bowers  married  Annie  Bush,  of  New 
Baltimore,  and  they  have  a  son,  who  is  now  associated  with  his  father,  as  manager 
of  the  collection  department  of  the  business. 

Briscoe,  Benjamin,  son  of  Joseph  A.  and  Sarah  J.  (Smith)  Briscoe,  was  born  at  De- 
troit, Mich.,  May  24,  1867.  He  attended  the  public  and  high  schools  at  Detroit,  and 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered  upon  an  active  business  career.  From  1882  to  1885  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  Black  &   Owen,  wholesale  hardware  dealers  at  Detroit,  as  a 

113 


clerk  and  salesman,  and  later  as  traveling  salesman.  From  1885  to  188G  he  was  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  W.  C.  Lauther  &  Co.,  retail  hardware  merchants  at  Detroit, 
and  in  the  latter  year,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  established  himself  in  business  in- 
dependently, as  a  manufacturer  of  housefurnishing  goods,  under  the  style  of  The 
Briscoe  Sheet  Metal  Works.  In  1889  he  consolidated  his  business  with  the  Detroit 
Galvanizing  and  Tinning  Works,  as  the  Detroit  Galvanizing  and  Sheet  Metal  Works, 
of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  president.  Their  business  covers  the  manufacture 
of  steel  ranges,  sheetlron  stoves,  oil  cans,  galvanized  ware  and  sheet  metal  special- 
ties, and  they  have  been  iDrosjjerous  from  the  start.  Mr.  Briscoe  is  a  member  of  the 
Fellowcraft  and  Detroit  Boat  Clubs,  and  a  vestryman  of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal 
church  of  Detroit.  He  was  married  in  1891  to  Lewie  S.  Price,  of  Jackson,  Mich., 
and  they  have  two  children :    James  P.  and  Sarah  J. 

Brodhead,  Lieut.  John  T.,  son  of  Col.  Thornton  F.  and  Archange  (Macomb)  Brod- 
head,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  12,  1851.  Lieutenant  Brodhead  received 
his  early  education  in  a  private  school  at  Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of 
ten.  In  1861  he  accompanied  his  father's  regiment  to  the  front,  remaining  with 
them  while  they  were  encamped  at  Washington.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  placed  in 
the  family  of  his  uncle,  John  M.  Brodhead,  then  comptroller  of  the  Treasury.  While 
a  member  of  his  uncle's  family  he  became  a  student  of  Emerson  Institute,  which  he 
attended  for  seven  years,  and  in  1869  entered  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1871.  On  completion  of  his  education  President  Grant  appointed 
him  a  second  lieutenant  in  the  U.  S.  Marine  Corps, and  he  was  assigned  for  duty  at 
Boston.  After  a  service  of  about  one  year  at  this  station  he  was  transferred  to  the 
U.  S.  S.  Ticonderoga,  at  the  time  at  Key  West.  In  1872  he  was  transferred  to  the 
U.  S.  S.  Franklin,  flagship  of  the  Mediterranean  squadron.  Later  he  was  assigned 
to  the  Congress,  but  after  a  short  service  was  returned  to  the  Franklin.  In  1877  the 
ship  was  ordered  home  and  on  the  return  trip  called  at  Vigo,  Spain,  whei'e  (Boss) 
William  H.  Tweed  was  taken  on  board,  a  prisoner,  and  placed  in  charge  of  Lieuten- 
ant Brodhead  with  instructions  to  deliver  him  to  the  proper  authoritiesat  New  York. 
On  his  return  to  this  country  he  was  assigned  for  duty  at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard, 
and  remained  there  until  he  resigned  from  the  service  in  1880.  Subsequently  he 
returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  management  of  his  various 
private  interests.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  while  taking  a  keen  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  party,  is  decidedly  adverse  to  holding  a  public  office.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  a  charter  member  of  the  Detroit  Club.  Lieutenant 
Brodhead  was  married,  May  12,  1877,  to  Jessie  M.,  daughter  of  Richard  Storrs 
Willis,  of  Detroit.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children :  Jessie  W. ,  R.  Thornton, 
Archange,  John,  Alexandrine  C.  and  Willis. 

Brown,.  Mason  L.,  was  born  in  Perry,  Washington  county.  Me.,  in  July,  1864,  a  son 
of  Levi  P.  Brown,  a  retired  farmer  of  that  place.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Boston.  Mass.,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1871,  and  where  they  resided 
for  a  number  of  years.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mason  L.  entered  the  employ  of 
Ernest  W.  Bowditch,  a  civil  engineer  of  Boston,  with  whom  he  remained  for  five 
years.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided  and 
has  been  successful  as  a  civil  engineer  and  landscape  gardener.  In  1889  Mr.  Brown 
married  Marie  Vanier  of  Detroit,  and  they  had  four  children.     Mr.  Brown  has  laid 

113 


out  the  lines  of  many  of  Detroit's  suburban  electric  railroads  and  has  been  landscape 
gardener  for  many  of  the  famous  parks,  cemeteries  and  summer  resorts  throughout 
the  Northwest. 

Burt,  Col.  Lou,  was  born  in  Cardington,  Ohio,  April  18,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  M. 
Burt,  at  present  a  resident  of  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  and  a  prominent  hotel  proprietor. 
Lou  Burt  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  Hiram 
College,  attending  the  latter  institution  while  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield  was  a  member 
of  the  faculty.  Following  his  graduation  from  college  he  entered  the  jewelry  busi- 
ness in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1882,  at  which  time  he  removed  to 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  established  himself  in  the  wholesale  jewelry  business,  in  which 
he  successfully  operated  until  the  time  of  his  appointment  in  1894  to  the  position  of 
auditor  of  Wayne  county,  of  which  office'he  is  still  an  incumbent.  Mr.  Burt  has  also 
served  two  successive  terms  as  alderman  from  the  Fourth  ward  of  the  city  of  Detroit, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  Republican  County  Committee  for  a  number  of  years. 
Colonel  Burt  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  is  past  eminent  commander  of  the  famous 
Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar.  Colonel  Burt  was  colonel  and  A.  D.  C.  on 
the  staff  of  Governor  Rich  for  two  years.  In  1873  he  married  Mary  Ingersoll  of 
Cleveland,  and  they  have  two  children:  Lou,  jr.,  and  Elizabeth. 

Candler,  Claudius  H.,  vice-president  of  the  Calvert  Lithographing  Co.  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  is  a  native  of  England,  having  been  born  in  the  city  of  London,  March  10,  1845. 
He  was  educated  in  the  pubHc  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  his  parents  having  moved 
to  the  latter  city  in  1853.  In  1863  he  entered  the  employ  of  John  Gibson,  litho- 
grapher and  engraver,  at  Detroit,  and  upon  the  business  passing  under  the  control 
trol  of  Calvert  &  Co.  in  1865,  Mr.  Candler  remained  with  the  latter  named  firm.  In 
1867  the  Calvert  Lithographing  and  Engraving  Co.  was  organized ;  he  was  made 
secretary  of  the  company  and  held  that  office  during  its  thirty  years  of  corporate  life. 
Is  now  vice-president  and  secretary  of  its  successor.  The  Calvert  Lithographing  Co. 
He  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  past  commander  of  the  famous 
Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar,  and  is  secretary  of  the  vestry  of  Grace 
church  (Episcopal),  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  for  more  than  twenty-five  years. 
In  1871  Mr.  Candler  married  Mary  V.,  daugeter  of  John  H  Kaple,  banker  of  De- 
troit, and  they  have  one  child,  Gertrude  M.,  a  student  at  Vassar  College,  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y. 

Canfield,  George  Lewis,  was  born  in  Detroit,  12th  of  October,  1866,  and  is  the  son 
of  Frank  H.  Canfield,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  that  city,  and  Adelaide  Green.  He  is 
descended  from  Thomas  Canfield  (or  Campfield),  of  Milford,  an  English  Puritan  who 
settled  in  Connecticut  about  1632,  and,  on  his  mother's  side,  from  William  Bradford, 
the  second  governor  of  Plymouth  Colony.  His  great-great-grandfather,  Samuel 
Canfield,  came  west  from  Connecticut  in  1793,  and  the  family  has  been  resident  in 
Michigan  since  that  time.  George  L.  Canfield  was  educated  in  the  Detroit  public 
schools  and  at  the  University  of  Michigan  and  subsequently  made  an  e.xtended  tour 
in  Europe.  In  1892  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of  law,  de- 
voting particular  attention  to  the  work  in  the  Federal  courts.  In  1889  he  married 
Mary  Noble,  daughter  of  William  H.  Croul,  and  has  two  children,  William  and 
Adelaide. 

114 


Carbartt,  Hamilton,  youngest  son  of  George  and  Lefa  Wylie  Carhartt,  was  born  at 
Macedon  Locks,  N.  Y.,  August  27,  1855.  In  185S  his  parents  located  in  Jackson,  Mich., 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  In  1870  he  entered  the  Episcopal  College  at 
Racine,  Wis.  In  1879  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  firm  of  Young,  Smythe,  Field 
&  Co.  of  Philadelphia.  In  1884  he  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  entering  upon  the 
wholesale  furnishing  goods  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hamilton,  Carhartt  & 
Company.  This  business  was  continued  until  1889  when  the  firm  closed  out  the  job- 
bing part  of  their  business,  and  embarked  exclusively  in  the  wholesale  manufacture 
of  clothing,  their  commodious  factories,  occupying  spacious  grounds,  beautifully  laid 
out  on  Michigan  avenue  on  the  corner  of  Tenth  street. 

Carrier,  Albert  E.,  M.D.,  son  of  Augustus  and  Fannie  M.  (Ainsworth)  Carrier,  was 
born  at  Cape  Vincent,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  May  16,  1841.  He  was  educated  in 
the  Governeur  (N.  Y.)  Seminary  and  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich.  He 
was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  at  New  York  in 
1865,  and  at  once  returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  practiced  for  several  yeans.  Ill 
health  caused  him  to  abandon  his  professional  work  and  he  later  entered  the  lumber 
business  with  his  father.  He  again  took  up  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1874,  and  has 
ever  since  been  active  as  a  specialist  on  skin  diseases.  He  is  professor  of  dermatology 
and  clinical  medicine  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine;  dermatologist  to  Harper 
Hospital,  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  and  the  Detroit  Woman's  Hospital  and  Foundling's 
Home;  and  was  coroner  of  Detroit  during  the  yeai's  of  1882-83.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical 
and  Library  Association,  of  which  he  has  been  president;  Wayne  County  Medical 
Society;  and  the  Fellowcraft  and  Wayne  Clubs.  On  both  the  maternal  and  paternal 
sides  Dr.  Carrier  is  descended  from  Revolutionary  stock.  In  1866  he  married  Irene 
S.  Hibbard  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Augus- 
tus 2d,  and  Irene  S. 

Carson,  William,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Carson,  Craig  &  Co.,  grain  and  seed 
merchants,  was  born  in  Newry,  Ireland,  April  10,  1839,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage. 
When  but  a  year  old  his  parents  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  found  a  home  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  where  they  resided  until  October,  1846,  when  they  followed  the  tide 
of  immigration  to  the  West,  and  as  Detroit  was  about  as  far  west  as  there  was  any 
necessity  to  go,  they  decided  to  make  it  their  home,  and  William  has  been  a  resident 
of  that  city  since  that  time.  Detroit  then  had  only  14,000  population.  William  re- 
mained at  home  in  his  father's  employ  until  1860,  when  he  was  appointed  to  a 
position  in  the  paid  fire  department,  having  been  a  member  of  the  volunteer  force 
for  three  years  previous.  During  his  short  school  days  the  studies  of  the  gram- 
mar school  were  all  that  could  be  obtained  in  Detroit,  and  as  a  fireman  he  had  much 
spare  tirne  which  he  employed  in  mastering  the  science  of  bookkeeping,  which 
served  him  to  good  purpose  in  after  years.  Although  the  pay  of  a  fireman  was 
much  smaller  than  at  present,  by  practicing  economy,  he  saved  sufficient  in  a  few 
years  to  go  into  the  grocery  business,  after  resigning  his  position  as  a  fireman.  He 
continued  in  business  a  few  months,  when  he  had  an  opportunity  to  dispose  of  his 
stock  to  a  good  advantage.  Shortly  after  going  into  business  he  was  appointed 
assistant  chief  of  the  fire  department,  being  in  that  position  at  the  time  of  the  burn- 
ing of  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  depot,  which  was  attended  by  the  destruction  of 

115 


the  steamer  Windsor  with  loss  of  life.  In  1866  Mr.  Carson  was  appointed  to  a  clerk- 
ship in  the  assessors'  office,  and  in  September,  1867,  entered  the  office  of  P.  Voor- 
hees  &  Co.  as  bookkeeper,  remaining  with  that  firm  until  they  dissolved,  and  then 
continued  with  the  firm  of  Gillett  &  Hall,  who  were  the  successors  of  the  first  named 
firm.  In  addition  to  his  duties  as  bookkeeper  he  was  also  the  cashier  of  the  firm,  and 
as  the  business  increased  rapidly,  rendering  more  office  force  necessary,  he  assumed 
entire  charge  of  the  office  and  the  finances  of  the  concern,  the  business  reaching 
from  five  to  six  millions  annually.  About  1876  he  was  admitted  as  a  m.ember  of  the 
firm,  which  continued  business  under  the  original  firm  name.  On  January  1,  1898, 
the  firm  of  Gillett  &  Hall  was  dissolved  and  was  succeeded  by  Carson,  Craig  &  Co. 
In  politics  Mr.  Car.son  has  always  been  a  consistent  Democrat  and  in  the  late  election 
a  gold  Democrat,  supporting  Mr.  McKinley.  In  National  and  State  politics  he  has 
always  supported  his  party's  candidates,  except  in  this  last  instance,  but  in  local 
affairs  his  vote  has  been  cast  for  the  best  men.  His  first  presidential  vote  was 
cast  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  which  he  has  never  regretted.  In  1891  he  w^as  nomi- 
nated, without  his  previous  knowledge,  for  alderman  of  the  Fourth  ward,  and 
although  defeated,  the  ward  being  strongly  Republican,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 
running  largely  ahead  of  his  ticket,  getting  more  votes  than  any  other  Democrat  on 
the  ticket  in  that  ward.  In  the  spring  of  1892,  accompanied  by  his  eldest  son,  who 
had  just  been  graduated  at  Ann  Arbor,  he  made  an  extensive  trip  through  Europe 
and  the  Orient,  visiting  Egypt,  Palestine  and  Greece.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  fire 
commissioner  by  Mayor  Pingree  for  four  years,  his  term  expiring  in  April,  1897. 
This  appointment  was  a  great  surprise,  coming  entirely  unsolicited,  he  having  no  in- 
timation of  it  three  hours  before  bemg  confirmed  by  the  council.  Having  entered 
the  fire  department  in  his  youth  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  it  was  very  gratifying 
to  attain  the  highest  position,  that  of  president  of  the  department.  Feeling  that  four 
years'  service  was  all  that  could  be  spared  to  the  service  of  the  city,  he  refused  his 
name  to  be  used  for  a  second  term.  Mr.  Carson  is  an  enthusiastic  Mason,  having 
joined  Kilwinning  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1875,  and  has  served  in  all  the  positions 
in  that  lodge  from  secretary  to  master,  filling  the  latter  office  during  1892  and  1893. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Peninsular  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Monroe  Council  and  Michi- 
gan Sovereign  Consistory,  thirty-second  degree. 

Chandler,  Major  George  Whitfield,  is  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  was  born  at 
Livonia  Center,  February  7,  1835.  At  an  early  age  he  migrated  with  his  parents  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Livingston  county.  He  attended  school  in  Howell,  Mich.,  and 
began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  country  store,  later  becoming  a  partner  in 
the  business,  and  continued  there  until  the  death  of  his  father  in  1857,  when  he  was 
compelled  to  return  home  and  assume  the  management  of  the  estate,  which  en- 
grossed his  attention  until  1860.  In  August,  1861,  Mr.  Chandler  enlisted  in  the 
army  as  a  private  in  the  8th  Michigan  Infantry,  and  served  with  that  regiment  until 
April  20,  1864,  having  been  promoted  to  second  and  first  lieutenant;  was  commis- 
sioned as  captain  and  commissary  of  subsistence  April  20,  1864,  and  March  13,  1865, 
was  promoted  to  major  in  the  commissary  department,  serving  until  December  27, 
1866,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  and  honorably  discharged.  He  re- 
turned to  Michigan,  and  on  October  1,  1867,  became  assistant  secretary  of  the  Mich- 
igan State  Insurance  Company  at  Lansing,  which  position  he  held  until  October  1, 

116 


1870,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  traveled  for  different  companies 
until  June  1,  1872.  at  which  time  he  connected  himself  with  the  Hartford  Fire  Insur- 
ance Conipanj^  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  as  special  agent  for  the  State  of  Michigan.  He 
has  remained  in  the  service  of  that  company  ever  since,  becoming  local  agent  at  De- 
troit on  June  1,  1882,  and  is  yet  serving  in  that  capacity;  he  is  al.so  local  agent  at 
Detroit  for  the  ^^tna  Fire  Insurance  Co.,  the  Atlas  Assurance  Company  of  London, 
England,  the  Globe  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  the  German  Insurance 
Company  of  Freeport,  111.,  the  Manchester  Fire  Insurance  Company  of  Manchester, 
England,  the  Boston  Insurance  Company  of  Boston,  Mass.,  the  Svea  Assurance 
Company  of  Sweden,  the  Helvetis  Insurance  Company  of  Switzerland,  and  has  the 
general  agency  for  Michigan  for  the  Employer's  Liability  Assurance  Corporation  of 
London,  England,  and  the  New  York  Plate  Glass  Insurance  Company  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Chandler  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  thirty-second  degree 
Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  Shriner,  and  was  grand  commander  of  the  Knights  Temp- 
lar of  the  State  of  Michigan  from  1881  to  1882.  He  is  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E., 
Detroit  Post,  No.  384,  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  Michigan  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion 
of  the  United  States,  of  which  body  he  is  ex-recorder  and  ex-commander,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  the  Commandery  in  Chief,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  the  United  States.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Rushmere  Club  of  De- 
troit. Major  Candler  was  married  in  1864  to  Adaline  Parker  Plunkett,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. 

Clark,  Harvey  C,  of  the  wholesale  drug  firm  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark,  is  a 
native  of  Ohio.  He  was  born  at  Cuyahoga  Falls,  but  at  an  early  age  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Warren,  Ohio,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools,  being  graduated 
from  the  High  School  in  1857.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  entered  the  Western 
Reserve  College  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  honors  in  18C1. 
He  at  once  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Farrand,  Sheley& 
Co.,  wholesale  druggists,  continuing  there  as  clerk  until  1872,  when  the  firm  changed 
to  Farrand,  Williams  &  Co.,  and  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  business.  In 
1890  another  change  took  place,  the  firm  of  Fatrand,  Williams  &  Co.  being  dissolved 
and  the  present  firm  of  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark  being  organized.  Mr.  Clark  is  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers' 
Exchange  of  Detroit,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  several  other  organ- 
izations. 

Clark,  John  E.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Frederick  J.  and  Ellen  (Petley)  Clark,  was  born  at 
Worlington,  Suffolk,  England,  January  13,  1850.  While  yet  a  boy  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Toronto,  and  later  to  Norwich,  Ontario,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  and  was  also  instructed  by  a  private  tutor.  He  attended  lectures  in  the  Long 
Island  College  Hospital  and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1877, 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Since  that  year  he  has  practiced  continuously  at  Detroit, 
Mich.  From  1879  to  1885  Dr.  Clark  was  professor  of  general  chemistry  in  the  Mich- 
igan College  of  Medicine,  and  has  occupied  the  same  chair  in  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine  since  the  amalgamation  of  the  two  institutions  in  1885.  He  was  elected 
Dean  of  the  department  of  pharmacy  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1892, 
also  professor  of  chemistry  and  toxicology  in  that  institution.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association;    Michigan   State   Medical  Society;  Wayne   County 

117 


Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association,  and  in  1885  was  elected 
an  honorary  fellow  of  the  Berlin  Chemical  Society.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
American  Chemical  Society  (1890);  was  honorary  president  of  the  Detroit  Science 
Association  in  1881-82;  is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  Military  Surgeons  of  the 
United  States;  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Detroit  from  1892  to  1896, 
and  president  of  that  body  in  1894-95  and  1896;  is  a  commissioner  of  the  Detroit 
Public  Library;  a  member  of  the  medical  department  of  the  Michigan  National 
Guards  (1881-1893),  and  surgeon-general  of  the  same  from  1891  to  1894  and  is  also 
president  of  the  Board  of  U.  S.  Pension  Examiners,  Detroit.  Dr.  Clark  devotes 
much  attention  to  chemistry  and  makes  a  specialty  of  diseasesof  the  kidneys  and  blad- 
der. He  is  the  author  of  "  Clark's  Physical  Diagnosis  and  Urine  Analysis  "  (1890), 
and  numerous  papers  on  scientific  and  medical  and  medico-legal  subjects.  Dr.  Clark 
has  two  children,  Harold  and  Frances. 

Clark,  Rex  B.,  son  of  Ransom  B.  and  Nellie  (Russell)  Clark,  was  born  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  May  ?>1,  1876.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Detroit  and 
while  a  student  engaged  in  agency  work,  making  a  specialty  of  rubber  stamps  and 
other  office  commodities.  He  has  continued  in  the  same  business  since  leaving 
school  in  1894,  having  added  the  agency  for  Detroit  for  the  Webster  Star  brand  non- 
filling  typewriter  ribbons,  and  his  efforts  have  been  rewarded  with  marked  success. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Mandolin  Club  and  secretary  of  the  West  Side  Club 
of  Detroit.  Mr.  Clark's  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Ohio,  in  which 
State  both  of  his  parents  were  born  and  reared. 

Clark,  Rev.  Rufus  W.,  D.D.,  rector  of  St.  Paul's  church,  is  of  New  England  origin  and 
was  born  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  May  29  1844.  He  began  his  preparation  for  college 
at  the  Latin  School  at  Boston,  and  finished  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  he  graduated  from 
Williams  College,  Massachusetts,  in  the  class  of  1865,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  A. 
He  was  in  the  same  class  with  Drs.  Emerson,  Lyon  and  Conner  of  this  city.  A  part 
of  his  collegiate  course  was  spent  at  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York.  The 
degree  of  M.  A.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Williams  College  in  1868,  and  the  degree 
of  I).  D.  in  1890.  He  graduated  from  the  General  Theological  Seminary  of  New 
York  city  in  1868;  and  that  same  year  was  assistant  to  Rev.  Dr.  Washburn  of  Cal- 
vary church.  He  was  ordained  deacon  in  Grace  church.  Providence,  R.  I.,  by  his 
uncle.  Bishop  Clark,  June  24,  1867,  the  Rev.  Phillips  Brooks  preaching  the  sermon. 
Mr.  Clark's  family  and  associations  were  in  many  ways  connected  with  the  mini.stry. 
His  father  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Clark  of  Albany,  and  his  father's  three  brothers  and 
three  brothers  of  his  mother  and  three  of  his  own  brothers  were  clergymen.  Rev. 
Mr.  Clark's  first  parish  was  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  called  immediately 
after  his  graduation  and  after  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood.  It  is  not  usual  for  a 
clergyman  to  take  as  his  first  parish  the  church  of  the  locality  of  his  birthjDlace  and  his 
early  boyhood.  The  St.  John's  church  was  one  of  the  historic  parishes  of  New  Eng- 
land; it  was  originally  established  as  Queen's  chapel  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
His  immediate  predecessor  as  rector  of  St.  John's  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Davies,  who  sub- 
sequently became  the  Bishop  of  Michigan.  In  1871  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  became  rector  of 
Trinity  church,  Columbus,  O. ,  where  he  married  Lucy  Gilbert,  daughter  of  ex-Gov- 
ernor Dennison  of  that  State.     He  served  as  trustee  of  Kenyon  College  from  1873  to 

118 


1876.     September  1,  1877,  he  became  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's  church,  Detroit,  follow- 
ing the  Rev.  Dr.  Pitkin. 

Clawson,  Firman  W.,  son  of  Isaac  and  Abigail  (Neal)  Clawson,  was  born  in  Seneca 
county.  N.  Y.,  March  26,  1841.  He  attended  the  district  schools  and  a  private  acad- 
emy at  Hector,  N.  Y.  He  then  taught  in  the  Seneca  county  district  schools  for  two 
terms  and  on  August  21,  1862,  enlisted  in  the  army  as  hospital  steward  of  the  148th 
N.  Y.  Vol.  Infantry,  having  while  a  teacher  taken  up  the  study  of  medicine.  During 
the  first  two  years  of  his  war  service  he  was  actively  employed  at  the  front,  being 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Hampton  (Va.)  Dispensary  in  1864.  He  was  mustered  out 
of  the  service  in  June,  1865,  and  returning  to  New  York  State  commenced  the  study 
of  dentistry  with  Dr.  Stephen  Clough  at  Trumansburg,  Tompkins  county.  In  1867 
he  began  the  active  and  independent  practice  of  his  profession  at  Watkins,  N.  Y., 
where  he  resided  for  two  years,  then  removed  to  Eaton  Rapids,  Mich.  In  1877  Dr. 
Clawson  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  from  the  Philadelphia  (Pa.) 
Dental  College  and  directly  following  his  graduation  located  permanently  in  Detroit, 
where  he  has  practiced  with  marked  success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State 
and  Detroit  Dental  Associations  and  was  president  of  the  former  in  1885;  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  past  master  of  Oriental  Lodge 
of  Detroit.  For  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  and  is  liberal  in  his  charities.  In  1866  he  married  Mary  E.  Van 
Liew  of  Lodi,  N.  Y, ,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,  five  of  whom  survive:  Ina 
Van  Liew,  Edith  J.,  Edna  A.,  Henry  Lloyd  and  Mary  Louise. 

Coomer,  George  W.,  son  of  Zenas  and  Clara  (Rockwell)  Coomer,  was  born  m  Oak- 
land county,  Mich.,  November  3,  1843.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New  York  State 
and  removed  to  Michigan  in  1885,  settling  in  Oakland  county,  where  he  cleared  and 
cultivated  a  farm  and  where  he  died  in  1873.  George  W.  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  in  the  Birmingham  Academy,  and  later  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  LTniversity  cf  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  Prior  to  his 
entering  the  university  he  had  read  law  in  the  olhce  of  Judge  Franklin  Johnson  at 
Monroe,  Mich.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  immediately  after  his  graduation  and 
settled  at  Wyandotte,  Wayne  county,  where  he  still  maintains  his  residence  and  an 
office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1891  he  opened  another  office  in  Detroit 
and  has  been  eminently  successful  in  both  cities.  He  has  been  attorney  for  the  city 
of  Wyandotte  for  twelve  years  and  was  counselor  of  the  Board  of  Education  during 
that  entire  period.  In  1884  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  for  one  term  from 
Wyandotte,  and  in  1887  was  nominated  on  the  Republican  ticket  for  judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  but  the  ticket  was  defeated.  In  1870  Mr.  Coomer  married  Laura  M., 
daughter  of  Solon  Harris  of  Oakland  county,  and  they  have  three  children :  Grace 
A.,  J.  Elroy  and  Harry  H. 

Cowles,  Israel  Towne,  son  of  Tertius  and  Julia  Lucretia  (Towne)Cowles,  was  born 
in  Belehertown,  Mass.,  Novembers,  1854.  He  prepared  for  college  in  Monson  (Mass.) 
Academy  and  entered  Yale  University  in  1873,  from  which  he  was  graduated  B.  A. 
in  1877,  and  in  the  following  year  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  studied  law 
in  the  office  and  under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  M.  E.  Crofoot,  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1879.     In  the  autumn  of  1881  Mr.  Cowles  established  himself  in  an  office 

119 


of  his  own  and  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1887  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Judge  Isaac  Marston  and  Thomas  S.  Jerome,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Judge  Marston  in  1891  continued  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Jerome  under  the  style  of 
Cowles  &  Jerome  until  January,  1896 ;  since  that  time  he  has  practiced  entirely  alone, 
occupying  his  present  suite  of  offices  in  the  Union  Trust  Building.  He  has  won  for 
himself  honorable  standing  at  the  bar  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fel- 
low practitioners  and  the  public.  Since  1893  Mr.  Cowles  has  held  the  responsible 
position  of  manager  and  legal  officer  of  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Abstract  Depart- 
ment of  the  Union  Trust  Co.  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American,  Wayne 
County  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations  and  of  the  Detroit,  Fellowcraft,  Yondotega, 
Detroit  Boat,  and  St.  Clair  Flats  Fishmg  and  Shooting  Clubs.  October  30,  1894,  he 
married  Elizabeth  A.  Howard  of  Detroit;  they  have  no  children.  In  politics  Mr. 
Cowles  is  a  Republican. 

Crawford,  Frank  H.,  son  of  Oliver  H.  and  Katherine  Crawford,  is  a  native  of  De- 
troit, where  he  was  born  April  21,  1857.  After  passing  through  the  public  schools 
he  received  a  thorough  business  training  in  the  Bryant  «&  Stratton's  Business  Col- 
lege, and  at  once  entered  an  active  commercial  life,  which  continues  to  the  pres- 
ent writing.  From  1874  to  1877  he  had  charge  of  the  books  of  Robinson  &  Flmn, 
prominent  pine  land  operators  with  headquarters  in  Detroit.  During  1878  and  1879 
he  filled  an  important  position  with  the  Grand  Rapids  Chair  Co.  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich.,  leaving  there  to  again  take  charge  of  the  books  of  Robinson  &  Flinn,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  1881,  when  he  accepted  the  position  of  office  manager  and 
bookkeeper  for  the  D.  M.  Ferry  Seed  Co.  at  Windsor,  Ont.  He  remained  in  this 
position  until  1886,  when  he  took  charge  cf  the  office  and  books  of  the  wholesale  tea 
and  coflfee  house  of  J.  H.  Thompson  &  Co.  When  they  retired  from  business  in  1889 
he  became  associated  with  Mr.  J.  L.  Hudson  as  assistant  bookkeeper  in  his  large 
department  store.  In  October  of  1889  he  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  general 
office  manager.  In  1895,  upon  the  formation  of  The  J.  L.  Hudson  Co.  he  was  made 
the  treasurer  of  the  company,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Crawford  was  mar- 
ried December  24,  1883,  to  Mary  Josephine,  daughter  of  Capt.  Francis  and  Emily 
Beauchamp  of  Detroit.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  them,  one  of  whom,  Irene 
Louise,  a  beautiful  little  miss  of  seven  years,  is  now  living.  Mr.  Crawford  is  in  all 
things  a  home  and  family  man,  and  the  path  that  knows  him  best  lies  direct  from 
his  desk  to  his  own  fireside.  He  is  fond  of  society  either  in  entertaining  or  being 
entertained.  He  numbers  friends  by  the  hundreds  who  know  only  his  courteous 
and  upright  business  manners.  He  is  loyal  to  his  triends  and  has  no  enemies.  A 
hard  yet  rapid  worker,  accurate,  frank  and  with  excellent  business  perception  and 
wide  executive  ability,  a  typical  American  in  all  things,  the  true  gentleman  under  all 
circumstances. 

Eby,  John  F.,  son  of  Jonas  and  Hannah  (Fessant)  Eby,  was  born  in  Berlin,  Ontario, 
Canada,  June  19,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  Elora,  Ont,,  whither  his  parents  removed  in  1847.  When  he  was  less  than 
thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  for  five  years  to  the  printer's  trade,  and  in 
1852  began  an  active  business  career.  He  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  un- 
til 1867,  visiting  many  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  in 
the  latter  year  located  permanently  in   Detroit,  Mich.,  and  entered  the  job  printing 

120 


office  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press  as  a  journeyman.  Two  years  later  he  became  mana- 
ger of  the  office  and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  June  19,  1880.  In  this  year  a  stock 
company  was  formed  under  the  style  of  John  F.  Eby  &  Co.  with  Mr.  Eby  as  man- 
ager. In  1895  he  withdrew  from  said  company  and  with  Mr.  A.  N.  Safford  as  his 
partner,  he  established  his  present  printing  plant,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large  and 
paying  business.  He  is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Peninsular  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.  ;  and  Monroe  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  at  Detroit.  In  1864  Mr.  Eby  married 
Mary  Romaine  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom 
survive:  Emma,  a  graduate  of  the  Detroit  High  School  and  now  a  teacher ;  Mabel, 
wife  of  A.  G.  Rice  of  Detroit;  Eugenia,  Romaine,  Bessie,  and  Carl. 

Elliott,  James  R.,  chief  of  the  Detroit  Fire  Department,  and  son  of  Robert  T.  and 
Frances  (Shea)  Elliott,  was  born  in  Detroit,  October  2,  1834.  He  obtained  a  good 
education  in  the  Catholic  Parochial  Schools,  but  entered  mercantile  life  before  he 
had  advanced  to  any  great  extent.  Even  in  boyhood  Chief  Elliott  was  extremely 
attached  to  a  fireman's  life  and  evinced  considerable  skill  when  his  efforts  were  bent 
in  the  direction  of  the  work  required.  So  keen  was  his  interest  that  he  left  his  work- 
shop or  place  of  employment  many  times  at  the  alarm  of  fire;  in  those  days  sturdy 
young  men  were  gladly  allowed  to  run  with  the  machine,  but  were  not  permitted  to 
join  until  they  became  of  age.  In  1851  he  was  entered  as  a  regular  and  because  of  his 
adaptability  to  the  work  was  promoted  to  foreman  of  Volunteer  Co.  No.  4,  in  1864. 
When  the  volunteer  department  was  disbanded,  October  4,  1860,  Chief  Elliott  was  ap- 
pointed foreman  of  No.  1,  of  the  paid  $50  a  year  department,  by  the  Common  Council. 
Without  neglecting  his  duties  as  fireman  Chief  Elliott  became  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Eagle  &  Elliott,  clothiers,  but  retained  his  interest  only  two  years.  In  1867  the 
fire  commission  was  organized,  and  on  April  1  of  that  year  appointed  Mr.  Elliott 
assistant  chief  to  the  famous  Chief  Battle,  which  was  the  commission's  first  appoint- 
ment. Of  his  narrow  escapes  Chief  Elliott  refuses  to  discuss,  but  it  is  known  that  on 
October  13,  1880,  an  oil  house  at  the  foot  of  Second  street  took  fire  and  exploded 
while  he  was  at  work  in  the  interior  and  he  was  on  the  sick  list  for  several  months 
afterward.  On  the  retirement  of  Chief  Battle,  February  9,  1895,  Mr.  Elliott  was 
made  chief  of  the  entire  department.  His  career  in  that  office  has  earned  for  him  a 
standing  among  the  most  noted  fire  chiefs  of  the  continent.  On  numerous  occasions 
it  has  been  demonstrated  that  Chief  Elliott  exercised  every  precaution  appertaining 
to  the  welfare  of  his  men  and  never  ordered  a  fireman  where  he  would  not  venture 
himself,  usually  leading  his  men  to  gain  a  point  of  vantage  in  battling  with  the 
flames.  Chief  Elliott's  intimate  friends  never  approach  him  at  a  fire  with  questions, 
for  they  are  well  aware  that  only  curt  replies,  if  any,  would  follow.  He  abhors  in- 
terruption when  his  mind  is  applied  to  the  protection  of  property  and  life.  He  in- 
sists on  being  left  alone  and  only  receives  his  assistants,  assigning  the  various  com- 
panies and  directing  the  attack  against  fire.  The  members  of  the  department 
understand  their  chief  and  respect  his  orders  as  well  as  his  personality.  Chief 
Elliott  is  a  bachelor.  He  has  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  children  and  more  than 
one  child  owes  support  and  education  to  Chief  Elliott's  benevolence.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  steady  mode  of  life.  Chief  Elliott  is  not  even  a  well-to-do  man ;  he  gives 
liberally  to  charity,  seldom  permitting  the  recipient  to  know  the  source  of  the  gift. 

Enright,  Hon.  John  J.,  postmaster  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  is  a  native  of  Ireland  and 

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received  his  education  in  the  private  academy,  presided  over  by  the  late  Philo  M. 
Patterson,  one  of  the  ablest  instructors  of  his  day,  many  of  whose  pupils  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  at  the  bar,  in  the  army  and  navy,  and  in  business  circles. 
During  the  six  years,  from  1861  to  1867,  that  he  was  in  attendance  there  young  En- 
right  prepared  himself  for  a  business  career,  and  in  1869  entered  the  employ  of  Charles 
Peltier  &  Son,  insurance  and  real  estate  agents,  as  managing  clerk.  After  retiring 
from  the  insurance  business  he  entered  the  Second,  now  the  Detroit  National  Bank 
as  bookkeeper,  serving  in  that  position  until  1878.  In  the  following  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed as  clerk  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  in  1882  was  nominated  for  the  position  of 
county  clerk  and  elected  by  a  large  majority  over  his  opponent,  and  m  1885  was 
unanimously  chosen  of  the  Democratic  State  Committee.  He  was  re-elected  in  1884; 
in  1887  he  was  appointed  as  disbursing  officer  of  the  Post-office  department  by  Post- 
master-General Don  M.  Dickinson,  and  in  the  following  year  was  made  assistant 
commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  and  ably  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office  until 
the  incoming  of  the  Republican  administration,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation. 
In  1893  Mr.  Enright  was  chosen  by  President  Cleveland  as  postmaster  of  Detroit, 
and  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  that  office  has  frequently  called  forth  the 
highest  praise  from  both  parties  alike.  Mr.  Enright  is  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat  of 
unflinching  fealty  to  his  party's  principles  which  he  has  at  all  times  constantly 
espoused.  From  boyhood  he  has  evinced  an  interest  in  politics  and  for  many  years 
has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  campaigns.  During  the  campaign  of  1896  he  was  a 
powerful  ally  of  the  party  of  "  honest  money  and  good  government."  He  vigorously 
opposed  the  "Chicago  platform"  from  the  moment  of  its  adoption  and  denounced 
with  eloquence  the  dangerous  doctrines  enunciated  therein  while  supporting  Palmer 
and  Buckner,  the  sound-money  candidates.  It  is  conceded  by  all  that  his  humble 
efforts  during  the  campaign  contributed  largely  to  the  great  victory  for  sound  money, 
not  alone  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  but  other  States  outside  to  which  he  was  called. 
Personally  Mr.  Enright  is  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men,  genial  and  sym- 
pathetic. Through  Postmaster  Enright's  efforts  and  advice  the  Post-Office  Depart- 
ment, through  Postmaster-General  Bissell,  ordered  the  opening  of  the  marine  post- 
office  at  Detroit,  which,  though  opposed  by  some  people,  has  proved  a  great  success 
from  the  day  of  the  inauguration  of  the  service.  The  administration  of  the  Detroit 
post-office  has  given  such  satisfaction  to  the  public  that  representative  citizens  of  all 
parties  petitioned  President  McKinley  to  reappoint  Mr.  Enright  to  his  present  posi- 
tion, but  the  fortune  of  politics  decreed  otherwise. 

Field,  Henry  George,  consulting  electrical  and  mechanical  engineer,  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Henry  Goyder  Field,  and  was  born  in  Saginaw.  Mich.,  February  21,  1869.  At 
the  age  of  five  years  he  removed  to  Detroit,  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Dr.  George  L. 
Field,  and  his  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  that  place,  where 
he  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1886.  During  the  following  two  years 
he  was  employed  in  the  Detroit  Electrical  Works,  but  left  to  spend  two  years  and  a 
half  in  the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1892  he  went  to  Chicago  to  accept  a  position 
in  the  Landscape  Department  at  the  World's  Fair  grounds,  but  was  transferred  to 
the  Electric  Department  where  he  was  soon  made  engineer  in  charge  of  the  elec- 
tric subways,  but  resigned  after  fourteen  months'  service  to  return  to  the  University 
of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  in   1893,  after  completing  the  course  in  electrical 

122 


engineering.  During  this  last  year  in  college  he  became  a  member  of  the  fraternity 
of  Theta  Delta  Chi.  He  located  at  once  in  Detroit,  and  was  appointed  electrical  in- 
spector for  the  Michigan  Inspection  Bureau,  which  position  he  held  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  Since  that  time  he  has  continuously  practiced  his  profession,  and  has  been 
deservedly  prosperous.  Mr.  Field  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Electri- 
cal Engineers,  of  the  Detroit  Engineering  Society,  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  of  Ori- 
ental Lodge  No.  240,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  served  three  years  as  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Naval  Reserves.  He  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
church  of  Detroit,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  church. 

Fink,  Leon  C. ,  son  of  David  and  Mary  A.  (Simmons)  Fink,  was  born  at  Sodus 
Ridge,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1860.  While  still  quite  young  his  parents  removed  to  Syr- 
acuse, and  in  that  city  j^oung  Fink  attended  the  public  schools  until  thirteen  years 
of  age.  He  commenced  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  the  pharmacy  of  Brown  &- 
Dawson  at  Syracuse,  and  remained  with  that  firm  for  six  years.  During  that  period 
he  acquired  a  valuable  experience  in  the  retail  drug  business,  worked  his  way  to  the 
position  of  prescription  clerk  and  enjoyed  the  full  confidence  of  his  employers.  In 
1880,  bearing  a  personal  letter  of  introduction  to  Mr.  George  S.  Davis,  of  the  firm  of 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  he  removed  to  that 
city  and  was  promptly  assigned  to  a  position  in  their  establishment,  where  he  has 
ever  since  remained.  He  first  served  as  an  assistant  in  the  General  Pharmaceutical 
Department,  and  in  1882  was  placed  in  charge  as  foreman  of  the  Solid  Extract  De- 
partment. In  1884  the  General  Pharmaceutical  Department  was  also  placed  under 
his  control  and  remained  under  his  direction  for  seven  years.  Mr.  Fink  is  counted 
among  the  pioneers  in  the  Pepsin  business.  He  first  took  up  the  manufacture  of 
this  product  under  the  supervision  of  Edward  S.  Dawson,  jr.,  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
twenty  years  ago.  The  management  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.'s  Digestive  Ferment 
Department  was  entrusted  in  his  hands  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1893  he  took 
charge  of  the  Formula  Department,  and  three  years  later  was  appointed  to  a  posi- 
tion at  the  head  of  the  "  Control  Department,  '  ranking  as  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  extensive  laboratories,  and  acting  under  the  direction  of  the  general  manager 
to  control  formulae,  standards,  systematic  safeguards,  etc.  Mr.  Fink  is  also  chief  of 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.'s  Fire  Department,  which  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  efficient  private  organizations  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  He  occupied 
the  chair  of  practical  pharmacy  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1891.  Aside 
from  his  connection  with  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  Mr.  Fink  has  real  estate  and  other  in- 
terests in  the  city  of  Detroit.  He  is  still  a  bachelor  and  finds  many  things  to  interest 
him  in  this  world. 

Freeman,  John,  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (Manning)  Freeman,  was  born  in  Perth, 
Ontario,  'Can.,  September  29,  184G.  His  father  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  that 
section,  removing  there  about  1825.  Young  Freeman  acquired  his  early  education 
in  one  of  the  country  district  schools,  which  he  attended  until  about  the  age  of  six- 
teen. It  was  what  was  known  in  those  days  as  "the  Log  School  House."  After 
finishing  school  he  remained  at  home  with  his  father  on  the  farm  for  about  one  yeai". 
Like  most  young  boys  he  was  anxious  to  better  his  condition  and  in  May,  1864,  left 
his  home,  going  to  Salina,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  some  friends  engaged  in  the  salt 
business,  who  gave  him  employment.     This  line  not  being  suitable  to  him  he  decided 

123 


to  go  further  west,  and  in  October.  1864,  he  moved  to  Cleveland.  Ohio,  where  he 
shortly  afterward  secured  a  position  with  the  U.  S.  Express  Co.  He  remained  in 
the  express  business  for  about  two  years.  Being  desirous  of  acquiring  a  more  prac- 
tical education,  with  his  earnings  which  he  had  saved  he  decided  to  take  a  course  in 
a  commercial  college  and  entered  the  Felton  &  Bigelow  business  college,  where  he 
spent  nine  months  at  close  application  and  study.  Shortly  after  leaving  college  he 
secured  a  situation  in  the  wholesale  hardware  store  of  George  Worthington  Sz  Co., 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  remaining  with  this  firm  for  a  period  of  thirteen  j-ears,  eleven 
years  of  this  time  as  traveling  agent.  He  severed  his  connection  with  this  company 
about  1883  to  accept  a  similar  position  with  Buhl  Sons  &  Co.  of  Detroit,  remaining 
with  them  until  January  1,  1888,  when  be  resigned  his  position  to  engage  in  his  pres- 
ent business,  which  was  afterwards,  in  1891,  incorporated  as  Freeman,  Delamater  & 
Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Freeman  is  president.  From  a  small  beginning  this  firm  has  rap- 
idly forged  ahead  and  to-day  is  among  the  leaders  in  its  line  in  Michigan.  Mr. 
Freeman  is  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft,  Michigan  Commercial  Travelers'  and 
Cleveland  Commercial  Travelers'  Clubs.  He  was  married  in  December,  1875,  to 
Elizabeth  Conley  of  Cleveland,  O.,  who  died  in  that  city  in  1884.  On  September  20, 
1893,  he  was  married  to  Josephine  C.  Herber  of  Detroit.  He  has  six  children,  three 
by  each  wife:  Mary  L.  C,  James  F.,  Elizabeth  A.,  John  H.,  Henry  W.,  and  Helen 
Josephine  Freeman. 

Goodrich,  Frederick  A.,  son  of  Isaac  M.  and  Rebecca  S.  (Burlingame)  Goodrich, 
was  born  at  Pleasant  Farm  Village,  Mo.,  where  his  father  was  postmaster, 
April  13,  1859.  After  attending  the  district  schools  he  took  a  course  in  the  Mound 
City  (St.  Louis)  Commercial  College  and  later  entered  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal 
School  at  Valparaiso,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1883.  In  the  same  year  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Charles  Himrod  &  Co.,  iron  manufacturers  at  Chicago,  as 
bookkeeper  and  afterward  served  them  as  a  salesman.  In  1884  Mr.  Goodrich  was 
transferred  to  Himrod  &  Co.'s  branch  house  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  as 
salesman  until  the  silent  partner,  Mr.  W.  F.  Jarvis,  withdrew  from  the  firm,  assum- 
ing the  owner.ship  of  the  Detroit  house,  and  from  that  time,  1889,  until  April,  1895, 
Mr.  Goodrich  had  an  active  interest  in  the  business.  In  the  latter  year  a  stock  com- 
pany was  incorporated  under  the  style  of  F.  A.  Goodrich  &  Co  ,  of  which  Mr.  Good- 
rich has  ever  since  been  treasurer  and  general  manager.  This  company  are  man- 
ufacturers' agents  and  dealers  in  pig  iron,  steel,  coke,  etc.,  and  have  been  successful 
from  the  start.  Mr.  Goodrich  is  vice-president  and  treasurer  and  a  stockholder  in  the 
C.  M.  Hayes  &  Co.,  photograph  gallery,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Doherty 
Melting  Process  Co.  and  treasurer  of  Peninsular  Engineering  Co.  all  of  Detroit ; 
also  director  of  Deseronto  Iron  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Deseronto,  Ont.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Fellowcraft  Club  and  a  thirty  second  degree  Mason.  In  1889  he  married  Louise  A. 
Silk  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  son,  Ralph  Frederick. 

Graham,  Alfred,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Henry  Armstrong  and  Sophronia  (Tisdale) 
Graham,  was  born  in  Waterdown,  Wentworth  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  March  IT, 
1849.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  in  the  public  schools 
of  Detroit,  and  later  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Judson  University. 
Subsequently  he  entered  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  where  he 
pursued  the  study  of  medicine  and  from  which   he  was  graduated  in  1885.     On  the 

124 


completion  of  his  medical  course  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Philadel- 
phia. Two  years  later  he  took  a  post- graduate  course  in  the  college  from  which  he 
graduated.  He  removed  to  Detroit  in  1891  and  established  his  present  practice.  He 
has  been  connected  editorially  with  several  medical  and  religious  publications,  and 
has  lectured  extensively  through  the  eastern,  middle  and  southern  States.  He  is 
associate  editor  of  the  Medical  Counsellor,  of  Detroit,  department  of  mental  an^d 
nervous  diseases.  He  is  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  Grace  Ho,spital,  Detroit, 
and  was  elected  neurologi.st  in  1897,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  Dr.  Graham 
has  in  course  of  preparation  a  volume  of  lectures  embracing  a  number  of  religio- 
scientific  subjects.  He  is  also  preparing  for  publication  a  large  volume  containing 
more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  original  poems.  It  is  said  by  competent 
critics  who  have  perused  his  manuscripts  that  the  prose  and  poetical  writings  of  Dr. 
Graham  will  have  a  permanent  place  in  the  literature  of  the  times. 

Graham,  Burke  M.,  was  born  at  Rochester,  N.  Y  ,  April  5,  1854.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  and  High  School  of  Rochester  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  at  once  entered  the  employ  of 
Hayden  &  Baldwin,  wholesale  manufacturers  of  saddlery  and  saddlery  hardware  at 
Detroit.  After  serving  that  firm  for  eleven  years  in  the  capacities  of  clerk  and  trav- 
eling salesman,  he  formed  his  present  partnership  with  Messrs.  Edwin  E.  and  Henry 
I.  Armstrong,  under  the  firm  name  of  Armstrong  &  Graham,  for  the  wholesale 
manufacture  of  harness  and  saddlery  goods.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Club,  Country  Club,  Michigan  Club,  and  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting 
Club.     In  1878  he  married  Carrie  Stringer  of  Detroit. 

Grand,  Rev.  Peter,  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  T.  Mollaret,  and  was  born  in 
Montrond,  Savoy,  France,  on  January  12,  1845.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
in  his  home,  where  he  received  instruction  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old  ;  at  that 
age  he  entered  the  college  at  Annonay,  Ardeche,  where  he  remained  until  1869;  he 
then  entered  the  novitiate  of  the  Community  of  St.  Basil,  at  Fezin,  Isere,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  During  the  succeeding  three  years  he  taught  different  clas.ses 
in  the  college  at  Annonay.  On  the  2d  of  September,  1872,  he  arrived  at  Toronto, 
Ont.,  where  for  one  year  he  was  engaged  as  study  master;  after  which,  the  follow- 
ing year,  he  was  transferred  to  Assumption  College,  Sandwich,  where  he  was  or- 
dained priest  on  May  31,  1874.  A  few  months  later  he  was  appointed  assistant 
pastor  of  the  parish  church  at  Chatham.  In  January,  1879,  he  was  transferred  to 
Amherstburg,  Ont.,  whence  he  returned  to  Assumption  College,  Sandwich,  in  1882. 
In  1883  he  was  sent  to  the  College  of  Mary  Immaculate,  Plymouth,  Eng.  In  1886 
Father  Grand  came  to  Detroit  to  take  charge  of  Ste.  Ann's  church,  in  which  relation 
he  continues  at  present,  respected  and  beloved  by  his  parishioners. 

Hammond,  George  Henry,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  born 
at  Fitchburg,  May  5,  1838.  His  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  in  the 
colony,  being  descended  from  Benjamin  Hammond,  who  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, in  1621,  and  who  came  to  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1634  and  died  in  Rochester,  Mass., 
in  1703.  He  was  the  second  son  of  John  and  Sarah  Huston  Hammond,  who  had  no 
wealth  to  lavish  upon  their  son,  nor  the  means  to  provide  for  him  a  liberal  education. 
At  the  early  age  of  ten  years  he  left  school  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  deny- 

125 


ing  to  himself  the  pleasures  that  brighten  the  period  of  boyhood  and  afford  to  age  a 
delightful  retrospect.  He  entered  the  employ  of  a  manufacturer  of  leather  pocket- 
books  at  Ashburnham  and  afterwards  conducting  the  business  on  his  own  account, 
employing  a  dozen  girls  before  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  New  inventions  in 
pocket-books  rendered  unprofitable  the  manufacture  of  the  style  which  he  had 
learned  to  make,  and  he  abandoned  the  work,  taking  employment  for  the  next  three 
years  with  Milton  Frost  at  Fitchburg,  making  mattresses  and  palm  leaf  hats.  When 
fifteen  years  old  he  bought  the  business  of  his  employer  and  sold  it  in  six  months  in 
order  to  go  west.  He  then  located  in  Detroit  in  1854  and  for  two  and  a  half  years 
worked  for  Mr.  Frost,  who  had  preceded  him,  in  a  mattress  and  furniture  factory. 
He  then  started  for  himself  the  manufacture  of  chairs  and  six  months  later  was 
burned  out,  leaving  him  with  a  very  limited  capital.  This  fire,  regarded  at  that  time 
as  a  disaster,  changed  the  course  of  his  life,  and  enabled  him  to  achieve  large  wealth 
and  renown.  Opening  a  store  for  the  sale  of  meat,  he  passed  into  the  business  of 
packing  and  slaughtering  on  a  large  scale  in  Detroit,  and  extended  the  business  to 
other  places  in  the  West.  He  became  the  leader  in  the  transportation  of  dressed 
beef  to  the  eastern  seaboard  and  foreign  markets.  His  foresight  discovered  the 
feasibility  of  the  proposition  and  his  energy  was  the  chief  factor  in  making  it  a 
reality.  It  was  in  1868  when  Mr.  Hammond  had  the  first  refrigerator  car  fitted  up 
expressly  for  carrying  dressed  beef  to  market.  The  first  experimental  trip  of  the  car 
was  made  in  May,  1869,  from  Detroit  to  Boston,  and  was  a  financial  failure,  although 
subsequent  shipments  proved  successful.  The  sagacious  packer  foresaw  in  it  the 
revolution  of  the  beef  trade  and  availed  himself  of  its  benefits  by  purchasing  the  pat- 
ents protecting  the  invention.  Associating  Caleb  Ives  and  later  James  D.  Standish 
and  Sidney  B.  Dixon  with  himself,  he  formed  a  Dressed  Beef  Transportation  Com- 
pany, which  in  a  few  years  was  changed  to  George  H.  Hammond  &  Company.  The 
business  increased  from  one  car  to  eight  hundred  in  constant  use  carrying  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  packing  houses  to  eastern  markets  and  loading  three  ships  weekly  for 
transatlantic  ports.  Mr.  Hammond's  name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  State 
of  Indiana  and  identified  with  the  industrial  interests  in  the  town  which  he  founded 
and  the  works  which  he  established  on  the  western  border,  a  few  miles  from  Chi- 
cago. He  located  immense  slaughter  houses,  and  gave  his  name  to  the  town  and 
his  energy  to  building  up  a  new  industry,  and  a  city  which  has  flourished  and  pros- 
pered from  the  impetus  first  given  to  it  by  its  founder.  The  business  of  slaughtering 
and  packing  at  Hammond  aggregated  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  cattle  daily, 
and  another  of  equal  capacity  was  erected  later  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  their  commer- 
cial product  reaching  twelve  to  fifteen  million  dollars  annually.  The  establishing  of 
the  business  and  the  creating  of  the  town  of  Hammond  are  monuments  of  the  fore- 
sight and  energy  of  George  H.  Hammond,  a  man  as  remarkable  for  what  he  accom- 
plished in  his  prime  and  strength  as  for  the  assumption  of  responsibilities  in  early 
boyhood.  His  preparation  for  financial  pursuits  was  a  course  of  study  in  Goldsmith's 
Commercial  College,  prosecuted  and  completed  in  the  evening.  A  qualification  of 
equal  value  was  found  in  the  self-reliance  and  courage  which  he  displayed  early  and 
at  all  subsequent  periods  of  his  life.  He  was  ready  to  avail  himself  of  any  opportunity 
that  offered,  confident  of  his  ability,  strong  in  his  execution.  Few  men  possessed  a 
keener  financial  perception  or  greater  shrewdness  in  carrying  forward  a  purpose 
formed.     At  the  age  of  forty-eight  he  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  Detroit 

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and  one  of  the  best  business  men  in  the  United  States.  He  conducted  gigantic  en- 
terprises and  had  a  large  acquaintance  in  the  financial  circles  of  Chicago,  New  York 
and  Boston.  His  holdings  of  real  estate  in  and  near  Detroit  were  very  large  and  he 
realized  so  fully  that  his  success  was  gained  here,  that  he  desired  the  city  should 
reap  every  advantage  due  to  it.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  Commercial  National 
Bank,  a  director  in  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank  and  the  Detroit  Fire  and  Marine  In- 
surance Company.  In  the  flood-tide  of  success,  when  his  undertakings  had  become 
substantial  achievements  and  his  enterprise  had  been  rewarded  by  large  wealth,  his 
heart  failed  to  perform  its  functions  and  death  claimed  him  suddenly,  on  the  29th  of 
December,  1886.  He  was  only  forty-eight,  but  bad  filled  as  many  years  with  unre- 
mitting activity  and  labor  as  the  average  man  of  sixty.  His  name  was  the  synonym 
of  business  honor  and  his  private  life  was  irreproachable.  Though  not  a  member  of 
any  church,  he  was  a  generous  contributor  to  churches  and  charitable  objects.  His 
contributions,  though  liberal,  were  unostentatious.  Naturally  reserved,  he  gave  ex- 
plicit confidence  to  the  few  with  whom  he  sustained  confidential  relations.  His  rec- 
reation and  pleasure  were  found  in  the  family  circle,  with  wife  and  children, 
although  he  was  fond  of  travel.  He  made  two  trips  to  Europe  with  members  of  his 
family  and  visited  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  including  the  Pacific  Coast.  His 
life  was  short,  but  left  its  impress  upon  the  community  enriched  by  his  financial  and 
industrial  enterprises,  and  to  his  family  the  rich  legacy  of  a  spotless  reputation.  He 
was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Ellen  Barry,  of  Detroit,  who  was  born  January  20,  1838, 
and  became  the  father  of  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom  survive.  One  daugher  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  William  Casgrain,  a  lawyer  of  Detroit;  another  daughter,  Miss 
Sara  Agnes,  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Gilbert  Wilson  Lee,  senior  partner  of  a 
wholesale  grocery  firm;  one  son,  George  Henry,  jr.,  is  the  president  of  the  company 
of  Hammond,  Standish  &  Company,  of  Detroit;  Charles  Frederick  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology;  John  William  Hammond,  educated  at 
Fordham  College,  New  York,  is  now  a  resident  of  Detroit;  Florence  Pauline,  Ethel 
Katherine,  and  Edward  Percy  are  in  school. 

Hanmer,  Mrs.  Delia  A.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Harriett  (Allen)  Hill,  was  born 
October  3,  1844,  in  Palmyra,  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Hanmer  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Palmyra,  which  she  attended  until  she  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
teen. On  September  29,  1863,  she  married  Lewis  C.  Hanmer  of  Detroit,  Mich.  In 
early  life  she  developed  rare  musical  talent,  but  not  till  1877  did  she  decide  to  perfect 
herself  in  the  art.  With  this  end  in  view  she  began  a  thorough  course  of  training 
under  Mr.  J.  H.  Hahn  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  Mr.  A.  K.  Virgil  of  New  York,  which 
covered  a  period  of  eight  years,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  she  established  "The 
Hanmer  School  of  Music  and  Languages,"  now  occupying  the  large  and  pleasant 
studios  at.  Nos.  53  and  57  West  Alexandrine  avenue,  with  an  enrollment  of  three 
hundred  pupils.  The  faculty  is  exceptionally  large  and  well  selected,  and  under  the 
direction  of  Mrs.  Hanmer,  who  retains  the  department  of  Piano  and  Harmony. 

Hannan,  William  W.,  real  estate  dealer  and  broker  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Roch- 
ester, N.  Y.,  July  4,  1854.  His  parents  moved  to  Dowagiac,  Mich.,  when  he  was 
only  two  years  old.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  in  that  city.  He  employed  his 
vacations  in  a  basket  factory  m  that  city,  by  this  means  paving  the  way  for  further 
educating  himself.     After  graduating  from  the  High  School  at  Dowagiac  he  took  a 

127 


preparatory  course  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  entering  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1876 
and  taking  his  degree  of  B.  A.  in  1880,  and  afterwards  graduated  from  the  depart- 
ment of  law  in  1883.  He  was  known  as  a  laborious  and  painstaking  student  who 
spent  his  vacations  in  hard  work;  he  organized  popular  railway  excursions  to  Mich- 
igan summer  resorts  which  proved  very  successful.  Among  athletes  at  the  college 
he  gained  considerable  fame  as  a  sprint  runner,  and  base  and  foot  ball  player,  and 
even  in  middle  manhood  keeps  up  an  interest  in  field  sports.  During  the  winter  of 
1881-82  he  served  as  enrolling  and  engrossmg  clerk  in  the  State  House  of  Represent- 
atives, and  in  1883  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  associated  himself  with  Judge  Will- 
iam D.  Carpenter,  under  the  firm  name  of  Carpenter  &  Hannan.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  entered  the  real  estate  business  at  Detroit,  M:ch..  being  connected  with  the  firm 
of  Hannan  &  Snow,  and  later  this  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Hannan  estab- 
lished the  Hannan  Real  Estate  Exchange  which  is  known  the  State  over.  To  enu- 
merate all  the  great  realty  transactions  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  would  be 
tedious,  the  Hammond  building  purchase,  representing  nearly  $1,000,000,  which  was 
negotiated  by  him,  being  sufficient  proof  of  the  enormous  influences  he  has  brought 
to  bear  in  bringing  this  exchange  to  its  present  standing.  The  Hannan  Real  Estate 
Exchange  has  the  finest  equipped  offices  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  United  States. 
This  exchange  conducts  a  general  real  estate,  fire  insurance  and  loaning  business  in 
all  its  various  ramifications.  Properties  situated  in  most  every  State  of  the  Union 
are  successfully  handled  by  this  agency.  Mr.  Hannan  has  so  methodically  arranged 
all  his  properties  that  the  thousands  of  descriptions,  whether  for  sale,  exchange  or 
rent,  can  easily  be  referred  to  under  its  own  department.  Each  one  of  the  large 
force  of  assistants  (necessary  to  conduct  this  extensive  business)  has  his  particular 
work  and  can  furnish  his  many  customers  all  necessary  information  with  dispatch 
and  satisfaction.  Mr.  Hannan  is  a  member  of  the  Chi  Psi  college  fraternity,  which 
numbers  Senator  T.  W.  Palmer,  Don  M.  Dickinson  and  many  other  prominent  men 
in  Michigan;  also  a  member  of  Corinthian  Lodge  of  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Scottish  Rite 
Masons,  Detroit  Club,  Grande  Pointe  and  Rushmere  Clubs,  and  a  stockholder  in  the 
Preston  National  Bank,  Citizens'  Savings  Bank,  Peninsular  Savings  Bank,  and  the 
Union  National  Bank,  besides  holding  other  strong  financial  and  commercial  inter- 
ests. The  Detroit  "Club,"  a  magazine  formerly  published  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  said  of 
him  in  1892:  "  Indeed  if  it  were  not  for  W.  W.  Hannan,  the  beautiful  city  of  the 
straits  would  not  be  what  it  is  to-day;  in  this  particular  way  the  man  must  be  re- 
garded, not  only  as  a  genius,  but  as  a  public  benefactor  on  the  principles  of  political 
economy  which  assert  that  confidence  produces  increase  of  capital,  and  capital  in- 
duces labor.  The  livelihood,  not  to  say  the  fortunes,  of  thousands  of  human  beings 
depend  upon  this  booming  which  only  a  clever  and  cautious  man  is  capable  of  direct- 
ing. A  sincere  friend,  a  shrewd  but  indefatigable  man  of  business,  ever  willing  to 
advance  the  interests  of  individuals,  societies  and  the  citizens  in  general ;  such  is 
the  character  which  has  made  him  famous  and  by  which  he  is  best  known." 

Harrah,  Capt.  Charles  W.,  son  of  William  D.  and  Hester  (Hartzell)  Harrah,  was 
born  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  February  22,  1862.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Davenport  until  1875,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  in 
the  latter  city  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1880.  He  then  took  a  course 
in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  in  Detroit,  being  graduated  therefrom 

128 


in  1881.  During  the  ensuing  seven  years  he  served  with  J.  K.  Burnham  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale dry  goods  merchants,  and  H.  P.  Baldwin  &  Co.,  wholesale  boots  and  shoes,  and 
while  in  the  employ  of  the  latter  firm  Mr.  Harrah  purchased  several  tracts  of  real 
estate,  which  afterward  proved  a  fortunate  investment.  In  1888  he  established  his 
present  business  as  real  estate  dealer,  and  has  been  eminently  successful  in  all  his 
transactions,  especially  in  the  subdivision  and  sale  of  his  own  property,  which  has 
engrossed  the  greater  portion  of  his  time.  During  his  first  year  in  the  real  estate 
business  Mr.  Harrah  had  as  a  partner  Mr.  P.  G.  Sanderson,  but  since  1889  has  oper- 
ated entirely  alone.  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons; 
captain  (senior-ranking)  Detroit  Light  Guard  since  December,  1892,  and  has  recently 
been  appointed  major  of  the  31st  Mich.  Vol.  Infantry.  He  is  a  member  of  the  De- 
troit Boat  Club.  December  31,  1890,  he  married  Lela,  daughter  of  Hon.  Francis  G. 
Russell  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Helen. 

Harris,  Williams  C,  was  born  in  Pontiac,  Mich.,  July  23,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  A.  Harris.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in  the 
University  of  Michigan,  graduating  from  .the  law  department  of  the  latter  institu- 
tion in  1891.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1887,  while  studying  in  the  office  of 
Judge  G.  W.  Smith  at  Pontiac,  and  following  his  admittance,  he  was  associated  with 
the  late  De  Witt  C.  Holbrook,  for  some  time.  He  was  for  two  years  attorney  for 
the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Exchange,  and  was  for  one  year  clerk  of  the  Jus- 
tices' Courts,  at  Detroit.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  member  of  Damon  Lodge  No.  3,  Knights 
of  Pythias ;  of  the  Michigan  Club,  and  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

Hawley,  John  Gardner,  is  the  second  son  of  Richard  Hawley  and  Evangelia  Gard- 
ner. His  father  was  born  at  Shrewsbury,  England,  and  his  mother  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  of  Scottish  ancestry.  He  was  born  at  Detroit,  March  21,  1845.  He  attended 
public  and  private  schools  in  Detroit  from  the  age  of  five  years  until  1858,  when  he 
was  taken  with  the  family  to  a  country  home  at  Goderich,  Ontario,  where  he  ran 
loose  on  the  farm  until  the  fall  of  1860,  when  he  was  sent  to  Upper  Canada  College 
at  Toronto,  where  he  was  head  boy  and  first  e.xhibitioner  in  the  fourth  form  in  1862. 
He  returned  to  Detroit  in  March,  1863.  He  spent  a  few  months  of  that  year  in  the 
law  office  of  Walker  &  Kent  in  Detroit.  In  March,  1864,  in  company  with  his 
younger  brother  Richard,  he  went  to  Europe,  returning  in  July.  After  his  return  he 
was  employed  in  his  father's  business  until  the  summer  of  1866,  when  he  spent  three 
months  at  Hiram,  O.,  attending  a  course  of  lectures  as  a  preliminary  step  to  a  course 
of  study  for  the  ministry.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  entered  Bethany  College,  W.  Va., 
as  a  junior,  where  he  was  graduated  A.  B.  m  1870,  being  the  valedictorian  of  his 
class.  In  1868  he  again  went  to  Europe  in  company  with  his  mother,  wife  and 
younger  sisters,  the  party  remaining  abroad  for  a  year.  In  the  fall  of  1870  he  de- 
cided to  make  the  law  his  vocation,  and  disregarding  the  customary  methods  of  legal 
education,  he  shut  himself  up  alone  with  the  necessary  text  books  until  the  following 
March,  when  he  was  admitted  to  practice  on  an  oral  examination,  after  studying 
barely  six  months.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  in  the  city  of  his 
birth.  He  is  the  editor  of  the  first  three  volumes  of  "American  Criminal  Reports," 
theauthorof  "  Law  of  Arrest,"  "  Law  for  Land  Buyers,"  "  Law  for  Tenants,"  "Inter- 
state Extradition,"  "  International  Extradition,"  and  jointly  with  Malcolm  McGregor 
of  "Criminal  Law."     He  was  prosecuting  attorney  at  Detroit  in  the  years  1875  and 

129 


1876.  He  is  now  attorney  for  the  Police  Department  at  Detroit,  and  lecturer  on 
criminal  law  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Law.  He  reads  and  speaks  German  and 
French.  He  has  been  twice  married.  In  1866  he  married  Mary  Lydia,  eldest  child 
of  William  S.  Habberton  of  Mount  Carmel,  111.  She  died  in  1879,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren: Theodosia  de  Riemer,  now  a  teacher  in  Miss  Spence's  school  for  young  ladies 
in  New  York  city,  and  John  Habberton,  now  in  the  business  office  of  the  New  York 
Evening  Post.  In  1881  he  was  married  to  Eva,  eldest  child  of  William  Nicoll  of  De- 
troit, by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Maud  Nicoll,  now  a  pupil  in  the  Detroit  High 
School. 

Herbst,  Col.  Charles  W.,  son  of  Peter  and  Maria  (Lauth)  Herbst,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  June  4,  1866.  He  was  educated  in  St.  John's  Evangelical  and  the  De- 
troit High  Schools.  He  learned  the  tailor's  trade  with  J.  L.  Hudson  and  established 
his  present  business  as  merchant  tailor  in  1885.  Colonel  Herbst  is  a  young  man  of 
energy  and  enterprise  and  of  the  strictest  integrity  of  character.  He  is  popular  alike 
in  business  and  social  circles  and  m  his  business  dealings  has  met  with  gratifying 
success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  P.  ;  I.  O.  Foresters;  Detroit  I^ight  Infantry;  and 
is  captain  of  the  "Detroit  Grays,"  an  independent  military  organization;  a  member 
of  the  German  Salesmen's  Association  and  of  the  National  Guard  Association  of 
Michigan.  February  17,  1897,  he  was  appointed  aide-decamp  on  the  staff  of  Gov. 
Hazen  S.  Pingree,  with  the  rank  of  colojiel. 

Hitchcock,  Charles  W.,  M.  D.,  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Homer  O.  Hitchcock,  who  was 
for  thirty  years  a  practitioner  of  medicine  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  and  Fidelia  (Well- 
man)  Hitchcock,  was  born  at  Kalamazoo,  July  26,  1858.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  A.  M., 
in  1880.  Following  his  graduation  he  was  in  charge  of  schools  in  Michigan  and 
Iowa  for  two  years,  and  in  1882  commenced  the  study  of  medicine.  He  was 
graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1885,  and  was  at  once 
made  assistant  physician  to  the  Eastern  Michigan  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  holding 
that  position  for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  sur- 
gery m  the  New  York  hospitals  and  in  1887  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  has 
ever  since  practiced  his  profession  with  marked  success.  He  has  built  up  a  general 
practice,  but  devotes  considerable  time  to  mental  and  nervous  diseases  and  surgery. 
Dr.  Hitchcock  is  chief  surgeon  to  the  Standard  Life  and  Accident  Insurance  Com- 
pany of  Detroit,  having  held  that  position  since  1889;  is  attending  neurologist  to 
Harper  Hospital  at  Detroit;  is  a  fellow  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine;  an 
honorary  member  of  the  National  Association  of  Railway  Surgeons;  a  member  of 
the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  secretary  from  1890  to  1895;  of 
the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association;  and  was  president  of  the  Detroit 
Academy  of  Medicine  1896-97.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity, 
the  Phi  Chapter.  In  December,  1891,  Dr.  Hitchcock  married  Eunice  Ingersoll  of 
Salem,  Mass.,  and  they  have  two  children:  David  I  and  Charles  C. 

Holmes,  Arthur  D.,  M.  D.,  C.  M.,  son  of  James  A.  and  Jane  (Forster)  Holmes, 
was  born  at  Chatham,  Ont.,  Canada,  July  19,  1863.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
and  graduated  at  the  Chatham  Collegiate  Institute.  In  1885  he  matriculated  in  the 
medical  department  of  McGill  College  at  Montreal,  Can.,  and  was  graduated  M.  D., 

130 


C.  M.,  in  1889.  Since  then  he  has  been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession  at 
Detroit,  and  has  met  with  almost  phenomenal  success  in  his  specialty  of  diseases  of 
children.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  Societj',  also  the  Wayne  County 
Medical  Society;  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association  and  of  the  Detroit 
Academy  of  Medicine.  He  was  president  of  the  Detroit  Surgical  and  Pathological 
Society  in  1896-97,  and  is  yet  a  member  of  that  organization.  He  is  a  member  also 
of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit ;  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  A.  O. 
U.  W. ;  K.  P.,  and  K.  C.  Dr.  Holmes  is  at  present  professor  of  the  diseases  of  chil- 
dren in  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery.  He  is  prominent  and  popu- 
lar in  both  professional  and  social  circles. 

Huston,  E.  Russell,  was  born  in  Dresden,  Ontario,  Can.,  July  17,  1870,  a  son  of 
Edward  Huston,  the  well  known  lumberman  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Michigan, 
Washington  State  and  British  Columbia.  He  was  edncated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  Chatham  Collegiate  Institute  in  1888.  He  spent 
four  years  in  Toronto  University  and  one  year  in  Queen's  University  where  he  took 
special  work  in  philosophy  under  Prof.  John  Watson  and  political  science  under 
Professor  Short.  In  1894  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  law  office  of  S.  S. 
Babcock,  also  becoming  a  student  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Law,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1896.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year  and  remained  in 
Mr.  Babcock's  office  until  the  formation  of  the  partnership  of  Huston  &  Yerkes  in 
September,  1897,  of  which  firm  he  became  the  senior  member,  where  he  has  met 
with  well  deserved  success.  Mr.  Huston  is  of  the  good  old  Pilgrim  stock,  his  fore- 
fathers landing  in  America  from  the  boat  which  followed  the  Mayflower.  His  grand- 
mother on  his  father's  side  is  a  cousin  of  Rufus  Choate  and  his  father  is  one  of  the 
Ohio  race  of  Hustons  who  originally  came  from  Ireland.  His  mother's  mother  came 
from  Ireland  and  father  from  England. 

Hutter,  Rev.  Charles  J.,  son  of  Caspar  and  Josephine  (Schmidt)  Hutter,  was  born 
in  Wallmerod,  Nassau,  Germany,  August  3,  1865.  As  a  boy  he  attended  the  paro- 
chial schools  of  Wallmerod  and  entered  the  gymnasium  at  Limburg-on-the-Lahn  in 
1877,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1885.  In  August  of  that  year  he  entered  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Peter,  Glasgow,  Scotland,  where  he  remained  until  1887,  when  he 
removed  to  Paris,  France,  and  entered  the  Holy  Ghost  Seminary.  In  1890  he  was 
admitted  to  the  diocese  of  Detroit,  and  sent  for  a  short  course  to  the  seminary  at 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  In  1891  he  was  ordained  in  the  minor  orders  by  Archbishop  Kat- 
zer  of  Milwaukee,  and  to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop  Foley  of  Detroit.  Subsequent  to 
his  ordination  he  was  appointed  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  church,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1894  and  was  then  appointed  to  the  Sacred  Heart  church  as  administra- 
tor. In  1895  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Anthony  church,  his  present  charge. 
Rev.  Father  Hutter  has  greatly  improved  the  condition  of  his  parish  and  has  built  a 
school  building  at  a  cost  of  $30,000. 

Imrie,  Andrew  W.,  M.D.,  CM.,  son  of  William  B.  and  Mary  Laidlaw  Imrie,  was 
born  at  Spencerville,  Ontario,  Canada,  August  9,  1856.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  of  Spencerville  and  Prescott,  Ont.,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
McGill  University  at  Montreal,  being  graduated  therefrom  M.  D.,C.M.,  in  the  spring 
of  1879.     He  then  served  t\vo  years  as  house  surgeon  in  the  Montreal  General  Hos- 

131 


pital.  Early  in  1881  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he  studied  in  London,  Edinburgh 
and  Paris  for  another  year,  returning  to  America  in  1882  and  at  once  located  for 
practice  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  which  city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  Since  1893  Dr. 
Imrie  has  been  consulting  physician  to  the  Wayne  County  (Mich.)  Home  for  the 
Poor;  and  for  the  past  two  years  has  served  as  consulting  physician  to  the  Detroit 
Board  of  Health.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  American 
Medical  Association  ;  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association  ;  Detroit  Gynaecological 
Society;  American  Microscopical  Society;  National  Public  Health  Association; 
Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  and  Montreal  Medico  Chirurgical  Society.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Harmonic  Society  of  Detroit;  and  A.O.U.W.,  of 
which  he  has  been  deputy  grand  medical  examiner  since  1896.  In  1897  Dr.  Imrie 
went  as  a  delegate  from  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society  to  the  twelfth  Interna- 
tional Medical  Congress,  which  convened  at  Moscow,  Russia,  August  19  to  26,  inclu- 
sive. In  1882  he  married  Isabella  McLaren  Buntin  of  Montreal,  Canada,  and  they 
have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive,  Mary  Isabella  and  Walter  McLaren. 

Jeffries,  Edward  J.,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Sullivan)  Jeffries,  was  born  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  November  17,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Carlton,  Mich., 
where  his  parents  removed  in  1866.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  rooms  of 
the  Post  &  Tribune  Co.  at  Detroit,  and  continued  in  the  employ  of  the  Post 
&  Tribune  until  1885.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  studying  during  the  winter  months  and 
the  balance  of  the  year  pljdng  his  trade  as  printer.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he  left  the 
university  and  was  at  once  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Detroit.  From  1887  to  1889  he 
was  associated  with  Hon.  Henry  M.  Cheever  in  his  practice  of  law  at  Detroit  and 
during  the  ensuing  four  years  was  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business  at  Spokane 
Falls  and  Seattle,  Washington.  Since  1893  Mr.  Jeffries  has  practiced  his  profession 
continuously  at  Detroit.  In  1887  he  married  Minnie  Stott,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren: Lola  G.  I.,  and  LolaC.  R. 

Jenks,  Harrison  Darling,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Mary  E.  (Darling) 
Jenks,  and  nephew  of  Dr.  Edward  W.  Jenks  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  was  born  at  Warsaw, 
Mich.,  October  14,  1867.  His  maternal  ancestors  emigrated  from  New  England  and 
very  early  in  the  history  of  his  native  town  became  thoroughly  identified  with  its  in- 
terests. Here  he  lived  the  greater  part  of  his  life  until  he  left  for  college  in  1886. 
He  was  graduated  from  its  High  School  in  1885.  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  following 
year  he  entered  Harvard  College  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  In  June,  1890,  he  received 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  Irom  this  institution.  In  October  of  1890  he  entered 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  where  he  stayed  one  year. 
He  then  went  to  the  Harvard  Medical  School.  In  1894  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine  and  Master  of  Arts  from  Harvard  University.  He  took  a  hos- 
pital course  of  one  year  as  resident  physician  to  the  Children's  Hospital,  Boston ; 
and  later  the  regular  service  as  house  physician  to  the  Boston  Lying-in  Hospital. 
Dr.  Jenks  located  permanently  in  Detroit  in  June,  1895.  He  was  lecturer  in  mid- 
wifery at  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  for  two  years,  resigning  in 
July,  1897.  He  is  at  present  secretary  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine,  member 
of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association  and  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical 
Society. 

132 


Joncas,  Edmund,  B.  A.,  lawyer,  son  of  Lazarus  and  Julia  (Lebrum)  Joncas,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Montmagny,  Lower  Canada,  March  17,  1862,  and  is  of  French 
parentage.  He  was  educated  in  Quebec  Seminary  and  Laval  University  at  Quebec, 
graduating  from  the  latter  institution  in  1882.  In  the  year  1884  he  removed  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  where  he  studied  law  in  the  offices  of  Atkinson  &  Atkinson,  and  Weeks 
&  Randall,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1888.  Since  then  Mr.  Joncas  has  practiced 
his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit  with  success.  He  is  a  scholarly  gentleman 
and  an  able  lawyer  and  has  won  for  himself  honorable  standing  among  his  associates 
at  the  bar.  Aside  from  his  legal  work,  Mr.  Joncas  devotes  considerable  time  to 
journalism,  being  an  almost  regular  contributor  to  the  Detroit  daily  newspapers  and 
the  French  newspapers  of  both  the  United  States  and  Canada;  his  articles  bearing 
principally  on  political  economy  and  the  general  topics  of  the  day.  He  is  a  staunch 
Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Detroit  and  Wayne  County  Bar  Associations;  Fellow- 
craft  Club  of  Detroit;  and  Classique  Fraternity  (class  of  '82)  of  Laval  University. 

Kennedy,  Johnston  B.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Johnston  and  Annie  (Little)  Kennedy,  was 
born  near  Brampton,  Peel  county,  Ontario,  May  8,  1858.  Obtaining  a  substantial  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  and  the  Brampton  Grammar  School,  Dr.  Kennedy  entered 
OntarioCollegeof  Pharmacy  in  1876,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1879,  and  in  that 
year  opened  a  drug  store  at  Brampton,  the  firm  taking  the  title  of  Bannister  &  Ken- 
nedy. The  business  wascon tinned  until  1881  when  Dr.  Kennedy  sold  his  interest  and 
entered  Trinity  College,  Toronto,  where  he  studied  three  years.  He  removed  to  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  remaining  there  a  few  months  and  then  came  to  Detroit,  where  he  en- 
tered Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  completing  his  medical  course  and  graduating  in 
the  spring  of  1885.  Soon  after  entering  private  practice  Dr.  Kennedy  was  appointed 
surgeon  for  the  Michigan  Peninsular  Car  Co.,  retaining  that  position  ever  since.  In 
1894  he  was  appointed  county  physician  for  a  term  of  two  years,  performing  excel- 
lent service  and  giving  expert  testimony  in  several  celebrated  murder  trials-  since 
that  time  he  has  frequently  been  called  to  give  expert  testimony  in  celebrated  cases 
before  the  courts.  Dr.  Kennedy  is  medical  director  for  the  Preferred  Accident  Asso- 
ciation of  Detroit;  medical  representative  for  the  Employers'  Liability  Assurance 
Corporation  of  London,  Eng.  ;  director  of  the  Home  Building  and  Loan  Association  ; 
director  of  the  Brilliant  City  Brewing  Co.  of  Findlay,  Ohio,  and  president  of  the 
Wayne  County  Board  of  U.  S.  Pension  Examining  Surgeons.  He  is  a  member  and 
past  master  of  Corinthian  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  a  member  of  Damascus  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar;  and  medical  examiner  for  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  June  3,  1885,  he  mar- 
ried Jessie  Young  of  Vittoria,  Ontario,  and  they  have  three  children :  Charles  S. ,  Will- 
iam Y.  and  Frederick  J. 

Kinney,  Overton  L.,  son  of  Abram  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Swayze)  Kinney,  was  born  at 
Livonia,  N.  Y. ,  May  28,  1852.  He  attended  public  school  until  thirteen  years  of  age 
at  Detroit,  Mich  ,  whither  his  parents  had  removed.  He  began  his  business  career 
as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Advertiser-Tribune  at  Detroit,  and  in  less  than 
a  year's  time  he  was  subscription  clerk  of  that  paper  and  later  bookkeeper  and  cash- 
ier, and  became  m  1872  one  of  the  proprietors,  and  in  1879  he  sold  out  his  interest 
and  retired.  In  February,  1879,  he  established  an  advertising  bureau  and  carried 
on  the  business  successfully  until  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  when  he  was  elected 
as  school  inspector  for  the  First  ward  of  Detroit  for  a  term  of  two  years.     In  1881  he 

133 


was  appointed  an  oil  inspector  of  Detroit,  by  Gov.  Josiah  Begole,  and  held  that  oflfice 
for  two  years  and  a  half.  In  the  spring  of  1884  Mr.  Kinney  was  appointed  as  clerk 
of  the  justice's  court  and  after  a  service  of  four  years  was  elected  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  While  occupying  that  position  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  James  A.  Atkinson  at  Detroit,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  March  31,  1893. 
Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  and  successfully.  For 
a  few  months  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Walter  Ross,  and  later  with  Mr.  W.  E. 
Haubie,  which  continued  until  1895.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  commercial  law.  Mr. 
Kinney  is  a  member  of  the  Wayne  County  Bar  Association;  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Asso- 
ciation;  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  (McGreggor  Council  No.  85);  and  of  the  National 
Union  (Cadillac  Council  No.  19).  He  was  married,  in  1874,  to  Emma  Hart,  who 
passed  away  in  1887,  leaving  him  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Overton 
L.,  jr.,  a  clerk  in  the  assistant  general .  passenger  and  ticket  agent's  office  of  the 
Grank  Trunk  Railway  system;  and  Guy  B.,  buyer  for  the  Farrand,  Williams  & 
Clark  Drug  Company  of  Detroit. 

Kiskadden,  Harry  S.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Kiskad- 
den,  was  born  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  March  25,  1857.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish 
parentage  on  his  father's  side  of  the  house,  his  grandfather  having  come  to  America 
from  Belfast,  Ireland,  in  1791;  first  settling  in  Pennsylvania,  coming  to  Ohio  in  1818, 
making  the  trip  down  to  Marietta  in  a  flat  boat,  and  subsequently  locating  in  Chilli- 
cothe.  On  his  grandmother's  side  he  is  related  to  the  Ewings  of  Ohio.  Elizabeth  Will- 
iams Kiskadden  was  also  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  State,  her  parents  being  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Richland  county.  H.  S.  Kiskadden  spent  his  early  life  in  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Kansas,  living  in  Atkinson  City  during  the  time  his  father  was 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  business  in  Denver,  Colo.,  and  in  the  freighting  bu.siness 
between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  mountains,  before  the  days  of  railroads  west  of 
the  Missouri.  The  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  life  was  passed  on  a  stock  farm  in 
Illinois,  where  he  spent  a  large  part  of  each  year  in  the  saddle.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  taking  a  two  years'  course  at  the 
Northern  Indiana  Normal  School,  and  then  putting  in  three  years  at  Ashkum,  111., 
with  his  preceptor,  the  late  Dr.  L.  H.  Mason ;  and  graduated  in  1885  from  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago,  111.  During  his  college  course  he  was  asso- 
ciated with,  and  received  special  instructions  from  the  late  Drs.  Charles  Warrington 
Earle  and  A.  Reeves  Jackson.  After  completing  his  college  course  Dr.  Kiskadden 
spent  two  years  in -Toledo,  Ohio,  coming  to  Detroit  in  1887.  He  has  built  up  for 
himself  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  is  prominent  and  popular  in  both  social  and 
professional  circles.  His  practice  is  limited  to  rectal  surgery  to  which  he  has  de- 
voted his  entire  professional  time  since  locating  in  Detroit.  In  politics  the  doctor 
has  always  been  a  Republican,  though  since  coming  to  Detroit  he  has  taken  no  verj' 
active  part  in  political  affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club,  the  Wayne 
Club,  of  Corinthian  Lodge  No.  241,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Monroe  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 
In  religion  he  is  a  Protestant,  being  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational  church ; 
and  is  especially  interested  in  city  missionary,  Sunday  school  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work. 
He  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  educational  matters,  especially  in  the  public 
schools,  and  is  a  strong  advocate  of  Manual  Training  as  a  part  of  the  educational 
work  of  our  city  schools.     In  September,  1887,  Dr.  Kiskadden  was  married  to  Sarah 

134 


Josephine  White,  the  daughter  of  an  old  and  historic  Quaker  family  of  Richmond, 
Ind. ;  they  have  two  sons:  Donald  S.  and  Cameron  H. 

George  C.  Langdon,  son  of  Amon  W.  and  Adelaide  (Tracy)  Langdon,  born  April 
9,  1833,  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Langdon  attended  the  public  schools  of  Geneva  until 
1841,  when  he  was  placed  in  the  private  school  of  Dr.  Ernst  at  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  which 
he  left  in  1850  to  enter  that  of  Dr.  Hart  at  Farmington,  Conn.  In  1852  Mr.  Langdon 
began  his  business  career  as  an  employee  of  Lord,  Warner  &  Salter  of  New  York, 
wholesale  dealers  in  dry  goods.  In  the  spring  of  1854  he  removed  to  Flint,  Mich., 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1856,  when  he  came  to  Detroit  and  entered  Gregory's 
Commercial  College.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  with 
the  Grant  Smelting  Works,  Springwells,  which  he  left  to  enter  the  employ  of  S.  H. 
Ives  &  Son,  bankers.  In  1860  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  G.  Carey,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Carey  &  Langdon,  and  engaged  in  dealing  in  flour  and  grain.  Mr. 
Carey  severed  his  connection  in  1862  and  the  firm  was  changed  to  Langdon  &  Wooley. 
In  1864,  in  connection  with  Mr.  N.  G.  Williams,  he  purchased  Duncan's  Central 
Brewery,  which  they  conducted  until  1871.  In  1871  Mr.  Langdon  bought  the  Dun- 
can Malt  House  and  engaged  in  the  malting  business  until  1891.  He  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  city  in  1878  and  served  one  term,  besides  occupying  other  positions  of 
trust.  During  his  term  as  mayor  the  city  purchased  Belle  Isle  for  a  jjublic  park. 
In  1859  Mr.  Langdon  married  Fannie  Vallee  of  Detroit,  who  died  in  1888.  He  has 
two  children,  Ella  and  Bessie  M.  Langdon. 

Larned,  Charles  Pierpont,  son  of  Sylvester  and  Ellen  S. ,  daughter  of  Charles 
Edwards  Lester,  was  born  in  Detroit,  September  30,  1863.  Mr.  Larned  received  his 
early  education  in  Patterson's  School,  entering  the  public  schools  from  there,  and 
remaining  three  years  in  the  Detroit  High  School.  Ill  health  compelled  the  cessation 
of  studies  for  some  time,  and  he  then  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his 
father,  from  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  December,  1885.  He  entered  in- 
to partnership  with  his  father,  and  continued  the  partnership  until  1891,  when  he 
took  an  active  part  in  real  estate  speculation.  Up  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Larned 
has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  but  principally  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  personal  real  estate  and  business  ventures.  On  March  30,  1893,  Mr. 
Larned  married  Lillie  E.,  daughter  of  Clark  J.  Whitney,  of  Detroit,  Mich. 

Lau,  George  H.,  D.  D.  S.,  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Catherine  (Hollinger)  Lau,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  York  county,  near  Abbottstown,  Pa.,  December  1,  1866.  Until 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  worked  on  the  home  farm,  attending  district  school  in  the 
winter  months.  In  1881  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  New  Oxford,  Pa.,  where  he 
attended  school  for  fourteen  months,  and  after  passing  a  rigid  examination  taught 
for  one  term  in  the  schools  of  Adams  county.  From  1883  to  1885  he  canvassed  for 
books  and  made  considerable  money.  In  the  latter  year  he  took  up  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  and  after  becoming  expert  on  hand  work  was  offered  a  position  with  the 
Hanover  (Pa.)  Shoe  Company,  and  served  that  company  until  1893  as  foreman  of 
their  cutting  department.  In  1893  Mr.  Lau  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  entered 
the  dental  department  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  being  graduated  D.  D.  S. 
in  June,  1896.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  and 
with  success  at  Detroit. 

135 


Lee,  John,  jr.,  M.  D.,  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Doran)  Lee,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  February  13,  1869.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School  and  in  1887 
entered  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1890  with 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  Directly  following  his  graduation  he  was  made  surgeon-in- 
charge  of  the  down  town  branch  of  Harper  Hospital  at  Detroit,  retaining  that  posi- 
tion until  June,  1891.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  assistant  to  Dr.  Edmund  A. 
Chapoton  of  Detroit,  also  enjoying  a  growing  private  practice.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  and  of  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Asso- 
ciation. Dr.  Lee  was  for  three  years  lecturer  on  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the 
Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  and  is  now  lecturer  on  electrotherapeutics  and  clinical 
assistant  to  the  chair  of  medicine  in  that  institution. 

Lightner,  Clarence  A.,  was  born  in  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  January  34,  1862,  a  son  of 
Rev.  Milton  C.  Lightner,  who  settled  in  Detroit  in  1863.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Detroit  public  schools  and  later  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1883  with 
the  degree  of  B.  A.  He  at  once  returned  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  office  of  Hon. 
Alfred  Russell,  where  he  remained  until  the  following  year.  In  1886  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  and  practiced  his  profession  alone  until  1890,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  James  T.  Keena,  which  partnership  still  exists.  Since  1893  Mr. 
Lightner  has  been  lecturer  on  medical  jurisprudence  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medi- 
cine. In  1892  he  married  Frances  B.  McGraw  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Theodore. 

Little,  Charles  H.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Maria  Little,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
March  14,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  the  private  school  con- 
ducted by  William  D.  Cochran.  In  1856  he  was  employed  by  F.  B.  Sibley,  dealer  in 
building  material  and  remained  as  an  employee  for  ten  years,  when  he  secured  an 
interest  in  the  business,  the  firm  taking  the  name  of  F.  B.  Sibley  &  Co.  In  the  year 
1887  Mr.  Little  retired  from  the  concern.  During  October  of  the  same  year  he  pur- 
chased his  old  business  and  has  retained  it  since.  During  the  war  he  was  enrolled 
in  the  State  militia,  but  was  not  called  on  for  service.  He  is  a  member  of  Michigan 
Sovereign  Consistory  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  now  president  and  treasurer  of 
the  C.  H.  Little  Co.,  and  also  president  and  trea,surer  of  the  Ray  Chemical  Co.,  all 
of  Detroit.  In  1869  he  married  Fannie  Wise  of  Mt.  Clemens,  and  they  have  three 
children:  Ida  M.,  Lillia  J.  and  Clara  M. 

McAlpine,  William  W.,  son  of  Samuel  F.  and  Mary  (Whitman)  McAlpine,  was  born 
in  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  February  22,  1853.  Mr.  McAlpine  received  his  primary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Batavia,  which  he  attended  until  1867,  when  he  removed  with 
his  mother  to  Midland,  Mich.  The  following  two  years  he  was  employed  in  a  shingle 
mill  and  in  the  fall  of  1870  removed  to  East  Saginaw  where  he  was  placed  in  a  pri- 
vate school,  remaining  until  1871,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  C.  E.  &  G.  Will 
Ball,  bankers,  of  that  city.  He  remained  but  a  short  time  in  this  place,  resigning  to 
accept  a  situation  in  the  office  of  the  county  treasurer.  In  1875  he  was  appointed 
deputy  county  treasurer  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to 
Detroit  and  entered  the  employ  of  Snedicor  &  Hathaway,  manufacturers  of  boots 
and  shoes.  From  1880  until  1888  he  was  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman,  next 
promoted  to  the  position  of  buyer  and  later  became  a  partner  in  the  business.     In 

136 


1892  he  severed  his  connection  with  his  former  employers  and  established  with  others 
the  busmess  of  the  McAlpine  Shoe  Company  at  Highland  Park,  and  was  made  treas- 
urer and  manager,  filling  this  position  until  1894.  In  1896,  with  B.  H.  Edwards  and 
others,  he  established  the  Detroit  Furnace  &  Heater  Company,  of  which  he  is  at 
present  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Edwards  president.  He  is  a  member  of 
Damascus  Commandery ;  Moslem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine ;  Union  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M. ;  King  Cyrus  Chapter,  and  the  Michigan  Commercial  Travelers'  Associ- 
ation. Mr.  McAlpine  was  married,  September  6,  1888,  to  Miss  Mary  B.  McDougall 
of  Niagara- county,  N.  Y.  They  have  a  family  of  four  children,  Lois  C. ,  Wilbur  S., 
Roy  and  Ruth  McAlpine. 

McDonald,  Charles  S.,  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Maria  (Duncan)  McDonald,  was 
born  in  Macomb  county,  Mich.  ;  was  graduated  from  the  Ann  Arbor  (Mich.)  High 
School  in  1871,  and  spent  the  following  two  years  in  the  literary  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan.  In  1875  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he  was  a  student  in 
Goettingen  University  under  the  preceptorship  of  the  famous  professors,  Soetheer, 
R.  von  Jhering  and  Lotze.  His  studies  were  chiefly  in  civil  law,  history  and 
political  economy.  In  October,  1877,  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  from 
1880  to  1882  was  a  student  in  the  Boston  (Mass.)  libraries.  Mr.  McDonald  located  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  m  1886  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  of  law  continuously  in 
that  city,  and  has  won  for  himself  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar  and  the  high 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi  Upsilon  fraternity  and  of 
the  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club;  Detroit  and  Michigan  Clubs.  He 
possesses  one  of  the  finest  private  libraries  in  Detroit,  which  numbers  among  its 
volumes  many  invaluable  works.     Mr.  McDonald  is  unmarried. 

McKay,  James  B.,  son  of  James  and  Mary  McClellan  McKay,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Limavady,  County  of  Londonderry,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  June  9,  1848,  and 
comes  of  good  old  Scotch-Irish  stock.  As  a  boy  he  was  educated  in  the  Londonderry 
private  schools,  Temple  Moyle  Seminary  and  Foyle  College,  Londonderry,  where  he 
passed  his  examinations,  winning  several  prizes.  In  the  spring  of  1868  he  emigrated 
to  America,  coming  at  once  to  friends  near  Detroit,  which  city  has  ever  since  been 
his  home.  For  several  years  he  was  engaged  m  mercantile  pursuits  and  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years  has  been  one  of  Detroit's  most  energetic  and  successful  business 
men.  For  a  long  period  he  has  given  his  undivided  attention  to  real  estate  matters 
and  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  judges  of  property  values  in  Detroit.  He 
began  by  purchasing  real  estate  in  and  about  the  city  of  Detroit  on  his  own  account 
and  his  dealings  have  been  both  extensive  and  successful.  Mr.  McKay  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  director  in  the 
Dime  Savings  Bank,  a  trustee  of  Westminster  Presbyterian  church,  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Club,  the  Old  Club,  the  Bankers'  Club,  Fellowcraft  Club,  and  belongs  to 
several  other  shooting  clubs  through  the  State,  as  he  is  extremely  fond  of  outdoor 
sports  and  in  the  shooting  season  devotes  a  good  portion  of  his  time  in  the  field.  In 
politics-he  is  a  staunch  RepublicBn  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Esttmates  of 
the  city  of  Detroit,  having  been  elected  thereto  for  four  consecutive  terms.  Mr.  Mc- 
Kay was  married  early  in  life  to  Miss  Matilda  Wilson,  an  old  schoolmate  of  his. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Mary  Isabella. 

McVicar,  John,  commissioner  of  Public  Works  of  Detroit,  came  of  Highland  Scotch 

137 


stock  and  is  fifty  four  years  old.  He  was  educated  in  the  Canadian  common  schools, 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1860.  and  was  finishing  an  apprenticeship  to  the  print- 
er's trade  in  the  city  of  New  York  when  the  war  broke  out.  To  the  call  for  three 
month's  troops,  early  in  1861,  he  responded  by  signing  the  roll  of  the  12th  New  York 
Militia,  whose  ranks  had  been  ordered  recruited  to  the  maximum,  to  leave  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday  morning  for  Washington.  When  the  captain  of  the  company  whose 
roll  he  had  signed  called  his  men  together  that  Sunday  morning,  he  found  nearly 
six  times  as  many  as  he  required,  and  tossing  from  his  hat  a  number  of  rosettes, 
announced  that  each  man  who  got  one  could  go,  but  the  others  would  have  to  wait 
until  later.  The  scramble  that  followed  proved  a  regular  rough-and-tumble  row, 
in  which  young  McVicar  and  a  printer  chum  named  Mcintosh  were  both  too  slight 
to  capture  one  of  the  coveted  rosettes.  When  the  men  were  drawn  up  in  line  in  the 
street  below,  the  two  j'oung  typos  fell  in  with  the  rest  to  receive  canteens,  blankets, 
and  haversacks;  but  as  they  had  no  rosette  the  distributors  of  these  articles  hustled 
them  out  with  the  announcement  that  they  would  have  to  wait  till  next  week — which 
call  never  came.  Later,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  while  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Jeff- 
erson County  Union,  at  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  he  enlisted  in  the  Ira  Harris  Guards  (5th 
and  6th  N.  Y.  Cavalry),  and  while  his  discharge  is  from  the  5th  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  he 
was  for  several  months  with  the  6th,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Veteran  Association  of 
the  last  named  regiment.  Returning  from  the  army  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  he  worked 
as  a  journeyman  on  the  Rochester  Evening  Express.  After  a  few  months  he  went 
to  Chicago  and  worked  on  the  Post;  also  for  a  short  time  on  the  Peoria  (111.)  Mail, 
again  in  Chicago,  and  thence  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1864,  which  has  ever 
since  been  his  home,  although  employed  for  a  few  months  in  the  Michigan  State 
printing  office,  during  the  session  of  1871,  as  a  compositor  and  proof-reader,  and  in 
a  similar  capacity  for  a  brief  period  early  in  1872  on  the  New  York  World  and  Roch- 
ester (N.  Y.)  Democrat  and  Chronicle.  In  Detroit  he  was  employed  at  book,  job  and 
newspaper  work  m  various  offices  as  a  journeyman  for  a  year  or  more,  as  foreman 
of  the  Commercial  Advertiser  five  years,  as  .proof-reader  for  nearly  another  year, 
and  in  1872  became  editor  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  conducting  it  as  a  family 
and  general  newspaper  successfully  for  six  years,  its  circulation  increasing  from  24,- 
000  to  41,000  during  that  time.  He  then  resigned  and  joined  the  staff  of  the  Detroit 
Evening  News,  within  three  months  becoming  its  managing  editor,  remaining  as 
such  for  ten  years,  where  he  gave  eminently  satisfactory  service.  Owing  to  a  dis- 
agreement with  the  directors  in  1888,  Mr.  McVicar  resigned  from  the  News,  refusing 
to  remain  at  increased  salary.  He  went  on  the  paper  when  its  circulation  was  about 
17,000  and  left  it  with  over  40,000  daily  circulation — unprecedented  in  Deti'oit.  About 
the  time  he  quit  the  News  the  State  printer,  Mr.  D.  D.  Thorp,  was  in  search  of  a 
manager  for  the  State  printing  house  and  Lansing  Republican.  He  sought  John 
McVicar,  who  looked  the  ground  over  and  took  hold  of  the  work  in  December,  1888. 
The  newspaper  was  raised  in  tone  and  given  new  life,  and  as  soon  as  the  Republicans 
of  Lansing  began  to  see  the  change  for  the  better  subscribers  increased,  as  did  also 
advertising  patronage  at  better  rates ;  and  when  the  office  was  on  a  good  paying 
basis  Mr.  McVicar,  in  1890,  resigned  against  the  earnest  protest  of  Mr.  Thorp,  but 
not  until  he  had  reconstructed  the  business  satisfactorily  to  that  gentleman.  Mr. 
McVicar  then  decided  to  take  a  much-needed  rest,  and  Hazen  S.  Pingree  having 
been  elected  mayor  of  Detroit,  Mr.  McVicar  spent  his  recreation  taking  notes  of  the 

138 


progress,  or  attempts  at  progress,  being  made.  Finally  Mr.  Thorp,  for  whom  he 
had  so  successfully  managed  the  State  printing  office,  and  who  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  Mr.  Pingree,  recommended  the  latter  the  get  McVicar  into  his  official  family. 
The  public  works  department  needed  thorough  overhauling  and  the  most  necessary 
point  was  deemed  to  be  through  the  secretaryship.  As  a  result  Mr.  McVicar  was 
appointed  secretary  of  public  works,  September  1,  1890,  and  on  June  30,  1891,  pub- 
lished his  first  report  for  the  board.  The  press  took  it  up,  pronounced  it  "fearless," 
and  commended  its  comments  and  recommendations.  A  vacancy  occurred  on  the 
board  by  the  resignation  of  one  of  the  three  members,  and  Mayor  Pingree  nominated 
John  McVicar  as  commissioner,  he  entering  upon  his  duties  September  1,  1891. 
Bringing  thereto  the  same  energy  of  purpose,  honesty  and  force  of  character  hither- 
to exhibited  as  secretary,  he  took  the  lead  on  the  board,  the  other  two  members 
supporting  his  every  move  and  choosing  him  president  in  January  following  at  the 
annual  meeting.  For  years  Mayor  Pingree  relied  upon  him  as  upon  few  others  for 
the  putting  into  effect  of  the  refoi-ms  he  was  advocating.  His  term  expired  in  Jan- 
uary, 1898,  and  he  has  since  gone  into  contracting.  Mr.  McVicar's  record  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Typographical  Union  is  an  exceptionally  good  one.  Within  three  years 
after  his  settling  in  Detroit  he  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  session  of  the  National 
Typographical  Union  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  1867,  and  did  good  service.  He  was 
again  elected  delegate  from  Detroit  to  the  ses.sion  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1869,  and  has 
been  otherwise  honored  in  that  connection,  being  chosen  president  of  the  Inter 
national  body  at  Philadelphia  in  1876.  Mr.  McVicar  is  the  author  of  a  book  entitled 
"  Origin  and  Progress  of  the  Typographical  Union,"  published  in  January,  1892. 
It  is  a  historical  resume  of  the  organization  from  its  beginning  in  1850  to  the  close  of 
1891,  and  the  only  work  of  the  kind  ever  published.  Mr.  McVicar  is  a  man  of  kindly 
disposition,  but  firm  of  purpose;  a  good  business  man,  whose  decisions  are  prompt 
and  guided  by  strict  ideas  of  right;  a  man  who  can  say  "no"  when  he  means  "no," 
though  ever  open  to  conviction  when  shown  to  be  wrong;  and  withal,  a  man  of  un- 
swerving integrity,  whose  honesty  has  never  been  impugned. 

Marr,  Maurice  R.,  son  of  Maurice  and  Jane  (Diack)  Marr,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  December  27,  1860.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  Detroit  public  schools 
and  he  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1880.  Ambitious  to  become  a  busi- 
ness man,  at  the  age  of  ten  years  Mr.  Marr  left  school  much  against  the  wishes  of 
his  parents  and  for  three  years  engaged  as  parcel  and  office  boy  in  the  dry  goods 
establishment  of  Campbell,  Linn  &  Co.  at  Detroit,  where  he  gained  his  first  practical 
experience.  Following  his  graduation  from  the  High  School  in  1880,  he  received 
private  instruction  in  bookkeeping  and  general  business  methods  and  for  thirteen 
years  he  acted  as  bookkeeper  and  office  manager  for  the  firm  of  James  Lowrie  & 
Sons,  dry  goods  merchants.  On  July  8,  1893,  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  George  Taylor,  he  purchased  the  stock  and  good  will  of  his  employers,  and  un- 
der the  style  of  Marr  &  Taylor  established  their  present  well  known  business  as  im- 
porters and  retailers  of  staple  and  fancy  dry  goods.  Since  July  1,  1895,  Mr.  Marr  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education,  his  term  of  office  expiring  on  the 
corresponding  date  of  1899.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alger  Republican  Club ;  of  the 
order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  K.  P. ;  K.  M. ;  and  numerous  other  social  and 
fraternal  organizations.     He  is  a  public  spirited  citizen,  a  business  man  of  fine  ability 

139 


and  enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem  of  all  who  have  business  or  other  dealings  with 
him.  May  21,  1884,  Mr.  Marr  married  Phoebe  E.  Shelley  of  New  York  city,  and 
they  have  a  family  of  four  children;  Louise  E.,  Helen  G.,  Maurice  S.  and  Evelyn  G. 

Molony,  Hon.  John  B.,  collector  of  customs  for  the  port  of  Detroit,  was  born  at 
Belvidere,  111.,  August  20,  1849,  a  son  of  the  late  William  P.  Molony,  who  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  John  B.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  at  Ann 
Arbor  University  and  at  Bishop's  College  at  Lenoxville,  Ontario,  Can.  In  18R5  he 
settled  m  Detroit,  Mich.,  but  later  took  up  farming  near  Belvidere,  111.  In  1871  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Backus  Bros.,  lumbermen  of  Detroit,  remaining  with  them 
until  1875.  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  Superior  Court,  later  becom- 
ing clerk  of  that  court.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  colector  of  internal  revenue  for 
the  Eastern  district  of  Michigan,  and  in  1891  was  made  controller  of  the  city  of  De- 
troit; having  resigned  to  engage  in  the  real  estate  business,  he  was  appointed  col- 
lector of  customs  of  the  port  of  Detroit  by  President  Cleveland  in  1893.  Mr.  Molony 
.served  for  four  years  with  great  distinction  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  city  com- 
mittee of  Detroit,  also  as  chairman  of  the  First  District  Congressional  Committee. 
During  the  ten  years  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  party  he  did  not  lose  a  campaign. 
When  he  assumed  the  former  office  the  city  was  controlled  by  the  Republicans,  but 
during  his  chairmanship  and  largely  through  his  instrumentality,  the  political  aspect 
of  the  municipality  was  radically  changed,  the  Democratic  party  gaining  control  in 
all  branches  of  the  government.  Mr.  Molony  was  also  for  two  years  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  Central  Committee.  Upon  being  appointed  collector  of  internal 
revenue  he  resigned  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Cit}^  Committee,  naming  John  J. 
Enright  as  his  successor.  Mr.  Molony  is  a  member  of  Lake  St.  Clair  Fishing  and 
Shooting  Club;  the  Patriotic  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution;  and  Detroit  Lodge 
No.  34,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks;  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Knight 
of  Pythias.  He  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  residents  of  Detroit  for  the  integ- 
rity which  he  has  exhibited  in  all  his  undertakings. 

Navin,  Thomas  J.,  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  and  was  born  at  Adrian,  December, 
28,  1854.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town ;  at  St. 
Francis  Seminary,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  at  St.  John's  College,  Prairie  du  Chien, 
Wis.  For  two  years  he  was  a  fireman  for  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad  Company.  He 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Geddes  &  Miller  at  Adrian,  Mich.,  and  located  for  prac- 
tice in  that  town,  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1876.  In  1891  Mr.  Navin  opened 
an  office  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously.  In 
1895  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Patrick  J.  Sheahan,  ex-police  justice  of  Detroit. 
Mr.  Navin  is  a  member  of  the  B.P.O.  E.  and  of  K.  of  P.  of  Detroit.  He  married  Ida 
Gray  of  Sarnia,  Canada,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  one  of  whom  survives, 
Thomas  J.,  jr. 

Noah,  Hon.  Frank  A.,  son  of  Charles  and  Frances  (Beirle)  Noah,  w^as  born  at 
Rieneck  (province  of  Baden),  Germany,  December  3,  1841.  He  emigrated  with  his 
parents  to  America  in  1849,  settling  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  the  public 
and  parochial  schools.  He  later  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  Col- 
lege from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1865.  In  1871  he  was  appointed  as  clerk  of 
the  Police  Court  of  Detroit,  and  during  his  six  years'  service  in  that  positian  made  a 

140 


close  study  of  the  law.  In  the  spring  of  1877  he  entered  the  office  of  Hon.  John  G. 
Hawley,  where  he  remained  until  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year.  In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Detroit,  taking  his  seat  on 
January  1,  1879,  and  serving  in  that  body  until  January  1,  1881.  From  January  4, 
1893,  to  the  corresponding  date  in  the  following  year  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Estimates  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Noah  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  De- 
troit since  1877,  and  has  met  with  marked  success.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  City  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  and  has  been  a  director  of  that  institution  ever 
since.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Michigan  Club  for  five  years  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Yacht  Club.  In  1866  he  married  Christina  Schmitt,  a  native  of  Germany, 
and  they  had  nine  children,  four  of  whom  survive:  Charles  W.,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Hunt,  Roehrig  &  Noah,  one  of  the  leading  hardware  firms  of  Detroit; 
Frederick  G.,  who  is  bookkeeper  for  the  Detroit  Water  Commi.ssioners;  Clara  B.  and 
Edward  P. 

Osborn,  Francis  C,  son  of  Ozias  Osborn,  was  born  at  Bridgeport,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 
10,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  after  a  preparatory 
course  in  the  Cazenovia  (N.  Y.)  Seminary  he  entered  the  Syracu.se  (N.  Y.)  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1835.  During  the  ensuing  four 
years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Ginn  &  Co.  (text-book  publishers)  of  Boston.  Mass.. 
part  of  the  time  in  charge  of  their  Chicago  office  and  the  balance  of  the  time  as 
traveling  representative,  visiting  the  high  schools  and  colleges  throughout  Illinois, 
Indiana  and  Michigan.  In  1889  he  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  secured  the 
necessary  capital  to  perfect  his  invention  of  the  Osborn  Cash  Register,  which  has 
but  recently  been  placed  on  the  market,  and  which  has  already  won  for  him  an  en- 
viable reputation  as  an  inventor.  For  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  the  Osborn  reg- 
ister, a  stock  company  was  formed,  styled  the  Osborn  Cash  Register  Co.  (Limited),  of 
which  Mr.  Osborn  is  secretary.  In  1890  he  married  Laura  A.  Freele  of  Huntington, 
Ind.,  and  they  have  three  children:  Ruth,  Laura  A.  and  Francis  C,  jr. 

Oster,  Rev.  Joseph,  C.  S.  Sp.,  son  of  John  Oster  and  Mary  Acker,  was  born  in 
Berstheim,  Alsace,  France,  April  19,  1846.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
parochial  schools  of  Hochstett,  Alsace,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1851.  In  1860 
he  entered  the  college  of  St.  Hippolyte,  remaining  until  1862,  when  he  removed  to 
Langomet,  Brittany,  continuing  his  studies  at  the  college  of  Notre  Dame,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1866.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  the  seminary  of  Che- 
villy,  near  Paris,  where  he  completed  his  studies  in  philosophy  and  theology  in  1870. 
Rev.  Mr.  Oster  was  ordained  December  17,  1870,  and  assigned  as  teacher  of  French 
and  Latin  in  Black  Rock  College,  Dublin,  Ireland.  In  1874  he  was  transferred  to 
the  college  of  St.  Pierre  Miquelon,  and  in  1876  received  the  appointment  of  rector 
of  the  college,  which  position  he  held  until  1890,  at  which  time  he  was  appointed 
provincial  of  the  C.  S.  Sp.  for  the  United  States.  In  1897  he  was  assigned  to  the 
pastorate  of  St.  Joachim's  church,  Detroit,  where  he  is  still  retained. 

Partridge,  Levi  W.,  son  of  John  and  Harriet  (Wheeler)  Partridge,  was  born  in 
Pittsfield,  Mass.,  October  18,  1851;  is  a  descendant  of  the  old  Puritan  stock,  his  an- 
cestor having  settled  in  Hartford  in  the  year  1644;  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Col. 
Samuel  Partridge  of  Hatfield,  Mass.,  who  was  a  representative  of  the  Colonies  in 

141 


1685-86,  colonel  of  a  regiment,  judge  of  Probate  Court,  and  one  of  His  Majesty's 
Council;  and  after  the  death  of  Col.  Pynchon,  in  1703,  "was  the  most  important 
man  in  the  Province."  Mr.  Partridge  acquired  his  education  iu  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen.  After  a  short  clerk- 
ship in  a  general  store  at  Great  Harrington,  Mass.,  and  another  at  Lee,  Mass.,  he 
removed  to  New  York  city,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Bartlett,  Berry  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale dealers  in  dress  goods.  In  1871  he  accepted  a  position  with  Kellogg,  Hubbard 
&•  Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in  notions,  with  whom  he  remained  until  their  failure  in 
1872,  when  he  .secured  a  position  with  Adriance,  Robbins  &  Co.,  general  dry  goods. 
In  1873  he  entered  the  employ  of  Tefft,  Griswold  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  engaged  to  take  charge  of  the  carpet  depart- 
ment of  Metcalf  Bros.  &  Co.  On  the  formation  of  The  Metcalf  Bros.  Co.,  in  1884, 
Mr.  Partridge  was  elected  vice-president  and  retained  the  position  until  May  1,  1887, 
when  he  resigned  to  form  the  firm  of  Gamble  &  Partridge.  In  1893  he  engaged  in 
his  present  business,  dealing  in  real  estate  and  mining  properties,  in  which  he  has 
been  successful.  He  is  a  member  of  Damascus  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  a 
director  of  the  Michigan  Club  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  president  of  the 
Scramble  Gold  Mining  Company  of  Ontario,  Canada.  'May  27,  1885,  Mr.  Partridge 
married  Carrie  L.  Hinman  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Henry  H.,  James  G.  and  Edith  M. 

Patterson,  Edward  H. ,  son  of  Hamilton  E.  and  Susan  (Martin)  Patterson,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  1,  1848.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Detroit,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  the  employ  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleve- 
land Steamboat  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  for  seventeen  years.  He  went  in  as 
an  assistant  clerk  and  resigned  from  the  service  of  that  company  in  1882,  having 
risen  to  the  position  of  chief  clerk,  to  engage  in  the  undertaking  and  embalming 
business.  He  has  built  up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  business.  In  1892  he  was 
elected  alderman  of  the  Fourth  ward  and  his  record  in  the  Council  was  of  such  a 
high  character  that  he  was  elected  for  three  consecutive  terms  with  ever  increasing 
majorities.  Mr.  Pattenson  is  a  member  of  both  York  and  Scottish  Rite  Masons;  the 
Shrine;  Elks;  Knights  of  Pythias;  Knights  of  Khorassin ;  Michigan  Republican 
Club;  Alger  Republican  Club,  and  many  fraternal  insurance  societies.  In  1871  he 
married  Jane  A.  Linn  of  Detroit.  They  have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  sur- 
vive: Helen  L.  and  Susan  F. 

Peck,  Edward  T.,  son  of  Levi  and  Harriett  (Farnum)  Peck,  was  born  in  Girard, 
Erie  county.  Pa.,  October  3,  1839.  At  the  age  of  four  he  removed  with  his  parents 
to  MottviUe,  Mich.  His  father  was  a  Methodist  minister  and  farmer,  and  Mr.  Peck 
assisted  his  father  with  his  farm  work,  except  three  months  of  each  year,  when  he 
attended  the  district  school.  In  1856  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  became  an  apprentice  to  ship  carpentering.  Mr.  Peck  completed  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  1872,  although  he  was  in  the  mean  time  connected  with  the 
Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  for  two  years.  In  1872  he  organized  the  company  of 
Quelos  &  Peck,  ship  builders  at  Black  River,  Ohio  (now  Lorain),  and  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  the  same  year.  In  1879  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  ac- 
cept the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Clark  Dry  Dock  Co.  of  Detroit,  and  served 
that  concern  sixteen  years.     In  1895  he  was  engaged  as  superintendent  by  the  De- 

142 


troit  Dry  Dock  Co.,  and  retains  that  position  at  present.  Aside  from  these  duties  he 
is  the  largest  owner  and  general  manager  of  the  Vulcan  Transportation  Co.,  which 
owns  and  controls  four  large  vessels.  Mr.  Peck  was  married  in  1866,  his  wife  dying 
in  1876,  leaving  two  sons,  Lewis  M.  and  William  L.  In  1879  he  married  Sarah  M. 
Wadsworth  of  Berea,  Ohio,  and  they  have  two  children:  Sarah  S.  and  Theadore  W. 

Pitkin,  Caleb  S.,  son  of  Elnathan  and  Lucy  (Seymour)  Pitkin,  born  January  13, 
1854,  in  Ypsilanti,  Mich.  Mr.  Pitkin's  early  education  was  acquired  at  the  Ypsilanti 
Seminary,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  twelve.  In  1866  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Ypsilanti  Commercial,  with  which  he  was  connected  as  priatgr  and  fore- 
man until  1872,  when  he  associated  himself  with  Orville  E.  Hoyt,  leasing  the  prop- 
erty, which  they  conducted  for  some  time  thereafter.  In  March,  1880,  he  removed 
to  Detroit  and  was  connected  with  different  printing  firms  and  daily  papers  of  the 
city  until  1894,  when  he  was  appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  construction  department 
of  the  city  water  works.  Mr.  Pitkin  remained  in  this  position  until  July  1,  1897,  when 
he  was  appointed  to  his  present  ofhce,  that  of  chief  clerk  of  the  supervisor's  office. 
Board  of  Education.  In  1893  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
for  a  term  of  four  years.  During  the  first  three  years  of  his  term  he  held  the  chair- 
manship of  the  building  committee,  serving  in  this  capacity  while  the  Central  High 
School  was  being  erected.  In  1896  he  was  unanimously  elected  to  the  presidency  of 
the  board.  Mr.  Pitkin  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  the 
Maccabees.  He  was  married  July  7,  1874,  to  Lucy  T.,  daughter  of  John  Boughton 
of  East  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.  They  have  three  children:  Walter  B.,  Grace  and  Edith  I. 
Pitkin. 

Pitts,  Alvah  Crenelle,  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Shiawassee  county,  Mich.,  February 
8,  1863.  His  grandfathers,  Moses  Pitts  and  John  S.  Crenelle,  were  among  the  very 
early  settlers  of  Michigan,  the  former  having  migrated  from  Vermont,  and  the  latter 
from  New  York.  Moses  Pitts  was  of  English  descent,  belonging  to  the  same  family 
as  James  Pitts,  a  Boston  merchant,  prominent  there  during  the  opening  scenes  of 
the  war  of  Independence.  The  Crenelle  family  is  of  French  origin.  Mr.  Pitts's 
father  was  a  farmer  and  also  postmaster  at  Pittsburg  from  the  time  of  Lincoln  until 
1885.  Alvah  G.  Pitts's  education  began  in  the  most  unpretentious  of  Michigan  country 
schools  and  from  this  school  he  was  admitted  directly  to  the  High  School  at  Owosso, 
at  the  age  of  eleven.  From  this  he  was  graduated  in  1879,  having  been  kept  at 
home  one  year  in  the  mean  time  by  his  parents,  who  feared  he  was  devoting  him- 
self too  closely  to  books.  For  the  same  reason  they  did  not  allow  him  to  enter  col- 
lege for  two  years  after  leaving  the  High  School.  During  this  interval  he  taught  in 
country  schools.  He  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  and  was  graduated  in  1885  with  the  degree  of  B.A.  He  devoted  his  time 
at  the  university  especially  to  languages  and  was  also  prominent  in  college  journal- 
ism. In  the  fall  of  1885  he  came  to  Detroit,  began  at  once  the  study  of  law  and  in 
January,  1887,  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  which  profession  he  has  since  followed.  In 
1894  he  married  Katharine  M.  Newell.  Mr.  Pitts  has  never  taken  any  part  in  poli- 
tics, but  has  been  active  in  fraternal  circles,  particularly  in  Free  Masonry  and  in  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  of  which  latter  order  he  was  grand  regent  of  Michigan  in  1897. 

Prall,  William,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Paterson,  N.  J.,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1853. 

143 


He  is  the  third  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Edwin  T.  Prall,  sometime  mayor  of  Paterson, 
and  colonel  of  the  Second  Regiment,  Passaic  Brigade,  and  Rachael  Moore  Thomson, 
his  wife.  He  comes  of  Dutch  stock,  being  a  descendant  of  Arendt  Prall,  who  settled 
in  Staten  Island  in  1G60.  He  was  educated  as  a  boy  at  Edwards  Place  School, 
Stockbrldge.  Mass..  and  afterward  at  the  University  of  Heidelberg,  Germany,  from 
which  institution  he  received  the  degrees  of  Master  of  Arts,  and  Doctor  of  Philoso- 
phy in  1873.  Subsequently  he  matriculated  at  Columbia  University,  New  York  city, 
from  which  institution  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.B.,  in  1875.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  New  York  bar,  but  afterward  took  up  his  residence  in  his  native  city  and  was 
admitted  as  attorney  and  counselor  at  law  to  the  bar  of  New  Jersey.  Almost  im- 
mediately he  secured  a  practice,  and  was  engaged  in  some  of  the  most  important 
cases  that  ever  came  before  the  bar  of  the  State,  among  others  the  celebrated  labor 
case,  of  the  State  v.s.  Joseph  P.  McDonnell,  et  al.,  editors  of  the  "  Labor  Standard." 
In  1881  Dr.  Prall  married  Lillian  Porter,  daughter  of  the  late  Thaddeus  Clapp,  esq., 
of  Pittsfield,  Mass.  Mrs.  Prall  died  in  1884.  In  1883  Dr.  Prall  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  of  New  Jersey  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  took  a  leading  part  in  what 
was  called  the  "  Railway  Taxation  Issue,"  having  charge  of  the  tax  bills.  Chancel- 
lor Runyon  appointed  him  an  especial  master  in  chancery,  which  office  he  now  holds. 
He  drafted  and  secured  the  enactment  of  the  Free  Public  Library  Law,  under  which 
all  the  free  public  libraries  of  New  Jersey  have  been  established.  Subsequently  he 
became  the  first  president  of  the  Free  Public  Library  of  Paterson,  and  did  much  to 
make  that  institution  fulfill  the  requirements  of  his  community.  For  personal  rea- 
sons Dr.  Prall  determined  to  give  up  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  to  study  for  Holy 
Orders  in  the  Episcopal  church.  He  became  a  .student  in  the  De  Lancey  Divinity 
School,  Geneva,  N.Y.,  and  at  the  same  time  was  instructor  in  Hobart  College.  In  1886 
he  was  ad.r.itted  to  the  diaconate,  and  in  1887  to  the  priesthood,  by  the  Bishop  of  New- 
ark. His  first  cure  was  as  assistant  in  St.  Paul's  parish,  Albany,  N.  Y.  He  then 
became  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  South  Orange,  N.  J.,  and  in 
1891  was  called  from  there  to  St.  John's  church,  Detroit,  Mich.,  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  prominent  parishes  in  the  United  States.  Dr.  Prall  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Convention  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  1892,  and  again  in  1895.  In  1894  he 
was  a  delegate  of  the  Convention  to  the  Synod  of  the  Church  of  England  in  Canada. 
Dr.  Prall  is  a  preacher  of  civic  righteousness,  and  his  utterances  in  Detroit  have 
done  much  to  formulate  a  social  conscience.  In  1895  he  published  a  volume  of 
sermms  on  "  Civic  Christianity."  In  1892  Hobart  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  S.T.D.  In  1897  he  married  Helen  Ames,  daughter  of  the  late  Hon. 
George  V.  N.  Lothrop  of  Detroit.  Dr.  Prall  is  a  member  of  the  Holland,  the 
Huguenot  and  St.  Nicholas  Societies  of  New  York,  also  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars,  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and  Kappa  Alpha. 

Rayl,  Thomas  B.,  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Somerville)  Rayl,  was  born  in  Woos- 
ter,  Ohio,  January  26,  1838.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  then  entered  the  hardware  business  with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  identi- 
fied. In  1865  he  formed  a  partnership  with  M.  R.  Donnelly  and  as  Donnelly  &  Rayl 
they  conducted  a  large  business  at  Wooster,  with  a  branch  store  at  Salem,  Ohio. 
In  1871  Mr.  Rayl  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  business  at  Wooster  and  removed  to 
Detroit,  Mich.     Later  on  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Dudley  W.  Smith  and 

144 


under  the  style  of  T.  B.  Rayl  &  Co.  they  purchased  the  stock  and  good  will  of  Arthur 
Glover  and  established  the  business  which  has  since  passed  under  the  control  of  a 
stock  company  known  as  the  T.  B.  Rayl  &  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Rayl  is  president.  He 
is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason;  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor;  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Detroit  and  of  the  Rushmere  Club.  In  1864  he  married  Amelia 
A.  Davis,  who  died  in  1894,  and  in  1896  he  married  Mrs.  Jennie  Fisher  of  Detroit. 

Raymond,  Alonzo  C,  son  of  Alonzo  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Wyman)  Raymond,  was 
born  in  Parma,  Monroe  county,  N.  Y.,  May  16,  1847.  From  Parma  Mr.  Raymond 
went  to  Brockport  and  entered  upon  a  preparatory  course  of  .study  at  the  Brockport 
Collegiate  Institution.  In  1865  he  attended  the  Rochester  University,  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  from  there  in  1869.  Mr.  Raymond  then  returned  to  Brock- 
port and  remained  there  until  1874,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  embarked 
in  the  grain  and  commission  business.  In  1888  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  shortly  after.  His  first  work  was  before  the  Interstate  Com- 
merce Commission,  and  in  that  particular  line  he  has  attained  a  gratifying  rejjuta- 
tion.  Then  he  was  retained  to  represent  the  interests  of  various  railroads.  In  fact, 
his  legal  career  has  dealt  wholly  with  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  and  rail- 
road matters.  Before  leaving  Brockport,  in  1874,  Mr.  Raymond  married  Ida  M. 
Graves,  and  they  have  five  children:  Helen  G.,  Alonzo  H.,  George  C,  Edwin  P.  and 
Jack  K. 

Raymond,  Charles  L. ,  son  of  Francis  Raymond,  jr.,  a  manufacturer  of  and  whole- 
sale dealer  in  cigars,  now  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  23, 
1872.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
entered  the  employ  of  Roehm  &  Son  (jewelers)  to  learn  the  business.  In  1891  he  be- 
came connected  with  P.  G.  Smith's  Sons  &  Co.,  in  the  same  line  of  business  and  re- 
mained with  that  firm  as  a  clerk  until  1894.  In  that  year  he  accepted  the  position  of 
special  agent  for  the  State  of  Michigan  for  the  Fidelity  &  Casualty  Co.,  of  New  York 
(casualty  insurance),  and  one  year  later  resigned  that  position  to  become  resident 
agent  at  Detroit  for  the  same  company.  In  December,  1897,  he  was  appointed  gen- 
eral agent  at  Detroit  for  Southern  Michigan  of  the  London  Guarantee  &  Accident 
Co.  Ltd.,  of  London,  Eng.  In  November,  1894,  he  married  Jennie  E.  Pratt  of 
Detroit. 

Reilly,  William  E. ,  son  of  Alexander  M.  and  Jane  (Beattie)  Reilly,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  October  10,  1858.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Detroit  High  School  in  1876.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  College,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  in  the  insurance  office  of  James  A. 
Jones.  In  1880  he  became  cashier  and  bookkeeper  for  Black  &  Owen,  wholesale 
hardware  dealers  at  Detroit,  and  remained  with  that  firm  until  1882,  when  he  was 
made  assistant  general  bookkeeper  of  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  National 
Bank  of  Detroit.  In  1883  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  general  bookkeeper 
and  in  1887  again  promoted  to  the  position  of  assistant  cashier,  which  he  retained 
until  1894.  In  that  year  the  M.  &  M.  Bank  consolidated  with  the  Preston  National 
Bank  of  Detroit  and  Mr.  Reilly  resigned  his  position  and  entered  the  note  brokerage 
business  as  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Reilly  &  Noble.  In  July,  1897,  he  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position   as  cashier  of  the  Detroit  River  Savings  Bank,  in 

145 


which  he  is  a  stockholder.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bankers'  Club  of  Detroit,  and 
Detroit  Boat  and  Athletic  Clubs.  He  attends  the  First  Congregational  church  and 
politically  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Reilly  was  married  in  April,  1887,  to  Carolyn  L. 
Bigelow  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  three  children:  Raymond  W.,  Elliot  H.  and 
Leila  E. 

Robinson,  William  E.,  son  of  Loami  and  Isabelle  E.  (Edmunds)  Robinson,  was 
born  in  Washtenaw  county,  Mich.,  September  14,  1845.  He  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  later  attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti, 
(Mich.)  During  the  early  winter  months  of  1864  and  1865  he  taught  in  the  Michigan 
public  schools,  and  from  186G  till  the  autumn  of  1870  he  taught  in  the  Central  Union 
School  at  Ann  Arbor.  For  the  next  five  years  Mr.  Robinson  was  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  and  in  1875  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  served  as  principal  of  the 
Bishop  School  for  eleven  years.  In  August,  1^86,  he  was  chosen  as  superintendent 
of  the  Detroit  public  schools,  and  ably  discharged  the  duties  of  that  responsible  posi  • 
tion  for  another  period  of  eleven  years,  his  term  of  office  expiring  in  July,  1897.  It 
is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  for  fifty  years  prior  to  July,  1897,  some  member  of  Mr.  Rob- 
inson's immediate  family  has  been  identified  in  some  capacity  with  the  Detroit  public 
schools.  Mr.  Robinson  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member 
of  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  King  Cyrus  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  ;  Monroe  Council, 
R.  &  S.  M.  ;  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  past  commander  of  the  Detroit  Com- 
manderyNo.  1,  K.  T;  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  ;  and  Royal  Or- 
der of  Scotland.  He  has  been  married  twice,  first  in  1867  to  Belle  Kellogg  of  Ypsi- 
lanti, Mich.,  who  died  in  1882,  leaving  a  son,  Oscar  L.  ;  and  his  second  marriage  was 
in  1884  to  Minnie  P.  Thorne  of  Detroit,  who  has  borne  him  a  son,  Loren  T. 

Scripps,  James  E.— About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a  Scripps  rebuilt 
the  famous  dome  and  lantern  of  the  Ely  Cathedral.  One  of  his  sons  emigrated  to 
America  m  1791  and  settled  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.  A  son  of  the  latter  who  re- 
mained in  England  published  the  London  Daily  Sun  and  the  Literary  Gazette,  the 
latter  the  pioneer  publication  of  its  class  in  England.  A  son  of  his  was  a  bookbinder 
in  London,  and  was  the  father  of  James  Edmund  Scripps,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  bookbinder  came  to  America  with  his  family  in  1844,  landing  in  Boston  after 
six  weeks  on  the  sea  in  a  sailing  vessel.  After  a  long  and  laborious  journey  by  the 
Erie  Canal,  the  great  lakes,  by  wagon  and  by  river,  the  family  finally  reached  their 
de;,stination  in  southern  Illinois  in  midsummer,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Rushville, 
in  Schuyler  county.  The  hard  conditions  of  pioneer  life  afforded  young  Scripps  but 
little  opportunity  to  add  to  the  infant  school  education  he  had  received  in  England. 
The  first  year  in  Illinois,  the  tenth  of  his  life,  was  spent  entirely  in  hard  labor. 
After  that  until  he  was  fifteen  he  shared  the  meagre  advantages  of  a  winter  school, 
while  continuing  the  work  during  the  summer.  In  spite  of  the  wretchedness  of  these 
opportunities,  he  was  studious  enough  to  have  prepared  himself  for  college,  which, 
however,  the  limited  means  of  his  father  did  not  permit  him.  to  attend.  At  fifteen 
he  was  compelled  to  take  up  a  man's  work  on  his  father's  farm,  and  to  finish  his  own 
education  by  solitary  study  in  the  brief  intervals  of  leisure  which  the  hard  circum- 
stances of  western  life  at  that  time  afforded  him.  That  he  made  some  progress  was 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  was  chosen  to  teach  a  local  school  before  he  was  a  man 
in  years.     This  occupied  two  winters,  while  he  continued  his  labor  on  the  farm  in  the 

146 


summer.  Early  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  made  his  way  to  Chicago, 
took  a  course  in  a  business  college,  kept  books  for  a  lumbering  firm  for  a  few  months 
and  then  secured  employment  as  a  collector,  proof-reader  and  general  utility  man 
on  the  Chicago  Tribune,  thus  making  his  advent  in  the  profession  in  which  he  has 
since  attained  so  extraordinary  a  success.  His  industry  and  capacity  soon  secured 
for  him  promotion  to  the  post  of  commercial  reporter  and  marine  editor,  but  the  hard, 
times  of  the  panic  of  that  period  compelled  a  reduction  of  the  staff,  and  he  came  to 
Detroit  the  following  year  and  became  commercial  editor  of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  to 
the  duties  of  which  position  he  soon  added  those  of  news  editor.  At  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  in  1861  he  resigned  to  enlist  in  the  army,  but  a 
tempting  offer  of  a  partnership  in  the  business  mduced  him  to  return  to  the  Adver- 
tiser. In  the  following  year,  1863,  he  brought  about  the  consolidation  of  the  two 
Republican  papers  of  Detroit,  the  Advertiser,  which  was  a  morning  paper,  and  the 
Tribune,  which  was  published  in  the  afternoon ;  became  business  manager  of  the 
united  enterprise  and  shortly  afterwards,  managing  editor.  From  that  time  forward 
the  business,  which  had  previously  languished,  became  highly  successful  and  con- 
tinued through  the  war  to  pay  very  substantial  dividends  The  establishment  of  a 
rival  paper,  the  Daily  Post,  in  1866,  by  Senator  Chandler  and  other  Republican  leaders 
who  were  dissatisfied  with  the  political  tone  of  the  Tribune  and  Advertiser,  but 
slightly  affected  the  success  of  the  latter,  but  the  rivalry  in  course  of  time  brought 
about  internal  differences  in  the  management  of  the  older  paper,  and  Mr.  Scripps, 
in  February,  1875,  severed  his  connection,  sold  a  part  of  his  stock  and  prepared  for 
the  establishment  of  a  newspaper  on  a  new  line,  without  partners  to  interfere  with 
the  management  and  without  party  ties  to  embarrass  its  political  conduct.  On 
August  23  of  that  year  the  first  issue  of  the  Evening  News  was  emitted  from  the 
presses  of  the  Free  Press  on  the  corner  of  Woodbridge  and  Griswold  streets,  Such 
thorough  preparation  had  been  made  that  over  10,000  copies  were  printed  for  actual 
subscribers,  but  the  limited  press  facilities  at  command,  although  the  best  in  Detroit 
at  the  time,  required  the  whole  afternoon  to  print  the  edition  and  scarcely  more  than 
half  the  subscribers  got  their  paper.  From  sheer  mechanical  inability  to  supply  the 
demand  the  circulation  fell  off  during  the  first  few  months  to  less  than  half  the  orig- 
inal number,  while  the  most  energetic  preparations  were  being  made  to  install  more 
modern  machinery  in  a  building  which  was  bought  on  Shelby  street  opposite  the 
office  of  the  Daily  Post.  With  installation  of  the  new  plant  by  the  following  spring, 
the  circulation  quickly  advanced  again  to  the  original  figure,  which  at  the  time  was 
quite  double  the  total  circulation  of  all  the  other  daily  papers  of  Detroit.  Within 
six  months  of  the  issue  of  the  first  number  the  business  of  the  Evening  News  was  on 
a  paying  basis  and  in  one  year  it  was  the  leading  daily  paper  of  Detroit  in  profits 
and  influence  as  well  as  in  circulation.  In  1880  its  bona  fide  daily  paid  circulation  of 
30,000,  was,  according  to  the  Federal  census  of  the  year,  a  full  half  of  the  total 
daily  circulation  of  all  the  daily  papers  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  a  position  of  su- 
premacy in  its  own  province  never  before  or  since  relatively  equaled  by  anj'  of  the 
great  papers  on  the  planet.  From  the  daj^  Mr.  Scripps  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Advertiser  and  Tribune  the  business  of  that  concern  began  to  languish  and  be- 
fore long  was  in  as  bad  a  condition  as  that  of  its  rival,  the  Post.  The  two  were 
ultimately  consolidated,  passed  through  various  ownerships,  each  more  disastrous 
than  its  predecessors,  until  finally  in  1891  the  whole  property  was  sold  to  the  Even- 

147 


ing  News  Association,  and  has  since  been  condncted  in  business  and  political  har- 
mony with  the  Evening  News  with  satisfactory  success.  The  extraordinary  success 
of  the  Evening  News  encouraged  similar  enterprise  elsewhere.  In  1878  a  paper 
called  the  Press  was  established  on  the  same  model  in  Cleveland ;  1880  saw  another 
started  in  St.  Louis  called  the  Chronicle ;  1881  witnessed  the  purchase  and  re-organ- 
ization of  the  Post  in  Cincinnati,  which  had  been  struggling  in  incompetent  hands, 
and  in  later  years  the  Scripps  family  of  da.ly  papers  received  additions  in  Covington 
and  Chicago.  All  these  were  manned  in  chief  by  persons  trained  on  the  staff  of  the 
Detroit  Evening  News  under  Mr.  Scripps's  direction,  and  are  now  all  flourishing  and 
influential  journals  in  their  respective  fields,  with  a  combined  circulation  that  runs 
into  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  readers  who  number  at  least  two  millions.  In 
politics  Mr.  Scripps  was  an  original  Republican,  having  cast  his  first  vote  for  Fre- 
mont in  1856,  and  adhered  loyally  to  that  party  until  he  was  compelled  to  part  from 
it  on  the  question  of  the  coinage  of  1896.  He  has,  however,  never  permitted  his  per- 
sonal party  allegiance  to  sway  the  political  conduct  of  the  many  daily  journals  he 
has  owned  and  controlled  since  he  severed  his  connection  with  party  journalism  in 
1873.  He  has  regarded  each  as  a  separate  and  distinct  legitimate  business  enter- 
prise to  be  conducted  and  controlled  according  to  the  circumstances  of  its  own  en- 
vironment, and  to  be  bound  by  no  allegiance  except  that  it  owed  the  best  interests 
of  the  community  it  served,  the  general  public  interested  as  indicated  by  the  broad- 
est patriotism  and  the  most  fearless  truth-telling.  It  is  to  these  principles,  adhered 
to  through  good  and  evil  report  that  his  newspapers  owe  the  great  public  confidence 
they  enjoy,  and  to  that  confidence,  combined  with  the  most  careful  business  manage- 
ment, that  he  owes  his  extraordmary  success.  Failing  health,  in  1886,  which  happily 
has  since  been  entirely  recovered  by  rest  and  recreation,  compelled  Mr.  Scripps  to 
retire  from  active  work.  He  had  made  two  trips  to  Europe,  respectively  in  1864  and 
1881,  and  has  combined  his  observations  in  an  interesting  volume  entitled  "Five 
Months  Abroad."  He  now  crossed  the  ocean  again  to  renew  the  impressions  and 
studies  of  those  earlier  voyages  and  remained  on  the  other  side,  visiting  all  points  of 
interest  on  the  Continent  and  in  the  British  Islands,  during  1887,  1888  and  part  of 
1889.  During  this  period  and  since  his  return,  however,  he  never  entirely  relaxed 
his  literary  activity.  Besides  preparing  and  publishing  a  volume  of  family  records, 
called  "  Scripps  Memorials,"  he  has  been  a  constant  voluntary,  almost  weekly,  con- 
tributor to  the  Evening  News  or  Tribune,  and  has  also  written  and  published  several 
pamphlets,  mostly  on  economic  subjects.  But  his  activities  have  not  been  confined 
to  journalism,  the  arduous  business  management  of  it,  and  to  literarj^  labor  aside 
from  it.  Conceiving  the  project  of  an  art  museum  for  this  city  in  1883,  he  was  the 
first  substantial  contributor  of  cash  to  its  foundation,  became  one  of  the  original 
forty  incorporators,  served  actively  on  the  board  of  trustees  for  twelve  years,  and 
occupied  the  office  of  president  of  the  institution  for  two  years.  Besides  his  cash 
contributions  he  collected  and  donated  to  the  museum  about  seventy  pictures,  exam- 
ples of  the  old  masters,  which  formed  the  nucleus  for  the  fine  collection  which  is  now 
one  of  the  noblest  educational  influences  in  Detroit.  He  has  been  an  indefatigable 
collector  of  paintings  of  a  high  order,  of  rare  prints  and  books,  and  especially  of 
works  and  plates  illustrative  of  architecture,  of  the  Gothic  school  of  which  he  is  pas- 
sionately fond  and  with  which  he  has  acquired  a  considerable  expert  familiarity.  It 
was  this  fondness  for  the  Gothic  which  impelled  him  when  he  had  resolved  to  build  a 

148 


church  for  the  congregation  with  whom  he  worshiped,  that  of  Trinity  Episcopal 
parish,  to  devote  nearly  three  years,  1890-1893,  to  a  personal  supervision  of  the  con- 
struction. The  result,  at  a  personal  cost  to  himself  of  about  $70,000,  is,  although 
somwhat  of  a  miniature,  one  of  the  purest  examples  of  Gothic  styles  in  the  United 
States.  He  also  served  for  some  years  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Dime  Sav- 
ings Bank,  which  was  one  of  his  few  business  investments  outside  of  the  newspaper 
business  and  real  estate,  and  he  was  also  for  three  years  a  park  commissioner  of  this 
city.  These  activities  filled  a  large  portion  of  the  period  after  his  retirement.  An 
ordinary  man  would  hardly  call  it  a  period  of  rest.  Nurtured  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  a  child  he  found  himself  associated  with  his  family  in  the  Presbyterian  com- 
munion in  Illinois,  where  no  Episcopal  society  existed,  but  drifted  naturally  back  to 
the  faith  of  his  childhood  in  later  years,  when  Bishop  Cheney  of  Chicago  founded 
the  Reform  Episcopal  Church.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of  Trinity  church 
near  his  house,  later  built  the  present  Gothic  church  for  the  congregation  and  fol- 
lowed the  congregation  when  it  subsequently  transferred  its  allegiance  to  the  regular 
Protestant  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Scripps's  domestic  life  has  been  a  singularly 
happy  one.  Married  in  1862  to  Miss  Harriet  J.  Messinger  of  Detroit,  the  union  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children  of  whom  four  survive.  Restored  to  health  and  vigor, 
but  having  little  taste  for  the  amusements  which  occupy  and  interest  most  men,  he 
now  spends  his  well  earned  leisure  in  the  domestic  circle,  in  the  delights  of  his  well 
chosen  and  expensive  library,  or  in  adding  to  his  splendid  collection  of  pictures,  rare 
old  books  and  prints,  while  still  manifesting  his  interest  in  the  grasp  of  current 
events  by  an  occasional  article  or  pamphlet  on  leading  topics  of  public  concern". 
Such  a  life  needs  no  commentary.     It  supplies  its  own. 

Shook,  Major  Edgar  H.,  was  born  April  17,  1840,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
River,  in  Lower  Red  Hook,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  emanating  from  the  original 
Dutch  stock  of  that  section.  At  the  age  of  three  years  he  was  taken  to  Michigan  by 
his  parents,  who  settled  at  Mt.  Clemens,  Macomb  county.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  town  and  at  Detroit.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade,  but  did 
not  continue  at  it.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  interested  with  his  father  in  the 
erection  of  lighthouses  for  the  U.  S.  government,  and  in  operating  a  large  saw  mill 
near  New  Baltimore,  Mich.  From  1858  to  1861  he  was  postmaster  at  Mt.  Clemens. 
He  was  filling  the  position  of  orderly  sergeant  in  the  Mt.  Clemens  Rifle  Guard  when, 
on  June  19,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  military  service;  he  was  mustered 
in  as  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  B,  5th  Michigan  Infantry,  at  Fort  Wayne,  Mich.,  on 
August  13,  1861,  and  started  with  his  regiment  for  the  front  on  September  11,  1861. 
On  June  22,  1862,  he  was  mustered  as  captain  of  Co.  E,  same  regiment,  and  as  major 
of  the  regiment  on  February  22,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  on  July 
5,  1865,  at  the  close  of  the  war.  But  few  officers  of  his  grade  served  in  as  many  and 
as  responsible  positions  during  the  Civil  war  as  did  Major  Shook.  A  brief  summary 
of  the  duties  he  performed  during  his  term  of  service  is  all  that  can  be  given  here ; 
but  they  are  sufficient  to  evidence  his  ability,  patriotism  and  ti-ustworthiness  as  an 
officer.  In  October,  1861,  he  was  m  Richardson's  Brigade  of  Heintzelman's  Division, 
Army  of  the  Potomac;  in  May,  1862,  in  the  Bd  Brigade,  3d  Division,  3d  Corps;  and 
from  May,  1864,  to  the  close  of  the  war.  in  the  2d  Brigade,  3d  Division,  2d  Corps. 
During  December,  1861,  he  was  in  the  camp  of  "  Signal  Instruction"  at  Georgetown, 

149 


D.  C.  He  was  in  command  of  a  detailed  fatigue  force  of  one  hundred  men  in  the 
rifle  pits  in  front  of  Yorktown,  on  May  5,  1862,  at  daybreak,  and  was  the  first  officer 
to  discover  that  the  Confederate  forces  had  evacuated  their  works.  In  June,  18(52, 
he  was  assistant  adjutant-general  on  the  staff  of  General  Berry,  3d  Brigade,  1st 
Division,  3d  Corps.  By  special  order  of  General  Kearney,  a  few  days  before  Gen- 
eral McClellan's  noted  seven  daj's'  retreat  on  the  Peninsula,  he  was  detailed  to  take 
charge  of  one  hundred  picked  men,  detailed  from  four  different  Michigan  regiments, 
to  reestablish  a  portion  of  the  picket  line  captured  by  the  enemy,  which  resulted  in 
a  twenty  minutes'  determmed  and  decisive  struggle,  and  the  capture  of  the  same. 
While  the  army  was  moving  up  the  Peninsula  he  sat  on  four  "  drum-head  courts 
martial."  He  was  in  command  of  the  left  wing  of  his  regiment  and  a  section  of  ar- 
tillery as  rear  guard  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  while  in  the  retreat  from  the  Penin- 
sula in  August,  1863;  and  also  commanded  the  left  wing  of  his  regiment  at  the 
vSecond  Bull  Run  Battle  on  August  28,  1862.  During  the  second  day's  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  May  6,  1864,  he  was  in  command  of  the  regiment,  owing  to  the  major, 
colonel  and  four  line  officers  of  the  regiment  being  wounded  the  day  before.  During 
the  winter  of  1864-65  he  was  detailed  by  .special  order  to  command  the  brigade 
picket  lines.  While  at  home  on  veteran  furlough,  February  1,  1864,  he  was  detailed 
by  General  Heintzelman  on  court  martial  duty  for  six  weeks  in  the  city  of  Detroit; 
the  court  tried  and  sentenced  thirty-five  prisoners,  four  to  be  shot  for  desertion. 
He  was  assistant  inspector-general,  2d  Brigade,  3d  Division,  2d  Corps,  from  Novem- 
ber 17,  1864,  to  February  21,  1865.  He  was  temporarily  in  command  of  the  brigade 
during  the  battle  of  Dabney's  Mills,  owingto  the  general  commanding  being  crippled 
in  the  first  round  from  the  enemy,  Major  Shook  being  at  the  time  brigade  inspector 
on  the  staff.  He  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  head  at  the  battle  of  Mine  Run, 
November  29,  1863;  a  severe  wound,  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864, 
in  the  right  shoulder,  by  a  minnie  ball  striking  one  inch  below  the  shoulder  joint, 
cracking  the  same  and  fearfully  gouging  the  main  bone  of  the  arm.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Boydtown  Road,  Va.,  October  27,  1864,  and  escaped  the 
same  day.  He  was  knocked  down  by  an  exploding  shell  while  in  a  charge  with  his 
regiment  at  the  battle  of  Sailor's  Creek,  April  6,  1865,  bruising  his  left  side,  the  con- 
cussion from  the  same  causing  the  blood  to  flow  from  his  ears  and  nose.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Pohick  Church,  Siege  of  Yorktown  (April  4  to  May  4,  1862), 
Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Peach  Orchard,  Glendale,  Malvern  Hill,  Gainesville, 
Second  Bull  Run,  Groveton,  Chantilly,  Fredericksburg,  Burnside's  Stick-in-the-mud, 
Kelly's  Ford,  Locust  Grove,  Mine  Run,  Wilderness  (May  5  and  6,  1864),  before 
Petersburg  (July  10  to  22,  1864),  Weldon  Railroad,  Deep  Bottom  (July  27  and  28. 
1864),  Mine  Explosion,  Strawberry  Plains  (August  14  to  17,  1864).  Reams  Station, 
Poplar  Spring  Church,  Boydtown  Road  (October  27,  1864),  Fort  Sedgwick,  Hatcher's 
Run,  White  Oak  Road,  Boydtown  Road  (April  2,  1865),  siegeof  Petersburg  (June  17, 
1864,  to  April  3,  1865),  Sailor's  Creek,  New  Store,  Farmville  and  Glover  Hill,  and  at 
the  surrender  of  Lee's  army,  April  9,  1865;  actually  participating  in  thirty-one  heavy 
engagements.  Of  the  thirty  eight  officers,  Col.  John  Pulford  and  Major  E.  H.  Shook 
were  the  only  original  officers  of  the  5th  Michigan  Infantry  who  returned  with  the 
regiment.  Pulford  was  first  lieutenant  of  Co.  A,  and  Shook  first  lieutenant  of  Co. 
B,  when  the  regiment  left  the  State.  The  National  Tribune  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
has  referred  to  this  fact  and  asked  for  a  similar  case  in  the  two  thousand  regiments 

150 


or  more  in  the  Union  service,  but  none  could  be  found.  Out  of  more  than  two 
thousand  regiments  in  the  Union  army,  the  5th  Michigan  Infantry  stands  fourth  in 
number  of  officers  and  men  actually  killed  in  battle.  Returning  to  Michigan  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  Major  Shook  located  permanently  at  Detroit  where,  during  the 
ensuing  five  years,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  Since  1870  he  has  been  con- 
tinuously identified  with  the  Detroit  Paper  Co.,  with  the  exception  of  five  years, 
when  he  was  in  charge  of  the  supply  division  of  the  Post-office  Department  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  one  year  as  a  partner  of  William  C.  Jupp,  paper  jobbers  at  De- 
troit. Major  Shook  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  U.  S. ;  Fairbanks  Post,  G.  A.  R.  ;  and  of  the  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons.  He  was  appointed  by  the  postmaster-general,  November  9,  1897, 
as  United  States  agent  and  inspector  of  postal  cards,  agency  located  at  Piedmont, 
W.  Va.  Major  Shook  was  married  while  on  veteran  furlough  in  1863,  to  Mary  E, 
Woodward,  of  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Mira,  wife  of  William 
Gore  of  Toronto,  Ont,  and  Mabel. 

Sloraan,  Adolph. — One  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  the  Detroit  bar  is  Adolph  Slo- 
man,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Sloman  &  Groesbeck.  Mr.  Sloman  was  born 
in  Detroit  September  13,  1859,  and,  after  attending  its  public  schools,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  T.  A.  Parker,  wholesale  grocer,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years, 
during  which  time  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a  practical  business  education.  He  then 
took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  offices  of  the  late  Robert  P.  Toms,  City  Counselor 
De  Witt  C.  Holbrook,  and  the  firm  of  Brennan  &  Donnelly,  after  which  he  entered 
the  law  department  of  the  Ann  Arbor  University,  graduating  therefrom  before  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  twenty  years.  The  statutes  of  Michigan  required  an  appli- 
cant for  admission  to  the  bar  to  be  twenty-one  years  of  age,  but  Judge  Thomas  C. 
Cooley,  then  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  dean  of  the  Law  Faculty,  to 
whom  this  matter,  was  referred,  held  that  Mr.  Sloman's  efficiency  warranted  his 
being  admitted.  Mr.  Sloman  then  struck  out  boldly  for  himself,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  his  vigorous,  active  and  capable  qualities  wei'e  appreciated,  and  he  soon  suc- 
ceeded to  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  While  adopting  commercial  law,  Mr.  Slo- 
man believes  an  attorney  should  be  fitted  for  any  emergency,  and  about  a  year  ago 
defended  Emil  Defauw  against  a  charge  of  the  murder  of  Mrs.  Seifferlein.  The  trial 
occupied  a  week  in  the  Wayne  Circuit  Court,  and  secured  his  acquittal  at  the  hands 
of  a  jury  against  an  overwhelmingly  unfavorable  sentiment.  Mr.  Sloman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Michigan  State  and  Detroit  Bar  Associations,  Michigan  Club,  Royal 
Arcanum,  Knights  of  Honor,  Ancient  Order  United  Workmen,  Congregation  Beth 
El,  and  president  of  its  Sunday  school  board ;  and  although  he  has  been  urged  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  circuit  judge,  he  has  thus  far  refused  to  enter  politics,  and  has 
never  sought  political  preferment.  In  1881  he  married  Miss  Lottie  L.  Teichner, 
and  with  his  family  of  six  children  now  occupies  a  beautiful  home  at  451  Fourth  ave- 
nue. In  addition  to  his  legal  profession,  Mr.  Sloman  is  vice-president  of  the  Detroit 
Alaska  Knitting  Co.,  and  also  a  member  of  the  wholesale  grocery  firm  of  S.  A.  Slo- 
man &  Co. 

Sloman,  Eugene  H.,  son  of  Mark  and  Amelia  (Schlesinger)  Sloman,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  June  8,  1866.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School  of 
Detroit  and  entered  the    Bryant  &  Stratton   Business  College,  from  which  he  was 

151 


called  before  graduating  to  enter  the  service  of  his  brothers.  Morris  and  S.  A.  Slo- 
man,  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  saddlery  and  leather  goods  and  purchase  of 
hides,  wool,  etc.,  at  Fremont,  Neb.,  and  later  assumed  charge  of  their  Chicago 
trade.  He  returned  to  Detroit  in  1886  and  since  then  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  and  bond  brokerage  business  with  success.  In  the  fall  of  1893  Mr. 
Sloman,  with  others,  organized  the  St.  Clair  Heights  Syndicate,  controlling  a  tract 
of  160  acres  of  land,  which  they  subdivded  into  what  is  known  as  the  "St.  Clair 
Heights  Subdivision,"  which  adjoins  Detroit's  eastern  city  limits.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  State  and  Citizens'  Savings  Banks  of  Detroit  and  otherwise  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  Mr.  Sloman  holds  honors  in  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.  In  August,  1890,  he  married 
Pauline  Higer  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Irene  E.  and  Russell  R. 

Smith,  Edgar  B.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Charles  F.  and  Easter  Ann  (Moran)  Smith,  was 
born  in  Prince  Edward  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  June  29,  1861.  After  a  public 
school  training  he  took  the  elective  course  in  the  Albert  College  and  University  at 
Belleville,  Ontario,  being  a  student  in  that  institution  during  the  sessions  of  1882-83. 
He  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  in  1884 
and  continued  his  studies  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  after  the  amalgamation 
of  those  institutions,  being  graduated  M.  D.  in  1887.  He  at  once  located  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  has  practiced  continuously  in  that  city  since,  building  up  for  himself  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation ;  Pan-American  Medical  Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Association; 
Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association;  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Society;  and  of 
the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors and  has  been  its  president  for  two  terms  and  also  its  vice-president  and  secre- 
tary. He  is  also  an  honorary  member  of  the  Southwestern  Kentucky  Medical 
Association.  Dr.  Smith  was  for  one  year  assistant  to  the  chair  of  minor  surgery  in 
the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  and  later  tilled  that  chair  as  profes- 
sor for  two  years.  He  was  also  for  two  years  lecturer  in  the  department  of  dental 
surgery  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  has  been  the  Michigan  correspondent 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  Journal  published  in  Chicago  for  the  last  three 
years.  The  doctor  is  chairmain  of  the  section  on  surgery  and  ophthamology  of  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society.  He  is  local  surgeon  to  the  Detroit,  Lima  &  North- 
ern Railroad.  May  1,  1884,  Dr.  Smith  married  Margaret  H.,  daughter  of  Cornelius 
Thompson  of  Prince  Edward  county,  Ontario,  and  they  have  three  children:  Minona 
B.,  Sprague  and  Charles  J.     Lillie  Sprague  was  accidently  killed  March  2,  1898. 

Smith,  Jesse  Merrick,  son  of  Henry  and  Lucinda  (Salsbury)  Smith,  was  born  in 
Newark,  Ohio,  October  30,  1848.  In  1862  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  received  his  preliminary  education  under  the  instruction  of  the  late 
Philo  M.  Patterson.  He  afterward  attended  the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute  at 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  for  three  years,  then  went  to  Paris,  France,  where  he  entered  the  Cen- 
tral School  of  Arts  and  Manufactures  and  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1872  as  a 
mechanical  engineer.  He  also  attended  the  Berlin  (Germany)  Polytechnic  Institute, 
being  a  student  there  during  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  From  Paris,  in  1872,  Mr. 
Smith  traveled  through  England,  carefully  studying  and  noting  the  manufacturing 
industries,  and  upon  his  return  to  the  United  States  and  Detroit,  in  November,  1873, 

152 


he  at  once  established  himself  as  a  mechanical  engineer.  During  the  years  1874  to 
1880  inclusive  he  had  charge  of  designing  and  erecting  blast  furnaces  and  coal  mines 
in  the  Hocking  Valley  coal  region  of  Ohio.  Since  1880  he  has  practiced  his  profes- 
sion as  consultmg  engineer  continuously  at  Detroit,  and  has  been  eminently  success- 
ful. He  is  an  expert  in  patent  causes  and  is  constantly  engaged  in  giving  testimony 
before  the  United  States  courts.  Mr.  Smith  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  & 
Conant,  consulting  mechanical  and  electrical  engineers,  his  partner  being  Mr.  Will- 
iam S.  Conant,  an  expert  in  electrical  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  of  which  he  has  been  vice-president;  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers;  Society  of  Civil  Engineers  of  France;  Detroit 
Engineering  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  president;  and  Detroit  Club.  In  1879  he 
married  Ella  A.  Moore  of  Newark,  Ohio. 

Standart,  Robert  W.,  one  of  Detroit's  thoroughly  representative  businessmen,  is 
a  son  of  the  Empire  State,  having  been  born  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  June  12,  1846.  His 
parents  were  Henry  W.  and  Anne  (Gardner)  Standart.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Auburn  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  A  year  later  he  re- 
moved to  Detroit,  whither  his  father  and  elder  brothers,  George  and  Joseph  G.,  had 
preceded  him,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  present  business,  which  has  always 
been  known  as  that  of  Standart  Brothers,  wholesale  dealers  in  hardware.  Since  1873 
Mr.  Standart  has  had  an  active  interest  in  the  business,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  spent  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.  The  present  firm  is  composed  of  the  two  brothers, 
Joseph  G.  and  Robert  W.,  and  their  establishment,  located  at  Nos.  80,  83,  and  84 
Jefferson  avenue,  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important  of  its  kind  in  the  State  of 
Michigan.  In  1876  Mr.  Standart  married  Harriet  C.  Hyde  of  Brookline,  Mass..  and 
they  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  William  E.  and  Robert  W. ,  jr. 
Though  intensely  devoted  to  his  business,  Mr.  Standart,  unlike  many  men  who  are 
closely  wrapped  up  in  their  vocations,  is  one  of  the  most  companionable  and  agree- 
able men.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  devel- 
opment of  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  city  of  Detroit  and  his  name  and  that  of 
his  firm  is  known  far  and  wide.  He  is  a  broad-minded  man  of  the  strictest  integrity 
and  rightly  deserves  a  place  among  the  landmarks  of  modern  Detroit. 

Stearns,  Frederick  Kimball,  son  of  Frederick  and  Eliza  (Kimball)  Stearns,  was 
born  in  Butfalo,  N.  Y.,  December  6.  1854.  He  received  his  primary  education  in 
Patterson's  School  at  Detroit,  and  later  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  in  the 
class  of  1877.  He  entered  the  Frederick  Stearns  &  Company  in  the  capacity  of  sec- 
retary and  treasurer,  and  on  the  retirement  of  hissfather  m  1887  succeeded  him  as 
president  of  the  company.  During  the  twenty-two  years  in  which  Mr.  Stearns  has 
been  actively  connected  with  this  establishment  he  has  done  much  toward  placing 
his  firm  among  the  leading  houses  of  the  world  in  its  respective  line.  Mr.  Stearns  is 
a  public  spirited  citizen  and  takes  part  in  all  the  affairs  of  public  interest  and  is  a 
liberal  giyer  to  all  charities.  He  was  president  of  the  famous  Detroit  Baseball 
Club  in  1887,  when  it  won  the  national  championship,  and  is  an  ex-president  of  the 
Detroit  Musical  Society,  as  well  as  of  the  Detroit  Athletic  Club.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Athletic  Club  and  the  Country  Club.  October  16,  1878,  he 
married  Helen  E.  Sweet,  and  they  have  four  children:  Helen  Louise,  Frederick 
Sweet,  Marjory  and  Alan  Olcott.     Frederick  Stearns  was  born  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.. 

153 


in  1831.  He  is  of  the  Puritan  ancestry,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  Isaac  Stearns, 
who  with  Governor  Winthrop  and  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  and  other  colonists,  set- 
tled in  Watertown,  Mass.  A  portion  of  the  land,  once  the  property  of  his  ancestors, 
is  now  a  part  of  Mt.  Auburn  Cemetery.  On  the  maternal  side  he  is  descended  from 
Samuel  Chapin,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Springfield,  Mass.  The  boyhood  days 
of  Mr.  Stearns  were  spent  as  a  student  in  the  schools  of  Lockport.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  became  apprenticed  to  the  drug  firm  of  Ballard  &  Green  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
where  he  served  three  years  and  later  attending  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  University 
of  Buffalo,  entered  the  employ  of  A.  I.  Matthews,  a  retail  druggist  of  Buffalo,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  1854,  servmg  in  various  capacities  and  the  last  three  years 
as  a  partner  in  the  business.  In  1853  Mr.  Stearns  married  Eliza  H.  Kimball  of  Men- 
don,  N.  Y.  In  the  latter  part  of  1854  he  decided  on  removing  to  Detroit  and  arrived 
in  Windsor,  January  1,  1855,  crossing  the  Detroit  River  on  the  ice.  In  April  of  that 
year,  in  connection  with  L.  E.  Higby,  he  opened  a  retail  drug  store  on  Jefferson 
avenue,  where  he  remained  until  1859  and  then  removed  to  the  Merrill  Block  and  in 
1863  to  the  corner  of  Woodward  avenue  and  Congress  street.  Mr.  Stearns  purchased 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Higby  and  in  addition  to  the  retail  business  began  the  manufac- 
ture of  pharmaceutical  preparations,  both  official  and  non-official.  In  1871  his  estab- 
lishment was  twice  destroyed  by  fire,  the  second  time  resulting  in  serious  loss;  the 
business  was  established  a  third  time  and  from  a  beginning,  where  the  entire  work- 
ing force  consisted  of  himself  and  one  girl  as  helper,  the  business  has  grown  until 
the  present  laboratory  covers  twenty-four  acres  of  floor  space  and  affords  employment 
to  over  500  persons.  In  1887,  after  forty  years  of  active  business  life,  Mr.  Stearns 
retired  from  the  management  of  the  business,  leaving  it  in  the  hands  of  his  sons, 
Frederick  K.  and  William  I.  L.,  and  the  younger  associates  who  have  been  with  him 
many  years.  Since  his  retirement  in  1887  and  indeed  during  several  years  prior  to 
that  time,  Mr  Stearns  had  devoted  his  leisure  to  extended  travels  in  many  parts  of 
the  world.  He  has  visited  not  only  every  State  in  the  Union  but  has  traveled  exten- 
sively in  Canada,  Mexico,  the  West  India  Islands  and  South  America.  He  has 
visited  all  the  countries  of  Enrope  except  Russia;  has  traveled  in  North  Africa  from 
Morocco  to  Egypt;  has  circumnavigated  the  world  twice,  spending  two  years  in 
Japan  and  several  months  each  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  China,  Malay,  India  and 
Egypt.  Mr.  Stearns  has  been  an  ardent  collector  of  objects  of  art  and  natural  his- 
tory prior  to  and  during  these  years  of  travel,  which  have  been  donated  to  the  De- 
troit Museum  of  Art  and  the  Detroit  Scientific  Society,  all  of  which  have  been  classi- 
fied, mounted,  labeled  and  cased  at  the  donors  expense.  Of  these  objects  there  are 
over  50,000.  Mr.  Stearns,  at  the  writing  of  this  paragraph,  enjoys  during  the  sum- 
mer the  quiet  of  his  home  in  Detroit  but  on  the  approach  of  winter,  journeys  to  some 
one  of  the  best  known  and  milder  winter  climates,  such  as  those  of  the  Bahamas, 
Madeira  or  Egypt. 

Steinbrecher,  Albert  H.,  M.  D.,  son  of  John  and  Maria  (Fuchs)  Steinbrecher,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  11,  1858.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Detroit  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  entered  the  drug  business,  to  which  he 
devoted  four  years  of  hard  work  and  study.  In  1878  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  and  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Detroit  Medical  College  in  1881.  Dur- 
ing his  entire  college  course  he  was  house  surgeon  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  Detroit. 

154 


Directly  following  his  graduation  Dr.  Steinbrecher  removed  to  St.  Ignace,  Mich., 
where  he  practiced  successfully  for  eight  years  and  for  that  entire  period  served  as 
county  physician;  health  officer  for  both  county  and  city;  local  surgeon  for  the  rail- 
roads passing  through  that  place;  a  member  of  the  U.  S.  Medical  Pension  Board, 
and  proprietor  of  the  St.  Ignace  Union  Hospital.  In  October,  1889,  he  went  to 
Europe  and  took  post-graduate  courses  in  the  universities  of  Berlin,  Vienna  and 
Munich,  returning  to  the  United  States  and  to  Detroit  in  April,  1891.  Since  that 
time  Dr.  Steinbrecher  has  been  an  active  and  successful  practitioner  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Detroit.  He  is  attending  physician  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  and  professor  of 
clinical  medicine  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical,  Detroit  Medical  and  Library,  and  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society; 
also  of  the  Detroit  German  Salesmen's  Association,  and  Harmonie  Society,  and  a 
member  of  Corinthian  l^odge,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  December,  1891,  Dr.  Steinbrecher 
married  Julia  E.  Henkel  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:  Elsa  L.  and  Albert 
Henkel. 

Stoneman,  Lewis  A.,  sou  of  William  and  Sarah  (Miller)  Stoneman,  was  born  in 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  September  7,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  later  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1894.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has 
become  well  and  favorably  known.  In  1896  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  Michigan  Legislature  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Boat  Club  and  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserves. 

Sullivan,  J.  Emmet,  was  born  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  November  29,  1863,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  C.  Sullivan,  who  settled  with  his  family  in  Detroit  in  1865,  and  who  is 
at  present  one  of  the  leading  cigar  manufacturers  of  that  city.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Detroit  and  later  entered  the  Detroit  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1884,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  then  entered  the 
law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1886.  During  the  following  three  years  he  studied  in  the  offices  of  Dickinson,  Thur- 
ber  &  Stevenson,  and  then  practiced  alone  until  1891,  at  which  time  he  formed  a 
partnership  (which  was  dissolved  in  the  fall  of  1897)  with  William  L.  Mason  and  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  the  autumn  of  1896 
Mr.  Sullivan  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  judge  of  Probate  Court  and  received  a 
very  flattering  vote,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Hon.  E.  O.  Durfee,  his  Republican  ad- 
versary, who  held  that  office  for  sixteen  years  prior  to  the  election  of  1896.  Mr.  Sul- 
livan is  considered  one  of  the  brilliant  young  attorneys  of  the  city  of  Detroit  and 
much  is  expected  of  him  in  the  future.  In  1897  he  helped  to  organize  the  Detroit, 
Ypsilanti  and  Ann  Arbor  Railway  Company,  a  suburban  road  equipped  with  elec- 
tricity and  at  the  present  writing  (May,  1898)  about  ready  to  operate.  He  has  acted 
as  the  attorney  of  this  corporation  and  was  instrumental  in  securing  franchises, 
right  of  way  and  effecting  consolidation  with  the  Ypsilanti  &  Ann  Arbor  Railway 
Co.  He  is  a  prominent  club  man,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Mohawk  Bi- 
metallic Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Chess  Club;  he  is  also  a  member  of 
numerous  fraternal  and  other  organizations.  Mr.  Sullivan  has  speculated  with  great 
success  in  real  estate  and  is  an  extensive  property  owner.     In  August,  1893,  he  mar- 

155 


rietl  Marie  Paradis  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children:    Adele  M.,  and  Gertrude 
Isabella. 

Swan,  Thomas,  son  of  George  and  Agnes  Swan,  was  born  in  St.  Andrews,  Fyfe- 
shire,  Scotland,  May  12,  1841.  When  six  years  old  his  parents  emigrated  to  America 
and  settled  at  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  where  young  Swan  attended  the  public 
schools.  His  parents  were  in  modest  circumstances  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  he  de- 
cided to  strike  out  for  himself.  His  experiences  during  the  ensuing  eighteen  or  nine- 
teen years  were  varied.  He  successively  served  as  office  boy  and  apprentice  with 
the  Leslie  Nursery  Co.  at  Toronto;  as  an  apprentice  in  the  harness  and  leather  goods 
trade  at  Toronto  for  four  years ;  as  messenger  for  the  Great  Western  Railroad  Co.  at 
Toronto  for  one  year;  as  news  agent  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  in  Canada  for 
nine  years ;  as  conductor,  brakeman  and  baggage  master  for  the  same  company  for 
four  years;  as  news  agent  on  the  Detroit  &  Milwaukee  Railroad  for  three  years;  and 
for  a  period  of  six  months  was  half  owner  in  a  large  Indian  traveling  company, 
which  toured  Canada  and  the  United  States.  In  the  autumn  of  1862  Mr.  Swan  lo- 
cated permanently  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  became  proprietor  of  a  small  restau- 
rant from  which  he  received  large  returns,  and  each  year  he  has  enlarged  his  estab- 
lishment until  to-day  he  is  at  the  head  of  the  largest  and  finest  restaurant  in  the 
State  of  Michigan.  His  success  has  been  almost  phenomenal  and  he  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights,  Royal  Guards,  B.P.O.E..  and  A.O.U.W.  of  Detroit.  In  1860  he  married 
Honor  M.  Canham  of  Toronto,  Ont. ,  and  they  have  had  eleven  children,  four  of 
whom  survive:  George  T.,  Irving  R.,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hubbell  and  Florence  D. 

Sweet,  George  H.,  D.  D.  S..  son  of  George  Sweet,  business  manager  of  the  Sanford 
Clothing  Manufacturing  Co.,  of  Hamilton,  Ont.,  was  born  in  Hamilton,  February  4, 
1873.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  collegiate  institute  of  his  native 
city,  and  matriculated  in  medicine,  in  1893,  in  the  Trinity  University  at  Toronto. 
In  the  same  year  he  successfully  passed  the  matriculation  examination  at  the  Royal 
College  of  Dental  Surgeons,  Toronto,  and  attended  the  lectures  and  clinics  of  this 
college  for  one  year.  Desiring  to  obtam  a  more  thorough  knowledge  in  operative 
work,  he  entered  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College,  under  the  immediate  tutorship  of 
.some  of  our  foremost  professors,  and  graduated  from  this  institution  in  March,  1896. 
Early  in  the  same  year  he  located  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced  contin- 
uously, with  well  deserved  success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  all 
the  colleges  in  which  he  has  been  a  student,  of  the  Michigan  State  and  local  Dental 
Societies,  and  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Dr.  Sweet  has  also  been  a  musical  student,  and 
has  held  the  position  of  organist  in  several  churches  in  his  native  city. 

Tappey,  Ernest  T.,  M.  D.,  sou  of  Leopold  C.  and  Ann  (Parrish)  Tappey,  was  born 
at  Petersburg,  Va.,  March  30,  1853.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
city  from  1864  to  1868,  and  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1873, 
with  the  degree  B.  A.,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  the  same  institution  in 
1876.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  1873  in  the  office  of  Dr.  D.  O.  Farraud  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  attended  one  course  of  lectures  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medi- 
cine. He  was  graduated  with  the  degree  M.  D.  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  at  New  York  city  in  1879,  and  continued  his  studies  during  1879  and  1880 

15G 


in  Berlin  and  Vienna.  For  two  months  during  1890  he  studied  under  Dr.  Tait  in 
Birmingham,  England,  and  was  with  Schede  in  Hamburg,  in  the  same  year.  vSince 
1880  Dr.  Tappey  has  been  an  active  practitioner  of  his  profession  at  Detroit,  has 
been  clinical  professor  of  surgery  since  1892  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  and 
surgeon  to  Harper  Hospital  since  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Gyna;cological  Society;  and 
Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association,  of  which  he  was  vice-president  in  1894. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Association  of  Gynaecologists  and  Obstetri- 
cians. Dr.  Tappey  is  chiefly  engaged  in  general  surgery,  including  gynecic  and  ab- 
dominal work.  He  has  performed  many  of  the  abdominal  operations,  such  as  re- 
moval of  ovaries,  opening  gall  bladder,  successful  end  to  end  suturing,  of  intestine 
after  resection,  and  in  1894  removed  by  lateral  perineal  section  a  bullet  from  the 
bladder.  He  has  also  been  successful  in  the  use  of  the  X-rays  and  has  recently  bj' 
their  aid  removed  a  coin  from  the  larynx  of  a  child.  He  has  invented  a  number  of 
.surgical  appliances  and  instruments,  including  a  needle  for  repairing  lacerated  cervix 
uteri.  In  1880  Dr.  Tappey  married  Pamela  W.  Waterman  of  Detroit,  Mich  ,  who 
died  in  1881,  leaving  him  two  daughters,  Ernestine  D.  and  Pamela  W.  In  1891  he 
married  Sally  H.  Lightner  of  Detroit. 

Thomas,  Mrs.  Emma  A.,  daughter  of  Delos  E.  and  Emily  H.  Rice,  was  born  No- 
vember 2,  1854,  in  Detroit,  Mich.  Her  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Detroit,  which  she  attended  until  the  age  of  eleven,  when  she  entered  the 
private  school  of  J.  M.  Sill,  remaining  until  1867.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  she  at- 
tended the  High  School,  and  was  graduated  in  1871.  From  early  childhood  she  re- 
ceived a  thorough  musical  training  under  C.  H.  Levering,  E.  S.  Mattoon  and  L.  A. 
Thomas,  her  late  husband.  She  was  united  in  marriage  December  30,  1872,  to  L.  A. 
Thomas,  of  Detroit,  who  died  in  1885.  She  has  two  surviving  children,  Jennie 
Louise  and  Louis  K.  Thomas,  the  eldest  child  having  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
In  order  to  fit  herself  for  supervisor  of  music  Mrs  Thomas  took  a  special  course  of 
training  under  noted  teachers,  prominent  among  them  being  the  late  Dr.  Luther 
Whiting  Mason,  of  Boston.  In  1888  she  established  the  Normal  Training  School  for 
Public  School  Music  Teachers  in  connection  with  the  Detroit  Conservatory  of  Music, 
and  in  the  management  of  which  she  is  assisted  by  her  daughter,  Jennie  Louise 
Thomas.  In  1897  she  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  National  Educational  Asso- 
ciation, Musical  Section,  and  in  1895,  chairman  of  the  Michigan  State  Teachers' 
Association,  Musical  Section,  and  re-elected  in  1896  and  1897.  Mrs.  Thomas  has 
charge  of  the  Public  School  Department  of  W.  S.  B.  Mathews's  publication,  "  Music," 
and  is  a  contributor  to  a  number  of  musical  works.  Her  work  is  national,  and  she  is 
very  widely  known  throughout  the  country,  having  representative  teachers  in  almost 
every  State  in  the  Union. 

Thompson,  William  B.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Bridget  (Barium)  Thompson,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  March  10,  1860.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  in 
1876  was  graduated  from  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  in  that  city.  He  be- 
gan his  business  career  as  clerk  in  the  meat  market  of  his  uncle,  Thomas  Barium, 
and  in  1880  was  given  an  interest  in  the  business.  In  1882  Mr.  Thompson  established 
his  present  stand  in  the  same  line  of  business,  and  has  enjoyed  prosperity  from  the 
start.     From  1890  to  1894  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Aldermen, 

157 


representing  the  Eighth  ward,  and  voluntarily  retired  in  1894.  In  1896  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  same  office  for  a  two  year  term.  In  the  fall  of  1897  he  was  nominated 
for  city  treasurer  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  proved  the  main  strength  of  the 
ticket,  being  elected  by  a  majority  nearly  double  that  of  any  other  candidate.  Mr. 
Thompson  is  domestic  in  his  tastes,  caring  little  for  club  life  or  society,  occupying 
most  of  his  leisure  time  with  the  pleasures  of  the  home  circle.  He  was  married  in 
1887  to  Nellie  Hymes,  of  Detroit,  who  has  borne  him  six  children:  Mary  E.,  Kath- 
leen, Irene,  William  G..  Francis  L. ,  and  Helen  M. 

Tibbals,  Frank  Burr,  M.  D.,  son  of  Henry  E.  and  Mary  B.  (Burr)  Tibbals,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  October  14,  1864,  and  a  few  years  later  re- 
moved to  Monroe,  Conn.,  where  his  boyhood  was  spent.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  at  Monroe,  and  later  the  Fairfield  Academy,  and  the  Hillhouse  High  School 
at  New  Haven,  Conn.  He  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department  of  Yale 
College  in  1888,  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  and  took  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the 
University  of  Michigan  in  1891.  In  the  same  year  he  located  in  Detroit,  where  he 
has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  and  successful!}',  associated  with  Dr. 
Donald  Maclean,  one  of  Michigan's  most  skillful  surgeons.  Dr.  Tibbals  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  ;  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association ;  De- 
troit Gynaecological  Societ}';  Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Academy  of 
Medicine;  and  Michigan  State  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  one  of  the 
vice-presidents.  He  is  junior  surgeon  to  Harper  Hospital,  assistant  surgeon-in-chief 
of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company,  Detroit  physician  to  the  Actor's  Fund 
of  New  York,  and  medical  examiner  for  the  American  Union  Life  and  United  States 
Life  Insurance  Companies  of  New  York;  the  Pacific  Mutual  of  San  Francisco;  the 
Banker's  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Iowa;  and  several  fraternal  organizations. 
Dr.  Tibbals  is  a  member  of  Palestine  Lodge  No.  357,  F.  &  A.  M.,  King  Cyrus  Chap- 
ter No.  133,  R.  A.  M.,  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit,  and  of  the  National  Union. 
He  was  married  in  January,  1893,  to  Laura  Adelaide  West,  daughter  of  James  H. 
and  Sophia  (Griswold)  West  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen 
Stanley,  born  August  27,  1897. 

Van  Deusen,  James  H.,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Jones)  Van  Deusen,  was  born 
in  Reidsville,  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  May  7,  1857.  He  attended  public  schools  at 
Albany  until  thirteen,  and  then  removed  with  his  parents  to  Warren,  111.,  where  he 
again  attended  school  until  1874.  From  1874  to  1876  he  was  a  student  with  Dr.  W. 
S.  Caldwell  and  from  1876  to  1878  a  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  J.  J.  Knapp  at  Warren, 
111.  From  1878  to  1880  he  was  associated  with  Allaire,  Woodward  &  Co.,  manufac- 
turing chemists  at  Peoria,  111.,  and  since  February,  1880,  he  has  been  connected  with 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists,  at  their  headquarters  in  Detroit,  Mich. 
He  was  foreman  of  the  milling  and  extract  manufacturing  departments  of  that 
concern  until  1894,  when  he  was  appointed  as  assistant  superintendent.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1896,  he  was  promoted  to  his  present  position  as  general  superintendent.  Mr. 
Van  Deusen  was  married  on  January  2,  1882,  to  Mary  Anna  Lamson  of  Detroit, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Frances  M.,  and  John  H. 

Vet,  Charles  M.,  son  of  Charles  M.  and  Henrietta  (Altermatt)  Vet,  born  March  16, 
1855,  in  Neuchatel,  Switzerland,  descended  from  a  long  line  of  notable  musicians 

158 


and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Neuchatel  in  1870.  He  began  the  study  of 
music  at  five  years  of  age  under  his  father,  who,  as  solo  violinist,  orchestral  con- 
ductor and  choir  master,  was  associated  with  the  leading  quartettes,  orchestras  and 
choral  societies  of  Euroiae.  In  1870  the  subject  of  this  sketch  went  to  Stuttgart  to 
continue  his  studies  and  the  following  year  he  studied  at  Halle,  remaining  until  the 
fall  of  1872,  when  he  moved  to  Paris  with  his  father  and  became  the  pupil  of  private 
tutors.  During  the  next  few  years  he  had  the  privilege  and  benefit  of  most  valuable 
professional  association  as  student  and  assistant  with  some  of  the  eminent  teachers 
and  writers  in  Paris,  and  it  was  during  this  time  that  he  became  well  grounded  in 
harmony,  composition  and  the  arts  of  conducting,  solo,  quartette  and  orchestral 
work.  Coming  to  America  and  locating  at  Richmond,  Ind.,  for  a  short  time,  he 
moved  to  Detroit  in  1880  and  established  the  Vet  Musical  Academy  which  he  has 
conducted  successfully  ever  since.  In  1892  he  accepted,  temporarily,  a  professonship 
—violin  and  piano — in  the  Academic  Internationale  de  Musique  of  Paris,  remaining 
there  two  years.  During  this  he  studied  under  Marsick  and  BerthelHer,  violinists, 
and  the  piano,  under  Phillipe.  Mr.  Vet  has  composed  several  works  for  violin,  piano 
and  vocal,  among  them  is  a  Senate  for  violin  and  piano,  an  Elegie  and  Berceuse  for 
violin,  and  several  piano  compositions  which  have  been  most  successfully  received. 
In  October,  1874,  Mr.  Vet  was  married  to  Mathilde  Jaccard  of  Neuchatel,  she  being 
a  lady  of  exceptionally  fine  mental  equipment  and  a  thoroughly  artistic  musician. 
They  have  two  children,  Blanche  and  Coralie,  who  upon  graduation  (1898)  from  the 
world  famous  Paris  Conservatoire,  were  at  once  and  together  started  upon  a  profes- 
sional career,  as  solo  violiniste  and  solo  pianiste,  respectively,  under  most  flattering 
auspices. 

Warner,  Willard  E. ,  was  born  at  Orleans,  Ontario  county,  N.  Y. ,  October  14,  1860, 
and  was  a  son  of  Ulysses  Warner  (deceased),  who  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  that 
section  and  had  represented  his  county  in  the  Legislature  of  his  State  for  several 
terms.  Mr.  Warner  was  educated  mainly  at  Canandaigua,  (N.  Y.)  Academy,  and 
taught  school  for  a  while  in  the  vicinity  of  his  early  home.  In  October,  1883,  he  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  took  a  one  year's  course 
in  that  department,  after  which  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Griffin  &  Warner  in 
Detroit,  and  remained  associated  with  that  firm,  the  firms  of  Griffin,  Warner,  Hunt 
&  Berry  and  Griffin,  Warner  &  Hunt,  until  the  1st  day  of  January,  1893,  when  he 
became  a  member  of  the  reorganized  firm  of  Griffin  &  Warner,  and,  upon  the  re- 
tirement of  Mr.  Griffin  on  December  31,  1895,  he  then  became  a  member  of  the  pres- 
ent firm  of  Warner,  Codd  &  Warner.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  bar  of  the 
State  in  1885,  and  later,  on  motion,  to  the  Federal  Court.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Detroit  Boat  Club,  Fellowcraft  Club,  Wayne  Club,  and  the  Wayne  Club  Branch  of 
the  American  Whist  League. 

Warren,  Charles  B.,  son  of  Robert  C.  and  Caroline  (Beecher)  Warren,  was  born  at 
Bay  City,  Mich.,  April  10,  1870.  He  prepared  for  college  in  the  Albion  Preparatory 
School,  later  entering  Albion  College,  and  after  two  years  of  study  there  entered  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1891  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B.  In  the  same  year  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Dickinson  &  Thurber  at  Detroit,  also  taking  the  course  in  the  Detroit  College 
of  Law  under  the  preceptorship  of  Professor  Mecham.     He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 

159 


on  October  17,  1893,  and  in  the  following  year  had  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  by  the  Detroit  College  of  Law.  During  Mr.  Thurber's  residence  in  Wash- 
ington as  secretary  to  President  Cleveland  Mr.  Warren  was  entrusted  with  the  care 
of  Mr.  Thurbers  practice,  and  has  practiced  continuously  with  Dickinson  &  Thurber 
since  181)2.  Mr.  Warren  has  taken  part  in  many  important  cases  in  the  trial  courts 
and  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan  and  is  actively  engaged  as  counsel  and 
in  the  trial  of  cases  in  the  State  and  United  States  Courts.  In  1896  Mr.  Warren  was 
api)omted  by  Secretary  Oluey  as  solicitor  and  associate  counsel  for  the  United  States 
before  the  Behering  Sea  Claims  Commission  which  held  its  session  at  Victoria  and 
Halifax  for  four  months,  Hon.  Don.  M.  Dickinson  being  senior  counsel  for  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Warren  was  president  of  the  freshmen  class  at  Albion  and 
managing  editor  of  the  college  paper  and  while  at  the  University  of  Michigan 
founded  the  present  "Inlander  Magazine,'  of  which  he  became  the  first  editor-in- 
chief.  He  was  also  first  secretary  of  the  U.  of  M.  Philosophical  Society.  He  is  still 
a  bachelor  and  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  Detroit  Country  Club,  Detroit  Boat 
Club,  and  Michigan  Naval  Reserve,  of  which  he  is  a  veteran. 

Whitehead,  James  T.,  son  of  James  and  Mary  (McEvoy)  Whitehead,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 28,  1864.  in  Wyandotte,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  until 
1874.  when  his  family  removed  to  Detroit  and  he  became  a  student  of  the  city 
.schools.  In  1879  Mr.  Whitehead  entered  the  employ  of  Rathbone,  Sard  &  Co.,  re- 
maining with  them  until  1888,  when  he  entered  into  business  on  his  own  account, 
purchasing  the  plant  of  the  Detroit  Metal  and  Heating  Works  from  John  B.  Dyar. 
This  business  he  conducted  until  the  spring  of  1893,  when  he  disposed  of  an  interest 
in  the  same  to  Henry  B.  Lewis,  and  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  Whitehead  & 
Lewis  until  January,  1897,  when  Mr.  Whitehead  severed  his  connection  with  Mr. 
Lewis  and  established  himself  in  the  same  line  at  42,  44  and  46  Randolph  street, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  the  firm  name  being  J.  T.  Whitehead  &  Co.  On  April 
8,  1885,  Mr.  Whitehead  married  Ida  M.  Frazer,  daughter  of  Abram  C.  Frazer  of  De- 
troit, Mich.,  and  they  have  three  children:  James  Frazer,  Thomas  Cram  and  Mary 
Elizabeth  Whitehead. 

Wormer,  Clarkson  C. — One  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  Detroit  is  a  native 
of  the  Empire  State,  having  "been  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  October  25,  1859.  His  par- 
ents, Grover  S.  and  Maria  Crolius  Wormer,  are  both  of  Knickerbocker  stock  and  of 
Holland  descent.  Mr.  Wormer's  family  moved  to  Detroit  when  he  was  a  small  boy, 
so  it  may  be  truthfully  said  that  he  is  essentially  a  lifelong  resident  of  Michigan. 
Mr.  Wormer  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit.  After  having 
graduated  therefrom  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  banking  house  of  Kennedy  &  Tay- 
lor, afterwards  known  as  the  Detroit  City  Bank,  as  clerk,  remaining  in  that  position 
three  years.  In  1870  he  entered  into  the  emplo}'-  of  his  father  and  older  brother  as 
clerk,  the  firm  then  known  as  G.  S.  Wormer  &  Son  having  been  established  in  1857  by 
G.  S.  Wormer.  Three  years  later  he  was  admitted  into  partnership  (1873)  and  has 
ever  since  devoted  his  energies  to  the  development  of  the  machinery  business  entirely. 
In  1884  G.  S.  Wormer,  the  father,  retired  from  the  firm  and  the  business  was  continued 
by  his  three  sons.  In  1889  the  new  firm  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  C.  C. 
Wormer  Machinery  Company,  being  located  since  1881  at  the  corner  of  Woodbridge 
and  Shelby  streets  (Old  Board  of  Trade  Building),  he  having  held  the  office  as  its 

160 


m^-. 


president  since  its  organization.  It  has  become  one  of  the  most  important  of  its  line 
in  the  country.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Austin  Separator  Company.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Club,  Loyal  Legion,  Roy- 
al Arcanum  and  Detroit 
Light  Guards.  The  lat- 
ter organization  he  has 
been  identified  with  for 
twenty-seven. years,  hav- 
ing served  as  an  active 
for  thirteen  years  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Vet- 
eran Corps.  He  has  al- 
ways been  greatly  inter- 
ested in  athletic  sports, 
having  been  a  member 
of  the  old  Detroit  Ball 
Club,  Detroit  Skating 
Club,  Excelsior  Boat  Club 
and  Detroit  Athletic  Club. 
Mr.  Wormer  married,  in 
1875,  Minnie  Horton, 
daughter  of  William  War- 
ren and  Deborah  Carleton 
Horton,  of  New  York  city. 
They  have  three  children, 
Marie  Louise,  Hazel  Hor- 
ton and  Clarkson  C. 
Wormer,  jr. 


C.    C.    WORMER. 


Backus,  Charles  F. ,  son 
of  Frederick  H.  A.  Back- 
us, was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  July  30,  1863.  He 
was  educated  in  the  De- 
troit    German-American 

Seminary  and  in  the  private  school  of  the  late  Philo  M.  Patterson.  In  1879,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  he  left  school  and  learned  the  bookbinding  and  printing  trade  with  Rich- 
mond &  Backus,  of  which  firm  his  father  was  a  member,  which  he  followed  until  1882. 
From  that  year  until  1885  he  acted  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Detroit  Metal  8c  Heating 
Works  Co. ,  and  upon  the  termination  of  his  service  with  that  company  he  became  sec- 
retary-treasurer of  the  Richmond  &  Backus  Co.,  which  had  in  that  year  become  incor- 
porated as  a  stock  company,  with  Frederick  H.  A.  Backus  as  its  president,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds.  Since  his  father's  death,  in  1897,  Mr.  Backus  has  been  a  stock- 
holder in  and  director  of  the  Richmond  &  Backus  Co.,  and  is  also  treasurer  of  the 
Bookkeeper  Company,  publishers  of  a  journal  of  that  time.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Peninsular  Printing  &  Publishing  Company,  which  was  incorpo- 


161 


rated  in  1889  and  which  was  later  amalgamated  with  the  Richmond  &  Backus  Co. 
Mr.  Backus  was  appointed  by  Governor  Pingree  trustee  of  the  Northern  Michigan 
Asylum  at  Traverse  City,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Hon. 
George  A.  Hart  of  Manistee,  whose  term  will  expire  in  January,  1899.  Mr.  Backus 
IS  a  member  of  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Peninsular  Chapter  No.  16,  R.  A. 
M. :  Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  K.  T.  ;  Moslem  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  and 
the  Detroit  Harmonic  Society.  In  June,  1886,  he  married  Louise  C,  daughter  of 
Col.  August  Goebel  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  four  children:  Adele  G. ,  Christine  D. , 
Carl  F.,  and  Margarett  L. 

Baker,  Hon.  Fred  A.,  was  born  at  Holly,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  June  14,  1846, 
and  comes  of  a  long  line  of  English  ancestors.  His  father,  Francis  Baker,  was  a 
i-epresentative  in  the  Michigan  Legislature  in  1846,  and  was  for  more  than  thirty 
years  the  leading  justice  of  the  peace  of  his  township  (Holly).  He  died  in  1887  at 
the  age  of  eigety-three.  Fred  A.  Baker  attended  the  public  schools  of  Holly  and 
Flint,  Mich.,  and  later  spent  one  year  in  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  at  Lans- 
ing. He  then  took  a  course  in  Eastman's  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y., 
and  was  graduated  in  1864.  For  some  time  following  his  graduation  he  served  as 
derk  and  bookkeeper  of  his  father's  store  at  Holly,  Mich.  In  September,  1865,  he 
entered  the  office  of  Col.  Sylvester  Larned  of  Detroit,  and  pursued  the  study  of  law. 
On  his  twenty-first  birthday,  June  14,  1867,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar;  in  October 
of  the  same  year  he  accepted  the  position  of  chief  clerk  in  Colonel  Larned's  office 
and  remained  there  for  three  years,  when  loss  of  health  due  to  overstudy  caused  him 
to  return  to  Holly.  In  1872  he  returned  to  Detroit,  and  has  since  enjoyed  a  success- 
ful professional  career.  Mr.  Baker  has  never  sought  for  political  preferment,  but 
while  in  Holly  he  served  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  and  also  as 
village  attorney.  In  1876  he  was  elected  as  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  city  of 
Detroit  in  the  Legislature,  and  in  January,  1878,  was  appointed  cotinselor  of  the  city 
of  Detroit,  a  position  he  held  for  three  years  and  a  half.  He  has  also  served  the  city 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  park  commissioners,  but  resigned  because  the  position 
took  up  too  much  of  his  time.  August  4,  1896,  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic State  Central  Committee  in  place  of  Elliott  G.  Stevenson,  resigned,  and  on 
August  26,  1896,  was  unanimously  elected  to  the  position  by  the  Democratic  State 
Convention  at  Bay  City.  August  8,  1867,  Mr.  Baker  married  Josephine  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  Bissell  of  Holly,  and  they  had  four  children:  Belle,  George  J.,  Frank 
E.  and  May. 

Baumgartner,  Frank  W.,  son  of  Casper  and  Barbara  (Tremmel)  Baumgartner,  was 
born  at  Altoona,  Pa.,  June  14,  1865.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  township  and  in  St.  Vincent's  College,  being  graduated  from  the  latter 
institution  with  honors  in  1881.  In  the  same  year  he  removed  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  learned  the  gentlemen's  furnishing  business  with  Stein,  Block  &  Co.  He 
became  an  expert  in  window-dressing  and  as  soon  as  this  fact  became  apparent 
numerous  large  firms  bid  for  his  services.  Mr.  J.  L.  Hudson,  proprietor  of  Hudson's 
big  stores  in  Cleveland,  St.  Paul  and  Detroit,  offered  him  an  inducement  and  Mr. 
Baumgartner  assumed  charge  of  the  windows  of  the  Cleveland  establishment.  Later 
on  he  served  in  the  same  capacity  in  the  St.  Paul  store,  and  from  1891  to  1895  he 
cared  in  a  like  capacity  for  the  Detroit  store.     In  April  of  the  latter  year  he  formed 

102 


his  present  partnershijD  with  Mr.  H.  D.  Heidt,  and  under  the  style  of  Heidt  &  Bauni- 
gartner  they  have  become  within  a  period  of  three  years  the  leading  haberdashers  of 
Detroit.  Mr.  Baumgartner  is  one  of  the  most  affable  and  courteous  of  gentlemen 
and  a  model  business  man.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  Detroit  Lodge  No.  34,  B. 
P.  O.  E.,  and  popular  with  all  classes.  In  June,  1890,  he  married  Anna  Belle  Con- 
nolly of  Milwaukee,  and  they  have  three  children,  F.  Royden,  Marjory  C.  and 
Shirley  M. 

Beardsley,  Carleton  A.,  son  of  Lockwood  H.  and  Catharine  (Myer)  Beard.sley,  was 
born  in  Castile,  N.  Y.,  October  4,  1852,  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
district  schools  of  Castile  and  later  in  the  High  School  of  Pontiac,  Mich.,  where  he 
removed  with  his  parents  in  1866.  During  the  winter  of  1869-70  Mr.  Beardsley  was 
employed  as  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Pontiac  and  later  was  given  charge  of  the 
schools  at  Central  Mine,  Lake  Superior.  In  1873  he  entered  the  Ohio  Business  Uni- 
versity at  Toledo,  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1875.  He  then  began  the 
-Study  of  law  with  A.  C.  Baldwin,  of  Pontiac,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1877. 
The  following  year  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1880.  Subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  removed  to 
Detroit  and  established  his  present  practice.  Aside  from  his  law  practice,  Mr. 
Beardsley  has  dealt  largely  in  real  estate  and  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  furniture,  operating  a  factory  in  which  he  employs  150  persons.  He 
is  a  member  of  Union  Lodge  F.  &  A.  M. ,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Detroit  Light 
Infantry,  Pontiac  and  Cass  Lake  Aquatic  Clubs.  In  business  he  is  progressive  and 
enterprising;  socially  agreeable  and  well  informed.  April  2,  1879,  he  married  Sarah 
Hance,  a  daughter  of  Merk  and  Susan  Hance  of  Farmington,  Mich. ,  and  they  have 
two  children. 

Beck,  George,  son  of  William  B.  and  Anna  (Lee)  Beck,  was  born  in  Tivorton, 
Devon,  England,  August  27,  1843.  His  parents  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850 
and  settled  in  Memphis,  Tenn.  His  early  education  was  given  him  by  his  parents 
and  at  the  age  of  ten  he  was  employed  by  Smith  &  Coles,  butchers,  Woodbridge 
street,  Detroit.  In  April,  1857,  he  accepted  a  position  with  William  Wreford  of  the 
Central  Market,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1862,  when  he  embarked  in  business 
for  himself,  buying  and  selling  country  produce.  In  1863  Mr.  Beck  entered  the  Chi- 
cago live  stock  market  and  purchased  cattle  for  Detroit,  Buffalo  and  Albany  mar- 
kets, remaining  there  until  1874,  when  he  changed  to  the  St.  Louis  market.  In  18i)0 
he  organized  the  Michigan  Beef  &  Provision  Co.  and  was  elected  president  and 
treasurer,  which  position  he  has  occupied  to  the  present.  In  1892  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  city  council  on  the  Republican  ticket  and  re-elected  in  1894;  he  was 
the  first  Republican  commissioner  elected  to  the  city  council  from  the  Eighth  ward ; 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  council  in  1894,  was  again  elected  to  the  council  in 
1896  and  as  president  in  1897,  after  ninety-seven  ballots  had  been  cast.  Mr.  Beck 
was  elected  treasurer  of  the  National  Butchers'  Protective  Association  in  1888  and 
again  in  1889.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  State  Conventions  of  1892, 
1894  and  1896.  He  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory  ;  Damascus  Com- 
mandery.  Knights  Templar;  Royal  Arcanum;  and  Michigan,  Fellowcraft,  Alger 
and  Detroit  Bowling  Clubs.     In  1863  he  married  Minnie  A.  Miller  of  Detroit,  who 

163 


died  in  1893,  and  in  1895  he  married  Jennie  M.   Smith.     He  has  two  children  by  his 
first  wife:  Mrs.  A.  B.  West  and  Mrs.  Charles  G.  Wynn. 

Beckwith,  Whitney  C,  son  of  Dr.  E.  C.  and  Fannie  F.  (Forest)  Beckwith,  was 
born  at  Harmer,  Ohio,  August  3,  1861.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Zanesville  and  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  Farmer's  College  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  in  the 
Ohio  State  Military  College.  He  took  a  special  course  in  the  Ohio  State  Normal 
School  and  later  became  an  instructor  in  that  institution.  He  studied  music  with 
Prof.  Webster  in  the  Granville  (Ohio)  Seminary  and  became  very  fond  of  the  pipe 
organ.  During  his  leisure  hours  he  made  a  close  study  of  the  law  and  in  1880  en- 
tered the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  pursued  the  classical  and  law  courses, 
being  graduated  with  honors  in  1885  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  While  in  attendance 
at  the  university  Mr.  Beckwith  made  frequent  trips  to  Detroit,  where  he  gained  prac- 
tical experience  in  the  office  of  H.  M.  Cheever,  and  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1883  spent  much  time  in  the  office  of  Judge  Willard  M.  Sillibridge  at  Detroit.  He 
located  permanently  at  Detroit  m  1885  and  has  since  been  in  the  uninterrupted  and 
successful  practice  of  his  profession,  having  made  a  specialty  of  corporation  law. 
Mr.  Beckwith  is  domestic  in  his  tastes.  He  married  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of 
Charles  A.  Gaylord  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  sons:  Charles  G.  and  Irving  G. 

Bennett,  Ebenezer  O.,  M.  D. ,  son  of  Ebenezer  O.  and  Laura  (Scott)  Bennett,  was 
born  in  Maumee,  Ohio,  January  16,  1838.  His  paternal  ancestors  were  English  and 
his  maternal  Scotch.  Both  parents  were  born  in  Ridgetown,  Conn.,  and  his  mother 
was  a  niece  of  Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  U.  S.  A.  His  parents  came  to  Ohio  in  1837,  and 
in  1840  they  removed  to  Michigan,  locating  at  Nankin,  Wayne  county.  Their  fam- 
ily consisted  of  five  sons  and  one  daughter.  Ebenezer,  the  subject  of  the  sketch, 
being  the  third.  His  primary  education  was  received  in  the  district  schools  of 
Nankin,  where  he  was  a  student  until  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  then  entered  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1858.  He  then 
engaged  in  teaching,  which  he  followed  until  1862,  and  then  enlisted  in  Co.  M,  De- 
troit Engineers  and  Mechanics.  His  regiment  was  engaged  in  several  battles,  and  in 
1864  he  was  detailed  on  detached  service  until  mustered  out  in  1865.  On  his  return 
to  his  Michigan  home  he  again  engaged  in  teaching,  which  he  continued  until  1875, 
and  then  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1878 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  On  conclusion  of  his  medical  course  he  was  appointed 
house  surgeon  of  the  University  Hospital,  serving  but  one  year,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  position  of  medical  superintendent  of  the  Wayne  County  Asylum  for  the 
Insane.  Since  his  appointment  to  this  position  Dr.  Bennett  has  introduced  many 
radical  changes  in  the  management  of  the  institution  and  also  in  the  treatment  of 
the  inmates.  He  has  profited  by  the  field  offered  for  observation,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  experts  on  insanity  in  this  country.  The  perfect  condition 
which  the  institution  has  assumed  since  being  placed  under  his  control,  and  the 
affection  and  esteem  of  those  under  his  charge  testify  to  the  good  qualities  of  his 
heart  and  executive  ability.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society ; 
American  Medical  Society,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Ninth  International  Congress 
which  was  held  at  Washington  city  in  1887.  In  1S63  he  married  Janetta  D.  Fulton 
and  they  have  two  children:     Joseph  E.,  M.  D.,  and  Mary  A. 

164 


Bentley,  William  E.,  M.  D.,  son  of  George  D.  and  Sarah  (Buck)  Bentley,  was  born 
at  Deanville,  Lapeer  county,  Mich.,  June  15,  1865.  After  attending  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  Michigan  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  he  en- 
tered the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  M.  D.  in  the  spring  of  1892.  From  then  until  the  autumn  of  1893  he  pur- 
sured  the  special  study  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  with  Dr.  Eugene  Smith  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  which  he  supplemented  with  a  course  in  the  Michigan  College  of 
Medicine  during  the  winter  of  1893-94.  Since  that  time  Dr.  Bentley  has  practiced 
continuously  and  with  gratifying  success  at  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wayne 
County  Medical  Society,  and  Michigan  Pathological  Society.  He  is  still  a  bachelor, 
and  popular  in  both  profes.sional  and  social  circles. 

Bolton,  Edwin  C,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  17,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert 
Bolton,  retired,  and  a  resident  of  Detroit.  Edwin  C.  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Detroit,  and  studied  law  in  the  offices  of  Moore  &  Moore,  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1891.  For  one  year  he  had  as  a  partner  Thomas  M.  McVey,  andhas  since 
been  in  the  uninterrupted  and  successful  practice  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member 
of  numerous  legal  and  other  organizations,  and  is  popular  is  business  circles.  No- 
vember 27,  1895,  he  married  Theresa  M.  Rolshoven,  and  they  have  one  child,  Fred- 
erick R. 

Bourke,  Fred  W. ,  son  of  Walter  and  Maria  L.  (McKenna)  Bourke,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich  ,  February  26,  1865.  After  attending  the  Detroit  public  schools  he  took 
a  full  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  at  Detroit,  being  graduated  in 
1883.  He  then  entered  the  offices  of  the  American  Eagle  Tobacco  Co.  as  billing 
clerk  and  later  became  cashier  and  manager  of  the  city  trade,  which  position  he  held 
until  1888,  when  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  flour  and  grain  broker- 
age business,  and  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1891,  Mr.  Bourke  established  his 
present  stand  as  flour  broker  and  millers'  agent  at  Detroit.  He  holds  high  honors 
in  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Detroit 
Board  of  Trade;  and  Detroit  Boat  Club.  October  11,  1893,  he  married  Nellie  E. 
Gray  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen  M. 

Brand,  Frederick  W.,  son  of  Charles  R.  and  Elizabeth  (Jack)  Brand,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  September  12,  1869.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Detroit,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
father  to  learn  the  painter's  and  paper  hanger's  trade,  which  he  has  ever  since  fol- 
lowed. In  1890  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  with  his  father,  under  the  style  of 
C.  R.  Brand,  Son  &  Co.,  house,  sign  and  decorative  painters,  their  stock  in  trade 
also  including  an  elaborate  assortment  of  wall  papers,  window  shades  and  enamel 
letters  and  signs.  Mr.  Brand  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Infantry ;  Alger  Re- 
publican Club;  Mervue  Club;  and  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich. 

^Brewster,  James  H.,  Ph.  B.,  LL.  B.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Bunce)  Brewster, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  April  6,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
Hopkins  Grammar  School  at  New  Haven,  and  received  his  degree  of  Ph.  B.  from 
the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of  Yale  College  in  1877,  and  degree  of  LL.  B.  from 
the  law  department  of  Yale  in  1879.  He  spent  the  following  two  years  in  the  offices 
of  E.  P.  Wheeler  and  Shearman  &  Sterling  at  New  York  city,  and  from  1881  to  1883 

165 


was  identified  with  the  legal  department  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Co.  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.  In  1883  Mr.  Brewster  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  located  for  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has  been  continuously  and  successfully  en- 
gaged ever  since  in  that  city.  From  1883  to  1885  he  was  associated  in  a  partnership 
with  Gen.  L.  S.  Trowbridge,  but  for  the  past  twelve  years  has  been  entirely  alone. 
In  the  .spring  of  1897  Mr.  Brewster  was  tendered  the  chair  of  conveyancing  (general 
professor  of  law)  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  which  he  accepted,  and  on  October 
1  of  the  same  year  withdrew  from  his  practice  in  Detroit  and  assumed  the  responsi- 
bility of  his  new  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State,  Wayne  County  and 
Detroit  Bar  Associations;  Fellowcraft  and  Witenagemote  Clubs  of  Detroit;  the  A. 
O.  U.  W, ;  and  holds  high  honors  m  the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  1888  Mr.  Brewster 
married  Frances  Stanton,  and  they  have  four  children:  Susie,  Chauncey  Bunce,  Edith 
Navarre  and  Oswald  C. 

Carran,  Charles  M.,  son  of  James  and  Anne  (Herbage)  Carran,  was  born  in  Oak- 
land county,  Mich.,  September  21,  1857.  He  attended  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  county  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  errand 
boy  in  a  large  general  store  at  Clarkston,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  for  twelve  years, 
rising  through  every  possible  grade.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  during  the 
ensuing  four  years  was  connected  with  Lichtenberg  &  Co.,  general  commission 
merchants.  Later  he  became  a  traveling  salesman  for  George  C.  Langdon,  malt 
operator,  and  served  with  that  gentleman  until  1892,  when  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  A.  C.  Conn  under  the  style  of  Carran  &  Conn,  grain  operators  and  commission 
merchants,  and  continued  this  partnership  until  January,  1895,  when  the  present 
firm,  Caughey  &  Carran,  was  organized  as  wool,  grain  and  seed  merchants  and 
commission.  Their  operations  are  extensive,  and  they  have  met  with  gratifying 
success  in  all  their  transactions.  They  are  members  of  the  Detroit  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  Board  of  Trade,  and  their  offices  are  connected  by  private  wire  with 
all  of  the  larger  exchanges  of  the  country.  Mr.  Carran  is  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club.  In  1895  he  married 
Elvira  Morris  of  Detroit. 

Carter,  G.  Lewis,  son  of  George  C.  Carter,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  January  5, 
1874.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  Detroit 
High  School  in  1892.  In  the  same  year  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Frank  T.  Lodge 
at  Detroit,  and  at  the  same  time  became  a  member  of  the  class  of  1894  in  the  Detroit 
College  of  Law,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  honors,  and  with  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1894,  and  has  since  practiced  his 
profession  successfully  in  Detroit.  In  the  summer  of  1897  Mr.  Carter  associated 
himself  in  business  with  Mr.  Delos  D.  Jayne,  under  the  style  of  Jayne  &  Carter. 

Chapoton,  Alexander,  jr.,  builder,  contractor  and  banker,  is  a  scion  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  respected  of  the  original  French  families  who  settled  Detroit  at  the 
time  of  Cadillac.  It  is  to  France  and  Frenchmen  we,  as  a  nation,  are  largely  in- 
debted for  our  advance  in  art  and  its  various  forms  and  applications.  The  Chapo- 
tons  turned  their  artistic  taste  and  skill  to  the  practical  application  of  architecture, 
and  they  have  for  several  generations  been  builders  in  the  United  States.  Many  of 
their  buildings  in  Michigan  are  of  a  public  character  and  of  more  than  State  reputa- 

166 


tion;  the  magnificent  State  capitol  at  Lansing;  the  Russell  House;  Board  of  Trade; 
Campau  block;  Moran  block;  Parker  building;  Newberry  building;  M.  S.  Smith 
building;  Westminster  church;  First  Congregational  church  ;  St.  Mary's  church ;  St. 
Vincent's  Orphan  Asylum;  St.  Mary's  Hospital;  and  the  Detroit  College,  all  of  De- 
troit, and  the  great  St.  Joseph's  Retreat  at  Dearborn  are  some  of  the  more  notable 
of  the  buildings.  It  is  from  Dr.  Chapoton,  the  second  surgeon  who  came  in  170G 
to  old  Fort  Ponchartrain  (now  the  city  of  Detroit),  on  its  occupation  by  that  famous 
Frenchman,  De  La  Mothe  Cadillac,  in  1701,  that  Alexander  Chapoton,  jr.,  is  de- 
scended. A  history  of  the  Chajjoton  family  would  include  the  early  history  of  De- 
troit, for  they  intermingled  by  association  and  marriage  with  the  Campaus,  St. 
Aubins,  Godfreys,  Cicotts,  Peltiers,  Labadies,  etc.,  families  who  made  up  and  com- 
prised early  Detroit.  Mr.  Chapoton's  father,  Hon.  Alexander  Chapoton,  was  a  son 
of  Eustache  Chapoton,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  February  2,  1818,  and  died  in  the 
the  city  of  his  birth.  May  8,  1893  He  served  the  city  and  State  in  many  important 
public  positions  with  honor  to  himself  and  to  the  advantage  and  benefit  of  the 
people.  Alexander,  jr.,  was  born  in  Detroit  October  13,  1839,  and  after  completing 
his  scholastic  education,  which  comprised  an  attendance  at  Bacon's  Academy,  De- 
troit, and  Notre  Dame  College,  South  Bend,  Ind.,  he  entered  upon  his  career  in  the 
profession  of  his  forefathers.  On  the  organization  of  the  Peninsular  Savings  Bank 
m  1887  he  was  elected  its  president;  in  the  autumn  of  1896,  owing  to  the  pressure  of 
other  business,  Mr.  Chapoton  resigned  his  position  as  president  and  accepted  the 
position  of  vice-prestdent  of  the  bank,  which  he  still  retain.s.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic.  In  April,  1868,  he 
married  Marion  P.  Pelthier,  the  estimable  daughter  of  Charles  and  Eliza  (Cicott) 
Pelthier,  also  descendants  of  the  first  French  settlers  of  Detroit,  where  in  those  early 
times  they  were  fur  traders.  The  many  fine  buildings  which  Mr.  Chapoton  has  con- 
structed are  monuments  of  his  skill  and  ability.  In  banking  circles,  also,  his  name 
is  the  synonym. for  honor  and  integrity.  All  of  his  fellow  citizens  appreciate  and 
evince  their  appreciation  by  the  confidence  they  place  in  him.  In  the  family  circle 
he  is  the  loving  husband  and  afi'ectionate  father.  His  family  consists  of  one  son  and 
four  daughters. 

Chipman,  Hon.  J.  Logan,  the  late,  son  of  Henry  and  Martha  (Logan)  Chipmau, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  5,  1830.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  later 
entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  but  left  before  he  had  completed  his  university 
course  to  enter  the  services  of  the  Montreal  Mining  Co. ,  and  was  sent  by  them  into 
the  upper  peninsula  of  Michigan  to  seek  desirable  locations  for  mining  enterprises. 
While  in  their  employ  he  spent  his  leisure  hours  in  reading  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  that  remote  region.  He  returned  to  Detroit  and  m  1856  was  elected  the 
city  attorney  and  ably  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office  for  four  years.  In  1864  he 
was  elected  to  the  Michigan  Legislature  and  during  his  term  was  one  of  its  most  ujd- 
right  and  influential  members.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  as  attorney  for  the  Police 
Board  of  Detroit,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1879,  when  he  ascended  the  bench 
as  judge  of  the  Detroit  Superior  Court,  and  in  that  position  he  won  a  great  reputa- 
tion. At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  (of  six  years),  he  was  unanimously  re-elected. 
Judge  Chipman  was  a  man  of  the  people  and  frequently  remarked,  "that  no  man 
should  suffer  injustice  in  his  court  becanse  of  poverty."     He  resigned  his  position  on 

167 


the  bench  to  become  a  member  of  the  Fiftieth  Congress  of  the  United  States,  where 
he  distinguished  himself  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs:  as  the 
friend  of  the  soldier,  and  for  the  manner  in  which  he  advocated  a  vigorous  foreign 
policy,  declaring  that  he  never  closed  a  public  address  without  the  thought  that  Can- 
ada should  be  annexed  to  the  United  States.  Judge  Chipman  died  on  January  25, 
1894,  while  yet  in  the  full  prime  of  his  splendid  powers,  but  his  career  as  a  judge 
and  representative  are  preserved  in  the  history  of  a  nation  and  there  his  place  is 
secure.     He  filled  many  positions  of  trust  and  left  a  record  without  a  stain. 

Chittick,  William  R.,  M.  D.,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Morrisie)  Chittick,  was  born 
at  Oshawa  (Ont.),  Canada,  January  14,  1858.  With  his  parents  he  removed  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  in  1859,  and  in  that  city  attended  public  and  private  schools  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  During  the  winter  of  1880-81  he  was  a  student  in  the  De- 
troit Medical  College  and  in  the  following  winter  in  the  Michigan  College  of  Medi- 
cine. In  June,  1882,  he  was  graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital 
at  New  York,  and  at  once  returned  to  Detroit,  located  for  practice,  and  a  year  later 
formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  George  P.  Andrews,  which  partnership  existed  seven 
years.  In  1889  Dr.  Chittick  went  to  Europe,  where  he  took  special  medical  courses  in 
Vienna  and  has  practiced  continuously  since  his  return.  He  has  been  attending 
physician  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  since  1883,  and  is  also  attending  physician  to  Har- 
per Hospital.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association  ;  Michigan  State 
Medical  Society;  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Association;  Detroit  Gynaecological 
Society;  and  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1895  and 
1896.  Dr.  Chittick  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club,  and  holds  high  honors  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  In  1894  he  married  Adeline  S.  Kent,  a  niece  and  adopted 
daughter  of  Hon.  C.  A.  Kent  of  Detroit. 

Clark,  Willis  S.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  February  7,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  E. 
Minor  Clark,  a  resident  of  Marine  City.  Willis  S.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Detroit  and  Marine  City,  removing  with  his  parents  to  the  latter  city  in  1879.  He 
later  entered  the  law  department  of  Ann  Arbor  University,  and  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1895.  During  the  following  two  years  he  studied  in  the  office  of  C.  S.  Pierce 
at  Oscoda,  Mich.,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1892.  From  1891  to  1893 Mr. 
Clark  was  editor  of  the  Oscoda  Press.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kappa  Sigma  Fra- 
ternity of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  a  popular  club  man.  In  1895,  following 
his  removal  to  Detroit,  he  formed  a  partnership  (which  still  exists)  with  P.  B.  Cham- 
pagne of  Merrill,  Mich.,  and  they  have  been  eminently  successful  in  the  practice  of 
their  profession.     They  also  do  a  general  real  estate  business. 

ColHer,  Hon.  George  X.  M.,  was  born  at  Claremont,  N.  H.,  September  28,  1838, 
a  son  of  Charles  S.  and  Eliza  (Currier)  Collier,  both  natives  of  New  Hampshire. 
George  X.  M.  passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native  town,  attending  the  public  schools 
and  later  the  different  academies  of  the  State.  The  family  removed  to  Michigan  in 
1853,  settling  at  Pontiac,  where  his  father  died  in  the  following  year.  George  at- 
tended the  University  of  Michigan  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  Hon.  D. 
Darwin  Hughes,  who  was  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866;  he  at  once  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Pontiac,   where  he  remained  for  ten  years,  later  removing  to  Detroit. 

1G8 


In  the  latter  city  he  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  is  considered  an 
authority  on  many  points  of  law  and  is  frequently  consulted  by  his  fellow  attorneys. 
Mr.  Collier  is  recoguized  as  one  of  the  ablest  jury  lawyers  in  Detroit,  and  especially 
strong  in  criminal  cases.  Since  the  organization  of  the  party  he  has  been  a  Repub- 
lican, voted  that  ticket  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  and  has  exercised  a  poten- 
tial influence  in  the  party  in  the  city  and  State.  In  1873  he  married  Jennie  M., 
daughter  of  William  Turpin  Brown  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
F.  lone  B. 

Crocker,  George  M.,  son  of  Samuel  H.  and  Harriet  (Furgeson)  Crocker,  was  born 
in  Greenville,  Bond  county.  111.,  August  9,  1848.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  Greenville  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  entered  the  Normal 
School  at  Bloomington,  111.,  completing  a  classical  or  regular  school  course  in  one 
year.  In  1863  he  went  to  Vermont  and  studied  one  year  in  the  Newbury  Seminary; 
on  leaving  the  seminary  Mr.  Crocker  shifted  for  himself,  coming  to  Mt.  Clemens, 
Mich.,  where  he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Thomas  M. 
Crocker.  About  1870  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  people  of  Mt.  Clemens  hon- 
ored Mr.  Crocker  with  several  elective  offices:  justice  of  the  peace  two  terms;  pros- 
ecuting attorney  two  terms;  judge  of  probate  two  terms;  alderman  two  terms;  and 
mayor  two  terms.  During  his  administration  as  mayor  the  last  time  Mr.  Crocker 
was  a  prime  mover  in  erecting  the  court  house  against  the  odds  established  by  Romeo, 
a  neighboring  city  claiming  the  right  of  the  county  fountain  head.  The  court  house 
was  subsequently  presented  by  the  city  to  the  county.  Mr.  Crocker  was  one  of  the 
original  partners  of  the  banking  firm  of  Ullrich  &  Crocker,  retaining  his  connection 
with  the  bank  until  three  years  ago,  when  it  was  reorganized  as  a  State  bank.  In 
1893  Mr.  Crocker  removed  to  Detroit,  and  was  engaged  by  Don  M.  r)ickinson  as 
auditor  of  the  Detroit,  Bay  City  and  Alpena  Railroad,  for  which  Mr.  Dickinson  was 
receiver.  When  the  road  was  reorganized  as  the  Detroit  &  Mackinac  Railroad,  Mr. 
Crocker  was  retained  as  auditor  and  purchasing  agent.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
higher  Masonic  bodies.  He  has  married  thrice;  first  to  Katherine  L.  Dickinson 
(deceased),  then  to  Harriet  Steele.  About  1887  he  married  Cecelia  Steele;  Mr. 
Crocker  has  nine  children. 

Dederichs,  Peter,  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Klein)  Dederichs,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  August  8,  1856.  Peter  Dederichs,  sr. ,  emigrated  to  America  in  1840, 
settling  in  the  same  year  at  Detroit.  Elizabeth  Klein  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Dr. 
Matthew  Klein,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Detroit.  Peter  Dederichs,  the  subject  of 
the  sketch,  attended  the  parochial  (St.  Mary's)  school  and  later  the  school  of  the 
Christian  Brothers;  for  four  years  he  made  a  close  study  of  architecture  and  early  in 
the  eighties  opened  an  office  of  his  own  and  has  since  continuously  plied  his  profes- 
sion with  well  deserved  success.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  churches  and  has 
erected  numberless  imposing  and  costly  edifices  in  the  principal  cities  of  Indiana, 
Tennessee,  South  Carolina  and  Michigan.  In  1885  he  made  an  extensive  tour  of 
the  continent  of  Europe,  studying  closely  the  architecture  of  all  the  leading  cathe- 
drals and  churches.  In  1893  he  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland  as  superin- 
tendent of  construction  of  the  Post-office  building  at  Detroit,  as  yet  in  a  partial  state 
of  completion,  but  which  when  completed  will  be  one  of  the  handsomest  buildings 
of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.     Mr.  Dederichs  is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's  Catho- 

1G9 


lie  Church  at  Detroit;  of  the  Harmonie  Singing  Society,  and  Marshland  Club  at  St. 
Clair  Flats.  In  1876  he  married  Anna  Muer  of  Detroit,  and  they  had  nine  children, 
four  of  whom  survive :  Lythia,  Addie,  Leo  and  Roumania. 

Demine,  Rodolph  A.,  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Rodolph  Demine,  professor  of  medicine 
in  the  University  at  Berne,  Switzerland,  and  world  renowned  for  his  works  on  the 
treatment  of  the  diseases  of  children,  was  born  at  Berne,  the  capital  of  Switzerland, 
March  5,  1868.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the 
request  of  his  father,  who  was  of  the  third  generation  of  surgeons  in  the  Demine 
family,  he  entered  the  University  at  Berne  and  pursued  the  study  of  medicine. 
From  boyhood  Mr.  Demine  had  had  a  consuming  desire  to  see  something  of  the 
world  on  his  own  account.  Although  the  scion  of  an  old  and  wealthy  house  and 
surrounded  as  he  was  with  all  that  makes  life  most  pleasant,  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  determined  to  strike  out  for  himself.  He  first  removed  to  Hamburg,  Germany, 
where  he  secured  a  position  as  office  boy  with  the  great  German-American  Sugar 
Trust,  later  becoming  buyer  and  seller  for  that  corporation.  He  remained  with 
them  in  all  three  and  one-half  years.  In  1891  he  visited  America  and  after  a  few 
months  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Patterson,  an  electrical  engineer  of  the  Havermeyer 
building  in  New  York  city,  and  about  one  year  in  the  service  of  the  International 
Navigation  Co.  (as  German  and  French  translator  and  correspondent),  he  began  his 
travels  through  the  United  States.  About  this  time  he  made  some  lucky  invest- 
ments in  real  estate,  mortgages  and  mining  stocks  in  Canada,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  he  ultimately  decided  to  settle  in  the  latter  city.  In  the  mean 
time  his  father  had  passed  away  and  he  had  inherited  a  considerable  fortune;  he  in- 
vested further  in  mining  stocks  and  later  assumed  his  present  position  as  president 
of  the  Foley  Mining  Company,  owning  and  operating  a  rich  gold  mine  located  near 
the  Rainy  Lakes,  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  Canada.  Mr.  Demine  has  succeeded 
in  practically  carving  his  own  fortune,  a  fact  of  which  he  is  justly  proud.  From 
office  boy  (at  nineteen)  he  has  risen  to  the  position  of  successful  mine  owner  and 
capitalist  (at  twenty-nine).  Aside  from  this  business  Mr.  Demine  transacts  a  gen- 
eral real  estate  and  loan  business,  in  which  he  has  also  met  with  marked  success. 
He  was  married  in  1895  to  Flora  N.,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  David  Whitne}'  of  De- 
troit, and  they  have  one  daughter,  Katherine.  Mr.  Demine  is  domestic  in  his 
tastes,  spending  most  of  his  time  in  the  bosom  of  his  family. 

Dohany,  Frank  H. — Prominent  among  the  younger  members  of  the  fraternity  and 
one  whose  native  talent,  coupled  with  careful  readmg  and  diligent  investigation, 
has  won  recognition  from  professional  brothers  and  the  people,  is  the  gentleman 
with  whom  we  are  briefly  dealing.  I>ooking  upon  life  as  the  great  reality,  his  earnest 
endeavor  has  been  to  search  foundation  principles  of  truth,  and  to  that  end  his  own 
life  has  been  one  of  close  and  heartfelt  study  and  research.  Few  men  of  his  age 
have  \\»on  sturdier  or  more  respectful  attentions  from  those  older  in  years  but  not  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  underlying  principles  of  justice.  In  the  case  of  The  People  vs. 
George  W.  Jones,  involving  the  proof  of  former  marriage,  he,  arguing  from  funda- 
mental legal  principles,  took  the  ground  that  proof  of  marriage  was  not  sufficient  by 
showing  marriage  certificate,  by  swearing  minister,  and  by  two  witnesses,  but  that 
it  must  be  shown  that  the  ceremony  was  performed,  according  to  law,  where  parties 
resided.     His  argument  was  at  first  treated  with  contempt  in  the  lower  court,  but 

no 


carrying  it  at  his  own  expense  to  the  Supreme  Court  he  was  sustained  by  a  full  bench. 
This  was  his  first  case  before  that  court,  and  the  point  had  never  before  been  argued. 
The  court  sustained  his  contention  at  every  point,  and  the  case  is  now  cited  in  every 
State  as  precedent.  This  won  for  him  a  recognition  and  iniiuence  that  probably  is 
accorded  to  no  other  of  the  young  attorneys  in  the  city.  Thrown  entirely  upon  his 
own  efforts  at  seventeen,  he  devoted  some  time  to  teaching  and  studied  one  year  at 
the  Normal  School,  and  in  1895  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  not  yet  having  reached  his 
majority.  His  reading  had  been  in  the  office  of  Hon.  James  S.  Pound,  where  his 
originality  was  recognized  and  encouraged.  He  is  attorney  for  the  Atlas  Insurance 
Company,  serving  also  as  a  junior  member  on  its  board  of  directors.  He  was  re- 
cently chosen  as  the  official  arbitrator  for  the  Street  Car  Men's  Association,  having 
ably  argued  a  case  touching  the  rights  of  the  laboring  classes,  of  whose  cause  he  is 
an  earnest  advocate,  having  sprung  from  them  himself.  He  has  a  pleasing  address 
and  fluent  speech  that  makes  him  much  in  demand  on  occasions  where  oratory  is  ap- 
preciated. As  a  speaker  arguing  the  cause  of  free  silver  for  the  State  Committee  in 
the  campaign  of  1895  he  won  many  friends,  not  only  for  the  cause,  but  for  himself. 
Few  men  are  more  ready  or  afford  greater  pleasure  as  an  after  dinner  or  presenta- 
tion speaker  or  at  social  functions;  widely  read  in  the  world's  history  and  in  the 
striking  incidents  of  individual  lives,  with  a  mind  well  stocked  with  poetry  of  the 
common  people,  he  is  never  at  a  loss  for  felicitous  expressions  appropriate  for  the 
occasion,  illustrating  with  happy  allusion  to  the  famous  in  song  or  story.  Mr. 
Dohany  was  born  at  Farmington,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  November  11,  1874,  a  son 
of  William  and  Bridget  (Egan)  Dohany,  and  reared  upon  the  farm  settled  by  his 
grandfather,  William  Dohany,  in  1837.  He  came  to  Detroit  in  1835,  and  assisted  in 
improving  the  Grand  River  road  to  Farmington,  where  he  became  a  prosperous  and 
widely  known  citizen,  residing  there  until  his  death  in  1876.  Mr.  Dohany  is  serving 
on  the  Democratic  County  Committee,  and  is  a  private  in  Co.  A,  of  the  4th  Regi- 
ment, Detroit  Light  Guards.  A  lover  of  football  from  his  school  days,  he  is  most 
generally,  however,  found  with  a  book  of  Farm  Ballads  or  history  before  him. 
While  he  is  keenly  appreciative  of  the  ludicrous  and  enjoys  a  good  joke,  his  mind  is 
active  in  all  the  serious  problems  of  life,  and  they  ever  hold  the  uppermost  position 
in  his  thought. 

Donaldson,  John  M.,  was  born  at  Sterling,  Scotland,  January  17,  1854,  a  son  of 
John  W.  Donaldson,  who  emigrated  with  his  family  to  America  in  1855,  settling  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  and  who  is  now  retired  from  business  and  a  resident  of  Port  Huron, 
Mich.  John  M.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and  at  an  early  age 
developed  a  taste  for  architecture.  He  first  entered  the  office  of  J.  V.  Smith,  one  of 
the  pioneer  architects  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  with  whom  he  served  his  apprenticeship, 
and  later  studied  in  Munich  an.d  Paris.  Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1877  he 
took  charge  of  the  office  of  George  Metzger  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  for  one  year,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  formed  a  partnership  with  H.  T. 
Brush.  Mr.  Brush  died  in  1880  and  about  two  years  later  Mr.  Donaldson  associated 
with  him  m  business  his  present  partner  Henry  J.  Meier.  The  firm  of  Donaldson  & 
Meier  have  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  business  and  are  rated  as  one  of  the  leading 
firms  of  architects  in  the  city  of  Detroit.  Among  the  buildings  in  this  city  built 
after  plans  made  by  them  are  the  splendid  Union  Trust  building;  St.  Claire  Hotel; 

171 


vSchmidt  building;  Moffat  building;  Wayne  County  Savings  Bank;  Bagley  Com- 
mercial buildings;  the  store  of  Edson,  Moore  &  Co.  ;  Unitarian  church;  St.  Elizabeth 
Roman  Catholic  church;  Detroit  Boat  Club  house;  and  the  Woodmere  Cemetery 
entrance.  Mr.  Donaldson  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects  and 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  that  organization.  He  is  also  identified  with  the  Archi- 
tectural League  of  New  York,  the  National  Sculpture  Society  of  New  York,  Detroit 
Club  and  the  Detroit  Boat  Club.  He  is  also  a  trustee  and  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Detroit  Museum  of  Art.  In  1888  he  married  Charlotte  Grosvenor 
of  Maiden,  Mass.,  and  they  have  three  sons. 

Donnelly,  Hon.  John  C,  son  of  Capt.  William  and  Eleanor  (Boulger)  Donnelly, 
was  born  at  Kertch,  Ontario,  Can.,  November  27,  1851,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  home.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Col.  John  Atkinson  at  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  and  in  the  following  year  when 
Colonel  Atkinson  removed  to  Detroit,  Mr.  Donnelly  accompanied  him.  In  1871  he 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  spent  one  year, 
then  returned  to  Detroit  and  resumed  his  studies  of  law  in  Colonel  Atkinson's  office. 
He  was  admitted  to  practice  upon  examination  in  the  Wayne  county  Circuit  Court 
and  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  completed  his  course  in  law  at  the  university. 
Since  1873  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Brennan,  Donnelly  &  Van  de 
Mark,  Mr.  Van  de  Mark  being  admitted  to  partnership  in  1893.  In  1883  Mr.  Don- 
nelly was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  at  Washington.  He  is  counsel 
for  the  Detroit  Citizens'  Street  Railway  Company  and  the  Detroit  Gas  Company. 
In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature  (serving  one  term)  from  Detroit.  He 
was  captain  of  the  Montgomery  Rifles  for  two  years  and  was  also  adjutant  of  the 
First  Battalion  of  the  State  troops.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club ;  Yondotega 
Club  and  Detroit  Riding  Club.  Septemcer  1,  1875,  he  married  Anna  Miuton  of 
Alpena,  a  daughter  of  Martin  J.  Minton,  one  of  the  pioneer  lumbermen  of  that 
section,  and  they  have  four  children. 

Donnelly,  Thomas  M.,  was  born  in  Kertch,  Canada,  September  24,  1859,  a  son  of 
the  late  William  Donnelly.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  Ottawa 
College  (Ottawa,  Can.),  and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  offices  of  Brennan  &  Don- 
nelly, being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1880,  and  was  associated  with  Brennan  &  Don- 
nelly for  about  two  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced  alone,  and  has  met  with 
justly  deserved  success.  In  1883  Mr.  Donnelly  removed  to  Sarnia,  Can.,  where  he 
cstabHshed  a  weekly  newspaper,  the  Sarnia  Sun,  which  he  operated  for  nine  years. 
In  1892  he  sold  out  his  interest  and  returned  to  Detroit.  In  1885  Mr.  Donnelly  mar- 
ried Mary  J.  Fowler  of  Sarnia,  Can. 

Eyre,  George  F.  C,  son  of  John  and  Calista  A.  (Stevens)  Eyre,  was  born  in  Brigh- 
ton, Ontario,  Can.,  October  9,  1866.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Brighton  High 
School  in  1882,  and  from  the  Upper  Canada  College  at  Toronto,  in  1886.  After  sev- 
eral years  of  travel  through  the  United  States  he  returned  to  Canada  and  in  1890 
established  the  G.  F.  C.  Eyre  Manufacturing  Co.  at  Lynn,  Ont.,  which  he  conducted 
for  two  years.  In  1892  he  sold  out  the  business  and  during  the  ensuing  years  acted 
as  a  traveling  salesman  m  Canada  for  a  large  Chicago  mercantile  establishment. 
Mr.  Eyre  spent  some  months  in  the  office  of  John  W.  Gordon,  barrister  at  Brighton, 

172 


and  in  the  fall  of  1893  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  again  took  up  the  study 
of  law.  He  attended  the  Detroit  College  of  Law  for  one  year  and  later  served  in 
the  offices  of  Judge  Philip  T.  Van  Zile  and  Brennan,  Donnelly  &  Van  de  Mark.  In 
September,  1894,  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  LL.B.  in  1895.  After  a  sojourn  of  nearly  a  year  in  the  West 
he  finally  located  for  practice  in  Detroit  early  in  1896,  and  in  that  year  formed  a 
partnership  with  M.  Wallace  Bullock,  under  the  style  of  Eyre  &  Bullock,  attorneys, 
with  offices  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  has  since  been  active  and  successful 
in  the  prosecution  of  legal  business.  Mr.  Eyre  is  an  extensive  property  owner  and 
has  large  interests  in  the  stone  and  asbestos  quarries  near  Belleville,  Ontario.  He 
is  a  prominent  Mason,  a  member  of  King  Cyrus  Chapter,  Detroit;  of  the  K.  P.,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  is  an  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  having  at  one  time  owned  the  famous  rac- 
ing yacht,  Atalanta.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Canadian  Yacht  Club  of  Toronto, 
and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Rochester  and  Oswego  (N.  Y.)  Yacht  Clubs.  In 
1888  Mr.  Eyre  married  Ada  B.,  daughter  of  Capt.  Charles  Perry  of  Toronto,  Ont., 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Marie  G.     In  politics  Mr.  Eyre  is  a  Republican. 

Fenwick,  William  E.,  son  of  the  late  William  E.  Fenwick,  M.  D.,  was  born  at 
Davisburg,  Mich.,  December,  28,  1859.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  entered  the  Cass 
School  (later  the  High  School),  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1878.  He  then  took 
the  literary  course  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1881. 
After  leaving  college  he  was  principal  of  the  Marince  City  School  for  one  year.  He 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  offices  of  Wilkinson  &  Post  of  Detroit,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1884,  and  was  afterward  associated  with  the  firm  of  Conely,  Maybury  & 
Lucking,  with  whom  he  remained  for  three  years.  From  1887  to  1889  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  theatrical  business,  and  during  the  following  year  practiced  his  profes- 
sion. In  1890  he  was  made  deputy  county  clerk  of  Wayne  county,  and  held  that 
office  until  1894,  smce  which  time  he  has  continuously  practiced  law.  He  is  secre- 
tary of  and  attorney  for  the  Home  Mutual  Life  Association  of  Detroit,  is  a  member 
of  Oriental  Lodge  No.  240,  F.  &  A.  M.  In  1885  he  married  Glen  F.  Eton  of  Ypsi- 
lanti,  and  they  have  two  children:  William  E.,  jr.,  and  Donald  A. 

Finn,  Matthew,  son  of  Matthew  and  Margaret  (Coleman)  Finn,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  in  August,  1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit  and 
later  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  honors  in  the  class  of  1888.  He  at  once  located  in  Detroit,  where  he 
has  since  practiced  his  profession  with  marked  success.  During  the  first  four  years 
of  his  practice  he  was  associated  with  the  Hon.  S.  S.  Babcock,  and  Robert  E.  Frazer. 
Mr.  Finn  makes  a  specialtj'^  of  real  estate  law,  and  is  a  thorough  and  painstaking 
practitioner.  He  is  extremely  domestic  in  his  tastes,  and  his  leisure  moments  are 
.spent  in  the  family  circle.  He  was  married,  in  1895,  to  Frances  M.  Chene  of  De- 
troit.   ' 

Foster,  Lemuel  H.,  son  of  Charles  J.  and  Julia  A.  (Hill)  Foster,  was  born  in  Kala- 
mazoo county,  Mich  ,  July  13,  1853.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at  Kalamazoo 
and  later  took  a  special  course  of  instruction  (including  law)  in  a  private  academy  at 
Augusta,  Ga.     From   1875  to  1876  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  United  States 

173 


weather  bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  while  there  continued  his  studies  of  the 
law.  Upon  returning  to  Michigan  earl}'  in  I87fi  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Robert 
F.  Hill  at  Kalamazoo,  where  he  remained  for  several  years;  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  September,  1876.  Mr.  Foster  marrried  Mary  A.  Bates  of  Chicago,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Frank  L.  In  1882  he  removed  to  Chicago,  111.,  and  during  the  ten 
years  of  his  residence  in  that  city  built  up  for  himself  a  large  and  paying  practice, 
making  his  specialty  corporation  law  and  was  attorney  and  counsel  for  many  large 
corporations.  On  account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  wife  Mr.  Foster  removed  to  Detroit 
in  1892,  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  that  city  with  well 
merited  success.  He  holds  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar  and  enjoys  the  friend- 
ship of  his  fellow-practitioners  and  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  public.  Although 
sought  after  on  numerous  occasions  to  fill  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust,  Mr. 
Foster  has  never  allowed  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  any  public  office. 
He  is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics  and  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  as  a 
campaign  orator.  He  is  retained  as  counsel  by  several  of  Detroit's  leading  business 
hou.ses  and  is  prominently  identified  with  the  general  business  interests  of  the  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  and  Fellowcraft  Clubs  of  Detroit;  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Pointe  aux  Barques  Resort  Association  and  has  been  president  ever 
since  its  organization, 

(Partner,  Hon.  George,  son  of  the  late  Bernard  F.  and  Katherine  (Kerger)  Gartner, 
was  born  at  Grosse  Pointe,  Mich.,  October  10,  1850.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  he  later  spent  two  years  in  the 
Michigan  State  Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti.  In  the  autumn  of  1869  he  began  teach- 
ing in  the  public  schools  and  one  year  later  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  graduating  from  that  institution  with  honors  in  1872;  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year  and  at  once  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Detroit.  During  the  years  1865-66-67  he  was  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of 
Detroit,  and  in  1883  was  chosen  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  that  city 
for  three  years,  being  president  of  that  body  in  1895.  January  1,  1888,  he  ascended 
the  bench  as  judge  of  the  Wayne  county  Circuit  Court,  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  six  years.  In  his  private  practice  Judge  Gartner  has  an  enviable  position  at  the 
bar.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  and  Michigan  State  Bar  Associations,  and 
enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the  public.  In  1879 
Judge  Gartner  married  Lena  B  Brooks  of  Detroit,  and  they  had  two  children,  one 
of  whom  survives,  Oliver,  aged  ten  years. 

Goebel,  Lieut.-Col.  August,  son  of  Jacob  and  Marghereta  (Schaartzenberg)  Goebel, 
was  born  in  Germany,  September  2,  1839.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  place  and  removed  to  America  in  1856,  settling  in  Detroit.  He  was 
first  employed  by  S.  Dow  Ellwood,  with  whom  he  learned  the  trade  of  bookbinding 
and  remained  with  him  until  1861,  when  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  A,  Second  Michigan  Infantry.  He  served  until  1863,  when  he  was  forced  to 
resign  owing  to  defective  hearing.  He  returned  to  Detroit  and  to  the  employ  of  Mr. 
Ellwood,  remaining  until  1868,  when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Fort  and  Orleans  streets.  In  1878  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Theodore 
Gorenflo  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  Goebel  &  Co.,  and  engaged  in  brewing.  In  1889 
The  Goebel  Brewing  Company  was  formed,  of  which  Mr.  Goebel  is  president  and 

174 


general  manager.  In  1868  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  public  parks  and  in  1879 
to  the  Legislature.  He  was  a  member  of  the  upper  house  of  the  Common  Council 
during  1884-85,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Water  Board  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  resignation  of  Marshall  Godfrey  in  1887,  and  in  May  of  that  year,  to  a 
term  of  five  years.  In  May,  1897,  he  was  again  appointed  a  member  of  the  board 
and  did  much  toward  reorganizing  the  department  and  in  reducing  the  water  rates. 
Colonel  Goebel  has  been  a  lifelong  Democrat,  but  a  firm  believer  in  the  absence  of 
politics  frorn  municipal  affairs.  Owing  to  his  large  private  interests  claiming  his  at- 
tention, he  resigned  from  his  position  on  the  Water  Board  January  1,  1898.  He  was 
elected  captain  of  the  Scott  Guards  in  1880,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1882,  when 
he  was  elected  major  of  the  First  Battalion.  On  the  organization  of  the  Fourth 
Regiment  in  1884,  he  was  elected  lieutenant  colonel,  serving  until  1888,  when  he  re- 
signed, owing  to  a  proposed  trip  abroad;  he  was  elected  commander  of  Detroit  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  for  1898.  Colonel  Goebel  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory; 
Detroit  Commandery,  Knights  Templar;  Moslem  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine;  A.  O.  O. 
F.  ;  Fellowcraft  Club  and  the  Harmonic  Society.  June  7,  1873,  he  married  his  pres- 
ent wife,  and  they  have  eight  children:  Mrs.  C.  H.  Backus,  August,  jr.,  Theodore 
P.,  Fritz,  Eda,  Meta,  Gretchen  and  Clara. 

Goodfellow,  Bruce,  son  of  Archibald  Goodfellow,  was  born  on  October  G,  1850,  at 
Smith's  Falls,  Ontario,  Canada.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  at  fourteen  years  of  age  entered  upon  his  business  career,  securing  em- 
ployment in  a  large  woolen  mill,  where  he  divided  his  time  between  the  carding 
machines  and  keeping  the  company's  books.  His  father  remonstrated  with  him,  as 
he  wished  to  give  Bruce  a  classical  education,  but  the  boy  had  formed  a  determina- 
tion to  become  independent,  and  against  the  advice  of  parents  and  friends  he  re- 
moved to  Toronto,  and  there  entered  a  large  mercantile  establishment  as  bundle 
boy.  He  was  soon  promoted,  and  when  his  employers  failed  he  easily  found  em- 
ployment in  a  gents'  furnishing  store,  and  later  followed  that  business  in  Coburg  and 
Peterboro,  becoming  thoroughly  conversant  with  every  detail  of  the  business. 
Young  Goodfellow's  entry  into  Detroit  business  circles  was  marked  with  a  good  deal 
of  hardship  and  privation.  At  one  time,  shortly  after  his  arrival,  he  was  compelled 
to  peddle  novelties  on  the  streets  to  gain  a  livelihood.  In  the  course  of  time  he 
found  employment  with  George  Gassman,  a  tailor,  who  afterward,  strange  to  say, 
worked  for  Mr.  Goodfellow.  In  1870  he  had  occasion  to  hand  a  business  note  to  Mr. 
C.  R.  Mabley,  who  took  a  fancy  to  him,  asked  him  numberless  questions,  and  finally 
offered  Bruce  a  clerkship  in  the  furnishing  department  of  his  store,  which  was  at 
once  accepted.  At  the  end  of  two  weeks  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  his  depart- 
ment, and  in  1875,  when  Mr.  Mabley  opened  a  furnishing  store  under  the  Russell 
Hotel,  Mr.  Goodfellow  was  its  manager.  He  afterward  became  general  manager  of 
Mr.  Mabley's  entire  business.  In  1884  a  stock  company  was  formed,  under  the  style 
of  Mabley  &  Co.,  to  control  the  business,  and  Mr.  Goodfellow  was  elected  its  secre- 
tary-treasurer, and  retained  that  position  until  1885.  In  that  year  Mr.  Mabley  died, 
and  Mr.  Goodfellow  succeeded  him  as  president  of  the  company,  and  is  to-day  at  the 
head  of  the  Mabley-Goodfellow  Co.,  the  largest  department  store  in  the  city  of  De- 
troit. Mr.  Goodfellow  was  married  in  1884,  to  Mrs.  T.  W.  Davey,  of  Wmdsor,  On- 
tario, Canada. 

175 


Gourlay,  Alfred  L.,  son  of  Robert  and  Helen  (Lawson)  Gourlay,  was  born  in  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland.  July  31,  1845.  He  was  instructed  by  private  tutors  in  Edinburgh 
until  eleven  years  old,  when  he  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  America,  settling  in 
New  York  city,  where  young  Gourlay  attended  the  public  schools  for  three  years. 
He  then  learned  the  printing  business  with  Wynkoop,  Hallenbeck  &  Thomas,  of 
New  York,  and  later,  for  a  number  of  years,  acted  as  foreman  of  their  establish- 
ment. From  1867  to  1869  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  George  Gray,  printer,  at 
Omaha,  Neb.,  but  returned  to  New  York  in  the  latter  year  and  again  assumed  his 
former  position  for  a  period  of  two  years.  In  1871  Mr.  Gourlay  became  identified 
with  the  firm  of  Downs,  Gourlay  &  Finch,  shirt  manufacturers,  as  superintendent  of 
their  factory  at  New  York,  and  following  the  dissolution  of  partnership  of  that  firm 
he  removed  in  1875  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where,  in  company  with  his  brother,  James 
Gourlay,  he  established  the  present  business  of  Gourlay  Bros.,  shirt  makers  and 
men's  furnishers.  From  a  small  beginning  this  business  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  city  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Gourlay  was  married  in  1872  to  Laura, 
daughter  of  A.  A.  Andruss,  of  New  York  city,  and  they  have  two  children:  Helen 
Lawson  and  Charles  A. 

Grant,  John,  son  of  Archibald  and  Mary  (Smith)  Grant,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
May  12,  1862.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  High  School  of  that  city  until 
seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  took  up  the  trade  of  garment  dyeing  in  the  employ 
of  his  father.  In  February,  1887  he  entered  upon  his  successful  railroad  career 
with  the  old  Detroit  City  Railroad  Co.  as  a  clerk  in  their  offices.  He  afterward  be- 
came paymaster  and  purchasing  agent  for  that  company,  and  in  1889  he  was  made 
manager  and  superintendent  of  their  Grand  River  system.  October  1,  1891,  when 
the  Detroit  Citizens'  Street  Railway  Co.  organized  and  purchased  the  Detroit  Street 
Railway  Co.  and  Grand  River  Railway  Co.,  Mr.  Grant  was  placed  in  charge  of  sev- 
eral important  divisions  for  the  new  company.  From  April  to  June,  1895,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Sterling,  Grant  &  Co. ,  in  the  street  railway  supply  business, 
but  in  the  latter  month  returned  to  railroading  as  general  superintendent  of  the  De- 
troit Citizens'  Railway  Co. ;  January  5,  1897,  he  was  made  general  superintendent  of 
the  Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  system  and  on  June  1  of  the  same  year  general  super- 
intendent of  the  Detroit  Electric  Railway  Co.,  being  at  the  present  time  general 
superintendent  of  the  entire  street  railway  system  of  the  city  of  Detroit.  Mr. 
Grant  is  a  member  of  the  West  Side  Club  and  Detroit  Athletic  Club;  B.  P.  O.  E.. 
and  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  October  13,  1887,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Lang,  daughter  of  Augustus  Lang  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  four  children  : 
Archibald  L.,  Marguerite  M. ,  Helen  M.,  and  Mary  E. 

Grummond,  U.  Grant,  son  of  the  late  Stephen  B.  Grummond,  founder  of  the 
Grummond  line  of  steamers  plying  the  Great  Lakes,  and  ex- mayor  of  Detroit,  was 
bern  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  31,  1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Detroit  and  under  private  tutors;  he  also  attended  the  Pennsylvania  Military  Acad- 
emy and  later  took  a  course  in  Shortlidge's  Academy  at  Media,  Pa.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  entered  his  father's  office  and  during  the  ensuing  six  years  acted  as 
bookkeeper  and  manager  of  the  Grummond  tug  boat  lines.  Upon  his  father's  death 
in  1894  he  and  his  brother  assumed  charge  of  the  business,  and  he  has  ever  since 
been  general  manager  of  the  steamers  plying  between  Cleveland  and  Detroit.     Mr. 

176 


Grummond  is  popular  with  all  classes.  Modest  and  unassuming  in  his  bearing,  yet 
shrewd  and  energetic  in  business  matters,  he  makes  and  retains  friends  among  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club;  of  the 
Michigan  Athletic  Association,  and  numerous  other  organizations. 

Hall,  Philo  E.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Ruth  A.  (Andrews)  Hall,  was  born  at  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  November  28,  1856.  In  1857  his  parents  removed  to  Saline,  Mich.,  where 
young  Hall  attended  public  school  until  seventeen.  He  then  removed  to  Detroit,  and 
during  the  following  two  years  served  the  dry  goods  firm  of  James  Frisbie  at  Detroit 
and  Williams  Bros,  at  Ypsilanti  as  a  clerk.  In  1875  he  entered  the  Bryant  and 
Stratton  Business  College  at  Detroit,  and  a  short  time  before  he  was  to  have  gradu- 
ated he  received  an  appointment  as  bookkeeper  for  J.  M.  Arnold  &  Co.,  booksellers 
and  stationers.  He  later  acted  m  the  same  capacity  for  several  other  leading  firms, 
and  for  two  years  (1878  to  1880)  he  was  entry  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  house  of  Allan, 
Shelden  &  Co.  Smce  May,  1880,  Mr.  Hall  has  been  continuously  identified  with  the 
firm  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists  at  Detroit,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  months  in  1884,  when  he  was  the  secretary  of  the  Western  Knitting  Co. 
He  entered  the  service  of  P.,  D.  &  Co.  as  invoice  clerk  and  was  shortly  afterward 
promoted  to  the  position  of  cashier.  For  the  past  thirteen  years  he  has  had  entire 
charge  of  all  collections,  credits,  etc..  within  the  pale  of  the  office  of  auditor,  of 
which  he  is  the  incumbent.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum.  December  24,  1879,  he  married  Frances 
Ingles,  and  they  have  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Clara  E.  and  Louis  S. 

Hart,  Joseph  C,  was  born  at  Adrian,  Mich.,  May  3,  1843.  After  graduating  from 
the  literary  department  of  Michigan  University,  in  1864,  he  and  his  brother,  Henry 
C.  Hart,  bought  out  the  dry  goods  store  of  their  father,  who  wished  to  engage  in 
other  business.  They  managed  the  store  several  years.  But  the  dry  goods  business 
was  not  profitable  in  the  years  just  following  the  war,  and  young  Hart's  tastes  and 
inclinations  led  him  in  other  directions.  So  about  the  year  1869  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Grand  Rapids  with  some  notion  of  buying  an  interest  in  the  Grand  Rapids 
Democrat,  then  published  under  the  direction  of  M.  H.  Clark.  Mr.  Hart  was  ap- 
pointed city  editor,  and  filled  that  position  for  a  short  time.  While  gathering  local 
news  Hart  had  plenty  of  time  for  reflection,  and  looking  ahead  could  see  no  en- 
couragement to  remain  in  the  newspaper  business.  The  work  was  pleasant  enough, 
but  the  emoluments  were  small.  He  accordingly  resigned  his  literary  ambitions  in 
1870  and  betook  himself  to  Detroit,  where,  after  some  minor  business  experiences, 
he  entered  the  office  of  Merrell  &  Ferguson,  general  agents  for  the  Mutual  Life  In- 
surance Co.,  of  New  York.  Their  territory  covered  a  number  of  States,  and  Mr. 
Hart  found  in  the  details  of  general  agency  work,  with  the  mass  of  intricate  corres- 
pondence on  technical  subjects  which  it  involved,  during  many  years  of  financial  de- 
pression, a  field  of  labor  that  was  at  once  congenial  and  profitable.  In  the  fall  of 
1887  Mr,  Hart  saw  an  opportunity  to  establish  another  bank.  Leaving  Merrell  & 
Ferguson's  office  he  got  C.  K.  Latham  and  others  interested,  and  in  June,  1888,  the 
Central  Savings  Bank,  capital  $100,000,  opened  for  business  m  the  Detroit  Opera 
House  block,  where  it  has  remained  ever  since  Mr.  Hart  became  cashier  and  active 
manager  of  the  bank.  The  present  officers  are:  President,  Gilbert  Hart;  vice- 
presidents,  Conrad  Clippert  and  C.  K.  Latham;  cashier,  J.  C.  Hart;  directors,  Gil- 

177 


bert  Hart,  Conrad  Clippert,  Charles  K.  Latham,  WilHam  T.  Gage,  Joseph  C.  Hart. 
The  bank  originally  had  about  fifteen  directors,  but  experience  showed  that  better 
results  could  be  obtained  with  a  smaller  board.  When  vacancies  happened  they 
were  not  filled,  and  thus  by  a  gradual  process  of  elimination  or  survival  of  the  fittest 
the  number  has  been  reduced  to  five,  including  those  who  have  the  largest  interests 
in  the  bank  and  are  willing  to  give  it  most  attention.  President  Gilbert  Hart  and 
Cashier  J.  C.  Hart  are  not  related  to  each  other,  though  the  similarity  of  names 
causes  many  people  to  have  that  impression.  While  a  small  bank,  comparatively, 
the  Central  Savings  has  a  record  which  some  of  the  larger  institutions  cannot  boast. 
It  does  a  very  careful  and  conservative  business.  There  has  been  a  remarkable 
absence  of  losses,  and  such  a  thing  as  a  bad  debt  is  practically  unknown.  It  prefers 
to  do  a  small  business  and  stand  on  solid  ground.  During  the  panic  of  '93  there 
were  few  days  when  the  Central  Savings  failed  to  pay  any  demand  made  by  its 
customers  or  took  advantage  of  the  law  in  regard  to  ninety  days'  notice.  At  no  time 
was  there  any  lack  of  currency,  and  it  did  not  issue  any  certified  checks  or  fall  back 
on  clearing  house  certificates.  Not  a  dollar  was  lost  from  bad  debts  that  year,  and 
the  result  of  its  rigidly  conserative  policy  in  the  matter  of  loans  was  more  than  grati- 
fying. Mr.  Hart  was  married  in  1870  to  Mary  J.  Parker  of  Adrian,  and  they  have 
three  children :     Miriam  (who  is  an  artist),  Laura  L.  and  Frederick  P. 

Hatch,  Charles  H.,  son  of  Judge  Herschel  H.  Hatch,  was  born  at  Bay  City,  Mich., 
November  22,  1866.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1888.  He  studied  law  in  his 
father's  office  at  Bay  City,  and  has  been  associated  with  him  in  his  practice  ever 
since.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1891  and  in  January,  1895,  was  appointed  as 
prosecuting  attorney  of  Bay  City,  but  resigned  that  position  in  June  of  the  same 
year,  at  which  time  Judge  Hatch  removed  his  office  to  Detroit.  In  the  latter  city 
he  has  already  won  for  himself  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar,  and  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  practitioners  and  the  public.  In  1894  Mr.  Hatch  married  Katy 
H.  Gower  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  they  have  one  son,  John  G.  Mr.  Hatch  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Bay  City,  and  is  a  member  of  Jappa  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  M. ,  of  that  city. 

Hatch,  Hon.  Herschel  H.,  was  born  at  Morrisville,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1837,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  under  his 
father's  tutorship.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  entered  the  law  department  of 
Hamilton  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1859.  After  admission  to  the 
bar  he  practiced  law  in  his  native  county  for  five  years;  in  March,  1863,  he  removed 
to  Bay  City,  Mich.,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Isaac  Marston,  then  a  prac- 
ticing lawyer  of  that  city,  and  which  partnership  remained  unbroken  for  ten  years. 
In  1873  Mr.  E.  A.  Cooley  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  which  was  changed  to  Marston, 
Hatch  &  Cooley;  two  years  later  Judge  Marston  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  the  firm  of  Hatch  &  Cooley  existed  with  ever  increasing  prominence 
for  twenty  years.  In  1895  Judge  Hatch  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  continued 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  ;  associated  with  him  are  C.  H.  Hatch,  his  son,  and 
C.  W.  Chapman.  The  title  of  "Judge"  belongs  to  Mr.  Hatch  by  virtue  of  his  ser- 
vices as  probate  judge  from  1868  to  1872.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
Aldermen  of  Bay  City  after  its  incorporation  as  a  city.     He  was  appointed  in  1874 

178 


by  Governor  Barley  one  of  the  eighteen  members  of  a  commission  provided  for  by 
statute  to  revise  and  amend  the  constitution  of  the  State.  In  1881  he  was  appointed 
'  by  the  governor  one  of  the  tax  commissioners  selected  to  revise  the  tax  laws  of  the 
State.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republicans  and  elected  to  represent  the 
Tenth  district  of  Michigan  in  Congress  of  the  United  States;  after  serving  a  single 
term  of  office  he  declined  renomination  and  returned  to  his  practice  of  law.  As  a 
Republican  he  has  for  many  years  exercised  a  potential  influence  in  the  ranks  of  his 
party  in  this  State.  Judge  Hatch  was  married  in  June,  1864,  to  Eliza  E.  Haughton 
of  Morrisville,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  four  children:  Charles  H.,  Helen  L.,  Alice  E., 
and  Frank  A. 

Heffron,  John,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Sullivan)  Hef¥ron,  was  born  in  Cork,  Ire- 
land, in  1835.  He  attended  school  in  his  native  town  until  eight  years  of  age,  when, 
in  company  with  his  mother  and  his  five  brothers  and  sisters,  he  emigrated  to 
America,  his  father  having  preceded  them.  The  family  settled  in  Monroe  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  for  twelve  years  young  Heffron  was  engaged  in  various  pursuits,  lat- 
terly as  a  clerk  in  the  Hotel  Clinton  at  Rochester.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  with  what  ready  capital  he  possessed  he  established  himself  in  the  res- 
taurant and  catering  business;  later  in  wholesale  fruits,  etc.,  which  he  followed  until 
1874.  In  that  year  he  identified  himself  with  several  Detroit  capitahsts  in  the  build- 
ing of  a  levee  on  the  Mississippi  River,  which  afterward  caused  him  heavy  financial 
losses.  About  the  same  year  Mr.  Heflfron  was  instrumental  in  the  organization  of 
the  People's  Saving  Bank,  of  which  institution  he  served  as  vice-president  for  several 
years.  In  1879  he  withdrew  from  all  other  pursuits  and  became  special  agent  at 
Detroit  for  the  Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York.  In  1885  he  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  and  patent  business,  in  which  he  actively  labored  until  1896. 
Since  April  of  that  year  he  has  been  the  Michigan  State  agent  for  the  American 
Union  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York.  From  1881  to  1887  Mr.  HefTron  was 
a  member  of  the  Michigan  Board  of  Prison  Examiners,  under  appointment  of  Gov- 
ernor Begole;  and  since  1857  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard, 
being  at  present  vice-president  of  the  veteran  corps  of  that  organization.  In  1855 
Mr.  Heffron  married  Ellen  Bowen  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  but  no  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union. 

Henderson,  Edwin,  son  of  Walter  (deceased)  and  Julia  (Cabot)  Henderson,  was 
born  in  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  February  28,  1867.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Wayne  county  until  1885,  in  which  year  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  spent  one 
year  in  the  High  School.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  James  H.  Pound  at  De- 
trot,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  m  December,  1888.  and  has  since  practiced  his  profes- 
sion continuously  in  Detroit  with  marked  success.  In  1893  Mr.  Henderson  was 
nominated  for  the  office  of  city  attorney  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  received  a 
flattering  vote,  although  defeated  by  his  Republican  opponent.  In  June,  1896,  he 
was  appointed  on  the  Public  Lighting  Commission  of  Detroit,  and  held  that  position 
until  the  foUownng  December,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  his  present  position  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners.  In  the  autum  of  1896  Mr.  Hender- 
son was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  to  represent  the  First  Michigan  district 
in  Congress,  but  was  defeated  with  the  entire  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can, Michigan,  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations ;  of  Detroit  Lodge  No.  2,  F.  &  A.M.  ; 

179 


King  Cyrus  Chapter,  R.A.M. ;  Monroe  Council  R.S.M.  ;  Damascus  Commandery  K. 
T. ;  Damon  Lodge  of  the  K.  of  P.,  and  an  enthusiastic  Shriner  of  the  Moslem  Tem- 
ple. In  1888  he  married  Laura  Martindale  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Evelyn  L. 

Holz,  Charles,  son  of  Henry  and  Sophia  (Prestin)  Holz,  was  born  in  Mecklenburg, 
Germany,  July  29,  1847,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Mecklenburg  and 
private  schools  of  Hamburg.  On  leaving  his  studies  he  served  nine  months  in  the 
German  army  as  required  by  the  government.  In  1868  he  was  apprenticed  to  the 
tailoring  trade  which  he  mastered  in  1872,  and  sailing  for  America  during  that  year, 
he  settled  in  Detroit  where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Holz  followed  his  trade  for 
the  first  five  years  after  coming  to  Detroit,  and  then  launched  into  merchant  tailor- 
ing for  himself,  gratifying  success  attending  his  efforts  of  twenty  years.  On  October 
6,  1872,  he  married  Minnie  Holz  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  eight  children. 

Hurd,  J.  Stanley,  son  of  John  T.  and  Emily  F.  (Bndgman)  Hurd,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  June  5,  1872.  He  attended  private  school  in  Detroit,  and  later  entered 
the  Detroit  High  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1889.  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  A.  B.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1893,  and  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from 
the  same  institution  in  the  following  year.  In  1894  he  was  admitted  to  the  Detroit 
bar  and  to  practice  in  the  United  States  courts  in  1895.  His  specialty  is  admiralty. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Phi  and  Psi  Upsilon  fraternities  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  and  of  the  Rushmere  Club  of  Detroit. 

Hurst,  William  A.,  son  of  William  and  Margaret  (Storey)  Hurst,  was  born  in 
Lampton  county,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  April  8,  1862.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Canada  until  ten  years  of  age,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  St. 
Clair,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  school  until  1879.  During  the  ensuing  seven  years 
he  served  with  the  firm  of  N.  &  B.  Mills  as  lumber  inspector  at  Marvsville,  Mich. 
While  in  Marysville  Mr.  Hurst  took  a  full  course  of  instruction  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  College,  being  graduated  in  1884.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Detroit  and 
after  a  service  of  one  year  with  the  Delta  Lumber  Co.,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  J.  H.  Thompson  &  Co.,  wholesale  tea  and  coffee  merchants,  as  bookkeeper, 
later  acting  as  traveling  salesman,  and  remained  with  that  firm  until  1890,  at 
which  time  they  closed  out  their  business.  For  two  years  following  he  engaged 
in  real  estate  and  insurance  at  Detroit,  and  in  1892  was  appointed  as  clerk  of 
the  circuit  court  commissioners.  While  occupying  that  position  Mr.  Hurst  attended 
the  Detroit  College  of  Law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  July,  1896.  In  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office  as  circuit  court  commissioner. 
Mr.  Hurst  is  a  staunch  Republican ;  a  member  of  the  Alger  Club,  of  which  he  was 
president  in  1896;  vice-president  of  the  State  League  of  Republican  Clubs,  hav- 
ing been  elected  to  that  office  in  February,  1898;  and  in  1895  served  his  party  as  sec- 
retary of  the  city  and  county  committee.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Fellowcraft 
Club  of  Detroit,  the  Bar  Association  of  Detroit  and  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Since  July,  1896,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Fales,  Hurst 
&  Fenton.  September  16,  1889,  he  married  Ida  E.  R.  Clark  of  Detroit,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Helen  Claire. 

Ingersoll,  Jerome,  son  of  Justus  and  Mary  R.  (Hines)  Ingersoll,  was  born  at  Leav- 

180 


enworth,  Kans.,  August  30,  1872.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city 
until  1884,  when  upon  the  death  of  his  father  he  removed  with  his  mother  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  his  father's  former  home.  In  the  latter  city  he  attended  the  University  of 
Michigan,  where  he  pursued  both  the  literary  and  law  courses  and  was  graduated 
with  honors,  LL.B.,  and  A.  B.  in  1895.  In  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  has  since  practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit,  in  the  offices  of 
Cutcheon,  Stelhvagen  &  Fleming.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Peninsula  Savings 
Bank;  and  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Boat  Club;  Michigan  Naval  Reserve  and  Sigma 
Phi  fraternity.  University  of  Michigan. 

Jayne,  Delos  D.,  son  of  Delos  Jayne,  was  born  in  Chenango  county,  N.  Y.,  June 
12,  1859.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  after  a  preparatory  course  of 
instruction  he  entered  Cornell  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1881. 
After  graduating  he  taught  in  the  Miami  Valley  College,  Ohio,  and  in  1884  was 
called  to  fill  the  chair  of  professor  of  political  economy  and  history  in  the  Michigan 
Military  Academy  at  Orchard  Lake.  In  1890  he  resigned  his  professorship  and  took 
up  the  practice  of  law,  of  which  he  had  made  a  close  study  while  at  Orchard  Lake, 
and  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1887.  In  1890  he  located  in  Detroit,  where  he.has 
since  been  in  continuous  practice  with  justly  deserved  success.  He  is  secretary  and 
a  director  of  the  Pontiac  and  Sylvan  Lake  Railroad  Company  and  a  director  in  sev- 
eral other  local  corporations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion;  Oriental  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  K.  T.  and  K.  of  P.  In  1894  Mr.  Jayne 
married  Annie  E.  Fehling  of  Belleville,  Mich.  In  the  summer  of  1897  Mr.  Jayne 
associated  with  him  in  business  Mr.  G.  Lewis  Carter  of  Detroit. 

Joy,  William  S. ,  son  of  Frederick  C.  and  Martha  J.  (Sherman)  Joy,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  June  28,  1864.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  was 
graduated  from^  the  High  School  in  1880.  He  then  entered  the  office  of  Mortimer  L. 
Smith,  architect  of  Detroit,  with  whom  he  remained  for  thirteen  years.  In  1893  he 
established  himself  in  his  profes.sion  and  has  since  met  with  marked  success.  In 
1884  he  married  Ida  F.  Wilder  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  son,  Frederick  C,  2d. 

Keena.  James  T.,  son  of  the  late  John  C.  Keena,  was  born  at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y., 
on  November  19,  1850.  His  parents  removed  while  he  was  still  quite  yoimg  to  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  and  later  to  Detroit,  Mich.  From  1860  to  1865  they  again  resided  in 
Buffalo,  and  settled  permanently  in  Detroit  in  the  latter  year  (1865).  James  T.  at- 
tended St.  Mary's  parish  school  at  Buffalo,  and  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  in 
1867  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  navy  (on  board  the  Quinnebaug)  as  ship's  writer  and  cap- 
tain's clerk,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1870.  During  that  time,  and  by  the 
advice  of  the  captain,  he  read  law,  and  upon  returning  to  Detroit  he  entered  the  law 
department  of  Ann  Arbor  University,  and  was  graduated  thereform  in  1872.  He 
continued  his  studies  in  the  offices  of  Trowbridge  &  Atkinson,  at  Detroit,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1874.  In  that  year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Messrs.  John 
and  James  Atkinson,  which  continued  for  two  years.  From  1876  to  1880  he  was 
associated  with  Gen.  L.  S.  Trowbridge,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  nominated  for  pro- 
bate judge,  but  was  defeated  by  Judge  Durfee,  who  has  been  an  incumbent  of  that 
office  for  twenty-five  years.  In  the  same  year  (1880)  he  was  appointed  attorney  for 
the  Peoples'  Savings  Bank,  of  Detroit,  and  still  acts  in  that  capacity,  devoting  him- 

181 


self  almost  exclusively  to  corporation  practice.  He  is  also  chief  counsel  for  the 
Standard  Life  and  Accident  Insurance  Company,  the  C.  M.  B.  A.,  and  Catholic  Dio- 
cese of  Detroit,  the  estate  of  Francis  Ponds,  and  for  the  Wilhelm  Bowling  Associa- 
tion. In  1890  he  associated  with  him  in  his  work  Mr.  Clarence  Lightner,  who  is  a 
rising  young  attorney.  Mr.  Keena  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  and  other  clubs,  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Detroit  Riding  Club,  being  an  enthusiastic  eques- 
trian. He  was  married,  in  1874,  to  Miss  Etta  M.  Boyle  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  a 
family  of  four  children:  Pauletta  M.,  Leo  J.,  Trafton  J.,  and  Mylne  N.,  aged  respect- 
ively, twenty-one,  eighteen,  fourteen  and  ten  years. 

Kellogg,  Charles  C,  assistant  postmaster  of  Detroit,  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Wayne 
county,  Mich.,  December  25,  1858,  and  removed  to  Detroit  with  his  parents  about 
18G6.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in 
the  class  of  1878,  being  one  of  the  three  class  orators  and  in  the  following  year  was 
orator  of  the  High  School  Alumni  Association.  In  the  autumn  of  1878  he  entered 
the  University  of  Michigan,  but  before  the  completion  of  his  course  he  left  college 
to  accept  an  appointment  as  deputy  county  clerk  of  Wayne  county,  and  ably  filled 
that  position  for  twelve  years,  resigning  on  January  1,  1895,  to  accept  his  present 
position  as  assistant  postmaster  of  Detroit.  On  account  of  his  wide  acquaintance 
acquired  in  public  offices,  Mr.  Kellogg's  name  has  been  more  than  once  before  the 
people,  but  he  has  each  time  refused  to  become  a  candidate  for  any  other  than  the 
position  of  which  he  is  now  an  incumbent.  After  entering  upon  his  official  duties  as 
assi.stant  postmaster,  Mr  Kellogg  quickly  familiarized  himself  with  the  workings  of 
the  office;  his  soundness  of  judgment  and  courteousness  of  manner  soon  made  it 
evident  that  he  was  admirably  fitted  for  his  position.  He  has  studied  and  been 
graduated  in  law  and  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  bar,  but  has  never  practiced  that 
profession.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bowling  Club;  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  of  the  Veteran  Corps  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard,  of  which  he  was  the 
president  for  four  years.     Mr.  Kellogg  is  married  and  has  one  daughter. 

Lathrop,  H.  Kirk,  jr.,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  at  Orion,  Mich.,  December  27,  1847,  a 
son  of  the  distinguished  physician  and  surgeon,  H.  Hirk  Lathrop,  now  a  resident  of 
Royal  Oak,  Mich.  Dr.  Henry  Kirk  Lathrop,  sr.,  wag  born  at  West  Springfield, 
Mass.,  February  24,  1824.  The  record  of  his  family  takes  us  back  to  the  springs  of 
American  history.  The  head  of  this  family  was  a  clergyman,  who  fled  from  Hol- 
land in  1684,  coming  to  Massachusetts  by  tlie  ship  Griffith,  and  settling  at  Barn- 
stable. It  is  remarkable  that  the  succession  has  been  maintained  by  an  unbroken 
line  of  professional  men  for  during  262  years;  the  Lathrops  have  been  clergymen, 
lawyers,  or  physicians.  H.  Kirk  Lathrop,  sr.,  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  the 
family  migrated  to  the  State  of  Michigan,  settling  in  Oakland  county.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  and  later  studied  in  the  Romeo  (Mich.)  branch  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  ;  after  completing  the  classical  and  literary  courses,  he  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine,  was  graduated  in  due  time,  and  .settled  at  Orion,  Mich.,  where  he  began 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in  1847.  Dr.  Lathrop  studied  astronomy  sys- 
tematically for  a  number  of  years,  and  is  familiar  with  the  face  of  the  skies;  he  is  a 
careful  observer,  a  scientific  reasoner  and  a  practical  man  in  every  sense  of  the  term. 
He  has  been  a  lifelong  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  which  is  looked  upon 
as  the  hereditary  church  of  the  Lathrops,  and  in  politics  Dr.    Lathrop  has  been  an 

182 


Independent  since  the  Greeley  campaign.  H.  Kirk  Lathrop,  jr.,  attended  the  pub- 
lic and  private  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  later  entered  the  Ohio  Dental  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1870.  In  that  year  he  settled  in  De- 
troit, where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  in  the  active  and  successful  practice  of  his 
profession.  Dr.  Lathrop  is  prominent  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  He  is, 
and  has  been  for  years,  treasurer  of  the  Michigan  Dental  Association,  and  was  its 
president  in  1892  and  1893.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Dental  Association,  of 
the  Detroit  Dental  Society,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Examiners 
since  1886.  He  is  treasurer  and  a  director  of  the  Leland  &  Faulconer  Mfg.  Co. 
(machinery  and  tools),  and  is  a  director  of  the  American  Harrow  Mfg.  Co.  of  Detroit ; 
and  a  stockholder  in  the  Detroit  Chamber  of  Commerce.  In  1871  Dr.  Lathroj)  mar- 
ried Mary  W.  Gillett,  and  they  had  three  children:  Rufus  G.,  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  and  a  practicing  lawyer.  Kirk  and  Charles. 

Lathrop,  Joseph,  jr.,  son  of  Joseph  and  Ada  M.  (Pulling)  Lathrop,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  December  27,  1871.  After  attending  the  public  schools  and  High 
School  of  Detroit,  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  where  for 
two  years  he  pursued  the  literary  course ;  subsequently  entering  the  dental  depart- 
ment of  the  university,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1894,  with  the  degree  of  D. 
D.  S.  Durmg  the  ensuing  year  he  was  associated  with  his  father  in  his  practice  at 
Detroit.  In  September,  1895,  Mr.  Lathrop  departed  from  the  practice  of  dentistry 
into  his  present  business,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr.  C.  A.  Roberts,  under  the 
style  of  Roberts  &  Lathrop,  and  establishing  a  dental  depot  from  which  they  furnish 
supplies  of  every  description  to  the  dentists  of  the  States  of  Michigan,  Ohio  and  In- 
diana. Notwithstanding  tremendous  competition,  the  firm  of  Roberts  &  Lathrop 
have  from  the  first  enjoyed  prosperity.  Keen  foresight  and  splendid  business 
methods  have  insured  their  success.  Mr.  Lathrop  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Boat 
Club,  and  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  Like  his  father  he  is  an 
ardent  adherent  to  the  principles  of  Republicanism.  He  was  married  in  September, 
1894,  to  Harriet  M.  Davison,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  a  son.  Crosier  D. 

Lawrence,  William  B..  was  born  at  Gainsville,  N.  Y.,  February  23,  1870,  a  son  of 
George  D.  Lawrence,  a  prosperous  dairyman  of  Detroit,  to  which  city  he  removed 
with  his  family  in  1879,  after  a  residence  of  one  and  a  half  years  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
William  B.  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ,  and  De- 
troit, Mich.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  school  and  entered  a  mercantile  business 
which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years,  spending  his  evenings  at  the  old  Whitney 
Opera  House,  where  he  acted  as  programme  boy.  He  later  relinquished  the  mer- 
cantile business  and  gave  his  entire  time  to  the  theatre,  where  he  found  steady  em- 
ployment, and  rose  through  all  possible  grades  to  the  position  which  he  now  occu- 
pies, as  treasurer  of  the  Detroit  Opera  House,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  has  ably 
discharged  for  the  past  eight  years.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  sole  owner  of  the  Seattle 
(Washington)  baseball  team  in  1896,  and  during  the  season  of  1893-94  he  was  pro- 
prietor of  the  Star  Theatre  Opera  Corhpany  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit,  of  Corinthian  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the  B.  P. 
O.  E.  In  1890  Mr.  Lawrence  married  Nellie  A.  Kelly  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Lawrence  is 
popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles  in  Detroit,  a  fact  which  was  attested  at 
the  late  benefit  tendered  to  him  by  his  friends,  at  which  the  Detroit  Opera  House 
was  packed  to  the  doors. 

183 


Lennox,  Levi  J.,  M.  D.,  son  of  William  and  Anna  (Johnson)  Lennox,  was  born 
near  Toronto,  Can.,  in  1858.  Following  the  teachings  available  near  his  home  he 
attended  the  Victoria  College  at  Cobourg,  Ont.  Fully  prepared  he  entered  the  Trin- 
ity Medical  College  of  Toronto  and  was  graduated  in  1880.  Dr.  Lennox  practiced 
four  years  in  Toronto  then  came  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  practiced.  In  1874 
Dr.  Lennox  married  Ella  Cooper  of  Richmond,  Mich.,  and  they  have  two  daughters: 
Genevieve  and  Myrtle. 

Lewis,  Henry  B.,  son  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Ingersoll)  Lewis,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  November  18,  1865.  Entering  the  public  schools  at  an  early  age  Mr.  Lewis 
was  graduated  in  1876.  In  pursuit  of  educational  advancement  he  entered  the 
Trinity  College  School  at  Port  Hope,  and  studied  four  years,  preparatory  to  enter- 
ing upon  a  classical  course  in  Trinity  College,  Toronto.  Mr.  Lewis  began  his 
studies  in  Trinity  College,  Toronto,  in  1882,  remaining  there  three  years.  In  1885 
he  returned  to  Detroit  and  was  employed  in  a  clerical  capacity  by  Ducharme  & 
Fletcher,  hardware  merchants.  In  1887  Mr.  Lewis  removed  to  Seattle,  Washington, 
and  purchased  a  blind,  sash  and  door  factory  and  saw  mill,  managing  the  establish- 
ment for  four  years.  In  1891  he  returned  to  Detroit  and  in  1893  became  associated 
in  business  with  James  T.  Whitehead,  purchasing  Mr.  Whitehead's  interest  in  1897, 
and  the  firm  is  now  known  as  Henry  B.  Lewis,  operating  in  trade  circles  as  the  De- 
troit Metal  and  Heating  Works.     Mr.  Lewis  is  a  bachelor. 

Linn,  Alexander  R.,  son  of  Alexander  and  Helen  (Lambie)  Linn,'  was  born  in 
Paisley,  Scotland,  July  17,  1841.  While  yet  an  infant  his  parents  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  young  Linn  attended  the  public  and 
high  schools  and  later  took  a  course  in  Ward's  Academy  at  Newport  (now  Marine 
City),  Mich.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  a 
clerk  in  the  shipping  offices  of  J.  L.  Hurd  &  Co.  at  Detroit,  where  he  remained  for 
several  years.  He  afterwards  spent  six  years  in  the  employ  of  Campbell,  Linn  & 
Co.,  dry  goods  merchants  at  Detroit,  and  in  1863,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
under  the  style  of  A.  R.  &  W.  F.  Linn,  established  himself  in  business  as  wholesale 
and  retail  importer  and  dealer  in  teas,  coffees,  spices,  etc.  In  this  business  he  was 
successfully  engaged  for  twenty-seven  years,  becoming  well  known  as  one  of  the 
most  expert  testers  of  the  goods  in  which  he  dealt  in  the  country,  and  doing  the 
largest  business  of  its  kind  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  In  1890  Mr.  Linn  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  tea  business  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  brokerage.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Republican  Club,  and  is  prominent  in  musical  and 
social  circles  of  Detroit.  In  1864  he  married  Jeanette  F.  Craig  of  New  York,  who 
died  in  1874,  leaving  three  children,  two  of  whom  survive:  Catherine  C.  and  Helen 
G.  In  1880  Mr.  Linn  married  Ella,  daughter  of  John  Levington  of  Detroit,  and 
they  have  one  child.  Marguerite  L. 

Lydecker,  Garrett  J.,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  was 
born  in  Bergen  county,  N.  J.,  November  15,  1843,  a  son  of  John  R.  and  Elizabeth  S. 
(Ward)  Lj'decker.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  New  York  city  and  the  New 
York  Free  Academy  until  fifteen  years  of  age.  In  the  autumn  of  1860  he  entered 
the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  as  a  cadet  in  the  engineer  corps, 
being  graduated  therefrom  in  the  spring  of  1864.     He  was  at  once  ordered  into  active 

184 


service  at  General  Meade's  headquarters  iu  Virginia,  and  until  the  close  of  the  war 
was  engaged  on  surveys  and  general  engineering  expeditions  before  Petersburg  and 
other  beleaguered  strongholds  of  the  enemy.  Since  the  close  of  the  war  his  military 
service  has  been  as  follows:  Until  1867  at  New  York,  Governor's  Island,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fortifications  in  that  section ;  1867  to  latter  part  of  1868  at  Detroit, 
Mich.,  on  lake  harbor  improvements-  1868  to  August,  1869,  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  on 
river  and  harbor  improvements  and  gulf  lighthouse  service;  1869  to  1872  at  West 
Point,  N.  Y.,  as  assistant  instructor  engineer  corps  U.  S.  Military  Academy;  1872  to 
1874  at  San' Francisco,  Cal.,  as  chief  engineer  military  division  of  the  Pacific  coast; 
1874  to  1882  at  Chicago,  III,  on  lake  harbor  and  river  improvements  and  in  Missouri 
as  engineer  officer  on  the  staff  of  General  Sheridan;  1882  to  1889  at  Washington,  I). 
C,  as  engineer  commissioner  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  engineer  in  charge  of 
the  Washington  Aqueduct;  1889  to  1891  at  Cooper  Barracks,  Oregon,  as  officer  m 
charge  engineering  department  of  the  Columbia  River;  1891  to  1893  at  Louisville, 
Ky.,  in  charge  of  river  and  harbor  improvements,  etc. ;  since  1893  Colonel  Lydecker 
has  been  stationed  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  charge  of  the  lake  harbor  and  river  improve- 
ments of  Michigan.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Military  Service  Institute  (with  head- 
quarters at  Governor's  Island,  N.  Y.);  Army  Mutual  Aid  Society;  Army  and  Navy 
Club  at  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Metropolitan  Club,  Washington,  D.  C.  ;  Detroit  Club  at 
Detroit,  Mich.  ;  and  of  the  New  York  Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
United  States.  September  21,  1869,  he  married  Delia  W.,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Buel  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Olive  B. 

Lynn,  James  T.,  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Ferguson)  Lynn,  was  born  at  Pittsburg^ 
Pa.,  February  18,  1856.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Co  to  learn 
the  machinist's  trade  in  their  shops  at  Duluth,  Minn.  After  a  three  years'  appren- 
ticeship he  returned  to  Pittsburg,  where  for  the  next  five  years  he  plied  his  trade  in 
the  shops  of  the  Pittsburg  Locomotive  Works  and  other  companies.  In  September, 
1877,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Alleghany  City  Gas  Co.  and  remained  with  them 
until  December,  1881,  when  he  removed  to  Evansville,  Ind.,  to  assume  charge  of  the 
outside  city  work  for  the  Evansville  Gas  Co.  From  1882  to  1889  he  was  secretary- 
treasurer  and  superintendent  of  the  Chattanooga  (Tenn.)  Gas  Co.,  and  while  in  that 
city  served  as  alderman-atlarge  from  1886  to  1888,  having  been  re-elected  at  the  ex- 
piration of  his  first  term  of  office.  In  1888  he  returned  to  Evansville,  Ind.,  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Evansville  Gas  Co.  and  from  1891  to  1893  he  was  general  manager 
of  the  Memphis  (Tenn.)  Gas  Co.  Since  1893  Mr.  Lynn  has  been  identified  with  the 
Detroit  (Mich.)  Gas  Co.  as  its  superintendent  and  he  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  all  who  have  dealings  with  him.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Western  Gas  Asso- 
ciation; manager  and  director  of  the  Windsor  (Ont.)  Gas  Co.;  a  member  of  the 
Rushmere  Club  of  Detroit;  K.  P.  of  Memphis,  Tenn.;  and  thirty-second  degree 
Mason  and  Shriner  at  Detroit.  February  18,  1896,  he  married  Mrs.  R.  J.  Pelton  of 
St.  Thomas,   Ontario,  Can. 

McBride,  Robert  D.,  D.  D.  S.,  son  of  James  McBride,  a  retired  farmer,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Detroit,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Macomb  county,  Mich.,  April  20,  1869.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Birmingham  and  later  took  a  year's  course  in  Colgate 
University  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  ;  in  the  fall  of  1889  he  entered  the  literary  department 

185 


of  the  University  of  Michigan,  but  left  the  literary  and  took  up  the  dental  course, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893  as  a  doctor  of  dental  surgery.  He  then  located 
in  iJetroit  to  which  city  his  parents  had  removed.  He  has  already  shown  himself 
master  of  his  profession  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  paying  practice.  In  1895  and 
1896  Dr.  McBride  was  lecturer  on  bridge  work  ard  operative  dentistry  in  the  Detroit 
Dental  College. 

McCollester,  Rev.  Lee  S.,  son  of  Sullivan  H.  and  Sophia  (Knight)  McCollester, 
was  born  in  West  Moreland,  N.  H.,  June  5,  1859.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Nashua,  N.  H.,  until  1872,  when  he  entered  the  preparatory  department  of  Buchtel 
College  at  Akron,  Ohio,  and  was  admitted  to  the  regular  course  in  1876,  remaining 
until  1878.  Upon  leaving  Buchtel  College  he  traveled  abroad  until  the  fall  of  1879, 
when  he  entered  Tufts  College,  Boston,  and  was  graduated  in  1881  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  He  then  took  a  theological  course  at  the  same  college,  and  was  graduated 
B.  D.  in  1884,  and  ordained  in  October  of  the  same  year.  He  accepted  the  pastorate 
of  the  First  Universalist  church  at  Claremont,  N.  H.,  in  1885,  remaining  there  until 
called  to  the  Church  af  Our  Father,  Detroit,  in  1889,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
Rev.  Mr.  McCollester  is  a  member  of  Michigan  Sovereign  Consistory;  is  prelate  of 
Detroit  Commandery  No.  1,  Knights  Templar;  and  also  belongs  to  Phi  Delta  Theta 
fraternity  and  Phi  Beta  Kappa  alumni  fraternity.  May  1,  1889,  he  married  Lizzie  S. 
Parker  of  Claremont,  N.  H.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Parker  and  Katharine. 

McQueen.  James  W.,  D.D.S.,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Wigle)  McQueen,  was 
born  near  Kingsville,  Ontario,  Canada,  April  6,  1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  was  graduated  in  1892  from  the  Stratford  (Ont.)  Business  University. 
He  then  entered  the  department  of  dental  surgery  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medi 
cine,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  D.D.S.  in  1895.  Since  that  time  he  has  practiced 
continuously  and  successfully  at  Detroit.  Mich.  He  was  married  in  November, 
1895,  to  Eileri  E.  McCormick.  Dr.  McQueen  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Dental 
Association. 

Mansfield,  George  A.,  son  of  William  K.  and  Caroline  (Arnold)  Mansfield,  was 
born  at  Plaiufield,  Mich.,  May  30,  1870.  He  was  instructed  by  private  tutors 
until  fourteen  years  of  age  and  in  1884  entered  the  Michigan  Military  Academy 
at  Orchard  Lake,  being  graduated  therefrom  with  honors  in  1888.  He  then  took 
a  year's  civil  engineering  course  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor. 
During  the  ensuing  three  years  he  resided  with  his  uncle.  Senator  Francis  B. 
Stockbridge  of  Michigan,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  while  there  received  advanced 
instruction  in  various  branches  of  study  under  private  tutors.  He  returned  to 
Michigan  in  1891  and  located  at  Detroit,  where  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  occupied  a 
position  in  the  Michigan  agency  of  the  U.  S.  Pension  Bureau.  In  March,  1893,  Mr. 
Mansfield,  in  company  with  J.  E.  Lockwood  organized  the  Michigan  Electrical  Com- 
pany (of  which  he  is  treasurer)  and  without  any  previous  experience  launched  out  in 
the  broad  field  of  electricity.  Notwithstanding  tremendous  competition  the  Michi- 
gan Electrical  Co.,  from  a  very  small  beginning,  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
concerns  and  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  Indomitable  energy, 
keen  foresight  and  splendid  business  methods  have  won  succcess  for  this  company, 
while  even  yet  in  its  infancy.     Their  stock  in  trade  consists  of  phonographs,  phono- 

18(1 


graphic  records,  animated  picture  machines  and  everything  electrical;  and  they  are 
the  Michigan  agents  for  the  General  Electrical  Co.  of  Schenectad}',  N.  Y.,  the  Sim- 
plex Electrical  Co.  and  American  Circular  Lcom  Co.  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  numer- 
ous other  large  concerns  throughout  the  country.  They  construct  their  own  appa- 
ratus and  install  it  as  well,  and  the  electrical  power  and  lighting  motors  of  some  of 
Detroit's  most  imposing  business  edifices  are  monuments  of  their  skill.  Their 
phonographic  parlors,  where  are  displayed  to  the  public  upward  of  fifty  phonograph 
and  animated  picture  machines,  are  among  the  handsomest  and  most  modern  in 
equipment  in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Mansfield  has  made  extensive  and  valuable 
experiments  in  the  X-ray  field  and  in  the  near  future  there  will  be  added  to  the  im- 
mense electrical  establishment  of  the  Michigan  Electrical  Co.  a  room  fitted  with 
the  apparatus  necessary  for  taking  the  X-ray  photographs.  Mr.  Mansfield  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  Michigan  Paper  Co.  and  is  otherwise  prominently  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  Detroit.  Personally  he  is  one  of  the  most  companionable 
of  men.  He  is  still  a  bachelor  and  immensely  popular  in  society  and  the  club.s.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  B.P.O.  E.  and  of  the  Michigan  chapter  of  the  Delta  Tau  Delta 
college  fraternity  of  the  United  States. 

Mason,  William  L.,  was  born  in  the  camp  of  the  famous  "  Albany  and  Boston" 
mine,  in  northern  Michigan,  February  20,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Edwin  L.  and  Re- 
becca (Turner)  Mason.  He  attended  the  public  schools  at  L'Anse,  Mich.,  until  four- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  Michigan  Military  Academy  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  there  in  the  class  of  1884.  He  then  took  a  course  1n  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  being  graduated  in  1886;  in  that  year  he  returned  to 
L'Anse,  Michigan,  and  practiced  his  profession  for  five  years.  In  1891  he  removed 
to  Detroit  where  he  formed  a  partnership  (which  still  exists)  with  J.  Emmet  Sullivan 
and  has  built  up  a  large  and  paying  practice.  Mr.  Mason  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Michigan  and  Fellowcraft  Clubs.  For  four  years, 
from  1887  to  1891,  the  filled  the  office  of  deputy  State  inspector  of  ores,  with  head- 
quarters at  L'Anse,  Mich.     He  was  married  in  1888,  and  has  two  children. 

Meier,  Henry  J.,  architect,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  October  29,  1858,  a  son  of 
Peter  Meier,  a  retired  merchant  tailor  of  that  city.  He  attended  the  public  and  pri- 
vate schools  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  at 
Detroit,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1873.  During  the  following  four  years  he 
made  a  close  study  of  architecture  and  in  1877  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where 
for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  offices  of  H.  C.  Koch  &  Co.,  architects,  and 
while  there  he  took  a  special  course  in  architectural  engineering.  He  returned  to 
Detroit  in  1879  and  entered  the  employ  of  H.  T.  Brush  &  Co.,  architects:  in  that 
office  he  met  his  present  partner,  Mr.  Donaldson,  who  was  associated  in  business 
with  Mr.  Brush.  After  Mr.  Brush's  death  the  business  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Don- 
aldson, Mr.  Meier  remaining  in  the  office.  In  1880  the  partnership  of  Donaldson  &- 
Meier  w'as  formed  and  a  fresh  start  made.  They  have  been  eminently  successful 
and  now  rank  as  one  of  the  leading  firms  of  architects  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Meier  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects;  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Boat  Club; 
and  other  organizations.     In  1886  he  married  Matilda  Aertz  of  Detroit. 

Milburn,    Henry  J.,  was  born   in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  June  8,   1847. 

187 


He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich. ,  whither  he  had  removed  while  yet 
a  small  boy.  In  1860  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  entered  the  drug  store  of  Higby  & 
Stearns  and  learned  the  business.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  close  student  and  in 
1871,  after  eleven  years  of  faithful  service,  was  taken  into  partnership  by  Mr.  Stearns, 
Mr.  Higby  having  withdrawn  in  1867.  In  1882  Mr.  Stearns  expressed  a  wish  to  re- 
tire and  Mr.  Milburn  then  bought  out  his  former  preceptor's  interest  in  the  business 
and  has  smce  carried  it  on  alone  with  that  success  which  comes  only  through  con- 
stant attention  to  business  and  honorable  upright  methods.  His  sterling  integrity 
and  enterprise  have  won  for  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellows  in  trade 
and  the  public.  He  conducts  a  strictly  legitimate  drug  and  surgical  instrument 
business,  both  wholesale  and  retail,  and  has  representatives  and  salemen  in  many 
sections  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Milburn  is  one  of  Detroit's  largest  real  estate 
owners,  having  purchased  by  the  acre  lands  on  North  Woodward  avenue  and  else- 
where, which  he  is  improving  and  placing  upon  the  market.  He  has  just  had  com- 
pleted for  him  at  an  outlay  of  over  $60,000  a  residence  building  known  as  the  "Mil- 
burn  Flats,"  and  adjoining  it  an  imposing  structure,  "Milburn  Hall,"  which  is  an 
opera  house  of  considerable  size. 

Millen,  Capt.  James  W.,  son  of  Hyland  Millen,  was  born  at  Lyme  (now  Cape 
Vincent),  N.  Y.,  November  27,  1835.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  district 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  shipped  as  "boy"  on  board  a  sailing  vessel  ply- 
ing the  Great  Lakes.  He  followed  the  sea  continuou.sly,  rising  through  all  possible 
grades  to  that  of  master.  In  1858  he  went  as  master  for  Merrick,  Fowler  &  E.ssel- 
styne,  ship  owners,  and  was  placed  in  command  (at  the  age  of  twenty-three)  of  the 
big  ship  "Montezuma,"  which  he  sailed  until  1866.  From  1866  to  1868  he  was  in 
command  of  the  "  Montpelier  "  for  the  same  company,  and  in  1869  took  command  of 
the  tug  "  Sampson,"  which  he  sailed  until  1872.  From  1873  to  1879  he  sailed  the  tug 
"  Niagara,"  and  in  the  latter  year  entered  the  steam  barge  business  with  Messrs. 
Newberry  &  McMillan,  sailing  their  barges  until  1883,  when  he  came  ashore,  and 
has  been  manager  of  the  business  ever  since.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Parker  &  Millen,  ship  owners,  and  general  fire  and  marine  insurance  agents,  which 
was  organized  in  1884;  he  is  president  of  the  Lake  Carriers'  Association  and  general 
manager  of  the  Red  and  White  Star  Line  Steamers.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fellow- 
craft  and  Detroit  Yacht  Clubs,  and  is  otherwise  prominent  in  social  and  business 
life.  Captain  Millen  was  married  in  1861  to  Mary  Iselin,  of  Cape  Vincent,  and  their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  four  of  whom  survive:  Sidney  J.,  Fannie, 
James  H.,  and  Marie  L.  Mr.  Millen  is  a  Mason,  and  enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem 
of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Detroit. 

Miller,  Christopher  C,  M.  D.,  son  of  John  B.  and  Abigail  A.  (Finch)  Miller,  was 
born  at  Unadilla.  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  April  19,  1846.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Oxford  (N.  Y.)  Academy  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  at  once  began  reading  med- 
icine under  the  preceptorship  of  his  brother,  Dr.  Robert  E.  Miller,  at  Oxford.  After 
one  year  in  the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Medical  College  he  entered  the  Homeopathic  Medical 
College  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1863  with  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  Directly  following  his  graduation  Dr.  Miller  located  at  what  is  now  Harlem, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  enjoyed  a  good  practice  for  three  years,  removing  to  the  village  of 
Greene,  Chenango  county,  in  1871,  where  he  remained  until  coming  to  Detroit  in 

188 


February,  1875.  In  his  twenty-two  years  of  active  practice  in  Detroit  Dr.  Miller  has 
come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  homeopathic  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
the  State  of  Michigan.  His  success  was  insured  from  the  start  by  his  earnestness  of 
purpose,  close  application  to  duty  and  strict  integrity  of  character.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy,  and  vice  president  of  that  organization ; 
president  of  the  medical  and  surgical  staff  of  Grace  Hospital;  has  been  physician  to 
the  Thompson  Home  for  Old  Ladies  at  Detroit  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  is  med- 
ical examiner  for  the  Michigan  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  at  Detroit.  From 
1890  to  1893  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health  of  Detroit;  was  president  of 
that  large  body  from  July  1,  1892,  to  July  1,  1893,  and  during  the  cholera  scare  in 
the  latter  year  he  visited  Canada  to  make  an  investigation  of  the  quarantine  regula- 
tions and  health  conditions  in  the  Dominion.  Dr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Wood- 
ward Avenue  Congregational  church.  In  February,  1870,  he  married  Ellen  Loui.se 
Stratton,  of  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  two  sons:  J.  Sherman,  a  graduate  of  the 
Deti-oit  High  School,  class  of  1895,  and  Raymond  Eugene,  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1901,  Detroit  High  School. 

Minock,  Edward,  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (McCarthy)  Minock,  was  born  in  Red- 
ford,  Mich.,  May  16,  1843.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Redford  and 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Gillett  &  Vining  (subsequently  Gillett  &  Chambers)  of 
Detroit;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April,  1867,  and  from  that  time  until  1870  was 
associated  with  Mr.  W.  O.  Vining,  one  of  his  former  preceptors.  From  1870  to  1873 
Mr.  Minock  was  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Minock  &  Baker  and  since  the  latter 
year  he  has  practiced  continuously  alone  with  marked  success.  In  1885  Mr.  Minock 
was  appointed  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of  Wayne  county  and  filled  that  ofifice 
creditably  until  1889.  He  was  elected  as  circuit  court  commissioner  in  1868  and  re- 
elected in  187Q,  his  term  of  office  expiring  on  January  1,  1873.  From  1877  to  1879  he 
was  deputy  county  clerk  of  Wayne  county,  and  from  1889  to  1891  he  held  the  position 
of  assistant  city  counselor  (now  called  corporation  counsel)  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Minock 
is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association  and  has  won  for  himself  an  honorable 
position  in  the  legal  profession.  He  has  always  beem  a  staunch  Democrat  and  was 
elected  to  these  offices  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  1872  he  married  Melissa  J. 
Minock  (a  cousin)  of  Holly,  Mich.,  and  they  had  ten  children,  five  of  whom  survive: 
Evangeline,  Daniel  L.,  Mary  L.,  Edward  C,  and  Annabelle. 

Moreland,  De  Witt  H.,  was  born  in  Livonia  township,  Wayne  county,  Mich  ,  July 
22,  1855,  a  son  of  John  Moreland,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  that  section  who  emi- 
grated from  Western  New  York  to  the  territory  of  Michigan  in  1832.  John  More- 
land's  wife,  Lois  Bennett,  settled  with  her  parents  in  Wayne  county  in  the  same 
year.  De  Witt  H.  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Plymouth,  Wayne  county, 
Mich.,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  a  mercantile  business  which  he  followed 
for  several  years.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Dakota,  where  he  took  up  a  tract  of  land 
containixig  320  acres  and  at  the  end  of  six  months  "proved  up"  on  his  claim  at 
Fargo,  North  Dakota,  where  he  made  his  residence  and  where  later  on  he  entered 
the  service  of  A.  J.  Harwood  &  Co.,  being  placed  in  charge  of  the  abstract  of  titles 
of  Cass  county.  Dak.  In  the  following  year  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  old  St. 
Paul,  Minneapolis  and  Manitoba  Railroad  Company  as  traveling  passenger  agent, 
with  headquarters  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  for  three  years;  then  removed  his  headquarters 

189 


to  Detroit  as  general  agent  for  this  line  and  its  branches,  which  were  then  amalga- 
mated into  the  Great  Northern  Railway  sj-stem.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  agent 
also  of  the  Northern  Steamship  Company,  which  joint  position  he  held  until  the  fall 
of  1S95.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  water  commissioner  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  still 
retaining  his  position  with  the  railway  and  steamship  companies.  In  the  fall  of  1895 
he  resigned  from  their  service  to  accept  the  position  of  commissioner  on  the  Board 
of  Public  Works  of  the  city  of  Detroit  and  is  still  an  incumbent  of  that  office.  In 
1879  Mr.  Moreland  married  Minnie  E.,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  T.  T.  Lyon  of  Plymouth, 
Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children,  Claire  and  Marjorie.  Mr.  Moreland  is  a  member 
of  numerous  Masonic  and  other  organizations  and  is  justly  popular  with  his  fellow 
citizens. 

Moriarty.  Frank  C  ,  son  of  John  and  Catherine  Moriarty,  was  born  in  Cayuga 
county,  N.  Y.,  June  13,  1860.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  district 
schools  and  in  the  High  School  at  Hudson,  Mich.  Following  his  graduation  from 
the  latter  institution  he  taught  school  for  several  terms  and  later  removed  to  Vaca- 
ville,  Cal.,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  by  G.  W.  Gibbs,  a  prominent  fruit 
grower.  He  then  returned  to  Michigan  and  entered  the  law  department  of  the  uni- 
versity at  Ann  Arbor,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  in 
1887,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  same  year.  In  January,  1888,  he  located  in 
Ypsilanti  for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  after  a  short  residence  in  that  city  he 
was  elected  as  city  attorney,  which  office  he  held  until  the  following  year,  when  he 
was  elected  city  clerk  and  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  ably  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  his  dual  offices  until  the  spring  of  1890.  From  1888  to  1891  he 
was  president  of  the  Washington  County  Republican  Club  and  chairman  of  the 
Washington  County  Republican  Committee.  In  November,  1891,  he  removed  to 
Detroit,  where  he  has  since  continuously  practiced  his  profession  with  marked  suc- 
cess and  has  won  for  hi.nself  an  honorable  position  at  the  bar.  While  a  resident  of 
Ypsilanti  Mr.  Moriarity  was  president  of  the  local  branch  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
Hibernians  and  also  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Mystic  Circle  and  of  the  Catholic 
church.  In  September,  1889,  he  married  Lucy  Byron  of  Ann  Arbor,  and  they  have 
four  children:     Francis  L.,  Joseph,  Sarah  A.  and  Arthur  W. 

Morris,  Scott  Harrison,  was  born  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  February  26,  1860.  He  is 
the  scion  of  an  illustrious  family,  being  a  nephew  of  Benjamin  Harrison,  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  great-grandson  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  ex- 
president  of  the  United  States.  His  parents  are  Samuel  Vance  and  Jane  Elizabeth 
(Harrison)  Morris  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.  Young  Morris  was  reared  on  the  old  Harri- 
son homestead  at  North  Bend,  Ohio,  in  which  town  he  received  his  early  education. 
He  later  attended  public  and  private  schools  at  Indianapolis,  and  was  graduated 
from  the  High  School  in  1876.  During  the  ensuing  thirteen  years  his  name  was  con- 
tinuously on  the  pay  rolls  of  the  Atlas  Engine  Works  at  Indianapolis,  first  as  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  machine  shops,  later  as  foreman  of  the  foundry,  and  during  the  last 
three  years  of  his  service  with  that  company  he  visited  all  of  the  larger  cities  of  the 
United  States,  including  Detroit,  Mich.,  as  a  traveling  representative  for  the  sale  of 
their  machinery.  In  1889  he  located  at  Detroit  and  was  for  one  year  superintendent 
for  the  Detroit  Radiator  Co.  From  1890  to  the  autumn  of  1891  he  acted  in  the  same 
capacity  with  the  Michigan  (or  American)  Radiator  Co.  at  Detroit,  which  was  estab- 

190 


lished  during  his  service  with  the  Detroit  Co.  In  1891  in  company  with  several 
others  he  organized  the  Globe  Foundry  Co.  (later  Globe  Iron  Works),  in  which  he 
became  deeply  involved  as  a  stockholder.  The  general  business  depression  which 
followed  left  Mr.  Morris  in  1896  (when  the  Globe  Iron  Works  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  heaviest  stockholder,  and  president  of  the  company,  Hon.  Thomas  Palmer) 
without  a  dollar  to  his  name,  and  he  was  obliged  to  accept  a  position  as  superintend- 
ent for  the  Detroit  Furnace  &  Heater  Co.  Six  months  later  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  five  prominent  Detroit  gentlemen,  and  under  the  style  of  the  Morris  Heater  Co. 
established  their  present  business  and  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  steam  and  hot 
water  boilers  and  hot  air  furnaces,  of  Mr.  Morris's  own  design.  In  this  latter  under- 
taking almost  phenomenal  success  has  attended  his  efforts.  He  also  owns  stock  in 
the  Globe  Electrical  Co.  of  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club ; 
and  Citizens'  Yachting  Association ;  the  Mutual  Boat  Club  of  Detroit ;  and  several  of 
the  leading  gun  and  fishing  organizations.  In  1880  Mr.  Morris  married  Laura  A. 
Pease  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  they  have  four  children:  Mabel  M.,  Jane  E. , 
Lewis  P.  and  Anna  Harrison. 

Mott,  John,  son  of  Capt.  William  H.  Mott,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  and 
Nancy  (Laymon)  Mott,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich  ,  October  16,  1863.  He  attended 
both  public  and  private  schools  and  in  1880  after  a  thorough  course  of  training  was 
graduated  from  the  local  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College.  During  the  ensuing 
eight  years  he  served  in  the  tailoring  department  of  the  big  store  of  J.  L.  Hudson  at 
Detroit,  as  a  cutter  of  gentlemen's  garments,  and  from  1888  to  1894  he  was  employed 
in  the  same  capacity  by  Mabley  &  Co.  From  1894  to  1895  Mr.  Mott  was  in  charge 
of  the  tailoring  department  of  Mabley,  Harvey  &  Co's.  big  store,  and  from  1895  to 
1896  he  acted  in  a  like  capacity  for  the  C.  H.  Mitchell  Co.  Since  July,  1896,  he  has 
been  manager  of  the  tailoring  establishment  of  John  Mott  &  Co.,  which  is  operated 
in  connection  with  the  furnishing  business  of  the  silent  partners,  Heidt  &  Baum- 
gartner.  In  September,  1889,  Mr.  Mott  married  Gertrude  Daniels  of  Detroit,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Edwin  J. 

O'Connor,  Arthur  C,  son  of  the  late  Arthur  O'Connor,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
July  28,  1866.  He  was  educated  in  the  parochial  schools  and  at  the  age  of  ten  began 
an  active  business  career  as  office  boy  in  the  law  office  of  James  Caphs,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1881.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed  as  messenger  in  the  State  Senate 
at  Lansing,  and  during  the  recess  of  several  months  he  attended  the  Detroit  College. 
In  January,  1883,  he  re-entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Caplis  as  a  clerk  and  student,  and 
remained  there  until  1888.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  as  index  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  registrar  of  deeds  and  held  that  position  for  two  years ;  he  then  became  a  clerk 
in  the  city  assessor's  office  and  after  ten  months'  service  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  assistant  assessor,  and  was  an  incumbent  of  that  office  until  January  1,  1896. 
January  21,  1896,  he  was  appointed  to  his  present  position  as  assistant  corporation 
counsel'of  the  city  of  Detroit.  In  September,  1893,  while  in  the  city  assessor's  office, 
Mr.  O'Connor  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  1893  was  graduated  from  the  Detrcit 
College  of  law. 

Osborne,  Frederick  S.,  son  of  Aaron  S.  and  Virtue  (Sealy)  Osborne,  was  born  in 
Bloomington,  Wis.,  May  13,   1867.     He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 

191 


native  place,  which  he  attended  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was  engaged  as 
bookkeeper  by  George  K.  Sistare's  Sons,  brokers,  for  their  branch  office  at  Detroit. 
In  1888  Mr.  Osborne  resigned  his  position  to  accept  the  management  of  the  business 
of  J.  V.  Campbell  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  he  formed  his  present  partner- 
ship with  Cameron  Currie  under  the  firm  name  of  Cameron  Currie  &  Co.,  and  of 
which  he  is  the  managing  partner.  The  firm  deal  in  general  stocks  on  the  New  York, 
Chicago,  Boston  and  Detroit  boards  and  are  the  only  members  of  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchahge  in  Michigan.  On  December  1,  1897,  they  purchased  the  Baltic 
Copper  Mine  situated  at  Houghton,  Mich.,  for  $120,000,  and  which  is  now  selling  on 
a  basis  of  $1,400,000.  Mr.  Osborne  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit,  Michigan,  Wayne 
and  Fellowcraft  Clubs.  September  23,  1893,  he  married  Tessa  A.,  daughter  of 
Charles  B.  Wight  of  Holly,  Mich. 

Owen,  John,  son  of  the  late  John  Owen  of  Detroit,  and  Jane  (Cook)  Owen,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August  18,  1861.  John  Owen  (deceased)  was  a  native  of 
Canada,  born  near  Toronto,  Ont.,  in  1809.  His  father  died  while  he  was  still  quite 
young  and  in  1818  he  removed  with  his  mother  to  Detroit,  Mich.  They  were  in  poor 
circumstances  and  young  Owen's  education  was  in  ccmsequence  acquired  under  dif- 
ficulties. For  three  years  he  attended  a  private  academy,  paying  for  his  tuition  by 
doing  chores  about  the  premises,  but  in  1831  his  preceptor  died  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  seek  the  means  of  a  livelihood.  He  became  a  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  the 
late  Dr.  Chapin  at  Detroit,  where  he  performed  his  duties  with  such  faithfulness  that 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Chapin  &  Owen.  Subsequently  Dr.  Chapin  withdrew  and  until 
1853  Mr.  Owen  carried  on  the  business  under  the  style  of  J.  Owen  &  Co.  In  the 
latter  year  he  too  retired  from  active  work,  selling  his  stock  and  good  will  to  T.  H. 
Hinchman  &  Son.  Mr.  Owen  then  gave  his  attention  to  marine  and  banking  inter- 
ests, judiciously  investing  large  sums  of  money  and  soon  became  prominent  as  a 
vessel  owner  and  the  possessor  of  an  extensive  estate  in  Detroit.  For  many  years 
he  was  president  of  the  Detroit  &  Cleveland  Steam  Navigation  Co.,  and  one  of  its 
heaviest  stockholders;  president  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co.;  president  of  the 
National  Insurance  Bank  of  Detroit;  from  1861  to  1867  treasurer  of  the  State  of  Mich- 
igan ;  in  1886  alderman-at-large  from  the  First  ward  of  Detroit,  filling  that  office  the 
second  time  from  1844  to  1845;  a  director  of  the  Detroit  public  schools,  1839  to  1840; 
commissioner  of  grades,  1859  to  1870;  water  commissioner  of  Detroit,  1865  to  1879; 
from  1841  to  1848  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  Michigan  ; 
president  of  the  Soldiers'  Relief  Association,  1864;  and  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of 
Elmwood  Cemetery  at  Detroit  from  its  organization  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1893. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  principal  trustees  of  Albion  College  and  always  prominently 
identified  with  the  work  of  the  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Detroit.  John 
Owen  (the  son)  was  eduated  in  the  Detroit  public  schools  and  under  private  tutors. 
From  1879  to  1883  he  served  in  the  employ  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Co..  of  which  his 
father  was  president;  and  after  a  year  or  more  in  Europe  he  assumed  charge  of  all 
of  his  father's  extensive  real  estate  transactions.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in 
1892  the  management  of  the  Owen  estate  devolved  upon  hira  and  still  occupies  the 
greater  portion  of  his  time.  He  is  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Cook  Farm  Co.  of  De- 
troit, and  a  member  of  the  Detroit,  Detroit  Riding,  Detroit  Athletic,  Detroit  Boat 

192 


and  other  leading  clubs.     In   1891   Mr.  Owen   married  Blanche  Fletcher,  and  they 
have  two  children :   Helen  and  John,  jr. 

Parker,  Charles  Maxwell,  son  of  Thomas  A.  and  Elizabeth  Jane  (Maxwell)  Parker, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  July  28,  1856.  As  soon  as  he  reached  school  age  Mr. 
Parker  entered  Helmuth  College  at  London,  Ont.,  where  he  studied  with  a  view 
to  literary  work.  In  1873  he  entered  Trinity  College,  Toronto,  and  after  four 
years'  diligent  application  to  his  books  was  graduated  from  the  literary  department 
with  honors  in  June,  1877.  On  leaving  college  Mr.  Parker  returned  to  Detroit  and 
was  immediately  engaged  on  the  local  staff  of  the  Detroit  Post  and  Tribune.  In  1880 
he  severed  his  connection  with  the  Post  and  Tribune  and  formed  a  copartnership 
with  Charles  Moore  and  published  the  first  society  and  dramatic  paper  of  Detroit, 
styled  "  Every  Saturday,"  a  weekly  paper.  In  1884  the  publication  was  sold  ostensi- 
bly to  establish  a  daily  paper  and  organize  a  stock  company.  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Will- 
iams and  others  founded  the  Detroit  Times,  Mr.  Parker  acting  as  news  editor,  and 
secured  the  distinction  of  publishing  the  first  Monday  morning  daily  paper  in  Detroit. 
After  a  life  of  one  year  the  Times  was  sold  to  a  rival  company  which  absorbed  it. 
In  1886  he  established  the  "  Mercury,"  a  paper  similar  to  the  ".Every  Saturday," 
and  managed  it  two  years  when  he  disposed  of  it.  In  1888  Mr.  Parker  became  city 
editor  of  the  Detroit  Journal,  serving  in  that  capacity  for  one  year.  In  1889  he  went 
to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  and  joined  the  staff  of  the  Times,  serving  in  various  posi- 
tions on  the  staff  until  he  became  managing  editor  and  occupied  that  position  ten 
years.  Mr.  Parker  returned  to  Detroit  during  April,  1897,  and  assumed  charge  of 
the  estate  and  affairs  of  the  late  Thomas  A.  Parker,  his  father.  He  is  a  bachelor;  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Elks,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Ancient  Order  of 
Essenic  Knights. 

Parker,  Delos  Leonard,  M.  D.,  son  of  Leonard  B.  and  Jane  (Sparrow)  Parker,  was 
born  in  Marine  City,  Mich.,  December  27,  1857.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Marine  City  and  at  the  High  School  of  Ann  Arbor,  entering  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan in  1876,  graduating  from  the  literary  department  in  1881  and  from  the  medical 
department  in  1883.  At  the  close  of  his  freshman  year  in  the  university  he  left  col- 
lege for  a  year  and  a 'half,  during  which  time  he  sailed  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Subse- 
quent to  his  graduation  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Marine  City,  where 
he  remained  until  1890,  when  he  took  a  review  course  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  New  York  city.  In  July  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  es- 
tablished his  practice.  In  1885  Dr.  Parker  was  appointed  by  President  Cleveland 
pension  examining  surgeon  at  Port  Huron,  serving  in  that  capacity  until  1889.  Dr. 
Parker  is  an  original  member  of  the  Detroit  Naval  Reserve  and  has  been  surgeon 
for  that  organization  since  the  establishment  of  the  office  in  1895.  In  1896  he  was 
appointed  lecturer  on  materia  medica  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  is  still 
serving  in  that  capacity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Medical  Library  Associa- 
tion; Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  American 
Medical  Association;  and  of  the  social  organizations  of  the  city  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Yondotega  and  Detroit  Boat  Clubs. 

Parker,  Walter  R. ,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Marine  City,  Mich.,  October  10,  1865,  a  son 
of  L.  B.  Parker,  M.  D.,  of  that  place.     He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 

193 


native  town  and  in  the  Orchard  Lake  (Mich.)  Military  Academy,  being  graduated 
from  the  latter  institution  in  1883.  He  then  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1888,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S.  ;  he  then  took  a  course 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1891.  During  the  following  three  years  he  served  on  the  staff  of 
St.  Joseph's  and  the  Children's  Hospitals  and  Wills  Eye  Hospital,  all  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.  In  1894  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since  remained  in  the  active 
and  successful  practice  of  his  profession  and  is  rated  as  one  of  the  leadmg  oculists  of 
the  city  of  Detroit.  Dr.  Parker  is  a  member  of  Detroit  Medical  and  Library  Asso- 
ciation; Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine;  American 
Medical  Association,  and  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles. 

Penton,  John  A.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Ryall)  Penton,  was  born  at  Paris,  On- 
tario, Can.,  May  12,  1862.  At  an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Sarnia, 
Can.,  where  he  later  received  a  thorough  common  school  education.  In  1878  he  was 
apprenticed  for  five  years  to  the  well  known  Sarnia  foundryman,  Francis  Blaikie,  to 
learn  the  moulder's  trade.  He  was  a  faithful  and  earnest  worker  and  soon  became 
proficient  in  every  branch  of  the  foundry  business.  In  1883  he  removed  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  for  six  months  served  the  Michigan  Car  Co.  (now  the  Michigan  Peninsular 
Car  Co.);  for  the  next  two  years  he  was  a  journeyman  moulder,  traveling  through 
fifteen  States  and  visiting  every  large  city  between  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Denver,  Col. 
He  made  his  permanent  headquarters  at  Detroit  in  1885,  and  during  the  ensuing 
three  years  worked  in  various  large  foundries  of  that  city,  attending  business  college 
in  the  evenings.  He  became  interested  in  the  labor  movement,  was  soon  prominent 
in  local  labor  circles  and  on  January  1,  1888,  was  elected  as  national  president  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Machinery  Moulders,  leaving  a  salary  of  §60  a  month  to  accept  this 
office.  At  that  time  there  were  only  200  members  of  the  brotherhood  and  the  presi- 
dent received  his  salary  from  a  taxation  of  eight  cents  a  month  for  each  member. 
The  position  had  been  tendered  to  many  and  refused  on  account  of  the  small  remu- 
neration ;  Mr.  Penton's  acceptance  of  it  being  from  purely  philanthropic  motives.  He 
at  once  set  about  organizing  machinery  moulders'  union  throughout  the  country  and  by 
July,  1890,  had  brought  the  membership  up  to  the  two  thousand  mark  and  it  subse- 
quently reached  a  membership  of  between  four  and  five  thousand.  In  1892  there 
was  not  a  single  paper  in  the  country  that  devoted  any  space  to  the  iron  moulding 
trade  and  Mr.  Penton,  realizing  that  there  was  an  opening  for  such  a  periodical,  re- 
signed his  office  as  president  of  the  brotherhood,  formed  a  stock  compan}^  with  a 
capital  of  §1,800  and  opened  an  office  for  the  purpose  of  publishing  The  Foundry,  the 
first  issue  of  which  appeared  within  ten  days.  Successful  from  the  start  The  Foun- 
dry to-day  ranks  as  one  of  the  leading  business  periodicals  of  the  world,  its  circula- 
tion extending  throughout  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Europe.  Gradually  Mr. 
Penton  bought  up  the  entire  stock  of  the  company  and  for  the  past  four  years,  since 
1894,  has  been  sole  proprietor.  Unique  and  progressive  advertising  and  splendid 
business  methods  generally,  have  been  the  keynote  of  his  success.  He  also  publishes 
"Penton's  Official  Foundry  List,"  which  contains  a  registration  of  thousands  of 
foundries  in  the  United  States  and  abroad.  Mr.  Penton  is  secretary  of  the  American 
Foundrymen's  Association  and  publishes  the  Journal  of  the  American  Foundrymen's 
Association.  October  23,  1889,  he  married  Imogene  Winship  of  Chicago,  111.,  and 
they  have  one  son,  George  Winship. 

194 


Phelps,  Davis  S.,  son  of  Frank  D.  and  Elizabeth  (Ingersoll)  Phelps,  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Mich.,  July  5,  1860.  He  attended  the  Detroit  public  schools  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  Ducharme,  Fletcher  &•  Co.,  in  the  hard- 
ware business  at  Detroit.  In  1877  he  joined  his  brother,  Jesse  Phelps,  in  the  sheep 
and  cattle  raising  business  in  Montana  and  during  the  ensuing  eleven  years  under 
the  style  of  Phelps  Bros.,  with  ranches  near  Helena  and  Butte,  they  were  phenome- 
nally successful  in  all  of  their  operations.  Though  still  retaining  an  interest  in  the 
ranching  bu.siness,  in  1888  Mr.  Phelps  returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  purchased  the 
stock  and  good  will  of  the  Jacob  Welch  Hardware  Co.  and  established  his  present 
stand.  His  stock  in  trade  consists  not  only  of  everything  in  the  hardware  line,  but 
he  has  separate  departments  for  the  display  of  stoves,  hotel  and  family  steel  ranges, 
cutlery,  refrigerators,  gas  ranges  and  appliances,  toys,  Japanese  wares,  sporting 
goods  and  novelties  of  every  description  It  is  conceded  by  all  that  Mr.  Phelps  has 
the  most  complete  store  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  He  has  also  recently 
opened  a  branch  store  located  at  No.  34  Woodward  avenue,  wholesale  and  retail ;  a 
six  story  building  devoted  exclusively  to  heavy  hardware,  hotel  and  steamboat  ranges 
arid  cooking  apparatus ;  also  a  full  line  of  family  gas  and  steel  ranges,  refrigerators, 
rubber  hose,  lawn  mowers,  etc.  Mr.  Phelps  has  been  successful  from  the  start  and 
enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  have  had  dealings  with  him. 

Post,  Hon.  Hoyt,  son  of  the  late  Edmond  R.  Post,  was  born  in  Rutland  county, 
Vt. ,  April  8,  1837.  At  the  age  of  four  years  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Roches- 
ter, N.  Y.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  for  six  years.  In  1847  the  family 
made  a  westward  move  and  after  a  short  stay  in  Cincinnati  and  a  year  or  more  in 
Dayton,  Ohio,  finally  settled  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1849,  where  Hoyt  again  attended 
the  public  schools  and  after  a  preparatory  training  in  the  Birmingham  (Mich.) 
Academy  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  took  both  the  literary  and 
law  courses,  being  graduated  from  the  former  in  1861  and  from  the  latter  in  1863. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1863  and  during  the  ensuing  three  years  served  as  a 
clerk  in  the  offices  of  Maynard  &  Meddaugh  at  Detroit.  In  1866  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  the  Hon.  Albert  H.  Wilkinson,  under  the  style  of  Wilkinson  &  Post, 
which  continued  until  1873,  at  which  time  Mr.  Wilkinson  ascended  the  bench  as 
judge  of  probate  for  a  term  of  four  years.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  in 
1878  Mr.  Wilkinson  again  joined  Mr.  Post  under  the  original  firm  name  and  the  part- 
nership has  since  remained  unchanged.  From  1872  to  1878  Mr.  Post  acted  as  reporter 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Michigan  and  during  his  early  law  practice  has  also  been  a 
member  of  the  reportorial  staff  of  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  and  edited  for  the  Rich- 
mond &  Backus  Co.  (publishers)  a  weekly  journal  called  "The  Lawyer."  Aside 
from  his  successful  law  practice  Mr.  Post  is  prominently  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  Detroit;  he  is  trustee  of  the  Michigan  Savings  Bank  and  Michigan  Fire 
and  Marine  Insurance  Company ;  is  second  vice-president  of  the  Michigan  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company,  and  a  stockholder  in  and  director  of  that  company;  is  a 
stockholder  and  director  of  the  Edison  Illuminating  Company  at  Detroit,  and  the 
Edison  Light  Company  of  Grand  Rapids  and  of  the  Ideal  Manufacturing  Company 
of  Detroit.  His  firm  are  attorneys  for  all  of  these  companies  and  for  the  Voight 
Brewing  Company;  Globe  Tobacco  Company;  Michigan  Sulphide  Fibre  Company; 
Detroit  Sulphide  Fibre  Company.     He  is  president  and  a  director  of  the  Bar  Library 

195 


Association  of  Detroit;  is  a  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  State  and  Local 
Bar  Associations,  also  of  the  Michigan,  Fellowcraft,  Prismatic  and  North  Channel 
Fishing  Clubs.  In  18G7  he  married  Helen  D.  Hudson,  daughter  of  George  W.  Hud- 
son of  Detroit,  and  they  had  six  children,  four  of  whom  survive:  Fannie  H.,  married 
John  P.  Robison  of  Elkchester,  Ky.,  and  has  one  son,  John  P.  Robison,  jr.;  Myra 
M.,  a  teacher  in  the  Detroit  High  School;  Helen  and  Hoyt,  jr. 

Powell,  John  H.,  was  born  at  Porlock,  Somersetshire  county,  England,  October 
21,  1850.  His  parents  immigrated  to  America  in  1853,  and  after  a  stay  of  two  years 
in  New  York  State,  they  finally  settled  in  Huron  county,  Ontario,  where  they  pur- 
chased a  large  farm.  John  H.  spent  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  attending  the  district  schools  during  the  winter  months.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  left  home  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  during  the  ensuing  five  years  roughed  it 
among  the  lumber  camps  of  Michigan  and  Canada.  In  1874  he  returned  home  (at 
his  mother's  request)  and  until  187(5  devoted  himself  to  hard  study,  in  the  latter  year 
])assing  the  necessary  examinations  and  receiving  his  certificate  as  a  teacher  at 
Goderich,  Ont.  For  three  years  he  taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Ontario,  but  be- 
came restless  and  in  1880  again  left  home  and  journeyed  through  the  southern  and 
western  United  States  in  search  of  employment.  He  was  taken  violently  ill  while  in 
Texas,  and  was  brought  home  by  his  brother  in  an  almost  dying  condition.  How- 
ever, he  had  recovered  sufficiently  by  the  following  January  to  be  able  to  enter  the 
Clinton  (Ont.)  High  School,  where  he  took  a  short  course  of  study  under  the  Hon. 
James  Turnbull  and  Archibald  Weir,  B.  A.,  now  one  of  the  leading  barristers  in 
Sarnia,  Canada.  In  September,  1881,  Mr.  Powell  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan,  and  remained  until  March,  1882,  when  he  removed  to  De- 
troit, Mich.,  and  completed  his  studies  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  Col.  John  Atkinson. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  summer  of  1882,  and  has  since  practiced  his  pro- 
fession continuously  and  with  well  merited  success  at  Detroit.  From  1884  to  1888 
Mr.  Powell  had  as  a  partner  Mr.  Peter  L.  Dorland,  who  is  now  a  professor  in  the 
Corydon  (Iowa)  College,  and  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  that  place.  Mr.  Powell 
is  a  member  of  the  local  board  of  directors  of  the  State  House  Building  and  Loan 
Association  of  Indiana,  and  is  otherwise  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the 
city  of  Detroit.  He  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  is  past  commander 
of  Kennedy  Tent,  No.  904,  of  the  Maccabees.  Since  1882  he  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Detroit.  In  1883  Mr.  Powell  married 
Martha  M.  Corbett,  of  Clinton,  Ontario,  and  they  have  had  three  children,  two  of 
whom  survive:   John  E.  and  Mary  M. 

Prince,  Herberts.,  son  of  the  late  George  W.  Prince,  was  born  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  September  5,  1861 ;  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  at  Cam- 
bridge and  later  became  a  student  in  the  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  removed 
with  his  parents  in  1874.  On  reaching  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Canada  Southern  Railway  as  messenger,  and  was  gradually  promoted  until  made 
assistant  cashier.  In  1882  he  resigned  to  accept  a  similar  position  with  the  Wabash 
Railway,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1889,  when  he  was  offered  and  accepted 
the  position  of  State  agent  for  the  Ontario  Dispatch  and  Rome,  Watertown  and 
Ogdensburg  lines  (fast  freight),  running  over  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway.  In  the  be- 
ginning his  territory  was  confined  to  the  city  of  Detroit,  but  he  now  has  jurisdiction 

19G 


over  the  States  of  Michigan,  Ohio  and  Indiana.  Mr.  Prince  is  a  staunch  Repv:blican, 
is  treasurer  of  the  Alger  Republican  Club  and  a  member  of  the  National  Union  and 
Loyal  League  of  Detroit.  In  1886  he  married  Jennie  Freeman,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Harold  C. 

Rackham,  Horace  H.,  was  born  at  Harrison,  Mich.,  June  27,  1858,  a  son  of  the 
late  Simon  Rackham.  He  was  educated  in  the  Mt.  Clemens  (Mich.)  public  schools 
and  upon  the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Leslie  (Mich.),  he  entered  the  High  School 
there  and  was  graduated  in  1878.  For  a  short  time  following  his  graduation  he  was 
employed  in  a  banking  house  in  Leslie,  but  removed  to  Detroit  in  1879,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Berry  Brothers,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  In  1883  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Adolph  Sloman  and  was  later  as- 
sociated with  the  Hon.  E.  E.  Kane.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885,  but  did  not 
begin  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  1896,  when  he  formed  a  parternhip  with 
John  W.  Anderson  and  has  since  been  very  successful.  In  1886  Mr.  Rackham  mar- 
ried Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Dexter  Horton  of  Fenton,  Mich.  Mr.  Rackham  is  a 
member  of  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Peninsular  Chapter  No.  16,  R.A.M, 

Remick,  George  B. ,  son  of  Royal  Clark  and  Lucy  (Merrill)  Remick,  was  born  in 
Lincoln,  Me.,  August  4,  1845.  In  his  youth  he  came  to  Detroit  with  his  parents,  and 
prepared  by  a  high  school  education  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor,  graduating  from  the  law  department  in  1868.  He  was  called  by  the  people  to 
serve  them  in  the  State  Legislature  during  1881  and  1882.  Up  to  this  time  Mr. 
Remick  practiced  law,  and  the  death  of  his  father  caused  his  association  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  estate  of  Royal  Clark  Remick.     He  remains  a  bachelor. 

Rice,  Zachariah,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Bebee)  Rice,  was  born  at  Oswego,  N.  Y., 
September  9,  1855.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  Mich, 
whither  his  parents  removed  in  1861,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Detroit  High 
School  in  1872,  and  at  once  entered  the  office  of  Brush  &  Smith,  architects,  which 
firm  later  became  Henry  T.  Brush  &  Co.,  where  he  remained  until  1878,  making  a 
close  study  of  the  busmes.s.  In  the  later  year  (1878),  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  D.  Mason  under  the  style  of  Mason  &  Rice,  which  partnership  has  since  e.x- 
isted  unbroken.  From  1877  to  1878  Mr.  Rice  was  in  Europe  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  the  architecture  of  Rome,  Venice,  Paris  and  other  cities.  Since  his  return 
to  Detroit  in  1878,  he  has  executed  the  plans  for  a  large  number  of  the  most  costlj' 
and  imposing  structures  in  the  State  of  Michigan  as  well  as  in  other  States.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Architecture,  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club,  the 
Detroit  Athletic  Club,  the  Detroit  Hunting  and  Fishing  Association,  and  holds  high 
honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Riker,  Eugene  V.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Dr.  A.  W.  and  Mary  (Windiate)  Riker,  was  born 
at  Whitelake,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  July  21,  1861.  With  his  parents  he  removed 
to  Fenton,  Mich.,  in  1867,  and  in  the  latter  city  attended  the  public  schools,  being  a 
graduate  from  the  union  or  high  school  in  1879.  In  1884  he  was  graduated  from  the 
literary  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  and  at  once  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  university,  becoming  assistant  to  Dr.  V.  C.  Vaughn,  professor  of 
physiological  chemistry.  He  was  graduated  M.  D.  in  1887  and  during  the  ensuing 
six  years  was  located  as  a  general  practitioner  at  Parma,  Jackson  county   Mich. 

197 


Dnring  the  summers  of  1891  and  1892  Dr.  Riker  took  post-gradnate  courses  in  New 
York  city.  The  winter  of  1892-93  he  spent  in  study  in  Vienna,  Munich,  Paris  and 
London,  and  upon  returning  to  the  United  States  located  with  his  brother,  then  a 
practicing  physician  and  specialist  on  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  at  Pontiac,  Mich. 
In  the  spring  of  1894  they  established  a  branch  office  at  Detroit,  of  which  Dr.  Riker 
has  since  assumed  complete  charge.  His  specialty  is  the  same  as  that  of  his  brother 
and  he  has  met  with  marked  success.  Dr.  Riker  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free 
and  Accepted  Masous  and  is  past  master  of  Palmer  Lodge  No.  183,  of  Parma.  Jack- 
son county,  Mich.  In  1886  he  married  Minnie  M.  Fikes  of  Fenton,  Mich.,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Eugene,  Kittie  and  Olive  Windiate.  Dr.  Riker  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Wayne  County  Medical  Society. 

Sauer,  William  C,  son  of  William  and  Charlotta  (Heller)  Sauer,  was  born  in 
Mecklinhausen,  Westphalia,  Germany,  February  22,  1842.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  sf  his  native  place  until  1856,  when  he  entered  the  College  of  Paderborn,  re- 
maining there  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1858  he  removed  to  Arnsberg  and  attended 
the  college  at  that  city  until  1860,  when  he  began  the  study  of  civil  engineering  at 
Segan.  In  1861  he  removed  to  Cologne  and  completed  his  studies,  subsequently  en- 
gaging in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1871  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Phil- 
adelphia Bridge  and  Iron  Works  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  1878. 
In  May  of  that  year  he  was  employed  by  the  Federal  government,  department  of 
lake  survey,  with  headquarters  at  Detroit,  where  he  remained  until  1875,  and  was 
then  transferred  to  the  engineers'  department  and  assigned  to  duty  at  the  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  Canal  as  principal  engineer.  Mr.  Sauer  resigned  in  1888,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  engaged  in  civil  engineering  and  publishing  works  relating  to  his  profes- 
sion. In  1888,  under  the  direction  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  O.  M.  Poe,  he  compiled 
and  published  the  illustrated  atlas  of  the  Sanlt  Ste.  Marie  Ship  Canal,  and  in  1893  a 
map  of  Wayne  county,  a  work  of  great  value.  Mr.  Sauer  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Arcanum  and  the  C.  M.  B.  A.  of  America.  November  25,  1875,  he  married  Augusta 
Reinnischneider  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  they  have  four  children. 

Seitz,  John  H.,  son  of  George  F.  and  Sophia  (Bolz)  Seitz,  was  born  near  the  village 
of  Carlsruhe  (Baden  on  the  Rhine),  Germany,  August  24,  1831.  In  1834 he  emigrated 
with  his  parents  to  America,  settling  in  Detroit.  His  parents  removed  to  Washte- 
naw county  in  1836  and  settled  on  a  farm.  Mr.  Seitz  attended  the  country  log-house 
.school  in  the  winter  of  1836  and  early  in  1837  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit, 
where  he  resumed  his  studies  in  the  Detroit  public  schools  until  1840.  In  that  year 
be  began  his  apprenticeship  to  the  printer's  trade  add  was  employed  in  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Detroit  Free  Press  which  published  the  daily  journal  for  the  Legislature 
which  held  its  sessions  in  Detroit  at  that  time.  During  the  idle  period  of  the  Legisla- 
ture Mr.  Seitz  sold  papers  principally  on  the  boats  passing  up  and  down  the  river, 
and  undoubtedly  he  was  the  first  newsboy  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  at  least  to  sell 
to  passengers  of  passing  boats.  In  1846  he  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  post-office  by 
postmaster  John  S.  Bagg,  during  the  presidential  administration  of  James  Polk, 
serving  four  years.  The  next  four  years  he  devoted  to  his  trade  and  in  1854  returned 
to  the  post-office,  where  he  remained  until  1801.  During  the  fall  of  that  j'ear  Mr. 
Seitz  served  as  quartermaster  of  the  First  Michigan  Cavalry  for  a  few  months;  late 
in  the  same  year  he  joined  issues  with  his  brother,  Fred  L.  Seitz,  and  purchased  a 

198 


small  interest  in  the  Detroit  Free  Press.  He  took  charge  of  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment, his  brother  the  business  affairs  and  H.  N.  Walker  the  editorship.  In  1863,  in 
company  with  his  brother,  Mr.  Seitz  established  a  banking  and  brokers'  office,  the 
firm  styled  as  F.  L.  Seitz  &  Co.  In  1871  Mr,  Seitz  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother  and 
established  an  ice  industry,  following  that  business  until  1891,  when  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  retire.  For  two  years  after  abandoning  active  business  life  Mr. 
Seitz  managed  a  farm  near  Detroit.  May  8,  1861,  he  married  Mary  Chope  of  De- 
troit, and  their  children  are  Charles  H.,  Frank  R.  and  Fred  L.,  the  latter  passing 
from  life  recently. 

Smith,  Frank  G.,  jr.,  son  of  Frank  G.  and  Mira  (Judson)  Smith,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich. ,  November  8,  1856.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  and  later 
spent  two  years  in  a  commercial  school  at  Berlin,  Germany.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  American  Exchange  National  Bank  at  Detroit,  and 
served  in  various  capacities  for  a  period  of  five  years.  During  the  ensuing  ten  years 
he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  and  real  estate  business  and  from  1889  until  January, 
1896,  served  his  father  in  the  jewelry  business  at  Detroit.  Since  the  latter  date  Mr. 
Smith  has  been  senior  member  of  the  firm  of,  and  representative  in  Michigan,  of  the 
Palatine,  London,  Lancashire  and  Greenwich  Fire  Insurance  Companies  of  England. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason;  an  enthusiastic  Shriner;  and  a  member  of 
several  promment  clubs  in  Detroit.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  1883  to  Emma  C. , 
daughter  of  Edward  Smith  of  Detroit. 

Sterling,  Col.  James  T.,  chief  accountant  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  is  a  son  of 
Elisha  T.  Sterling,  and  a  grandson  of  General  Sterling  of  Salisbury,  Conn.,  and  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  James  T.  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  November  30,  1834, 
and  after  attending  boarding  school  at  Painsville,  Ohio,  entered  Kenyon  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1856.  In  the  following  year  he  joined  the  corps  of 
civil  engineers  at  work  on  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad,  where  he  remained  until 
recalled  to  Cleveland  by  the  sudden  death  of  his  father  in  1859.  He  at  once  entered 
the  business  left  by  his  father  and  carried  it  on  successfully  until  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  when  at  the  first  call  for  troops  and  upon  the  organization  at  Cleveland 
of  the  7th  Ohio  Vol.  Infantry,  young  Sterling  signed  its  muster  roll  as  first  lieuten- 
ant of  Company  B,  and  on  April  30,  1861,  his  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  front. 
On  June  16  of  that  year  he  was  made  captain  of  his  company  for  bravery  in  action  ; 
in  September,  1863,  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  103d  Ohio  Vol. 
Infantry  and  was  brevetted  colonel,  U.  S.  Volunteers,  in  March,  1865,  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  services  during  the  war.  After  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel  Sterling 
was  engaged  in  building  the  Canada  Southern  Railroad,  was  purchasing  agent  for 
the  Wabash  Railroad  Company  and  later  became  paymaster  for  the  Butler  Railroad 
Company  during  their  construction  work.  He  was  afterward  made  general  man- 
ager of  the  Ohio  Central  Coal  Company,  which  position  he  occupied  until  his  ap- 
pointment as  chief  accountant  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.  Colonel  Sterling  was  mar- 
ried, in  1862,  to  Miss  Webster  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  had  five  children.  Colonel 
Sterling  is  a  trustee  of  Kenyon  College;  past  senior  vice-commander,  Loyal  Legion; 
junior  vice-commander  of  Detroit  Post  G.  A  R.  and  for  the  past  five  years  has  been 
recorder  of  the  Michigan  Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 

Stevens,  James  C,  D.D.S.,  son  of  James  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Johnson)  Stevens,  was 

199 


born  in  Lodi,  Washington  county,  IMich.,  July  25,  1862.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Washington  county  and  Ann  Arbor  High  School,  and  in  1884  entered  the 
dental  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
D.IXS.  in  1887.  Prior  to  graduation  Dr.  Stevens  passed  a  rigid  examination  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  at  East  Tawas,  Mich.,  where  he  spent  the  summers  of 
1885  and  1880.  From  1887  to  1888  he  was  located  at  Cheboygan,  Mich.,  and  since 
the  latter  year  has  practiced  continuously  at  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State 
and  Local  Dental  Societies;  and  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Octo- 
ber 12,  1887,  Dr.  Stevens  married  Ella  Hangsterfer,  and  they  have  one  child,  Laura 
May. 

Stoflet,  Henry  L  ,  was  born  in  New  York  State,  February  12,  1842,  a  son  of  Lodo- 
wick  Stoflet.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  years 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Detroit.  In  1863  he  enlisted  with  the  4th  Mich.  Infantry 
and  served  two  years  at  the  front;  in  1865  he  returned  to  Michigan  and  until  1895  re- 
mained on  the  farm  in  Wayne  county,  which  his  father  had  purchased  in  1853.  He 
gave  up  the  calling  of  farmer  to  accept  the  position  of  county  auditor,  being  one  of 
the  three  men  who  audit  the  accounts  of  Wayne  county,  of  which  position  he  is  still 
an  incumbent.  In  1806  Mr.  Stoflet  married  Mary  J.  Hale  of  Wayne  county.  Mich., 
and  they  have  two  children:  Emogene  and  Mary.  Mr.  Stoflet  is  a  member  of  nu- 
merous Masonic  and  other  organizations  and  is  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him  as  a 
man  of  strict  integrity.     He  is  always  working  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party. 

Taylor,  De  Witt  H.,  LL.B.,  son  of  Hon.  Elisha  and  Aurelia  H.  (Penfield)  Taylor, 
was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  August  12,  1848.'  De  Witt  H.  was  graduated  from  the 
Detroit  High  School  in  1807,  and  after  a  year  in  the  literary  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  same  institu- 
tion, being  graduated  LL.B.  in  1870;  in  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  De- 
troit bar  and  to  practice  before  the  United  States  Courts  for  the  State  of  Michigan. 
For  three  years  following  his  graduation  in  law  Mr.  Taylor  was  financially  interested 
in  the  hardware  business  of  Coulson,  Fisher  &  Stoddard,  which  firm  dissolved  part 
nership  in  the  autumn  of  1878.  In  the  spring  of  1874  he  began  a  fifteen  months  tour 
of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  returning  to  America  and  to  Detroit  in  the  fall  of  1875, 
having  visited  all  the  principal  cities  of  interest  in  those  countries  and  having 
acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  several  of  their  languages.  Since  his  return  to  Detroit 
he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  in  that  city,  making  a  specialty  of  pro- 
bate business  and  the  handling  of  estates,  h  s  own  family  estate  occupying  most  of 
his  time  and  attention.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State,  Wayne  County  and  Detroit 
Bar  Associations;  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Boat  Club;  St.  Clair  Fishing  and  Shooting 
Club;  and  Michigan  Republican  Club.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  director  of  the  Detroit  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  and  has  for  several  years  been  a  member  of  the  finance  committee  of  that  or- 
ganization; he  is  also  a  director  of  and  stockholder  in  the  Detroit  Lubricator  Co.,  of 
which  Henry  C.  Hodges  is  president.  In  1864  Mr.  Taylor  became  a  member  of  the 
Jefferson  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  at  Detroit  and  is  at  present  acting  as  chair 
man  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  church.  November  5,  1894,  he  married  Alice, 
daughter  of  Lorin  Andrusof  Washington,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Agnes 
Aurelia. 

•  For  genealogy  see  sketch  of  Hon.  Elisha  Taylor  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

200 


Walker,  Henry  O.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Robert  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Lee)  Walker,  was  born 
in  Detroit,  Mich.,  December  18,  1848.  He  attended  the  district  schools,  which  were 
at  that  time  in  a  very  primitive  state,  and  was  one  of  the  first  pupils  in  the  original 
Detroit  High  School.  After  two  years  in  the  Albion  (Mich.)  College  he  took  a  one 
year  course  in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan.  After  enter- 
ing the  university  he  spent  two  summers  in  the  Detroit  Preparatory  School  of  Med- 
icine, which  was  afterward  the  Detroit  Medical  College.  In  the  spring  of  1866  Dr. 
Walker  was  appointed  as  first  house  surgeon  to  the  Harper  Hospital,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  autumn  of  that  year,  and  then  entered  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Col- 
lege in  New  York  city,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  February,  1867,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  Immediately  following  his  graduation  he  returned  to  Detroit,  where 
he  has  since  practiced  continuously.  He  has  been  called  to  the  following  positions  of 
responsibility  and  trust:  The  first  and  third  vice-presidencies  of  the  American  Med- 
ical Association,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  since  1874;  the  presidency  of  the 
Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  the  presidency  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical 
Society;  presidency  of  the  American  Medical  Editors'  Association;  presidency  of  the 
Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine  and  the  Detroit  Medical  Library  Association ;  the 
chairs  of  demonstrator  of  anatomy  and  lecturer  on  genito-urinary  diseases  in  the  De- 
troit Medical  College ;  secretaryship  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  faculty  of  the  De- 
troit Medical  College,  prior  to  its  amalgamation  with  the  Michigan  Medical  College 
in  1885,  and  since  the  amalgamation  the  secretaryship  of  the  board  of  trustees  and 
of  the  faculty  of  the  new  college  and  the  chair  of  professor  of  surgery  in,  and  the 
deanship  of  the  veterinary  department  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine.  Dr. 
Walker  is  also  surgeon  to  St.  Mary's  Hospital  and  Harper  Hospital  in  Detroit,  and 
has  been  city  physician  and  police  surgeon  of  Detroit  and  county  physician  for 
Wayne  county,  Mich.  He  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  A.  O.  U.  W.  Personally  Dr.  Walker  is  one  of  the  most  ap- 
proachable and  companionable  of  men.  November  13,  1872,  he  married  Sarah  G. 
Esselstyn,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  son,  Elton  W. 

Walsh,  Joseph  J.,  son  of  Edward  A.  and  Lillian  (Burke)  Walsh,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  February  12,  1871.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  private  schools 
of  Detroit,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  entered  the  office  of  his  father,  one  of  De- 
troit's foremost  architects,  to  learn  the  business.  In  1889  he  was  admitted  to  part- 
nership in  the  business  under  the  style  of  E.  A.  Walsh  &  Son,  architects  and  super- 
intendents, la  November,  1893,  Mr.  Walsh  married  Margaret  Halloran  of  Detroit, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Helen  E. 

Warren,  Homer,  son  of  the  Rev.  S.  E.  and  Ellen  (Davis)  Warren,  was  born  in 
Shelby,  Mich.,  December  1, 1855.  He  attended  public  schools  in  several  cities,  where 
his  father  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  diflferent  churches,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
located  permanently  in  Detroit.  For  six  years  he  was  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  large 
book  arrd  stationery  establishment  of  J.  M.  Arnold  &  Co.,  resigning  his  position  to 
accept  the  appointment  as  deputy  collector  of  customs  at  Detroit,  and  was  later  made 
cashier  of  the  custorhs  office.  In  1886  Mr.  Warren  departed  into  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  which  he  has  been  actively  and  successfully  engaged  ever  since.  He  oper- 
ated alone  until  1892,  devoting  himself  to  the  improvement,  subdivision  and  market- 
ing of  several  tracts  of  land  which  he  had  purchased  previous   to  resigning  from  the 

201 


customs  service.  In  1892  the  present  firm  of  Homer  Warren  &  Co.  was  organized, 
the  company  members  being  Messrs.  Cullen  Brown  and  Frank  C.  Andrews.  Their 
business  extends  over  the  entire  State  of  Michigan  and  they  also  transact  business 
for  numerous  large  estates  in  other  localitie.s.  In  1894  Mr.  Warren  added  to  his 
business  the  Michigan  agency  for  four  of  the  largest  fire  insurance  companies  in  the 
world,  viz.,  the  English-American  Underwriters  Co.  ;  Providence,  Washington  Co.  ; 
German-Alliance  Co.:  and  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.  Mr.  Warren  is  a  director 
of  the  Standard  Savings  and  Loan  Association  of  Detroit  and  is  otherwise  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  business  inerestsof  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mich- 
igan, Detroit  and  St.  Clair  Flats  Fishing  and  Gun  Clubs  of  Detroit  and  holds  high 
honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity;  he  has  always  been  a  Republican.  Mr.  Warren  is 
a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise,  of  the  strictest  integrity  of  character  and  enjoys  the 
unqualified  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens.  '  In  1878  he  married  Susie  M. 
Leach  of  Detroit. 

Warren,  William  M.,  son  of  Major  Archibald  and  Mathilda  (Walker)  Warren,  was 
born  in  Columbus,  Georgia,  March  16,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  under  private  tutors  at  New  York  city,  whither  his  parents  removed  directly 
following  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865.  In  1880  he  entered  the  New  York  office  of 
Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  manufacturing  chemists  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  remained 
for  six  years,  having  risen  through  several  grades  to  the  responsible  position  of 
purchasing  agent  for  the  New  York  establishment.  In  1886  he  was  called  to  the 
home  ofiic5;s  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  at  Detroit,  and  after  spending  a  year  and  a  half 
in  practical  experiments  in  the  chemical  laboratory,  he  was  sent  out  on  the  road  as  a 
traveling  salesman  for  two  and  a  half  years.  During  that  time  he  traversed  every 
State  and  Territory  in  the  Union,  becommg  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  details  of 
the  business.  He  was  always  an  earnest,  hard  worker  and  his  faithulness  was  re- 
warded in  1892  by  his  being  appointed  as  assistant  to  the  general  manager,  Mr. 
George  S.  Davis,  at  Detroit.  In  November,  1896,  Mr.  Warren  became  acting  general 
manager  and  on  January  1,  1897,  he  was  elected  to  his  present  position  as  general 
manager  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.'s  extensive  business,  with  his  headquarters  at  De- 
troit. Mr.  Warren  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Athletic  Club;  Detroit 
Boat  Club;  and  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich.  November  28,  1893,  he 
married  Mary  C.  Buhl  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  child,  Elizabeth  Buhl  Warren. 

Weed,  OdiUion  B.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Perry  and  Mary  A.  (Dake)  Weed,  was  born  at 
Mt.  Morris,  N.  Y. ,  October,  12,  1854.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Mt.  Morris 
and  in  1870  was  graduated  from  the  Pike  (N.  Y.)  Academy.  During  the  ensuing 
eleven  years  he  taught  in  the  schools  of  Wyoming  and  Livingston  counties,  N.  Y. 
and  in  Iowa  and  Michigan,  serving  for  eight  years  as  principal  of  the  Cheboygan 
(Mich.)  schools.  While  yet  a  student  at  Pike  Academy  Dr.  Weed  read  medicine  with 
his  cousin,  Dr.  Dake,  at  Nunda,  N.  Y.,  and  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the 
Detroit  College  of  Medicine  in  1888.  Since  then  he  has  practiced  his  profession  con- 
tinuously and  successfully  at  Detroit.  During  his  residence  at  Cheboygan,  Dr. 
Weed  was  proprietor  of  one  of  the  finest  drug  stores  in  the  State  of  Michigan  and  he 
later  established  the  second  drug  store  at  Charlevoix,  Mich.  He  is  at  present  ex- 
aminer for  the  local  branch  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  ;  Cadillac  Council  No.  19,  National 
Union,  of  which  he  is  a  member;  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted 

202 


Masons,  and  K.  O.  T.  M.  In  1874  Dr.  Weed  married  Ellen  S.  Newton  of  Cheboygan, 
Mich.,  and  they  have  two  children:  Millie  L.  and  Mary  Ethel,  both  graduates  of  the 
Michigan  State  Normal  School;  the  former  now  a  student  in  the  literary  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan;  the  latter  now  preceptress  of  the  Centerville  (Mich.) 
High  School. 

Weiss,  Hon.  Joseph  M.,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Detroit,  May  25,  1856.  Heat- 
tended  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1873.  In  1880 
he  was  honored  by  being  made  president  of  the  Detroit  High  School  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation. He  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  1874,  about  which  time  he  was  made 
assistant  librarian  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Library,  and  afterwards  had  charge  of  the 
Buhl  Law  Library.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1877  and  shortly  thereafter  was 
appointed  by  the  Hon.  Daniel  Goodwin  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  Chippewa  county, 
Michigan.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1877-78  at  Saulte  Ste.  Marie,  and  returned  to 
Detroit  in  the  spring  of  1878,  to  resume  the  practice  of  law,  the  Hon.  Joseph  H. 
Steere  being  appointed  his  successor.  In  1884  he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican 
party  for  circuit  court  commissioner  and  elected;  he  was  renominated  in  1886  and 
re-elected;  his  term  of  office  as  commissioner  expired  on  the  1st  of  January,  1889, 
since  which  time  he  has  practiced  law  at  No.  11  Buhl  block,  Detroit.  In  1890  Mr. 
Weiss  was  nominated  for  State  senator  and  elected  and  re-elected  to  that  ofhce  in 
1893.  During  his  legislative  experience  he  presented,  among  others,  a  bill  repeal- 
ing the  minor  electoral  law  (  whice  was  passed  in  1891),  and  substituted  therefor  the 
old  system  heretofore  in  vogue  m  this  State.  He  was  also  instrumental  in  having  a 
bill  passed  simplifying  the  mode  of  taking  depositions  throughout  the  State  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  Weiss  has  been  very  active  in  politics  and  has  been  chairman  of 
both  the  city  (Detroit)  and  county  (Wayne)  Republican  committees.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  National  and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  is  prominent  and  popular  in 
both  professional  and  social  circles.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  at 
one  time  was  known  far  and  wide  as  the  crack  "pitcher"  of  the  old  Cass  Baseball 
Club  of  Detroit.     Mr.   Weiss  is  still  a  bachelor. 

Whitney,  David,  jr.,  the  well  known  lumberman  and  one  of  Detroit's  wealthiest 
men,  was  born  in  Westford,  Mass.,  August  23,  1830.  He  received  such  an  education 
as  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  afforded  and  concluded  his  studies  at  the 
Westford  Academy.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Lowell,  engaging  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  a  small  way,  which  by  his  energetic  and  proper  methods  was  rapidly  ex- 
tended until  he  counted  the  whole  of  New  England  and  some  of  the  adjoining  States 
his  trade  territory.  About  this  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother  Charles 
and  others,  and  they  established  large  distributing  yards  at  Ogdensburg,  Tonawan- 
da  and  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  and  Burlington,  Vt.,  with  their  main  office  in  Boston,  Mass. 
The  same  concern  remains  in  charge  at  this  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  Albany 
yard,  under  the  firm  name  of  Skillings,  Whitney  &  Barnes  Lumber  Company, 
of  which  Mr.  Whitney  is  the  president.  In  1857  the  lumber  industrj^  of  this  State 
began  to  assume  large  proportions  and  a  prosperous  condition  and  Mr.  Whitney  di- 
rected his  attention  to  Michigan.  In  1861  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  since 
remained,  being  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  development  of  Detroit's  varied  in- 
terests. He  has  built  several  of  the  finest  business  blocks  in  the  city,  notably  the 
Whitney  block  corner  of  Grand  Circus  Park  and  Woodward  avenue ;  the  stores  of 

203 


R.  H.  Traver.  William  Reid,  W.  E.  Barker,  F.  J.  Schwankovsky  and  J.  E.  Davis  & 
Co.,  and  the  block  occupied  by  the  J.  L.  Hudson  Company.  Besides  his  large  in- 
terests in  lumber  Mr.  Whitney  is  one  of  the  largest  vessel  owners  on  the  lakes  and 
also  has  heavy  interests  in  various  manufacturing,  banking  and  mining  industries. 
To  such  men  as  Mr.  Whitney  Detroit  owes  its  progress.  He  has  been  twice  married ; 
his  first  wife  was  Mrs.  Flora  A.  Veyo  and  his  second  wife  her  sister,  Sara  J.  Mc- 
Lauchlm.     He  has  one  son  and  three  daughters. 

Wilcox,  Alfred  F.,  son  of  Freeman  and  Harriet  (Putnam)  Wilcox,  was  born  at 
Milan,  Monroe  county,  Mich.,  in  January,  1839.  He  was  educated  in  a  log  school 
house  at  Milan  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  entered  the  Michigan  State  Normal 
School  at  Ypsilanti,  were  he  spent  two  years.  During  the  following  j-ear  he 
taught  in  the  district  schools  and  then  attended  the  Normal  School  until  the  spring 
of  1861,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  17th  Mich.  Vol.  Infantry,  which  was  re- 
cruited at  Ypsilanti.  In  the  following  August  his  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  front, 
arriving  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  engagement  Mr.  Wilcox  was  seriously  wounded  and  as  soon  as  expedi- 
ent was  sent  to  the  hospital  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  then  to  his  home  in  Michigan. 
His  wound  was  slow  in  healing  and  caused  him  immeasurable  suffering  for  more 
than  two  years.  However  in  the  autum  of  1864  he  determined  to  go  again  to  the 
front,  and  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  helped  to  recruit  the  11th  Mich.  Infantry  and  was  made 
fir-st  lieutenant  of  Co.  K,  of  which  he  was  in  command  during  the  summer  of  1865. 
From  March,  1865,  till  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war  the  11th  saw  service  in 
suppressing  the  renegade  bands  which  then  infested  the  South;  they  were  mus- 
tered out  of  service  at  Jackson,  Mich.,  in  October.  1865.  Lieutenant  Wilcox  then 
returned  to  his  home  in  Milan  and  after  a  short  stay  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  University  of  Michigon  and  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1868.  In  the 
autumn  of  th^t  year  he  entered  the  literary  department  of  the  same  institution  for  a 
special  course  of  study,  spending  his  summer  vacations  at  home  studying  and  in  the 
management  of  the  home  farm,  carrying  on  at  the  same  time  a  general  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  had  previously  bought  a  large  tract  of  timber  land  and  during  his  col- 
lege vacations  had  successfully  operated  in  timber.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  sold  out 
the  lumber  business  and  also  sold  a  portion  of  the  farm,  removing  to  Detroit,  which 
city  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  began 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  of  the  law  in  the  offices  of  Hon.  Levi  Bishop, 
who  gave  him  the  start  in  life  to  which  he  attributes  in  a  large  degree  the  success 
which  has  attended  him  from  the  first.  His  specialty  has  been  and  is  real  estate  law 
and  cases  in  chancery.  Mr.  Wilcox  enjoys  the  unqualified  esteem  of  the  professsion 
and  the  public,  being  a  man  of  exemplary  habits  and  upright  life  and  a  public 
spirited  citizen  of  high  standing.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association ; 
Michigan  Club  of  Detroit;  and  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  In  1871 
he  married  Mary  Millington,  daugher  of  Cicero  Millington,  a  banker  of  Ypsilanti, 
and  they  have  had  one  child,  Winifred,  who  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

Wilkinson,  Ralph  B.,  son  of  Hon.  Albert  H.  Wilkinson,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  September  28,  1868.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Detroit  High  School  in  1887.  He  then  entered  his  father's  law  office  as  a  student 
and  clerk  and  remained  until  1888,  when  he  was  appointed  as  deputy  clerk  of  the 

204 


United  States  Court.  He  continued  his  law  studies  while  holding  that  office  and  in 
the  spring  of  1890  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  became  an  active  practitioner 
of  his  profession.  For  the  first  five  years  he  was  associated  with  his  father,  but  has 
since  practiced  continuously  alone  and  with  marked  success,  making  a  specialty  of 
real  estate  law.  In  1890  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar  Mr.  Wilkmson  went  to  Den- 
ver, Col.,  expectmg  to  settle  in  that  region,  but  after  a  short  stay  concluded  to  return 
to  Detroit,  having  found  the  legal  profession  already  well  represented  in  the  western 
country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  Association  and  Union  Lodge  No.  3, 
F.  &  A.  M.  ■  In  September,  1893,  he  married  Isabella,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Lead- 
ley  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  two  children,  a  daughter,  Ruth,  and  an  infant  son. 

Winder,  Daniel  Carey,  son  of  Daniel  K.  and  Mary  J.  (Miller)  Winder,  was  born  in 
Urbana,  Ohio,  January  27,  1863.  He  was  educated  under  private  tutors  at  Toronto, 
Ontario,  Canada,  whither  his  parents  removed  in  1864,  and  when  fifteen  years  old 
he  entered  the  office  of  his  father  at  Toronto  to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  After  a 
few  years  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  established  himself  in  business  as  a  printer 
and  has  been  successful  from  the  start.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  work  (hotel 
menus,  etc.)  and  practically  controls  the  printing  of  the  leading  hotels  and  business 
establishments.  Mr.  Winder  was  married  on  September  8,  1887,  to  Loia  J.  Atherton 
of  Northfield,  Vt.,  and  they  have  two  children:   Daniel  C,  jr.,  and  John  P. 

Wright,  Charles,  son  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Wright,  a  retired  clergyman  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Genesee  county,  Mich.,  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  November  26, 
1850.  With  his  parents  he  removed  to  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  at  the  age  of  six  years  and 
it  was  in  that  city  that  he  obtained  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
State  Normal  School ;  he  later  attended  the  L^niversity  of  Michigan,  where  he  took  a 
special  course  in  pharmacy,  and  Columbia  College,  New  York ;  he  also  studied  for 
about  three  years  in  a  laboratory  at  Detroit.  In  1874  he  engaged  as  traveling  sales- 
man with  McKesson  &  Robbins  (wholesale  druggists)  of  New  York,  his  territory  ex- 
tending through  British  Columbia  and  California,  along  the  Pacific  coast  through 
Mexico  and  the  Sandwich  Islands.  His  business  in  the  West  was  done  almost  en- 
tirely by  team,  there  being  no  railroads  except  the  Central  Pacific  in  that  section  of 
the  country  at  that  time,  and  he  frequently  rose  at  3  a.  m.  to  drive  a  number  of  miles 
in  order  to  transact  his  business  in  the  cooler  portion  of  the  day.  In  1881  he  re- 
signed his  position  as  salesman  and  located  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Randolph  Manning  and  established  a  laboratory,  beginning  on  a 
small  scale  the  manufacture  of  proprietary  remedies.  He  subsequentlj'  bought  out 
the  interest  of  his  partner  and  incorporated  a  stock  company  with  the  style  of  Charles 
Wright  &  Co.,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  president.  The  business  has  in- 
creased to  gigantic  proportions  and  to-day  they  have  resident  agents  in  all  sections 
of  the  civilized  world,  their  remedies  having  become  world  famous.  Charles  Wright 
&  Co.  own  and  occupy  two  large  laboratories  and  employ  a  large  number  of  travel- 
ing salesmen;  their  unique  business  methods  and  extensive  advertising  have  given 
them  the  place  which  they  now  occupy  among  the  leading  establishments  in  their 
line  in  the  world.  Personally  Mr.  Wright  is  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men, 
genial  and  mild  in  disposition  and  with  the  strictest  integrity  of  character,  he  makes 
and  holds  the  friendship  and  enjoy s  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  contact.  This 
fact  was  attested  by  his  election  in  1886  as  treasurer  of  the  Republican  State  Central 

205 


Committee  of  Michigan,  to  which  office  he  has  been  re  elected  six  times.  Of  a  mod- 
est and  unobtrusive  nature  he  has  never  sought  for  public  office,  but  has  been  many 
times  sought  after  to  fill  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust.  In  social  matters  he 
is  prominent  and  popular;  he  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Athletic;  De- 
troit Boat  and  Michigan  Yacht  Clubs;  Detroit  Wheelmen's  Club,  L.  A.W.  ;  a  Mason, 
an  enthusiastic  Shriner,  and  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  He  is  also  a  member  of  sev- 
eral college  fraternities  and  societies.  In  1880  Mr.  Wright  married  Louise  Kemlo  of 
New  York,  who  was  a  well-known  violinist  in  that  city  and  is  at  present  a  member 
of  the  choir  of  the  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  church  of  Detroit.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wright  are  parents  of  three  childreen:  Thomas,  Charles,  jr.,  and  Helen. 

Wurzer,  Louis  C,  son  of  Carl  and  Theresa  (Kuhn)  Wurzer,  was  born  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  January  6,  1875.  He  was  educated  in  St.  Mary's  and  the  public  schools,  and 
later  took  a  course  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Law.  He  then  entered  the  Notre  Dame 
(Ind.)  University,  where  be  took  both  the  literary  and  law  courses,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  honors  in  the  class  of  1896.  He  then  returned  to  Detroit  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  .since  which  time  he  has  practiced  his  profession  continuously  and 
with  marked  .success.  During  the  presidential  campaign  of  1896  Mr.  Wurzer  was 
president  of  the  Republican  First  Voters'  Society,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the 
official  staff  of  the  American  Insurance  Union. 

Wyman,  Hal  C,  M.  D.,  son  of  Dr.  Henry  Wyman  and  Zelinda (Carpenter)  Wyman, 
was  born  at  Anderson,  Ind.,  March  22,  1852.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  in  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  at  Lansing,  which  he 
entered  in  1865.  While  a  student  there  Dr.  Wyman  made  researches  in  animal  and 
vegetable  physiology,  and  this  led  him  into  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  began 
under  the  tutorship  of  his  father,  who  had  removed  to  Michigan.  In  1870  he  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  therefrom 
M.  D.  in  1873.  After  a  few  months  of  practice  he  went  to  Europe  and  took  post- 
graduate courses  in  Berlin,  Vienna,  Paris  and  Edinburgh,  and  upon  his  return  to  the 
United  States  began  active  practice  at  Blissfield,  Mich.,  which  was  his  father's  home. 
In  1879  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  and  has  enjoyed  a  successful  practice 
from  the  start.  For  two  years  Dr.  Wyman  was  professor  of  physiology  in  the  De- 
troit Medical  College,  and  later  filled  the  same  chair  upon  the  amalgamation  of  that 
institution  with  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine.  In  1886  he  founded  the  Michigan 
College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  in  which  he  has  ever  since  been  professor  of  sur- 
gery; and  also  founded  the  Detroit  Emergency  Hospital,  which  is  the  clinical  de- 
partment of  the  Michigan  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  and  of  which  he  is 
surgeon-in-chief.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Society;  the  De- 
troit Academy  of  Medicine;  the  American  Medical  Association,  and  numerous  other 
professional  and  fraternal  organizations.  Dr.  Wyman  was  for  a  number  of  years 
medical  commissioner  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  and  Corrections,  and  has  writ- 
ten many  hand  books  and  medical  articles,  including  a  work  on  abdominal  surgery 
and  a  treatise  on  diseases  of  the  bladder. 

Belanger,  Henry,  M.  D.,  is  among  the  wide  awake  citizens  of  the  community,  and 
while  he  is  one  of  the  youngest  in  his  profession,  he  ranks  high  in  the  public  estima- 
tion.    Confidence  and  esteem  are  not  misplaced  when  Dr.  Belanger  is  chosen  as  the 

206 


recipient.  Born  in  Chatham,  Ont.,  on  the  17th  of  October,  1872,  his  boyhood  was 
largely  passed  on  a  farm  until  his  thirteenth  year,  when  he  was  placed  in  the  Ottawa 
University,  where  the  next  four  years  were  passed  in  hard  study  and  preparation  for 
matriculation  at  McGill  University  was  accomplished.  He  then  studied  one  year  in 
Assumption  College  at  Sandwich,  Ont.,  and  then  entered  upon  the  pursuit  of  his 
medical  studies,  having  selected  that  profession,  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1894.  He  chose  to  enter  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  River  Rouge  and  soon  became  so  identified  with  every  in- 
terest of  the  place  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  results  of  practice  that  he  decided  to 
make  it  his  permanent  home  and  has  every  reason  to  congratulate  himself  upon  his 
choice.  He  is  the  health  officer  of  the  village  and  is  warmly  attached  to  every  fea- 
ture of  the  village's  social  life.  He  participates  in  church  and  literary  work  and  his 
assistance  to  the  young  people  is  duly  appreciated.  His  love  for  all  athletic  sports 
is  decided  and  in  earlier  life  he  was  an  active  participant  in  them.  The  doctor  was 
united  in  marriage,  October  3,  1894,  to  Clara  E.  Reaume,  who  was  also  born  at  the 
same  town  in  Canada  as  himself.  One  child  blesses  the  union,  Clara  Amelia.  In 
August,  1895,  he  induced  his  brother  Theophilus,  two  years  younger  than  himself, 
to  study  pharmacy  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Pharmacy,  graduating  therefrom  and 
passing  the  State  Pharmaceutical  Board  examination  for  the  State  of  Michigan  in 
1897.  The  doctor  and  his  brother  are  now  nicely  located  at  River  Rouge  and  doing 
a  good  business.  Dr.  Belanger  has  risen  surely  and  rapidly  in  the  ranks  of  the  pro- 
fession as  well  as  out  of  it.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wayne  County  Medical  Associa- 
tion; and  devotes  careful  attention  to  the  advanced  ideas  of  his  profession,  having 
also  had  considerable  personal  contact  in  his  practice  before  coming  to  River  Rouge 
among  epidemic  diseases,  thus  having  had  a  much  wider  range  of  practice  than  is 
generally  afforded  to  the  young  practitioner. 

Briggs,  Hon.  F.  Markham,  was  born  in  Livonia,  Mich.,  August  19,  1840,  a  son  of 
Lewis  and  Hannah  E.  (Pennington)  Briggs.  In  1832  Pardon  and  Betsy  Briggs  set- 
tled in  Livonia,  coming  from  Niagara  county,  N.  Y.  ;  he  lived  here  a  prosperous 
farmer  during  his  life,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  His  son  Lewis  improved 
the  homestead  adjoining  the  present  home  of  F.  Markham  Briggs,  where  he  also 
died  in  1895,  aged  seventy  eight;  he  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  and  had  served 
the  community  for  two  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  one  of  the  earlier 
Prohibitionists,  by  whom  he  was  named  as  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature.  Well 
read,  with  decided  opinions  and  a  man  in  whom  the  fullest  trust  and  confidence  was 
placed,  he  exerted  a  wide  and  lasting  intiuence  in  the  State.  Few  men  had  more  or 
warmer  friends  and  none  are  more  deeply  mourned.  F.  Markham  Briggs  was  edu- 
cated in  the  High  School  at  Plymouth  and  the  State  Normal.  His  business  life  has 
been  devoted  to  agriculture.  He  remained  twelve  years  on  the  homestead  after  his 
marriage  and  since  then  has  lived  on  the  present  farm,  which  he  and  his  father  had 
added  -to  the  homestead  some  years  before.  He  was  the  only  child,  and  while  his 
father  retained  his  own  business  interests  under  his  own  management,  their  relations 
have  been  of  the  closest  character.  Adhering  to  general  farming,  he  makes  the  pro- 
duction of  milk  a  special  feature.  Livonia  stands  high  as  a  cheese  producing  town, 
none  other  in  the  State  surpassing  it,  there  being  three  successful  factories  in  oper- 
ation.    He  is  associated  with  the  firm  of  George  W.  Hunter  &  Co.,  Plymouth,  deal- 

207 


ers  in  general  groceries,  drugs  and  produce.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Savings 
and  Exchange  banks  of  Plymouth ;  he  served  as  State  senator  in  the  session  of  1895, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  agricclture;  is  a  commissioner  of  the  Indus- 
trial Home  for  Girls,  lona  Reformatory,  Insane  Asylums  at  Kalamazoo  and  Traverse 
City.  He  entered  actively  into  the  necessary  legislation  touching  those  subjects, 
and  is  considered  by  his  associates  as  an  able  reasoner  and  an  earnest  investigator. 
He  is  closing  his  twelfth  year  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  his  administration  of  jus- 
tice has  tended  to  the  betterment  of  his  town,  making  it  a  warm  place  for  the  law 
breaker  and  increasing  its  desirability  as  a  place  to  raise  children,  free  from  the  too 
offer,  contaminating  influences  so  often  found  in  other  sections  of  Wajme  county. 
January  14,  1864,  Mr.  Briggs  married  Mary  A.  Westfall,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  Westfall,  and  they  have  one  adopted  daughter,  Mary  A.  Hearn,  who,  since 
the  age  of  fourteen,  has  contributed  much  to  the  pleasure  of  their  home,  and  whose 
intelligence  and  womanly  grace  and  refinement  are  highly  appreciated  by  her  many 
friends. 

Burdeno,  Augustus  I.,  M.  D.,  son  of  Loiiis  and  Adaline  (Roberts)  Burdeno,  was 
born  in  Delray,  Mich.,  December  23,  1857.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the 
district  schools  of  Delray  and  in  1870  he  moved  to  the  township  of  Romulus,  where 
he  attended  the  district  schools  until  1877 ;  he  attended  the  high  school  at  Belleville 
and  taught  and  attended  school  until  1880,  when  he  entered  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan at  Ann  Arbor,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1883.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  was  appointed  assistant  physician  and  surgeon  of  the  asylum  for  the  insane  and 
countv  house  of  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  serving  in  this  capacity  until  1885,  when  he 
located  at  Dearborn,  Mich.,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1888 
he  removed  to  Delray,  Mich.,  where  he  has  since  remained.  Dr.  Burdeno  was  ap- 
pointed health  officer  of  Dearborn  in  1886  and  again  in  1887;  he  also  served  in  a  like 
capacity  at  Delray  during  the  years  1891  and  1892.  Dr.  Burdeno  is  a  member  of  the 
Maccabees  and  the  American  Insurance  Union,  February  3,  1885,  he  married  Sarah 
O.  Quirk  of  Springwells,  Mich.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Verna  M. 

Burke,  Hyacinthe  C,  town  clerk  and  dealer  in  real  estate,  loans  and  insurance,  is 
a  native  of  the  town  of  River  Rouge,  being  born  there  October  23,  1860.  His  parents 
were  Casper  and  Catherine  (Riopelle)  Burke,  he  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  com- 
ing across  the  water  in  1853.  He  died  June  10,  1867,  leaving  two  sons,  H.  C.  and 
Francis,  and  one  daughter,  Frances,  wife  of  Isador  Nuske.  H.  C.  remained  on  the 
farm  until  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Carbon  Works,  retaining  for  eight 
years  the  position  of  foreman.  He  then  embarked  in  the  real  estate  trade  with  re- 
sults attained  by  no  other  man.  Meeting  with  instant  success,  he  continued  to  plot 
various  additions,  to  erect  dwellings,  etc.,  which  his  disposal  on  liberal  terms  has 
enabled  him  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand  of  the  times.  His  good  judgment  has 
often  been  verified.  He  has  the  name  of  being  a  liberal  dealer  and  one  whose  faith 
in  the  future  of  his  community  has  never  faltered.  In  politics  Mr.  Burke  is  one  of 
the  most  active  Democrats  and  is  ever  found  attentive  to  his  party's  demands;  for 
two  years  he  has  served  as  clerk  of  Ecorse.  January  31,  1887,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Dunn,  daughter  of  Michael  Dunn,  and  they  have  four  children :  Edmond  Michael, 
Mary  C,  Rosa  D.  and  Wolfort  H. 

Cahalan,  James,  M.  D.,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  born  in  Tipperary,  and  when  five 

208 


years  of  age  was  brought  in  1857  to  America,  and  has  since  resided  in  Wyandotte. 
James  Cahalan,  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  watchman  at  the  rolling  mills,  is  well 
and  favorably  remembered.  His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  He  left 
a  family,  all  of  whom  are  highly  respected  citizens  and  are  among  the  substantial 
men  and  women  of  Wayne  county.  The  eldest  daughter,  Catherine,  is  the  wife  of 
Michael  Norton  of  Wyandotte.  Anna  married  Patrick  Mclnery  of  Detroit;  and 
Bridget  is  the  wife  of  Patrick  Needham  of  Traverse  City,  Mich.  ;  Richard  and  John 
C.  Cahalan  comprise  the  well-known  firm  of  Cahalan  Bros.  It  was  the  desire  of  his 
parents  that  their  eldest  son,  James,  should  become  a  priest  and  devote  his  talents 
to  mother  church  and  to  that  end  bent  their  energies,  supplementing  local  advant- 
ages with  a  course  at  St.  Joseph's  Seminary  at  Bardstown,  Ky.,  where  he  was  thor- 
oughly prepared  for  his  theological  studies;  but  certain  changes  had  come  over  the 
spirit  of  his  dreams  and  he  felt  that  other  pursuits  would  be  more  to  his  tastes  than 
the  severe  life  of  a  priest,  and  after  long  deliberation  and  consultation  he  decided  to 
devote  himself  to  the  science  of  which  Esculapius  was  the  honored  father.  Accord- 
ingly he  entered  McGill  University,  Canada's  great  medical  school,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1880.  He  has  since  been  in  active  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice at  his  old  home.  Dr.  Cahalan  has  all  the  qualities  said  to  be  so  essential  to  the 
medical  man,  and  while  his  local  patronage  and  estimation  is  great,  he  is  held  in  no 
less  regard  by  his  brethren  of  the  profession  throughout  the  county  and  State.  He 
occupies  an  elevated  position  with  all  who  have  known  him.  He  has  often  attended 
as  delegate  the  various  conventions  of  his  party,  the  Democratic,  and  served  some 
years  on  the  Board  of  Jury  Commissioners,  being  appointed  by  Governor  Winans. 
He  has  been  no  less  honored  at  home,  his  fellow  citizens  keeping  him  on  the  Board 
of  Education  for  seven  years,  and  he  was  city  physician  ten  years.  The  doctor's 
wife  was  also  one  of  the  city's  lifelong  residents,  whose  maiden  name  was  Anna 
Melody.  She  died  some  eight  years  ago,  leaving  one  son,  James  E.  The  doctor  is 
a  man  of  broad  and  liberal  views  and  one  whose  opinions  deliberately  formed  carry 
much  weight  with  his  townsmen,  and  in  fact  in  all  ranks  and  societies  in  Wayne 
county. 

Chase,  Capt.  James,  was  born  at  Toronto.  Canada,  October  27,  1825.  His  father, 
John  Chase,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  1799,  being  a  son  of  Mark  Chase,  who 
was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  and  a  soldier  in  General  Wayne's  army  and  came 
into  this  region  with  it.  After  completion  of  his  service  he  married  and  settled  near 
the  fort  and  thus  became  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Michigan.  His  days  were 
passed  in  Detroit,  dying  at  a  ripe  old  age.  John  Chase  early  in  life  drifted  into 
Canada,  but  after  his  marriage  removed  to  the  interior  of  Michigan,  settling  near 
Ann  Arbor.  That  country  proved  even  too  new  for  him,  and  returning  eastward,  he 
and  his  family  became  permanent  residents  of  Brownstown,  Wayne  county,  about 
1829.  His  death  came  early  in  life,  being  but  forty-five  at  the  time.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Wilcox,  died  when  James,  the  subject,  was  but  a  child  of  five.  Their 
three  children  are  all  now  living:  Mariah,  widow  of  Charles  Sprague,  residing  in 
Ohio;  John,  living  in  Toledo,  O..  and  James.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  when 
James  was  a  lad  of  fourteen,  he  began  sailing  on  the  great  lakes,  to  which  he  was  to 
devote  so  many  years.  Starting  as  a  common  sailor,  his  activity,  readiness  and 
quickness  to  learn  all,  tended  to  advance  him  in  the  estimation  of  his  superiors,  and 

209 


in  about  four  years  he  had  become  mate  on  an  important  sailing  vessel.  Circum- 
stances seemed  to  favor  him  and  when  not  yet  twenty-one  he  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  J.  W.  Brown,  in  which  he  sailed  four  successive  and  successful  seasons.  He 
later  commanded  in  succession  the  brigs  Odd  Fellow  and  Caroline  from  Buffalo,  the 
Fortune,  Superior  and  Sunnyside  of  Detroit.  About  1867  he  became  master  and 
one-third  owner  of  the  steamer  Mary  Pringle,  in  company  with  David  Whitney  of 
Detroit.  She  was  placed  in  the  extensive  lumber  trade  of  Mr.  Whitney  until  1873, 
when  she  was  sold  and  they  at  once  built  at  Trenton  her  successor,  the  Swallow,  in 
which  the  last  six  seasons  of  Capt.  Chase's  voj^ages  were  made.  Health  failing  he 
decided  to  retire  from  the  water,  which  he  did  in  1879,  after  almost  forty  years  de- 
voted to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  sailor's  life,  all  of  which  except  one  ocean  voyage  in 
early  life  was  passed  on  the  great  lakes.  Captain  Chase  was  remarkably  fortunate  in 
his  life  as  a  navigator,  never  having  any  serious  disasters  resulting  in  shipwreck  or 
loss  of  vessel,  and  but  one  man  was  lost  from  the  vessels  during  the  entire  time  of 
his  service.  This  is  a  remarkable  record,  one  that  but  few  old  masters  can  claim, 
even  the  ocean  masters  sailing  where  ample  sea  room  is  afforded,  and  the  more  un- 
usual in  the  experience  of  a  lake  captain.  Since  his  retirement  Captain  Chase  has 
enjoyed  life  in  his  pleasant  rural  home  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river  he  sailed 
so  often,  a  house  that  was  built  by  himself  nearly  half  a  century  ago  and  into  which 
he  took  his  bride,  Harriet  J.  Peters,  to  whom  he  was  married  January  26,  1854. 
Mrs.  Chase  was  born  in  Seneca  county,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Michigan  at  six  years  of 
age.  residing  with  his  parents  at  Flat  Rock  until  her  marriage.  Five  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chase:  Eudora  M.,  wife  of  Thomas  Schooler  of  Rock  Rapids, 
la. ;  Emma  E. ,  wife  of  W.  R.  Smith  of  Trenton  ;  Kittie  A. ,  died  at  age  of  ten ;  Arthur 
J.,  a  merchant  of  Sioux  City.  la.,  now  residing  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health;  and  Gordon  O.,  who  died  in  childhood.  Captain  Chase  is  widely 
known,  few  men  having  more  or  warmer  friends  who  delight  to  gather  at  his 
home,  where  old  fashioned  hospitahty  and  good  cheer  is  ever  found.  Though 
holding  Republican  doctrines  the  captain  has  never  taken  active  part  in  party 
politics.  He  has  served  the  village  as  postmaster  and  in  other  minor  offices.  He 
has  shown  great  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  served 
his  home  lodge  as  its  master.  Mrs.  Chase  has  ever  been  identified  with  the  Metho- 
dist church.  The  captain  and  wife  have  lived  at  Trenton  long  enough  to  see  every 
other  couple,  who  were  at  the  head  of  families  when  they  came,  separated  by  death, 
and  now  passing  toward  the  close  of  life  they  have  a  satisfaction  in  looking  back  and 
feeling  that  their  own  lives  have  not  been  in  vain.  The  community  is  better  for 
their  having  been  a  part  of  it.    They  will  be  missed  when  the  final  summons  comes. 

Cicotte,  Edward  A.— This  gentleman  is  in  many  respects  a  representative  man. 
Coming  from  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  State,  he  is  the  fourth  generation  of 
the  name  in  Wayne  county.  He  himself  was  born  in  Ecorse,  December  12,  1854,  a 
son  of  Edward  and  Julia  (Visger)  Cicotte,  whose  other  children  were  Theodore  E., 
W.  A.  C,  Mary  A.,  Francis  A.  and  Susan  E.  His  father  was  for  many  years  a 
merchant  at  Ecorse,  even  in  the  days  when  the  name  Grandport  (now  forgotten)  was 
the  name  of  the  place.  For  many  years  he  kept  the  tollgate  at  River  Rouge  at  the 
old  blockhouse  built  by  the  government  and  kept  by  Joseph  Cicotte  and  still  stand- 
ing and  owned  by  Edward  E.     Joseph  Cicotte  was  a  son  of  Jean  Baptiste  Cicotte,  and 

210 


was  born  in  America.  These  early  pioneers  were  a  sturdy  race  and  became  true 
loyal  citizens;  most  of  them  were  in  service  during  the  war  of  1812,  not  one  of  whom 
but  was  highly  indignant  when  it  was  known  that  disgraceful  act  was  ordered.  The 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  spent  four  years  of  his  early  life  in  the 
custom  house  under  D.  J.  Campau,  collector  during  Cleveland's  administration,  this 
being  succeeded  by  four  years  in  the  ofifice  of  the  register  of  deeds,  John  A.  Heames 
being  register.  He  has  ever  been  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  every  detail  of  campaign 
work  and  local  management  has  been  duly  mastered  and  operated  by  him.  Being 
well  educated  and  ever  retaining  his  early  love  for  his  old  home  and  its  people,  he  is 
one  of  the  popular  men  of  the  party,  and  no  one  exercises  so  great  influence,  or  has 
the  confidence  of  the  people  in  greater  degree.  Always  in  attendance  at  the  various 
party  conventions  few  men  in  the  county  are  more  familiar  to  politicians  by  whom 
his  counsels  are  sought  and  heeded.  Mr.  Cicotte  is  wide-awake  to  the  community's 
interests,  and  has  lent  his  influence  to  the  promotion  of  those  industries  and  manu- 
factures that  give  employment  and  afllord  wider  scope  to  the  citizens.  He  has  con- 
cluded several  important  deals  in  real  estate,  and  is  widely  known  as  a  hustler. 
Strict  honesty  in  financial  dealmgs  was  a  characteristic  of  these  early  families,  and 
while  there  is  found  smartness  in  too  many  instances  in  these  modern  days,  a  just 
pride  is  felt  in  adhering  to  the  training  of  their  fathers.  Mr.  Cicotte  is  widely  known 
as  a  genuine  sportsman,  and  few  men  can  can  show  a  better  record  of  the  chase. 
When  engaging  in  the  sport  with  the  gun  he  has  the  true  sportsman's  enthusiasm, 
and  few  men  would  care  to  follow  bim  in  his  meanderings  and  efforts  to  bag  his 
game.  Enduring  cold,  wet  and  fatigue,  no  hardship  is  too  great ;  he  has  been  known 
to  break  ice  arm  deep,  to  come  within  gun  shot  of  his  quest.  January  6,  1884,  he 
married  Eliza  Stoner,  of  Monroe,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Grace. 

Clark,  Charles,  was  born  at  Brownstown,  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  in  1826,  and  is  the 
youngest  of  a  large  family  of  whom  the  late  J.  P.  Clark  was  most  widely  known. 
His  family  settled  at  this  place  in  1818,  and  his  father,  John  Parsons  Clark,  was  a 
well  known  farmer  and  was  also  engaged  in  the  fishing  industry  in  which  the  son, 
J.  P.  became  famous  and  with  whom  Charles  was  associated  from  the  age  of  eight- 
een for  upwards  of  thirty  years.  When  the  fisheries  were  established  on  the  coast 
of  Wisconsin  he  and  his  brother  Isaac  had  charge  of  them  for  several  seasons,  and 
after  being  foreman  for  J.  P.  for  some  time,  he  became  his  partner  and  was  more 
closely  identified  with  him  until  1871,  when  he  retired  to  a  300  acre  farm  in  Browns- 
town  and  was  quietly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  brother's  death  called 
him  from  his  rural  life  to  again  assume  management  of  more  diversified  interests, 
as  the  administrator  of  the  extensive  estate  left  by  J.  P.  This  estate,  amounting  to 
upwards  of  a  half  million  dollars  and  comprising  varied  industries  and  enterprises, 
demanded  careful  attention  for  some  years.  According  to  the  will  of  J.  P.,  one 
steamer,  among  the  many  that  he  owned,  should  be  kept  in 'the  family,  so  the  hand- 
some "Wyandotte"  is  retained  and  is  one  of  the  most  popular  steamers  largely  de- 
voted to  the  excursion  trade,  to  Hickory  and  Sugar  Islands,  which  were  bought  by 
J.  P.  Clark  who  fitted  the  latter  up  wnth  parks  and  buildings  as  a  resort,  and  it  has 
lately  become  famous  as  such.  The  interests  of  the  estate  have  been  carefully  con- 
served under  the  administrator,  much  of  the  landed  property  and  steamers,  as  well 
as  ship  building  features,  being  sold.     The  complications  of  such  a  vast  and  varied 

211 


business  demand  the  shrewdest  business  judgment  and  capacity,  more  especially  so 
after  he  who  built  it  up  has  passed  away.  He  was  a  man  who  told  little  about  his 
business  and  depended  but  little  upon  books  or  memoranda;  the  multifarious  de- 
tails were  mainly  carried  in  his  own  head.  Charles,  however,  knew  his  brother's 
life  and  habits  so  well  that  he  could  step  in  and  keep  the  business  moving  with  less 
friction  than  could  have  been  possible  with  another  man.  Mr.  Clark  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  citizens  of  this  business  suburb  and  is  intimately  associated  with  its 
people  in  almost  every  social  capacity.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  Wyandotte 
Club.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cornelia  Maria  Wood,  passed  away  in 
1895.  His  family  consists  of  Florence,  wife  of  H.  P.  Rafter  of  Wyandotte;  Abner 
W.,  who  operates  his  farm;  Arthur  B.,  a  commercial  man;  and  Clarence  Herbert, 
clerk  of  the  steamer  Wyandotte. 

Clark,  John  Person  (deceased),  was  born  on  the  Hudson  River,  in  view  of  the  Cats- 
kill  Mountains,  April  10,  1808,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Person)  Clark.  In  1812 
the  family  removed  to  Black  Rock,  near  where  the  British  crossed  the  river  to  burn 
Buffalo.  While  the  war  of  1812  was  still  in  progress  the  Clark  family  removed  to 
Cleveland,  where  his  father  was  a  pioneer  hotel  keeper,  and  in  one  of  whose  rooms 
the  Masonic  Lodge,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  was  held,  and  during  initiation  of 
candidates  rolled  a  cannon  ball  across  the  floor  to  prevent  outsiders  from  hearing  the 
ceremonies.  In  1818  the  family  engaged  in  farming  at  Wyandotte,  finally  settling 
and  improving  a  farm  some  three  miles  back  from  the  river.  At  sixteen  years  of  age 
the  future  ship  magnate  entered  upon  an  active  business  career,  working  on  a  canal 
in  Ohio  at  $13  per  month  and  board.  While  others  indulged  in  drinking  he  formed 
a  determination  to  let  liquor  alone  and  was  thus  able  to  return  home  much  better  off 
than  his  companions.  His  father's  death  in  1827  decided  him  to  engage  in  matters 
outside  the  farm,  and  he  bought  an  interest  in  a  fishing  company,  a  business  he  con- 
tinued in  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  formed  a  company  and  fished  with  a  seine  on  the 
Maumee  River,  a  noted  spawnmg  ground.  He  worked  hard  directing  operations  of 
both  a  day  and  night  seine,  sleeping  but  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  but  rushed  the 
business  and  personally  doing  much  of  the  more  particular  work.  In  1832  he  in- 
vested in  land  and  that  year  built  his  first  boat,  a  barge  which  he  navigated  on  the 
canal.  In  1836  he  explored  Lake  Michigan  and  traversed  many  times,  generally  on 
foot,  the  shore  between  Green  Bay  and  Milwaukee.  He  became  familiar  with  the 
Indians  and  their  manner  of  fishing,  and  in  1838  engaged  in  fishing  along  these 
shores  on  an  extensive  scale  with  over  fifty  men  in  his  employ.  The  demands  of 
the  business  caused  him  to  purchase  a  vessel,  and  from  this  he  naturally  drifted 
into  repairing  vessels,  and  as  a  result,  in  1850,  he  came  to  Detroit,  built  a  dry  dock, 
erected  a  saw  mill,  built  and  repaired  vessels  and  also  raised  several  sunken  vessels, 
employing  from  400  to  500  men.  He  early  recognized  the  superiority  of  steam  navi- 
gation and  built  several  steamboats  whose  names  and  appearance  are  as  famihar 
to  Detroiters  as  any  individual  living  in  its  limits;  the  Jay  Cooke,  Alaska,  Pearl, 
Gazelle,  Riverside,  Marion  Teller  are  well  known.  He  owned  the  line  of  steamers 
running  between  Detroit  and  Sandusky,  Detroit  and  Sugar  Island,  Cleveland  and 
Buffalo,  and  others,  employing  about  140  men  on  his  vessels.  For  some  years  be- 
fore his  death  he  leased  the  yards  and  they  have  since  been  conducted  by  others. 
He  retained  his  fishing  interests  to  his  death  and  never  wearied  of  reference  to  inci- 

212 


dents  connected  with  that  business  to  which  he  owed  a  large  part  of  his  great  finan- 
cial success.  He  invested  in  real  estate,  owning  several  farms  and  city  property. 
He  had  a  great  natural  ability  and  could  attend  to  the  details  of  an  extensive  busi- 
ness that  involved  many  interests  with  great  mastery  of  small  matters.  He  had  a 
vrarm  heart  under  a  somewhat  rough  exterior  and  while  he  was  often  gruff,  stern 
and  decisive,  it  but  needed  a  little  tact  to  get  beneath  the  apparent  roughness  and 
when  that  ice  was  broken  he  could  be  and  was  as  true  a  friend  and  as  interesting  a 
companion. as  could  be  found.  A  deafness  in  his  later  years  precluded  mixing 
largely  with  others,  but  in  his  own  home  he  was  the  loving  husband  and  devoted 
father.  His  death  occurred  September  3,  1888.  His  large  property  (exceeding  half 
a  million)  has  since  been  adjusted  by  his  administrators,  the  yards  leased,  the  steam- 
boats sold  and  in  some  cases  contemplated  improvements  made.  Clark  Park,  com- 
prising upwards  of  forty  acres,  was  one-half  donated  by  him  to  the  city  and  Clark 
avenue  is  named  in  his  honor.  Mr.  Clark's  first  wife  was  Susan  Booth,  whose  tragic 
death  cast  a  gloom  over  him  that  only  was  dispelled  by  years  of  constant  business 
demands.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children:  Avis  C,  wife  of  T.  A.  Hicking,  re- 
siding in  Paris;  Alice  E.,  now  Mrs.  Atchison  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal;  Alvin  S.  Clark  of 
Detroit;  Florence,  Mrs.  W.  O.  Ashley  of  Detroit;  and  Norman  S.  Clark. 

Clark,  Edward  B.,  son  of  William  M.  and  Alvira  (Terril)  Clark,  was  born  m 
Blakesburg,  Iowa,  July  18,  1862.  His  early  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Lansing,  Mich.,  where  his  parents  removed  in  1871.  In  1875  he  entered 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  office  as  messenger  boy  at  Lansing,  Mich.  ;  in  1877  he 
entered  the  dispatcher's  office  of  the  Detroit,  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  Railroad 
at  Detroit,  and  was  appointed  ticket  agent  for  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  system  at 
the  Brush  Street  Depot  in  1879;  in  1891  he  accepted  a  position  as  traveling  passen- 
ger agent  for  the  Manitoba-Pacific  Route;  in  1892  v/as  engaged  as  traveling  passen- 
ger and  freight  agent  for  the  Great  Northern  Railway,  and  in  1895  was  promoted  to 
his  present  position,  general  agent  for  the  Great  Northern  Railway  and  Northern 
Steamship  Co.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  Kilwinning  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  National 
Union  and  Fellowcraft  Club.  In  1885  he  married  Margaret  O'Brien,  of  Detroit, 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Johanna  (Howard)  O'Brien. 

Clippert,  Conrad,  vice-president  of  the  Central  Savings  Bank  and  brick  manufac- 
turer of  Michigan  avenue,  Springwells,  is  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Wayne 
county.  Serving  continuously  for  ten  years  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  he  became 
known  as  a  clear  headed,  careful  business  man.  In  1880  he  was  chosen  sheriff  upon 
the  Republican  ticket,  with  1,500  majority,  at  a  time  when  the  county  was  Demo- 
cratic by  5,000  majority,  thus  attesting  the  confidence  in  him  and  his  own  wide  per- 
sonal acquaintance  and  popularity.  While  Mr.  Clippert  has  a  strong  personality,  it 
is  of  the  attractive  and  pleasing  kind,  and  he  is  a  gentleman  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances.  He  is  an  admirable  example  of  the  better  German  element  in 
our  country,  and  it  is  largely  due  to  him  that  the  influence  of  this  excellent  class  of 
citizens  carries  so  great  weight  in  our  municipal  and  county  affairs.  As  sheriff  he 
was  one  of  the  most  popular  officials  the  county  had.  Conrad  Clippert  was  born  in 
Hesse  Cassel,  Germany,  February  14,  1834,  and  at  fif-een  years  of  age  joined  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  one  of  whom  was  the  wife  of  Ernest  Ranspach,  a  well-known 
citizen  of  Springwells.     He  soon   entered  the  employ  of  Richard  H.  Hall,  the  brick 

213 


maker,  and  for  twenty-two  years  continued  with  that  gentleman  a  trusted  employee. 
Much  of  that  time,  from  1860  to  1875,  he  was  the  general  superintendent  of  his  ex- 
tensive brick  yards,  where  great  responsibility  rested  upon  him  He  had  started  at 
the  lowest  round  as  chore  boy,  but  had  made  constant  advance  in  favor  and  position. 
That  was,  in  those  days,  the  most  extensive  brick  business  in  or  about  Detroit,  work- 
ing from  140  to  175  men.  Having  saved  some  money,  in  1875  he  opened  the  brick 
business  on  his  own  account,  being  for  five  years  in  company  with  Jacob  Daniels. 
The  present  yards  were  opened  in  1884,  after  his  term  as  sheriff  had  expired.  He 
took  his  two  sons,  George  H.  and  Charles  F.,  into  the  firm  some  four  or  five  j^ears 
ago,  and  the  details  now  devolve  upon  them.  They  have  a  large  plant  with  from 
eight  to  ten  million  annual  capacity,  and  eighty  to  one  hundred  men  in  their  em- 
ploy, with  a  pay  roll  of  $3,000  per  month.  Mr.  Clippert  was  married  March  6,  1859, 
to  Christian  Frederika  Pfeifle,  who  was  also  born  in  Germany,  and  from  four  years 
old  resided  in  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clippert's  family  consist  of  George  H.  and 
Charles  F.,  who  are  connected  with  their  father;  Frederick  J.,  M.  D.,  of  Delray ; 
William,  a  bookkeeper  in  the  Exposition  Brewing  Co. ;  Julius  C,  a  medical  student, 
and  Hattie  F.,  a  student  in  the  High  School.  Mr.  Clippert  has  been  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful business  men,  and  besides  his  business  is  interested  in  real  estate,  and  is 
vice-president  of  the  Central  Savings  Bank.  He  is  an  active  and  influential  member 
of  the  German  Evangelical  church;  is  active  in  the  Alger  and  Michigan  Clubs,  and 
has  retained  a  like  interest  in  all  public  matters.  His  advice  is  sought  in  many  mat- 
ters. He  has  a  handsome  and  commodious  residence  on  Michigan  avenue,  outside 
the  city  limits,  and  with  his  family  about  him  is  taking  in  his  retirement  the  com- 
forts and  pleasures  assured  by  his  earlier  years  of  toil  and  close  application  to  busi- 


Collier,  James  M.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Defiance,  Ohio,  September  22,  1852.  His 
parents  were  Otho  and  Elizabeth  (Kepler)  Collier,  he  being  widely  known  in  Wayne 
county  as  a  grain  dealer  at  Wayne,  where  he  died  January  21,  1898,  aged  seventy- 
one.  James  began  to  teach  at  sixteen  years  of  age  and  was  determined  to  pursue 
the  studies  of  which  he  till  then  had  but  small  conception.  Entering  the  Illinois 
State  Normal  School  at  Bloomington,  he  pursued  his  studies  expecting  to  complete 
the  course,  but  at  the  close  of  his  junior  year  found  he  must  recuperate  his  finances, 
and  so  taught  at  Orangeville,  111.,  three  years,  during  which  time  he  read  medicine, 
but  before  taking  a  medical  course  traveled  one  year  in  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin  selling  school  supplies.  Then  entering  upon  the  course  of  medical 
lectures  in  the  Detroit  Medical  College  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1879.  He 
spent  the  next  year  as  interne  physician  at  the  Marine  Hospital,  since  when  he  has 
practiced  at  Plymouth,  where  he  stands  at  the  head  of  the  profession  and  has  an 
enviable  practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  State  and  American  Medical  Associations ; 
he  was  twice  unanimously  elected  village  president,  giving  such  an  administration 
as  added  to  his  popularity.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  in  close  touch  with  the  party 
at  its  councils  and  conventions,  where  his  voice  is  heard  in  defense  of  a  purer  system 
of  elections.  He  is  secretary  and  director  in  the  Local  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion, and  local  treasurer  of  the  National  Loan  and  Investment  Company;  secretary 
and  director  of  the  Fair  Association,  and  in  many  ways  has  identified  himself  with 
the  progress  and  advancement  of  the  community.     March  7,  1877,  he  married  Carrie 

214 


E.  Downs;  they  have  no  children.  Dr.  Collier  is  past  master  of  Plymouth  Rock 
Lodge  No.  47,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  his  services  as  such  were  highly  appreciated  as  is 
evidenced  by  a  handsome  past  master's  jewel  presented  him  by  the  lodge;  he  is  past 
high  priest  of  Union  Chapter  No.  55,  R.  A.  M.  ;  past  eminent  commander  of  North- 
ville  Commandery  No.  39,  K.  T. ,  and  a  member  of  Moslem  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Detroit. 

Daly,  William,  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  sturdy  men  who  conquered  the 
wilderness  and  made  possible  the  present  advanced  condition  of  the  country's  civil- 
ization is  he  whose  life  we  are  about  to  review.  He  is  one  of  the  reliable  citizens 
whose  origin  Ireland  may  lay  claim  to  with  pride.  He  was  born  at  Killarney,  coun- 
ty Kerry,  March  25,  1819.  His  parents,  John  and  Mary  Daly,  had  fourteen  children, 
of  whom  all  but  one  came  to  this  country.  That  one,  a  sergeant  in  the  British  army, 
was  a  passenger  on  the  ill-fated  City  of  Glascow,  when  she,  with  all  on  board,  went 
down  in  mid-ocean.  One  brother,  John  Daly,  remained  at  Liverpool,  a  merchant, 
although  he  visited  in  America;  another  brother,  Thomas,  of  Detroit,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  lake  vessel  engineers  and  now  United  States  boiler  inspector  at  Detroit.  The 
two  surviving  sisters,  Julia  and  Hannah,  reside  with  their  brother  Thomas  in  the 
city  of  Detroit.  Both  parents  died  in  Detroit,  where  the  family  had  lived  for  some 
years.  William,  landing  in  Detroit  in  June,  1836,  worked  for  some  time  on  the 
Maumee  Canal  in  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  in  1838  was  in  Chicago  helping  to  grade 
the  streets  at  a  time  when  the  Chicago  River  had  no  bridge  and  but  an  old  scow  was 
the  means  of  crossing.  He  sailed  the  lakes  for  a  time  on  the  steamer  Erie,  and  in 
1840  returned  to  Detroit,  where  he  worked  two  years  for  Major  Kesley,  U.  S.  land 
agent,  and  on  December  26,  1842,  married  Mary  Lester.  She  was  born  in  Kilkenny, 
Ireland,  ane  was  a  most  estimable  woman  and  an  excellent  companion  for  such  a 
man,  and  who,  after  a  wedded  life  of  nearly  forty  years,  passed  on  beyond  in  April, 
1887.  Immediately  after  his  marriage  William  located  on  the  present  farm  for  which 
he  had  paid  $4  per  acre.  It  lay  deep  in  the  woods  with  no  roads  and  was  m  its 
primitive  heavily  timbered  condition.  He  at  once  built  a  small  log  house,  a  house 
that  has  been  preserved  by  being  incorporated  into  the  present  residence  by  various 
additions  so  that  the  original  house  has  entirely  disappeared  from  view.  He  worked 
hard  and  long  to  clear  off  the  timber,  burning  hundreds  of  stately  trees  that  would 
now  be  worth  fancy  prices  if  they  had  not  been  destroyed.  Some  one  had  erected  a 
small  saw  mill  on  the  River  Rouge  that  flows  near  him,  and  here  some  lumber  was  cut 
from  whitewood,  but  the  oak  and  valuable  timber  was  cut  down  and  burned  in  great 
log  heaps.  When  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  was  building  in  1848,  and  later, 
the  demands  of  the  road  gave  some  source  of  income  for  timber,  and  the  little  water 
mill  changed  its  power  to  steam  and  enabled  him  to  realize  fair  profits  for  those 
stately  trees.  He  prospered  and  invested  savings  in  more  land ;  his  farm  now  con- 
tains upwards  of  200  acres,  all  in  prosperous  and  fertile  condition.  He  has  ever  been 
one  of -Dearborn's  most  progressive  farmers,  and  by  strict  economy  and  shrewd 
business  management  has  accumulated  a  handsome  competence,  besides  rendering 
substantial  assistance  to  each  of  his  children  as  they  have  broken  away  and  started 
for  themselves.  Probably  no  other  family  can  show  so  much  thrift  and  prosperity, 
much  of  which  is  traceable  directly  to  the  counsel,  foresight  and  sagacious  judgment 
of  him  whose  history  we  are  briefly  tracing.     Of  his  children,  John,  James,  Mary 

215 


Ann  (Gleason),  Thomas.  William,  Patrick  and  Michael,  space  will  preclude  adequate 
mention.  Too  much  could  not  be  said  in  their  favor;  they  are  a  credit  and  honor  to 
the  community  and  are  most  admirable  examples  for  others  to  follow.  They  are 
honorable  scions  of  a  rugged  parent  stem.  Probably  no  man  has  been  so  constantly 
connected  with  the  public  history  of  Dearborn  as  Judge  Daly,  who  for  the  fifty-five 
years  he  has  resided  in  the  town  has  been  in  some  office  continuously.  His  record 
as  an  official  is  clean  and  at  no  time  have  the  citizens  ever  feared  the  safe  con- 
duct of  business  when  Judge  Daly  had  voice  in  its  administration.  He  has  filled 
almost  every  office;  the  first  one  being  poormaster,  when  but  seventy-five  votes  were 
cast  in  the  town;  he  was  supervisor  for  eighteen  years,  including  the  period  of  the 
war  when  the  duties  of  the  office  were  particular  and  much  depended  upon  him.  In 
1864  he  was  selected  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  filled  the  office  for  twenty-four  years. 
His  political  faith  has  never  swerved  from  the  Democratic  party,  the  principles  of 
which  he  most  ardently  espouses  and  which  have  grown  nearer  and  dearer  to  him 
since  seeing  the  harpies  and  vultures  flying  for  protection  within  the  opposite  party. 
His  voice  has  ever  been  given  to  free  speech  and  broader  liberty.  His  influence  and 
advice  in  the  party's  councils  have  been  constant  and  effective.  Few  if  any  men  in 
Wayne  county  are  more  highly  esteemed  for  their  firm  faith  in  everlasting  Democ- 
racy or  who  have  been  more  active  in  its  advocacy.  Reared  under  Catholic  influ- 
ence he  has  ever  adhered  to  mother  church.  It  was  he  who  hauled  timber  for  the 
first  house  of  worship  at  Dearborn  and  for  over  half  a  century  he  has  been  a  trustee 
of  the  church.  His  religion  is  true  catholicity  with  a  broadness  and  liberality  the 
more  commendable  and  conspicuous  as  it  is  so  in  contrast  with  too  many  whose  in- 
fluence may  reach  into  wider  fields,  but  whose  sincerity  cannot  exceed  that  of  this 
venerable  pillar  of  the  true  Catholic  faith.  A  true  friend  of  education,  he  has  never 
deserted  the  public  schools,  but  on  the  contrary  has  been  outspoken  in  their  praise. 
He  has  helped  erect  three  school  houses  and  no  man  in  the  town  has  served  longer 
or  more  faithfully  as  a  school  officer,  which  office  he  holds  to-day. 

Dasef,  Alem  William.— Among  the  progressive  educators  of  Wayne  county  and 
one  whose  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  the  ranks  of  the  profession  is  the  gentleman 
who  heads  this  brief  review.  Professor  Dasef  has  made  an  enviable  reputation  for 
himself  as  a  liberal  and  thorough  teacher  and  superintendent  of  a  school  where 
mediocre  talents  would  soon  prove  the  necessity  of  active  intelligence,  such  as  placed 
the  schools  of  Wyandotte  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dasef  on  a  line  with  those  of 
the  more  pretentious  cities  of  the  State.  The  seven  years  that  he  has  directed  this 
school  have  been  years  of  advancement  such  as  the  community  has  never  before  wit- 
nessed. The  schools  have  been  systematized  and  so  conducted  as  to  bring  out  what 
is  best  in  pupil  and  teacher.  The  one  thousand  pupils  enrolled  are  carefully  taught 
by  eighteen  enthusiastic  normal  trained  instructors,  many  of  whose  work  shows  an 
intimacy  with  the  recognized  principles  of  true  education  rarely  found  in  our  com- 
mon schools.  A  life  and  interest  is  shown  in  every  room  that  proves  the  character 
of  instruction  given,  and  the  awakening  of  pupils  to  right  lives  aud  methods  of 
thought  that  produce  the  practical  results  so  often  lacking  in  our  public  schools.  A. 
W.  Dasef  was  born  near  Hamilton,  Ont.,  August  25,  1865,  and  in  early  childhood 
(1869)  his  parents  moved  to  Stanton,  Montcalm  county,  Mich.,  where  his  father, 
Joseph  Dasef,  was  engaged  in  lumbering  for  some  years.     In  the  village  schools  young 

216 


Dasef  showed  such  aptitude  and  his  ideas  were  so  aroused  that  he  decided  to  have  an 
education.  At  eighteen  he  began  to  teach  and  soon  entered  Valparaiso  Normal 
School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1886.  He  was  wholly  self- 
dependent  and  worked  his  way  through  the  school  and  continued  to  teach  in  Mont- 
calm county,  completing  his  education  at  the  State  Normal  College  at  Ypsilanti, 
graduating  in  the  class  of  1891.  Having  studied  one  year  in  the  university,  his  work 
as  a  student  and  teacher  was  recognized  by  the  school  board  at  Wyandotte,  and  he 
was  installed  in  his  present  position.  The  schools  have  had  great  growth  seven 
new  rooms  with  eight  teachers  have  been  added  and  a  proportionate  increase  in  en- 
rollment is  shown.  All  classes  now  recognize  the  utility  and  comprehensiveness  of 
the  work  done  here,  and  where  the  parochial  and  public  schools  were  antagonistic, 
hearty  co-operation  and  general  satisfaction  now  are  seen  and  only  highest  com- 
mendations from  those  most  deeply  interested  is  heard.  Mr.  Dasef  has  served  as 
president  of  the  County  Teachers'  Association  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
enlightened  and  broad-minded  men  in  his  profession.  His  life  touches  other  inter- 
ests as  well,  especially  the  social  side  of  existence.  Mr.  Dasef  had  been  in  college 
less  than  a  year  when  he  became  actively  interested  in  society  work.  He  was  elected 
president  of  the  leading  literary  society  and  had  the  honor  of  successfully  represent- 
ing her  in  oratorical  contests.  He  was  fond  of  athletics  and  is  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Michigan  Normal  Athletic  Association  and  for  several  years  brought  home 
gold  medals  for  the  association.  He  is  active  in  Masonic  work,  being  a  Royal  Arch 
as  well  as  a  Blue  Lodge  Mason,  and  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  August  29,  1894, 
he  married  Roda  Watkins  of  Wyandotte,  and  they  have  two  children,  Laura  and 
Marion. 

De  Lisle,  Peter  B.,  son  of  Bienvenue  and  Zouy  (Riopelle)  De  Lisle,  was  born  in 
Ecorse,  Mich.,  January  21,  1846.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of  Ecorse  until 
the  age  of  sixteen  and  completed  his  education  at  Patterson  Classical  School,  Detroit, 
in  1864.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  engaged  in  teaching,  continuing  in  this  calling 
until  1869,  when  he  embarked  in  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  In  1873  he 
removed  to  Detroit  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  No.  721  West  Fort  street, 
where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1876,  and  then  removed  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where 
he  purchased  a  coal  and  wood  yard.  In  1888,  owing  to  the  discovery  of  natural  gas, 
Mr.  De  Lisle  disposed  of  his  business  in  Toledo  and  returned  to  Delray,  Mich.,  where 
he  has  since  remained.  On  locating  in  Delray  Mr.  De  Lisle  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  continuing  until  the  present.  In  1896  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  in  which  capacity  he  is  still  serving.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  grand  secretary  of  the  Society  of  the  Mystic 
Circle  for  the  State  of  Michigan.  November  3,  1874,  he  married  Adaline  C.  Peyette 
of  Ecorse,  Mich.,  and  they  have  four  children;  Bertha,  George  W.,  Frank  and  Ed- 
ward.    On  November  25,  1897,  Mr.  De  Lisle  was  elected  one  of  the  village  trustees. 

Desmond,  John,  was  born  in  Morris  county,  N.  J.,  December  14,  1832.  Left  an 
orphan  in  early  life  by  death  of  both  parents,  we  find  him  when  but  thirteen  years 
old  starting  upon  the  line  of  work  that  retained  his  attention  and  in  which  he  ex- 
celled. He  worked  in  a  blast  furnace  at  that  early  age,  and  at  nineteen  was  in  charge 
of  the  furnace,  and  in  1855  he  went  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where  he  was  associated 
with  his  wife's  father,  James  H.   Conkling,  who  operated  a  furnace  there.     He  re- 

217 


mained  there  until  1863,  when  he  came  to  Detroit  with  the  Burts,  the  famous  iron 
manufacturers.  He  worked  for  them  in  their  furnaces  for  seven  years,  when,  in 
company  with  S.  L.  Fuller,  he  built  and  operated  two  furnaces  at  Frankfort,  Mich. 
They  had  two  successful  places  of  business  and  were  on  the  high  road  to  prosperity 
when  the  panic  of  1873  struck  the  iron  industry  so  severely  that  they  had  to  succumb, 
losing  all  his  investment.  His  next  work  was  to  superintend  the  furnaces  at  Bangor, 
Mich  ,  for  five  years;  his  services  were  then  sought  as  superintendent  of  a  wood 
alcohol  or  chemical  factory  at  Bangor,  a  position  he  occupied  until  1879,  when  he 
came  to  Wyandotte  to  take  charge  of  the  furnaces  of  the  Eureka  Iron  and  Steel 
Company.  Here  his  duties  were  onerous  and  responsible,  having  from  forty  to  one 
hundred  men  directly  under  him  and  for  whose  work  the  company  held  him  respon- 
sible. He  retained  the  position  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  company  as  long  as 
It  continued  in  business,  a  period  of  some  fifteen  years.  His  skill  and  knowledge'  of 
the  delicate  intricacies  of  iron  manufacture  enabled  him  to  get  the  best  there  was  in 
the  furnaces.  From  a  former  output  of  twelve  tons  the  capacity  was  increased  to 
over  forty  tons  daily,  and  in  various  ways  his  efficiency  was  proven.  Since  the 
closing  of  the  iron  business  at  Wyandotte  Mr.  Desmond  has  lived  rather  retired. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  Commercial  Savings  Bank ;  has  served  as  alderman ;  is  a 
Republican,  but  not  known  as  a  workmg  politician :  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  and  Knight  Templar.  His  wife,  Sarah  Conkling  Desmond,  died  January  22, 
1869,  and  on  October  5,  1870,  he  married  Carrie  Riley,  who  died  October  4,  1895, 
lacking  but  one  day  of  a  quarter  century  since  their  marriage.  Mrs.  Desmond  was 
a  woman  of  rare  personality  and  her  hundreds  of  warm  friends  in  Detroit,  with 
whom  she  had  retained  her  church  membership,  earnestly  testify  to  her  worth  in  the 
church  where  she  was  an  enthusiastic  worker  and  in  the  social  circle  where  she  was 
an  ornament.  Mr.  Desmond  is  the  father  of  four  children  by  his  first  wife :  Theo- 
dore, who  was  steward  on  a  lake  steamer  and  met  an  accidental  death  on  board  his 
vessel  in  Chicago:  Frank,  resides  at  Traverse  City,  Mich.  ;  James,  a  coal  dealer  at 
Marion,  Mich.  ;and  Lucy,  Mrs.  Chas.  Alvard,  Wyandotte.  Mr.  Desmond  is  a  lover  of 
athletic  sports,  especially  base  and  football,  and  rarely  misses  seeing  a  game  of 
either.     He  has  a  host  of  warm  friends  who  enjoy  and  appreciate  his  company. 

Dohany,  Prof.  Emmet  E.,  superintendent  of  schools  at  River  Rouge,  was  born  in 
vSouthfield,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  August  27,  1870.  His  boyhood  was  passed  on 
the  farm  with  attendance  at  district  school,  supplemented  with  a  course  at  Fenton 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1893.  In  1896  he  was 
also  graduated  from  the  State  Normal  College  at  Ypsilanti.  At  eighteen  he  had 
begun  to  teach  and  worked  his  own  way  through  his  professional  course.  He  is  now 
serving  the  second  year  as  superintendent  of  the  River  Rouge  schools,  where  he  is 
doing  splendid  work.  This  school  has  an  enrollment  of  450  pupils  under  nine  teach- 
ers and  its  graduating  class  for  1897  was  seven.  There  is  a  warm  mterest  on  the 
part  of  all  in  the  school  and  its  present  standard  is  such  as  to  meet  the  local  demands. 
Prof.  Dohany' s  ability  as  a  teacher  is  recognized  in  the  city  where  he  has  been  chosen 
as  a  teacher  in  the  Newsboy's  Night  School  and  where  fine  results  are  accomplished. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Teachers'  County  Association  and  we  bespeak  for  him  a 
future  that  will  be  commensurate  with  his  enthusiasm  and  ability  as  an  educator. 

Duddleson,  William  I.— One  of  the  few  older  residents  of  Trenton  is  the  gentleman 

218 


whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  one  whose  memory  is  full  of  interesting  incidents  and 
fund  of  anecdote  relative  to  the  early  days  of  this  part  of  Michigan.  Born  November 
28,  1817,  in  southern  Ohio,  of  an  ancestry  combining  the  sturdy  traits  of  the  Welsh 
and  Irish,  his  early  life  was  passed  in  that  State  working  at  his  father's  trade,  that 
of  a  hatter,  then  an  important  industry.  However,  the  work  was  too  tame  for  the 
spirit  of  young  Duddleson,  who  determined  to  see  the  outside  world.  He  became  a 
stage  driver,  a  position  in  those  days  sought  by  the  ambitious  young  man  as  one  that 
afforded  excellent  advantages.  No  more  important  functionary  existed  and  no  one 
was  looked  upon  with  greater  interest  and  whose  every  word,  look  and  manner  was 
commented  upon  and  emulated  by  the  boys  along  the  line  of  road.  In  1838  he  came 
into  Michigan  for  his  employers  and  for  many  years  drove  the  stage  from  the  Truax 
farm  and  tavern,  located  near  where  the  soda  ash  works  now  stand  north  of  Trenton, 
into  Detroit.  This  was  the  highway  traveled  from  all  Ohio  and  southern  and  eastern 
points  to  reach  Detroit  and  many  an  important  personage  has  Mr.  Duddleson  carried 
on  the  line.  The  old  style  stage  coach  was  ever  heralded  with  dehght  by  the  village 
populace  who  had  gathered  to  see  it  come  and  go,  and  when  it  was  conveying  some 
important  official  more  than  ordinary  attention  was  given  to  it  and  the  driver  was 
monarch  of  all  he  surveyed.  Mr.  Duddleson  continued  to  pull  the  lines  and  crack 
the  whip  about  the  leaders'  ears  until  the  modern  steam  whistle  cast  into  shade  the 
less  shrill  but  no  less  stirring  crack  of  the  coach  whip.  Mr.  Duddleson  lived  at  Gib- 
raltar until  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Trenton,  where  he  and  his  estimable  wife  re- 
side in  the  comfort  and  ease  of  advanced  life,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  warm  friends 
and  happy  in  a  recollection  of  upwards  of  half  a  century  of  wedded  life.  Mrs.  Dud- 
dleson's  maiden  name  was  Maria  Louisa  Alford,  whose  parents,  John  M.  and  Sylvia 
(Brown)  Alford,  were  pioneers  ot  Monroe,  coming  there  in  1818  just  after  marriage 
and  assisting  in  gathering  up  the  bleached  skeletons  of  the  soldiers  who  perished  in 
the  fearful  massacre  of  the  River  Raisin  in  the  war  of  1812.  Mrs.  Duddleson  was 
for  many  years  engaged  in  the  millinery  business  at  Trenton.  She  is  a  remarkably 
well  preserved  woman  and  would  readily  pass  for  twenty  years  younger  than  she 
really  is.  No  children  have  been  born  to  them  and  their  onh^  regret  is  that  the 
darker  shadows  of  declining  years  are  not  relieved  by  the  sunshine  of  grandchildren, 
but  this  shadow  has  its  rays  of  light  in  the  thought  of  the  assurance  of  the  promised 
hereafter.  Among  the  reminiscences  of  Mr.  Duddleson  is  one  showing  the  poverty 
of  the  State  in  earlier  times.  Governor  Barry  had  offered  a  reward  of  §50  for  the 
capture  of  an  escaped  thief.  Mr.  Duddleson,  it  so  happened,  captured  the  prisoner 
and  claimed  the  reward.  The  governor,  whose  ofifice  was  then  in  Detroit,  said  the 
county  had  no  money  and  gave  him  an  order  on  the  late  J.  L.  King  for  a  suit  of 
clothes.  These  he  got  and  some  years  afterward  King  told  him'he  had  never  got 
his  pay  for  that  suit  from  the  county.  Sheriff  Thompson,  father  of  Bradley  Thomp- 
son, negotiated  the  order.  Mr.  Duddleson  has  owned  some  vessels  and  for  many 
years  was  master  of  his  own  vessel,  the  Ino. 

Dunn,  Michael,  was  born  near  the  present  site  of  the  new  county  building  in  the 
city  of  Detroit,  December  1,  1831,  a  son  of  Lieut.  John  Dunn,  a  man  prominently 
connected  with  the  military  history  of  that  day  and  whose  commission  is  still  in  the 
hands  of  his  son.  He  came  from  Ireland  to  New  York,  where  he  married  Eliza 
Lawless,  and  in  1S30  came  to  Michigan,  living  in  the  city  and  in  Hamtramck  until 

219 


1846,  when  he  settled  on  the  farm  where  Michael  now  lives.  He  died  April  10,  1880, 
aged  eighty.  Of  his  family  of  six,  four  are  now  living,  Michael  being  the  eldest  son. 
When  some  sixteen  years  of  age  an  accident  occurred  to  his  father  that  threw  the 
greater  burden  of  the  farm  upon  the  shoulders  of  young  Michael,  and  from  that 
time  he  practically  had  charge  of  the  farm.  He  was  thus  at  an  early  age  given 
heavy  responsibiHties,  the  carrying  out  of  which  developed  a  character  strong,  rig- 
orous and  self-reliant,  that  has  remained  with  him.  Much  of  his  late  success  in  life 
he  attributes  to  the  demands  made  upon  him  and  from  which  he  could  not  escape. 
Besides  becoming  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  community  he  has  given 
attention  to  the  timber  business,  in  which  he  carried  on  a  heavy  trade  for  a  year, 
supplying  most  of  the  timbers  used  in  building  several  dry  docks  in  and  near  the 
city,  more  especially  that  owned  by  the  late  J.  P.  Clarke.  He  has  also  dealt  consid- 
erably in  real  estate.  Recognizing  his  ability,  integrity  and  uprightness  the  author- 
ities selected  him  for  county  superintendent  of  the  poor,  the  duties  of  which  office 
he  conducted  for  six  years,  years  that  extended  an  already  wide  acquaintance  and 
that  brought  him  into  intimate  contact  with  all  classes  of  citizens.  Leaving  the  posi- 
tion that  had  been  graced  by  its  incumbent,  Mr.  Dunn  again  sought  the  privileges 
of  home,  where  he  is  surrounded  with  an  interesting  and  intelligent  family,  among 
whom  the  closing  years  of  an  honored  life  are  passed.  Always  one  of  the  staunch 
Democrats,  Mr.  Dunn  has  held  a  close  relationship  with  the  party,  and,  in  fact,  has 
ever  been  in  close  touch  with  public  men.  July  22,  1863,  he  married  Bridget  O'Brien, 
and  their  children  are  Edward  J.,  the  well-known  bookkeeper  in  the  Peninsular  Sav- 
ings Bank,  a  position  he  has  held  from  its  organization;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  H.  C. 
Burke;  Mary;  Rose  N.  ;  Lucy,  a  teacher  in  the  River  Rouge  public  schools;  Annie 
P.,  Lucy  and  Joseph. 

Esper,  Mathias,  was  born  in  Springwells,  August  28,  1844,  a  son  of  Peter  J.  and 
Katharina  (Teisen)  Esper.  His  parents  came  from  Prussia,  Germany,  in  1842,  set- 
tling on  a  farm  on  Warren  avenue,  or  near  where  St.  Alphonso's  Catholic  church 
now  stands,  where  they  lived  and  died,  aged  seventy-seven  and  seventj^-three 
respectively.  They  were  industrious  and  economical  and  rendered  valuable  assist- 
ance to  their  childten.  His  farm  originally  contained  eighty  acres,  which  was  in- 
creased until  he  owned  242  acres;  he  first  paid  $5  per  acre,  then  $20,  and  later  paid 
as  high  as  $100  per  acre.  He  helped  his  children  as  they  started  in  life,  giving 
each  one  land  or  an  equivalent  in  money.  He  donated  four  acres  of  land  to  the 
St.  Alphonso  Catholic  church  for  a  church  site  and  cemetery,  and  was  one  of  its 
liberal  contributors  and  was  trustee  most  of  his  life.  His  family  consisted  of  six 
sons  and  two  daughters:  Gertrude,  married  Peter  Theisen  and  died  leaving  six 
children;  Jacob  lives  at  Port  Austin,  Mich.,  his  twin  sons  are  Catholic  priests;  Peter 
lives  in  the  town  of  Dearborn  ;  Margaret  married  Frank  Durnoff  and  died  leaving  two 
children  ;  Michael  lives  on  Warren  avenue,  Springwells ;  John,  Mathias  and  Anthonj'. 
Each  one  has  a  farm  of  from  100  to  200  acres  and  was  started  in  life  by  his  father. 
Mathias  Esper  remained  at  home  until  he  was  married.  May  12.  1868,  to  Caroline 
Thoma  of  Detroit,  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  Michigan  at  four  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Esper's  father  had  presented  him  with  a  nice  farm,  which  he  traded  for  his 
present  farm,  which  contains  about  100  acres  of  fine  land;  he  also  has  a  farm  at 
Marine  City  of  eighty-five  acres.     He  has  dealt  extensively  in  timber,  ship  timber, 

220 


staves,  hard  lumber,  cord  wood,  etc.,  and  has  been  very  successful,  employing  as 
many  as  twenty  men  in  the  winter  season.  Their  family  consists  of  Mary  Catherine, 
married  Jake  Ferns;  Joseph,  died  at  eleven  years;  Albert;  Clara,  married  George 
Rinke;  Ben,  died  at  six;  Julia,  died  at  four;  Theresa;  Joseph;  Fred;  Winifred,  died 
young;  Carrie;  Winifred;  Matilda;  and  Alphonso,  died  in  infancy. 

Fraser,  Oscar  A.,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Exchange  Bank  of  Plymouth,  Mich. 
— This  financial  institution,  with  a  capital  of  $50,000  and  surplus  of  §5,500,  was  or- 
ganized in  1891,  being  the  successor  to  the  First  National  Bank  which  had  existed 
for  some  twenty  years  previous.  Its  officers  are  R.  C.  Safford,  president;  E.  W. 
Chaffee,  vice-president;  Oscar  A.  Fraser,  cashier,  and  it  has  experienced  a  most 
satisfactory  history  from  a  busmess  standpoint.  It  owns  its  own  building, 
erected  for  its  own  accommodation,  and  has  an  average  deposit  of  about  $75,- 
000,  and  has  issued  bank  notes  to  the  amount  of  §11,000.  The  cashier  of  this 
institution,  and  to  whose  untiring  attention  and  popular  business  dealings  much 
of  its  success  is  due,  was  born  May  16,  1829,  m  the  adjoining  town  of  Livonia,  Mich., 
a  son  of  Martin  and  Charcey  (Whitney)  Fraser,  who  came  from  near  Rutland,  Vt., 
and  after  a  few  years  in  New  York  settled  in  Livonia  in  1826,  thus  being  one  of  the 
pioneer  fam.ilies.  His  father  possessed  but  $50  on  reaching  this  new  home  and 
worked  up,  encountering  the  vicissitudes  of  pioneer  life,  until  he  was  the  possessor 
of  about  700  acres  of  valuable  land.  He  was  an  intelligent,  well  read  man,  with  the 
strong  characteristics  peculiar  to  the  pioneers  who  were  furnished  by  the  Green 
Mountain  State.  Honest  and  square  in  all  his  dealings,  he  demanded  as  much  from 
others.'  Oscar  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  what  is  now  Livonia  and  his  boyhood 
was  wholly  passed  amidst  the  scenes  that  are  never  to  be  repeated  in  this  State. 
His  first  visit  to  Detroit  was  when  there  were  but  few  stores  and  in  fact  but  few  peo- 
ple there.  He  has  seen  its  growth  and  is  familiar  with  every  feature  of  its  develop- 
ment into  the  beautiful  city  that  it  is.  At  eighteen  he  clerked  in  a  store  at  Plymouth 
and  a  few  years  later  engaged  in  mercantile  life  for  himself  at  Clarkson,  Oakland 
county,  for  seven  years,  and  in  1865  opened  a  store  at  Plymouth,  continuing  as  a 
merchant  until  he  became  cashier  of  the  old  First  National  Bank  in  1881,  since  when 
his  attention  has  been  almost  wholly  devoted  to  practical  banking.  Mr.  Fraser  is  a 
Democrat,  though  can  scarcely  be  called  a  politician.  He  has  a  fondness  for  outdoor 
sport,  hunting,  fishing  etc.,  and  few  citizens  of  the  town  enjoy  a  quiet  game  of  whist 
more  than  he.  He  married  Emily  E.  Packard,  and  they  have  no  children.  Mrs. 
Fraser  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Gardner,  James,  was  born  November  14,  1844,  on  the  farm  where  he  still  lives. 
His  parents  were  Richard  and  Elizabeth  (Gauld)  Gardner,  she  being  of  Aberdeen- 
shire, Scotland,  and  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1831,  and  he  of  Wroxton,  Oxford- 
shire, England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1828.  They  were  married  in  De- 
troit, November  4,  1832,  and  settled  on  his  farm  in  Dearborn,  on  which  they 
contifiued  to  live  for  a  period  of  fifty  years.  He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and 
having  a  good  education,  his  services  were  often  required  by  his  fellow  citizens  in 
varjous  capacities.  He  served  as  supervisor  for  two  years,  and  assessor  and  justice 
of  the  peace  for  twenty-four  years,  besides  repeatedly  filling  minor  positions.  The 
great  confidence  his  friends  had  in  his  honesty  and  integrity  is  evidenced  by  the  fact 
that  he  was  almost  continuously  wanted  to  act  as  guardian  of  various  orphan  chil- 

221 


dren,  and  as  administrator  of  estates  of  various  persons.  Richard  Gardner  died  on 
May  15,  1878,  in  his  seventy-first  year.  His  wife  and  mother  of  James  Gardner  pos- 
sessed a  kind  and  genial  disposition  and  was  universally  respected  and  loved.  She 
had  ten  children,  of  whom  James  was  the  seventh.  When  old  enough  he  attended 
the  district  school  in  winter  and  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer.  After  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  home,  going  to  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  At  the 
end  of  two  years  he  returned  and  shortly  afterward  bought  a  farm  in  Monroe 
county  upon  which  he  resided  for  six  years.  After  his  father's  death  he  returned  to 
Dearborn,  and  buying  out  the  interests  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  old  home- 
stead, he  moved  there  and  has  lived  upon  it  ever  smce  and  took  care  of  his  invalid 
mother  until  she  died  in  1885.  He  was  married  November  29,  1882,  to  Miss  Jennie 
Flaherty,  who  died  on  April  6,  1884;  they  had  no  children.  On  June  1,  1893,  he  mar- 
ried a  cousin  of  his  first  wife,  Thomasine  J.  Flaherty;  she  is  a  practical  nurse  and  a 
woman  of  many  social  qualities.  Mrs.  Gardner  is  the  divorced  wife  of  C.  N.  Carter 
of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  and  has  one  son,  Horace  R.  Carter,  a  schoolboy  of  sixteen  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner's  family  are  Esther  Alice,  born  April  10,  1894,  and  James 
Russel,  born  March  11,  1896.  Thomasine  Gardner  was  born  June  10,  1857,  in  On- 
tonagon, Mich.  ;  her  parents,  Thomas  and  Nancy  (Ford)  Flaherty,  came  from  Ire- 
land to  America  when  children.  James  Gardner  is  the  only  one  of  the  family  living 
in  Dearborn.  His  sister,  Susan  Hutchins,  widow,  lives  at  Dentonville,  Wayne 
county.  George  lives  at  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota.  John  died  at  thirty-nine, 
leavmg  three  sons.  Richard  died  unmarried;  the  remainder  of  the  family  died  in 
infancy.  James  inherited  many  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  father;  he  is  modest 
and  conservative  in  disposition  and  his  strict  probity  has  won  him  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  his  neigh- 
bors insist  on  his  taking  a  part  in  local  matters.  For  eight  years  he  has  held  some 
town  office — township  treasurer  two  terms,  justice  of  the  peace  one  term,  member  of 
the  Board  of  Review  one  term,  and  was  appointed  supervisor,  entering  upon  the 
discharge  of  that  office  January  1,  1898,  and  is  at  present  on  the  School  Board. 
Mr.  Gardner  is  a  broad-minded  man,  recognizing  integrity  and  commercial  honor,  in 
whose  hands  the  affairs  of  the  town  are  safe.  He  devotes  his  time  to  agriculture  and 
his  farm,  which  is  in  a  splendid  state  of  cultivation,  plainly  shows  the  benefit  of  his  at- 
tention. He  uses  all  the  latest  improvements  and  labor  and  time-saving  machinery, 
and  the  farm  is  well  stocked  with  fine  breeds  of  horses  and  cattle.  His  farm  consists 
of  136  acres.  He  has  erected  a  large  barn,  40  by  100  feet,  and  has  expended  much 
money  in  other  valuable  improvements.  Mr.  Gardner's  industry  and  attention  to 
his  farm  has  brought  him  excellent  returns,  and  the  future  presents  prospects  upon 
which  he  may  well  be  congratulated. 

GuUey,  Orrin  P.,  was  born  November  13,  1858,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives. 
He  is  a  son  of  Prof.  A.  B.  and  S.  A.  Gulley,  she  surviving  her  husband,  who  died  in 
March,  1891,  age  seventy  years.  He  was  born  in  New  York  and  came  to  Michigan 
when  about  nineteen  years  old  with  his  parents.  His  father  was  a  pioneer  tavern 
keeper  on  the  old  Plymouth  plank  road,  and  died  before  Orrin's  birth.  Prof.  A.  B. 
Gulley  settled  in  1855  on  the  present  farm,  lying  west  of  the  village  and  on  the  line 
of  the  new  electric  road  to  Ann  Arbor.  He  was  associated  from  1875  to  1878  inclu- 
sive with  the  State  Agricultural  College,  two  years  as  professor  of  agriculture  and 

222 


two  years  as  farm  superintendent.  He  also  served  some  years  prior  to  this  in  the 
State  Legislature  as  a  Republican.  He  was  an  expert  judge  of  stock  and  farm  prod- 
ucts, and  was  frequently  selected  to  act  as  judge  at  several  State  fairs.  He  was  a 
thoroughly  practical  farmer  and  high-minded  citizen,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Orrin  P.  Gulley  is  an  able  representative  of  an  illustrious  sire,  and  is 
the  third  of  four  brothers  to  graduate  at  the  Agricultural  College,  which  he  did  in  the 
class  of  1879.  He  had  taught  part  of  three  years  to  meet  his  expenses  in  college. 
He  remained  on  the  farm  and  for  some  years  has  made  the  growing  of  seeds  for  the 
large  wholesale  dealers  a  leading  feature  of  his  farm  operations.  In  March,  1896,  he 
opened  his  hardware  store,  still  conducting  the  farm  on  which  he  lives.  At  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  his  official  life  began  as  school  inspector,  holding  that  office  for 
seven  years ;  then  served  as  highway  commissioner  for  four  years.  He  was  then  a 
justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years,  and  this  was  followed  by  four  years'  service  as 
supervisor,  resigning  this  office  to  become  poor  commissioner,  January  1,  1898.  He 
has  also  served  on  the  township  Republican  committee  for  some  years.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  county,  district  and  State  conventions.  December  31,  1890,  he  mar- 
ried Ida  S.  Read,  a  graduate  of  the  Detroit  High  School,  and  daughter  of  William 
R.  Read,  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  son,  Orrin  S.  Mrs.  Gulley  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  he  being  a  trustee  and  treasurer,  although  not  a  commu- 
nicant. Mr.  Gulley  is  closely  identified  with  local  social  life,  being  a  master  Mason ; 
he  is  fond  of  hunting  and  is  a  lover  of  baseball  and  other  athletic  sports,  taking 
special  interest  in  the  wheel,  with  an  eye  ever  open  to  wheelmen's  good.  He  is 
wide  awake  to  the  town's  best  interests,  as  instanced  by  his  action  as  chairman  of 
the  board  in  granting  the  franchise  to  the  electric  railway,  securing  for  the  town  and 
its  citizens  most  liberal  terms.  Mr.  Gulley  may  well  feel  proud  of  his  official  career 
and  the  public  confidence  placed  in  him.  He  is  much  liked  and  is  popular  in  all 
local  social  life.  No  citizen  of  Dearborn  is  more  keenly  alive,  and  comparison  with 
the  action  of  many  only  emphasizes  the  liberal  spirit  which  actuates  Mr.  Gulley  in 
his  dealings  with  or  for  his  fellowmen. 

Haven,  J.  De  Alton,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Wyandotte  Herald,  was  born  in 
Wyandotte,  December  24,  1864.  His  parents,  James  R.  and  Elizabeth  A.  Haven, 
have  resided  there  since  1863.  J.  De  Alton's  boyhood  was  passed  here,  where  he 
attended  the  local  schools.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  learned  to  set  type,  and  his 
entire  life  has  since  been  devoted  to  newspaper  work,  having  become  familiar  with 
its  every  detail.  When  the  Herald  was  first  published,  in  1879,  he  as  a  lad  delivered 
the  first  copies  to  its  patrons.  He  worked  two  years  at  the  case  in  Detroit,  when  he 
went  to  Lansing,  working  on  the  Lansing  Journal  for  five  years  and  while  connected 
with  that  paper  wrote  his  first  copy.  June  26,  1886,  he  purchased  the  Herald  and 
has  since  devoted  his  time,  energy,  skill  and  intelligence  to  it.  The  Herald  was  first 
published  by  Rev.  George  W.  Owen,  a  Methodist  minister,  who  after  one  year's 
varying  success  sold  it  to  Frank  S.  Abbott,  now  of  Ann  Arbor.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Henry  Egabroad,  since  deceased.  Mr.  Haven  has  enlarged  the  paper,  making  it 
a  six  column  journal  and  one  that  in  every  issue  and  on  every  page  shows  the  hand 
of  a  skilled  workman.  The  business  has  prospered  under  his  able  management  and 
the  Herald  has  received  a  most  liberal  and  deserved  support  from  the  citizens  of 
Wyandotte,  who  appreciate  its  value  as  a  local  organ  that  is  not  offensive  in  its  na- 

223 


ture.  but  is  a  strong  and  untiring  advocate  of  all  that  advances  the  intellectual, 
moral,  social  and  religious  life  of  the  community.  The  office  is  fully  equipped  with 
several  presses  and  bindery  and  in  every  respect  is  one  of  the  best  country  news- 
paper properties  in  the  State.  Its  tone  in  political  matters  is  independent,  though 
staunch  in  advocacy  of  placing  well  qualified  men,  whose  ability  and  integrity  is 
unquestioned,  in  the  control  of  local  affairs.  As  a  writer  Mr.  Haven  is  easy,  fluent, 
terse  and  agreeable.  As  a  citizen  his  every  effort  is  for  higher  civilization  and  a 
healthier  atmosphere.  He  is  an  advocate  of  a  better  education  and  a  loftier  tone  in 
the  management  of  State  and  national  matters.  Mr.  Haven  has  a  mind  well  stored  with 
reliable  and  ready  information  on  almost  every  conceivable  subject,  as  a  successful 
editor  should  ever  be.  He  is  possessed  of  pleasing  and  affable  personality,  and  the 
only  wonder  is  that  the  temptations  that  beset  the  aging  bachelor  have  not  lured  him 
into  the  ranks  of  the  Benedicts. 

Horton,  Edward  S.,  supervisor  of  Plymouth,  was  born  at  Warwick,  Franklin 
county,  Mass.,  September  2,  1844.  He  came  to  Michigan  in  1856,  having  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years  been  thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  resources  and  much  of  his  earlier 
boyhood  had  been  passed  in  the  family  of  his  grandfather.  At  fourteen  he  entered 
a  printing  office  at  St.  John  and  for  two  and  one  half  years  filled  the  various  positions 
from  devil  to  typo.  Returning  to  Northville  he  spent  three  years  learning  the  black- 
smith's trade  with  his  uncle,  Edward  Simonds.  Capt.  Eli  K.  Simonds,  his  uncle,  re- 
cruited Co.  D  of  the  5th  Mich.  Cavalry  in  1862  and  young  Horton,  then  but  seven- 
teen years  old,  enlisted  and  went  to  the  front  with  his  command.  The  first  year  his 
service  was  in  the  band  and  then  as  orderly;  he  served  with  his  command  until  the 
fall  of  1864,  when  by  an  accident  caused  by  his  horse  falling  upon  him  at  Yellow 
Tavern,  Va.,  he  was  incapacitated  and  sent  to  the  hospital.  After  some  months  a 
furlough  was  secured  for  him  and  he  started  for  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  where  bis  mother 
then  lived.  He  reached  Elmira,  but  here  his  strength  gave  out  and  he  had  to  enter 
the  hospital  again.  Unskillful  surgical  operation  resulted  in  gangrene,  and  for  five 
months  he  lay  on  his  cot,  his  life  almost  despaired  of;  however,  will  power  and  youth 
conquered  and  he  reached  home  but  a  mere  skeleton  and  shadow  of  his  former  self. 
For  two  years  thereafter  he  was  compelled  to  walk  on  crutches,  and  the  full  use  of 
his  leg  has  never  returned  and  he  still  after  so  many  years  is  a  frequent  sufferer 
from  the  old  trouble.  When  able  he  entered  a  drug  store  as  clerk  for  James  P.  Don- 
aldson until  1867,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  a  position  that  he  filled  most 
efficiently  until  1894,  with  the  exception  of  part  of  the  time  during  the  Democratic 
administration,  making  about  thirty-three  years  of  actual  service  in  that  capacity. 
Part  of  this  time  he  carried  a  stock  of  goods  and  also  served  three  terms  as  town 
treasurer.  In  1896  he  was  elected  supervisor  and  again  in  1897.  He  has  adhered 
closely  to  the  party  ranks,  though  he  never  has  taken  a  partisan  part  in  active  poli- 
tics. He  has  handled  real  estate  more  or  less  and  has  built  several  desirable  resi- 
dences in  the  village,  some  of  which,  besides  a  fine  farm,  he  now  owns.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  men  upon  whom  Northville  Masonic  Lodge  conferred  the  degree  of 
Masonry,  upwards  of  thirty  years  ago,  and  is  now  familiar  with  the  rites  in  all  the 
York  rite  bodies  of  Masonry  culminating  in  Moslem  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  Detroit. 
July  27,  1868,  he  married  Frances  Dubnar,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  Dubnar,  and 
one  son  survives  their  union,  Charles  Ralph  Horton,  a  pharmacist  of  Detroit.     Two 

224 


children  died  in  infancy  and  one,  Fred  D.,  late  freight  agent  at  the  Northville  depot 
and  telegraph  operator,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  His  untimely  death  was  the 
passing  of  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  popular  young  men  of  Northville.  He  was 
ever  a  gentleman  and  warmly  loved  by  countless  friends.  Mr.  Horton  is  proving  as 
efficient  in  the  duties  of  his  present  office  as  in  that  he  held  so  long  and  filled  so  ac- 
ceptably. He  is  an  amiable,  congenial  companion  and  one  whose  friendship  is  prized 
by  hundreds. 

Howe,  Elba  D.,  agent  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  Dearborn,  Mich.,  was 
born  at  Mai-cellus.  N.  Y. ,  January  18,  1835,  and  until  he  reached  his  majority  re- 
mained on  the  farm  with  such  advantages  as  the  common  and  union  schools  afforded. 
Leaving  home  he  secured  a  position  as  salesman  for  a  Toledo  house,  traveling 
through  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  when  he  returned  to  his  early  home  and  spent 
t\vo  years  as  clerk  in  a  store,  and  in  1860  came  to  Michigan.  He  learned  telegraphy 
at  Niles,  when  the  old  style  instruments  were  used.  He  was  an  operator  on  the  M. 
C.  Railroad  until  1864,  when  he  was  given  the  station  at  Dearborn,  and  for  thirty- 
three  years  he  has  remained  in  that  position,  becoming  so  closely  associated  with 
every  local  interest  that  he  has  repeatedly  refused  tempting  offers  to  fill  more  re- 
sponsible positions  on  the  road.  He  has  served  the  village  as  alderman,  vice-presi- 
dent and  president.  His  voice  has  always  been  given  to  what  would  conduce  to  the 
community's  advancement.  He  has  been  a  working  Democrat,  and  in  former  years 
was  generally  found  in  his  party's  conventions.  He  gives  faithful  attention  to  the 
duties  of  the  station,  taking  each  year  only  such  vacations  as  enable  him  to  enjoy  for 
a  few  weeks  the  exhilaration  of  the  chase,  a  sport  he  is  extremely  fond  of  and  attesta- 
tion to  which  is  proven  by  the  excellent  sportsman's  relics  to  be  seen  at  his  house. 
November  2,  1865,  Mr.  Howe  married  Emily  H.  Sutton,  of  Battle  Creek,  and  they 
have  two  children:  Annie  S.,  wife  of  Richard  H.  Hall,  of  Detroit,  and  Louis  W. 
Mr.  Howe  is  a  Mason,  and  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  all  who  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  His  is  one  of  the  tastiest  and  handsomest  residences 
in  this  beautiful  and  healthy  suburb,  and  in  it  one  meets  the  old  style  whole-souled 
hospitality,  whose  greatest  enjoyment  is  found  in  the  midst  of  a  company  of  con- 
genial souls. 

Kurth,  Frederick  W.  A. — This  popular  arbiter  of  justice  and  counselor-at-law, 
was  born  near  Berlin.  Germany,  June  6,  1844.  His  mother  dying  when  he  was  a 
child  he  was  brought  to  Detroit  when  a  lad  of  eight  years.  William  A.  Kurth  is  re- 
membered by  hundreds  as  deputy  sheriff  for  thirty  years  and  constable  for  Spring- 
wells  ;  he  is  is  still  living  in  Detroit  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  a  hale  and  companion- 
able old  gentleman.  Frederick  W.  A.  received  his  education  mainly  in  the  German 
Seminary.  His  father  then  worked  at  the  shoemaker's  trade;  Fred  also  learned  it 
and  worked  with  him  as  a  boy  and  then  clerked  in  various  stores  until  his  nineteenth 
year,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  regular  army.  The  19th  Regiment  was  then  stationed 
at  Fort  Wayne,  but  it  was  soon  after  transferred  to  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory 
and  held  the  garrisons  at  Fort  Smith  and  Fort  Gibson,  and  was  for  some  time  at  the 
Little  Rock  Arsenal.  While  at  Little  Rock  the  cholera  broke  out  in  1866,  Fred 
being  the  first  one  to  take  it  and  never  fully  recovered  from  its  effects.  For  some 
years  after  his  service  he  was  working  as  bookkeeper.  He  was  chosen  as  school 
superintendent  for  two  terms,  previous  to  1879,  when  he  was  sent  as  representative 

225 


to  the  State  Legislature  for  the  Second  Wayne  county  district.  The  following  year 
he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  Springwells  and  has  held  that  office  contin- 
uously since.  He  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1886,  and  is  now  in  part- 
nership with  his  son,  Charles  W.  Kurth,  a  graduate  of  the  Detroit  College  of  Law, 
and  they  have  a  nice  practice  besides  doing  a  general  insurance  business.  Judge 
Kurth  is  one  of  the  brightest  minds  in  the  town  of  Springwells  and  holds  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  townsmen  in  a  high  degree.  Keeping  in  close  touch  with 
public  matters  his  voice  is  often  heard  in  his  party's  councils  as  well  as  m  the  various 
courts  of  his  practice.  February  14,  1870,  the  married  Matilda  A.  Zimmerman,  and 
thev  have  four  children:  Luella  M.,  wife  of  Fred  W.  Hawes  of  Newark,  N.  J.; 
Charles  W.  of  Detroit;  George  D.  of  Newark,  and  Albert  L.  of  Detroit.  Judge 
Kurth  is  a  communicant  in  the  German  Evangelical  church.  He  is  a  Mason  in  Zion 
Lodge  No.  1  and  Monroe  Chapter  of  the  Royal  Arch;  also  in  Monroe  Council  No.  1. 
He  was  the  organizer  in  1877  of  Riverside  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  a  body  in  which 
he  has  ever  been  an  active  member  and  of  which  he  is  the  only  survivor  of  the 
charter  members. 

Lambert,  Walter  Clement,  M.  D.,  former  mayor  of  Wyandotte,  was  born  in  Am- 
herstburg,  Ont.,  October  22,  1863,  a  son  of  Dr.  Walter  Lambert,  who  died  when  his 
son  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  After  acquiring  such  general  education  as  was  afforded 
in  the  New  Windsor  High  ScJiool,  young  Lambert  being  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
his  father,  who  ever  held  his  profession  the  noblest  and  grandest,  entered  upon  the 
study  of  that  science  under  the  tutelage  of  his  early  friend,  Dr.  Bell  of  Amherstburg, 
and  completed  his  medical  course  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  graduating  in 
one  of  the  finest  classes  ever  educated  in  that  popular  institution,  that  of  1886.  In 
selecting  a  suitable  location  to  practice  his  profession  Wyandotte  was  chosen  and 
neither  Dr.  Lambert  nor  the  people  of  that  little  city  have  had  reason  to  regret  his 
choice.  The  field  presented  suitable  conditions  for  the  right  man  and  his  affability  and 
adaptability  soon  proved  that  the  right  man  had  sought  the  proper  ground  for  prac- 
tice. His  practice  grew  rapidly  until  Dr.  Lambert  was  widely  and  generally  recog- 
nized as  one  of  Wayne  county's  leading  physicians.  Clear  headed  in  emergency 
with  that  self-reliance  in  his  own  ability,  his  skill  never  failed,  and  hosts  of  warm 
friends  gave  him  that  sympathy  that  encourages  no  one  more  than  the  conscientious 
medical  man.  His  standing  in  the  ranks  of  the  profession  is  unquestioned  and  his 
influences  reaches  in  and  beyond  the  county  and  State  medical  associations  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  His  decided  views  on  matters  in  general  were  soon  rewarded  by 
his  fellow  citizens  who  chose  him  for  their  chief  executive,  where  he  has  recently 
finished  a  third  term.  Progressive,  with  an  eye  ever  open  for  the  good  of  his  adopted 
town,  he  has  advocated  modern  improvements  in  sewerage,  water  system,  electric 
lighting  and  other  things  that  make  Wyandotte  a  desirable  place  of  residence.  An 
electric  plant  is  owned  by  the  city  that  affords  sixty-five  public  arc  lights  and  also 
has  about  300  incandescent  lights  for  private  use.  The  success  of  this  enterprise, 
won  only  after  hard  and  repeated  struggle  and  litigation,  being  opposed  by  less  ad- 
vanced citizens,  has  demonstrated  the  practicability  of  town  ownership  of  those  en- 
terprises devoted  to  public  service.  Various  manufacturing  enterprises  have  been 
secured  to  the  city,  which  with  help  of  its  more  liberal  citizens,  are  taking  strong 
measures  to  obtain  enduring  establishments.     Educational  interests  find  in  the  doc- 

226 


tor  a  warm  friend,  he  having  served  some  years  on  the  Board  of  Education.  Dr. 
Lambert  is  prominent  in  the  Masons,  Foresters  and  other  societies.  In  politics  he 
acts  with  the  Republican  party,  though  not  a  strong  partisan.  June  27,  1888,  he 
married  Mary  A.  Duncanson  of  Amherstburg,  Ont.,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Dun- 
canson,  and  they  have  one  son,  Walter.  Dr.  Lambert  has  recently  completed  a 
handsome  residence  near  the  center  of  the  city,  which  is  a  fine  sample  of  the  later 
colonial  style  of  architecture  and  where  he  and  his  popular  wife  take  pleasure  in  en- 
tertaming  their  numerous  friends. 

Langlois,  Theophilus  J.,  M.  D.,  was  born  on  Grosse  Isle,  Wayne  county,  Mich., 
September  7,  1840,  a  son  of  Theophilus  and  Jeannette  (Renaud)  Langlois.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  French  descent,  the  ancestors  coming  in  1720  from  Rouen,  France,  to 
Acadia,  and  when  unhappy  fate  came  to  that  province  in  1740,  they  settled  in  Canada. 
At  fourteen  years  of  age  he  entered  Joliette  College,  where  he  acquired  during  the 
next  seven  years  an  excellent  classical  education.  He  became  a  teacher  and  while 
thus  engaged  began  the  study  of  medicine,  graduating  from  the  Detroit  Medical 
College  in  the  class  of  1871.  His  practice  has  been  extensive  and  lucrative;  and  his 
residence  for  nearly  thirty  years  at  Wyandotte  has  endeared  him  to  its  citizens  and 
established  for  him  an  enviable  reputation,  not  only  as  a  reliable  counselor  and 
adviser  in  times  of  sickness,  but  as  an  honored  citizen  whose  worth  has  been  recog- 
nized at  various  times  in  being  chosen  to  represent  the  people  in  various  official  ca- 
pacities. When  but  three  years  a  resident  of  the  community  he  was  chosen  mayor, 
and  filled  the  positon  with  such  credit  that  he  was  soon  after  re-elected,  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  efforts  that  a  new  era  was  entered  upon  and  many  improvements 
made  which  have  materially  added  to  the  health,  comfort  and  pride  of  the  residents. 
While  still  mayor  he  served  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Education ;  he  has  also 
served  as  president  of  the  Water  Board  and  as  city  physician.  He  has  been  the 
president  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  since  its  organization,  and  has  done  much  to 
draw  enterprises  to  his  city.  Dr.  Langlois  has  identified  himself  with  the  leading 
social  interests.  Being  an  ardent  sportsman  he  is  a  member  of  the  Turtle  Lake 
Hunting  Club  and  kindred  societies,  besides  having  made  an  extended  acquaintance 
with  Masonry  in  its  various  branches  to  the  thirty-second  degree.  He  belongs  to 
Damascus  Coramandery  No  42,  Knights  Templar,  besides  having  followed  the  cam- 
els across  the  burning  sands  of  the  desert  in  search  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Has 
served  as  high  priest  of  Wyandotte  Chapter  No.  135,  Royal  Arch  Masons  for  two 
years  since  its  organization;  he  stands  high  m  the  ranks  of  Odd  Fellowship,  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  in  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  United  Workmen.  His  professional 
ability  is  widely  recognized  and  his  counsels  sought  in  the  various  societies  of  the 
professon  including  the  State  and  American  Medical  Associations.  May  5,  1863,  Dr. 
Langlois  married  Mary  Bertrand,  and  they  had  five  children,  two  of  whom  survive: 
Eugenie,  wife  of  D.  W.  Roberts  of  Detroit;  and|^Napoleon  T.  Langlois,  M.  D.,  a 
graduate  from  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  now  in  active  and  successful  prac- 
tice in  the  place  of  his  birth.  After  some  seventeen  years  of  companionship  Mrs. 
Langlois  passed  on  before,  and  subsequently  Elizabeth  Shoemaker  became  the  wife 
of  the  doctor,  and  one  child,  Elfrida,  was  born  to  this  union.  Dr.  Langlois  is  a  man 
of  broad  and  pronounced  views  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  every  enterprise,  tem- 
poral, intellectual,  psychological,  metaphysical  or  spiritual  that  has  for  its  basis  the 

227 


general  culture,  advancement  and  upbuilding  of  good  citizenship.  The  personality 
of  no  man  is  more  noticeable  in  its  impress  upon  the  youth  of  the  city  and  none  has 
more  or  warmer  friends. 

Leslie,  William,  was  born  April  6, 1833,  in  New  Deerparish,  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland, 
and  was  brought  to  the  United  States  in  August  of  the  same  year.  His  parents, 
Francis  and  Mary  (Hendry)  Leslie,  sailed  in  the  "  De  Notter  Castle,"  from  Aberdeen, 
being  fifty-nine  days  on  the  ocean.  They  came  to  New  York,  and  to  Pennsylvania 
to  an  uncle's,  Jonathan  Leslie,  who  had  lived  there  for  eleven  years,  where  Francis 
Leslie,  who  was  a  stone  mason,  remained  for  a  time  and  then  worked  at  Dayton, 
Ohio.  In  Ma3\  1834,  he  came  to  Michigan,  being  a  week  on  a  sloop  on  Lake  Erie 
from  Cleveland,  reaching  Detroit  May  17,  1834.  He  had  two  sisters  who  came  to 
Michigan;  one  had  visited  Richard  Gardner  in  Dearborn,  being  an  old  acquaintance 
of  his  wife's  and  located  near  there.  May  28,  1834,  Francis  Leslie  located  on  the 
land  adjoining  Richard  Gardner's  and  also  secured  a  second  tract  of  government 
land  adjoining  that  of  his  brother-in-law,  James  Robinson.  The  land  was  covered 
with  a  vast  amount  of  heavy  timber  in  which  no  settler's  axe  had  ever  resounded. 
He  lived  in  a  small  log  cabin  near  the  site  of  the  present  house  until  1874,  when  he 
built  the  present  house,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  July  17,  1887;  his  wife  died 
February  26,  1886.  Hers  was  the  first  death  in  this  family  for  fifty-three  years,  but 
the  charm  being  broken,  three  followed  in  quick  succession.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren: William,  Mary  M.,  and  Anna  M.  Mary  M.  is  the  wife  of  George  A.  Walker, 
and  lives  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  ;  Anna  M.  became  the  wife  of  Isaiah  Stevenson  and 
died  September  11,  1888.  Francis  Leslie  devoted  his  life  to  the  farm,  placing  about 
sixty  acres  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  He  adopted  modern  machinery,  but 
not  until  he  saw  it  well  tested;  he  grew  but  little  fruit,  for,  as  he  said:  "He  had 
cleared  the  land  once  and  did  not  want  it  covered  with  trees  again."  He  was  not  a 
skilled  axeman,  but  was  an  expert  wnth  his  ox  team  in  handling  logs.  He  was  a 
well  read  man,  knowing  the  Bible  thoroughly  and  discussing  it  with  great  interest. 
He  was  a  Democrat  before  the  war,  but  Buchanan's  administration  changed  him  and 
he  thenceforth  adhered  to  the  Republican  party.  He  held  school  offices  at  various 
times;  he  demanded  a  good  deal  of  his  children,  using  few  words  but  meaning  them. 
Mrs.  Leslie  was  an  industrious  and  highly  domestic  woman,  but  was  more  lenient 
than  her  husband.  William  Leslie  has  lived  on  the  farm  except  the  year  1885,  which 
he  spent  in  Kansas,  where  he  owned  a  farm.  He  received  the  homestead  after  the 
death  of  his  mother  and  father.  He  has  been  engaged  mainly  in  the  production  of 
milk  and  other  products  common  to  this  locality,  keeping  as  large  a  dairy  as  the  farm 
will  accommodate.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr. 
LesHe  is  perfectly  contented  to  devote  his  attention  to  agriculture,  having  little  am- 
bition for  public  or  commercial  life.  He  has  read,  as  his  father  did  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  and  for  the  past  thirty-eight  years  the  "  New  York  Evangelist"  and  the 
larger  part  of  that  time  the  "  Courier."  Like  his  father  he  has  a  great  many  char- 
acteristics of  the  Scotch  people.  He  is  firm,  broad-minded  and  a  good  conversation- 
alist. Mr.  Leslie  is  a  man  who  is  most  highly  respected  by  those  who  have  known 
him  most  intimately,  and  with  whom  the  reserve  that  at  first  conceals  excellent 
traits  is  laid  aside  and  the  inner  man  asserts  itself. 

Lister,  Capt.  James  J.,  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,    May  29,   1836.     When  ten 

228 


years  of  age  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Michigan,  and  ever  after  resided  in  the 
town  of  Monguagon.  His  father,  John  J.  Lister,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four, 
was  a  farmer  and  later  a  prosperous  merchant  at  Trenton,  and  whose  business  sub- 
sequent to  his  death  was  conducted  by  his  son  until  he  enlisted  under  his  country's 
call.  He  rendered  active  assistance  in  raising  Company  B,  9th  Mich.  Vol., Cavalry, 
and  upon  its  organization  was  selected  second  lieutenant.  The  troop  was  sworn  into 
the  U.  S.  service  January  1,  1863,  and  was  at  once  sent  to  the  front  in  Kentucky. 
It  was  one  of  the  active  regiments  of  the  war,  and  participated  in  many  a  hard 
fought  battle,  always  with  honor  to  itself  and  credit  to  its  country.  In  December, 
1863,  young  Lister  was  promoted  to  the  first  lieutenancy,  and  from  that  time  was 
largely  in  command  of  the  company.  Six  months  later  he  became  captain,  and  as 
such  made  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation.  He  was  always  with  his  soldiers,  and 
suffered  all  the  privations  of  the  common  soldiers  in  the  terrible  campaigns  in  which 
his  command  participated.  They  were  mustered  out  August  30,  1865.  One  of  the 
happiest  days  of  his  life  was  on  the  30th  anniversary  of  that  day,  when  a  memorable 
reunion  of  the  company  was  held  at  his  own  home,  and  his  own  hospitality  was  en- 
joyed by  the  dozen  remaining  companions  who  had  followed,  obeyed  and  loved  him. 
He  was  ever  popular  with  his  men,  and  the  months  of  hard  service  side  by  side 
formed  ties  of  friendship  that  death  only  could  sever.  His  was  a  warm,  genial  na- 
ture, and  though  slow  to  form  friendships,  when  once  formed  they  were  the  strong- 
est ties  on  earih.  February  12,  1866,  he  married  Sophia  M.  Clark,  daughter  of  James 
W.  and  Julia  (Wells)  Clark;  her  father  was  a  brother  of  the  widely-known  .ship 
owner  and  builder,  J.  P.  Clark.  The  next  year  Captain  Lister  settled  on  the  farm 
that  had  been  his  home  until  his  death  and  where  his  family  still  reside.  It  lies  on 
the  west  side  of  Grosse  Isle,  beautifully  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Detroit  River, 
the  residence  commanding  a  grand  view  of  the  river.  Here  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  ordinary  pursuits  of  the  agriculturist,  in  which  he  met  with  commendable  suc- 
cess. At  the  organization  of  the  George  R.  Alvord  Post,  No  229,  at  Trenton,  he 
took  active  membership,  a  relation  that  remained  uninterrupted  until  his  own  last 
answer  to  the  great  roll  call,  which  occurred  on  the  10th  of  April,  1897.  On  the  first 
of  December  preceding  he  visited  Detroit  for  the  last  time.  He  retained  his  faculties 
clear  and  forcible  up  to  the  end,  even  on  the  day  of  his  death  giving  some  directions 
about  some  minor  farm  matters.  He  had  held  membership  in  the  Masonic  order  for 
thirty  one  years.  In  all  the  social  and  business  relations  of  life  he  ever  maintained 
the  high  standing  and  gentle,  manly  demeanor  that  had  characterized  his  military 
career.  His  children  are  Allison  C,  farmer  In  Monroe  county;  Grace  M.,  wife  of 
James  Morey,  and  resides  in  Trenton;  Alvin  T.,  and  Raymond  S.  at  home,  and 
Florence  D.,  a  student  in  the  High  School  at  Detroit.  Captain  Lister  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  a  Republican. 

Lohr,  C.  F. ,  proprietor  of  Wayne  Flouring  Mills,  was  born  in  Canton,  Wayne 
county,  Mich.,  January  28,  1851.  His  father,  Frederick  Lohr,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  Michigan  with  his  father,  settling  on  a  farm  near  Canton,  where 
his  family  was  one  of  the  first  German  families  to  settle  there.  He  died  aged  fifty- 
eight  years.  C.  F.  Lohr's  boyhood  was  spent  in  Canton,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  he  started  to  farm  for  himself,  after  he  had  devoted  three  years  to  farm  work  in 
Ohio.     He  had  also  a  saw  and  feed  mill  on  his  farm  for  seven  years,  when  he  sold 

229 


his  business  and  secured  the  present  mill  property.  This  mill  is  a  substantial  brick 
building  erected  by  Mr.  Lohr  in  1895.  It  is  located  on  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad 
and  po.ssesses  excellent  shipping  facilities.  It  is  equipped  with  a  full  modern  roller 
outfit,  and  is  adapted  to  the  handling  of  all  kinds  of  grain,  corn,  oats  and  wheat.  Its 
flouring  cjapacity  is  sixty-five  barrels  daily  and  from  sixty  to  seventy-five  bushels  per 
hour  of  choice  feed.  It  has  a  fine  local  trade,  besides  doing  a  large  merchant  and 
wholesale  business.  His  choicest  brand,  "Straight  Patent,"  is  a  popular  flour  unex- 
celled by  any  made.  The  mill  has  proven  one  of  the  most  important  business  enter- 
prises in  Wayne,  and  its  value  to  the  community  is  constantly  on  the  increase.  Mr. 
Lohr  is  much  interested  as  a  chicken  fancier  and  breeder,  being  proprietor  of  the 
"Millside  Poultry  Yard."  He  has  exhibited  at  various  poultry  shows  with  great 
success  and  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  arranging  and  conducting  to  a  successful 
issue  the  late  popular  poultry  exhibit  at  Wayne.  January  28,  1874,  Mr.  Lohr  married 
Sarah  Suggitt,  and  they  have  two  children:  Carl  W.  and  Myrtle  M.  Mr.  Lohr  is  a 
member  of  the  Home  Forum  Benefit  Order,  and  has  always  been  a  Democrat,  alive 
to  his  party's  interests.  He  is  one  of  the  more  progressive  business  men  of  Wayne; 
is  careful  in  his  busiuess  matters  and  has  shown  capacity  to  successfully  handle  and 
develop  an  important  industry.  He  takes  a  live  interest  in  the  schools  and  other 
local  influences  for  good  and  is  ever  found  an  advocate  of  advanced  ideas,  improved 
methods  and  modern  appliances;  whatever  finds  in  him  a  supporter  has  a  warm  and 
enthusiastic  advocate. 

Martin,  Albert,  was  born  May  20,  1847,  in  Washington,  county  of  Sussex,  England, 
where  he  spent  his  boyhood  up  to  twenty-one  years.  In  1863  he  went  to  work  in  a 
store,  where  he  remained  until  1868.  December  27,  1869,  he  married  Mary  H.  Gar- 
ten of  Scredington,  Lincolnshire,  England.  Mr.  Martin  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1873,  and  when  he  landed  in  New  York  had  less  than  $10  capital  to  work  on 
among  a  strange  people.  But  with  a  strong  will  and  determination  made  some  sav- 
ings, though  he  was  not  able  to  send  for  his  wife  and  three  children  for  two  years. 
He  was  fortunate  in  getting  employment  and  worked  in  Detroit  four  years,  saving 
something,  though  wages  were  low,  and  in  1877  came  to  a  farm  in  Dearborn.  Owing 
to  the  panic  of  1873  it  was  almost  an  impossibility  to  accumulate  property,  but  in 
1879  he  secured  the  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  by  going  heavily  in  debt.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin devotes  the  farm  to  market  gardening;  the  land  being  well  adapted  to  this  line 
and  with  his  management  has  produced  great  results.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  al- 
though the  town  is  strongly  Republican,  has  led  his  party  twice  as  candidate  for 
supervisor.  No  man  in  the  town  is  more  alive  to  its  every  interest  and  if  elected 
Mr.  Martin  would  see  that  its  affairs  are  conducted  most  economically.  He  is  a  be- 
liever of  the  free  school  system  and  is  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  adherents  of  the 
republican  form  of  government.  Mr.  Martin  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church 
and  is  vestryman  in  Christ  church,  Dearborn.  He  is  connected  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  takes  an  active  part  as  a  member.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martin  have  six  children:  Mary  Hepzibah,  Elizabeth  Susannah,  Jane,  Albert  George 
Harry,  Bessie  and  Mabel.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  have  become  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  the  people  with  whom  they  live.  They  are  keenly  cognizant  of  home 
traming,  and  few  families  can  show  a  warmer  feeling  existing  among  its  members 
where  all  is  harmony.     All  the  children  are  still  beneath  the  parental  roof,  the  at- 

230 


tractions  of  the  outside  world  not  yet  causing  a  break  in  a  beautiful  home  circle. 
While  college  training  has  not  been  accorded  them,  all  are  endowed  with  a  naturally 
high  tone,  carefully  cultivated  by  a  loving  mother.  While  it  is  impossible  to  speak 
of  one  excelling,  the  writer  cannot  refrain  from  pensonal  mention  of  Mary  Hepzibah, 
the  namesake  of  her  mother,  a  lady  of  rare  native  delicacy  and  refinement,  whose 
careful,  home  cultivation  and  association  have  combined  to  make  her  a  noble  exam- 
ple of  maidenhood. 

Miller,  John,  is  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  having  been  born  in  Springwells, 
August  13,  1843.  His  parents  were  Denison  and  Jane  (Ellis)  Miller;  he  came  from 
Connecticut  when  a  boy  of  nine  years  with  his  father,  George  W.  Miller,  and  settled 
in  Wayne  county  on  the  tract  of  land  where  John  now  lives.  George  W.  Miller  died 
about  1868;  his  first  wife,  mother  of  Denison,  died  in  Connecticut,  and  his  second 
wife  in  Springwells,  whom  he  survived  but  a  few  years.  His  children  by  the  former 
wife  were  Denison,  David,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- three  in  Springwells,  and 
George,  who  also  died  in  Springwells.  Of  the  second  family  there  were  seven: 
Horace,  died  in  Springwells  early  in  life  and  left  one  daughter,  Lizzie;  Henry,  died 
in  the  West ;  William,  now  living  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  ;  Isabel,  wife  of  Henry  Larkins, 
and  died  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen;  Mary  L.,  married  twice,  her  first  husband 
being  Alonzo  Haggerty,  and  the  second  W.  Irwin  Walters,  she  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-five ;  Emily,  wife  of  Christopher  Mayhew,  died  in  middle  life ;  and  Harriet, 
widow  of  A,  Salisbury  of  Ludington,  Mich.  Denison  Miller  married  Jane  Ellis,  who 
came  from  England  in  her  early  childhood.  They  had  always  lived  on  their  farm  of 
115  acres,  which  was  mostly  purchased  by  Mr.  Miller.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  in  1871,  his  wife  survived  him  eight  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  Deni- 
son had  a  family  of  three:  George,  who  lives  in  Bay  City;  John,  and  Mary,  who 
married  L.  Maple  and  lives  on  the  site  of  the  old  homestead  opposite  the  six-mile 
house  on  Michigan  avenue.  John  Miller's  boyhood  was  spent  on  his  father's  farm 
and  he  had  charge  of  the  farm  during  much  of  his  father's  life.  He  has  fifty-five 
acres  of  the  old  farm,  which  he  has  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Miller  is 
a  Republican  and  is  an  active  citizen  of  the  town  and  alive  to  his  party's  interest. 
April  27,  1871,  he  married  Eleanor  Campbell,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary(Larkin) 
Campbell.  She  was  born  in  Springwells,  April  3,  1848.  Her  father,  George  Camp- 
bell, died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  and  his  widow  then  became  the  wife  of  Horace 
Miller,  bi-other  of  Denison,  and  surviving  him  still  resides  in  Springwells,  aged 
seventy-five.  Mr.  Miller  has  had  five  children:  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty  one  and  left  a  widow  and  one  child;  Walter,  died  in  infancy;  John  A.  is  at 
home;  Edna,  a  student  of  Detroit  High  School;  and  Elmer  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  have  a  wide  circle  of 
friends  who  esteem  them  highly.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  well  read  man  and  their  home  is  a 
favorite  resort  for  many  old  friends. 

Moor'e,  George  E.,  is  a  native  of  the  town  of  Dearborn,  having  first  seen  the  light 
of  day  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  on  the  10th  of  April,  1842.  His  parents 
were  James  Moore,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  Alice  Marsh  of  English  birth,  and  who 
were  married  in  New  York  and  in  1833  emigrated  to  Michigan,  taking  land  from  the 
government,  the  deeds  bearing  signature  of  President  Andrew  Jackson.  Here  they 
lived  and  here  died,  he  surviving  his  wife  but  two  years,  whose  death  occurred  after 

231 


fifty  years  of  wedded  life.  The  house  built  by  him  a  half  a  century  since  is  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  his  son.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children  besides  George: 
John,  died  at  twenty-six  years  of  age;  Richard,  died  at  forty-three  in  California, 
where  he  had  gone  during  the  gold  excitement;  William,  went  west  at  about  the 
same  time  and  still  resides  there;  Lucy,  wife  of  James  Clay  of  Dearborn;  Sarah, 
widow  of  William  Montgomery  and  resides  in  Chicago  ;  Alice,  wife  of  John  Purchase 
of  Jamestown.  N.  D. ;  and  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Moses  Duncan  of  Detroit.  Mrs.  Moore 
had  two  daughters  by  a  former  marriage:  Nancy  Marsh,  wife  of  Richard  Bird,  and 
Mariah  Marsh,  wife  of  William  Purchase.  George  E.  Moore  remained  on  the  farm 
during  his  boyhood,  and  being  fired  with  the  war  cry  of  1861,  was  one  of  the  first  to 
enlist,  which  he  did  in  Co.  F,  1st  Michigan,  under  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln 
for  three  months  men.  His  command  reached  the  war  scenes  in  time  to  participate 
in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bull  Run.  His  term  of  service  expired  soon  after  and  he 
remained  inactive  at  home  until  August,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Co.  D,  24th  Regi- 
ment, and  wearing  the  sergeant's  bars,  marched  to  the  front.  The  history  of  the 
24th  has  been  told  frequently  and  a  recapitulation  will  not  be  attempted  here.  Suf- 
fice It  to  say  Mr.  Moore  was  constantly  with  his  fellow  soldiers  and  did  the  soldier's 
duty  fully,  not  only  in  the  handling  of  his  musket  at  Gettysburg  and  both  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  but  also  in  the  camp  and  wherever  duty  called  him,  until  he  was 
compelled  by  continued  failing  eyesight  to  ask  for  his  discharge,  which  was  granted 
on  that  ground  in  March,  1864.  His  relations  to  the  old  army  boys  has  been  pre- 
served and  there  is  no  more  enthusiastic  member  of  Corey  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Wayne. 
Since  the  war  his  energies  and  attention  have  been  devoted  to  the  farm,  which  con- 
tains 200  acres  of  the  finest  soil  in  Wayne  county  and  is  situated  two  miles  southwest 
of  the  village  of  Dearborn.  He  has  it  well  stocked  and  improved  and  devotes  it  to 
general  agriculture  with  dairying  as  a  leading  feature.  Mr.  Moore  is  alive  to  the 
public  interests  of  his  town  and  is  a  staunch  Republican.  December  27,  1869,  he 
married  Lydia  Catharine  Evans,  daughter  of  James  and  Catharine  (Pardee)  Evans. 
She  died  in  August,  1886,  leaving  one  son,  Richard,  who  is  assisting  his  father  on 
the  farm.  February  27,  1889,  Mr.  Moore  married  Eva  Barton,  daughter  of  George 
and  Isabel  (Johnson)  Barton,  and  they  have  three  children :  George  Edwin,  John 
Barton,  and  Ivadel  Alice.  Mrs.  Moore  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement  and  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Dearborn.  All  educational  and  civilizing 
efforts  find  in  Mr.  Moore  a  warm  support  and  few  homes  in  the  county  are  sur- 
rounded with  a  purer  atmosphere. 

Pardee,  John  W.  (deceased). — About  two  miles  from  the  city  of  Peekskill  in  West- 
chester county,  N.  Y.,  and  overlooking  the  majestic  Hudson,  lies  one  of  the  most 
historic  farms  of  our  broad  land.  It  is  the  reward  given  by  the  government  to 
Major  Spalding  for  the  capture  of  the  British  spy  Major  Andre,  the  scene  of  whose 
negotiations  with  the  traitor  Arnold  and  his  final  capture  were  in  the  near  vicinity. 
Jo.seph  Pardee,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Michigan,  in  days  of  prosperity  pur- 
chased that  farm,  intending  to  make  it  the  seat  of  a  family  who  was  then  in  most 
prosperous  circumstances  and  holding  important  position.  He  had  wide  personal 
acquaintance  with  such  renowned  men  as  John  Jacob  Astor  and  others  of  equal  im- 
portance, and  with  wide  culture,  deep  knowledge  and  personal  popularity  was  well 
qualified  to  be  an  associate  and  friend  of  such  leaders  of  commerce.    Few  of  them  could 

232 


outdo  him  in  drawing  interested  audiences  to  listen  to  tales  of  war  or  learn  from  his 
lips  wisdom  on  many  general  questions.  He  himself  became  an  extensive  govern- 
ment contractor  during  the  period  of  the  war  of  1812.  In  some  of  these  contracts  he 
was  a  heavy  loser,  and  at  the  adjustment  of  affairs  after  the  close  of  the  war,  lack- 
ing in  some  important  proofs,  his  claims  against  the  government  were  disallowed 
and  he  found  his  former  handsome  fortune  swept  from  him.  Well  advanced  in 
years,  being  then  past  sixty,  he  decided  to  seek  the  newer  country  where  his  chil- 
dren, at  least,  might  find  the  advantages  they  could  not  have  in  the  East,  though  he 
could  scarcly  hope  during  the  few  years  remaming  to  him  to  fully  recuperate  his 
own  shattered  fortune.  In  1833  he  came  with  his  wife,  Mariah  Westcott,  and  family 
to  Dearborn,  some  ten  miles  from  Detroit,  and  then  in  the  extreme  backwoods; 
but  few  others  were  already  here  when  Mr.  Pardee  came  upon  the  scene.  No  roads, 
in  a  dense  forest,  on  a  low  and  often  wet  flat,  the  Indians  being  about  his  only  visi- 
tors, he  established  himself,  and  subsequent  history  has  verified  his  wisdom.  He 
passed  away  in  1859,  ripe  in  years,  being  eighty-two,  and  in  the  love  and  respect  of 
a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends.  His  wife,  who  was  many  years  his  junior,  surviving 
him  for  eleven  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  He  acquired  a  200  acre  farm 
and  became  an  extensive  cattle  drover.  His  own  anticipations  when  he  settled  in 
the  wilderness  had  been  outstripped,  and  he  had  not  only  acquired  extensive  prop- 
erty but  had  seen  the  country  become  populous  and  productive  with  the  marks  of 
advanced  civilization  on  every  hand.  In  early  life  he  had  been  an  ardent  Democrat 
and  was  a  strong  supporter  of  Andrew  Jackson,  for  whom  he  ever  entertained  the 
greatest  respect,  but  he  felt  the  darkness  of  the  pall  of  slavery,  and  becoming  a  sup- 
porter of  Garrison  and  Wendell  Phillips  and  realizing  the  opportunity  this  country 
offered  to  free  men.  he  lived  and  died  an  enemy  of  slavery  of  every  form  and 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  downtrodden  and  the  oppressed.  He  had  a  family  of  ten: 
Henry;  Catharine,  widow  of  James  Evans,  now  in  Detroit;  Jane,  died  at  sixteen; 
Lydia,  married  Garrett  G.  Puttman  of  Taylor,  both  dead ;  Joseph,  went  to  Califor- 
nia in  1849,  age  twenty  two  years,  mining  during  his  stay  there,  thence  to  Montana, 
where  he  owned  a  large  ranch,  and  died  at  fifty-seven  years,  unmarried ;  John  W.  ; 
Jackson,  died  at  twenty-four  years;  Elizabeth  died  in  childhood;  Emily  married 
John  B.  Howard  of  Detroit;  and  Adeine,  who  died  young.  John  W.  Pardee  re- 
mained on  the  old  homestead  until  his  death  October  19,  1872.  He  married  Harriet 
Patrick,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Abigail  (Howard)  Patrick,  and  she  is  now  the  wife 
of  Alvin  Seaman,  940  Fourth  avenue,  Detroit,  and  still  owns  the  old  homestead. 
John  W  Pardee  with  his  brother  Jackson  became  partners  with  their  father  in  the 
cattle  business,  and  after  Jackson's  death,  in  1864,  John  W.  bought  the  old  farm  and 
added  to  it  until  it  contained  about  600  acres  in  all,  being  the  largest  farm  in  Dear- 
born. His  life  was  entirely  passed  upon  the  farm,  and  having  become  familiar  with 
cattle  droving  while  with  his  father,  he  continued  to  operate  in  the  same  line,  and  in 
this  he  met  with  more  than  usual  financial  success.  Jackson  H.  Pardee  was  born 
on  the -old  homestead,  January  29,  1871,  where  he  remained  until  sixteen  years  old. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Dearborn  Union  School  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railroad  up  to  1894.  Mr.  Pardee  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Michigan 
Division,  G.  T.  Railroad,  mechanical  department,  about  eight  years,  starting  in  the 
lower  grades.  He  then  came  to  his  present  farm  and  erected  a  fine  house  and  in 
four  months  was  burned  out,  losing  heavily.     He  has,  in  company  with  his  sisters, 

233 


about  320  acres  of  land,  which  he  operates  in  general  farming.  September  17,  1894, 
he  married  Bessie  Hubbard  of  Port  Huron,  and  they  have  a  family  of  two,  Susie  M. 
and  Clark  E.  S.  Mrs.  Pardee  is  a  cultured  lady,  refined  and  highly  esteemed.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  the  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Pardee  is  one  of 
the  rising  men  of  Dearborn,  in  fact  among  its  citizens  none  stands  higher  or  is  more 
highly  respected.     May  D.  and  L.  Belle  Pardee  reside  with  their  mother  in  Detroit. 

Park,  William,  postmaster. — Among  the  older  residents  of  Trenton  is  this  gentle- 
man, who  is  probabl}^  more  widely  known  than  any  other  man  in  the  southern  part 
of  Wayne  county.  Born  in  Cazenovia,  Madison  county,  N.  Y.,  February  5,  1833,  as 
a  child  he  was  carried  to  Preston,  Lancashire,  England,  whence  his  parents  had  come 
and  where  his  own  boyhood  until  fourteen  years  old  was  passed.  His  grandfather 
was  a  wealthy  and  influential  man,  but  after  his  mother's  death,  when  young  Will- 
iam was  fourteen  years  old,  his  father's  death  some  ten  years  before  having  left  him 
an  orphan,  he  decided  to  return  to  this  side  of  the  ocean,  and  so,  in  1848,  we  find  him 
at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  where  he  learned  the  hou.se  painter's  trade  which  he  followed 
until  1857,  locating  in  Trenton  in  1850.  In  1857  he  embarked  in  a  mercantile  career 
that  lasted  for  thirty-four  years,  or  until  1891.  During  part  of  this  time  he  was  the 
largest  merchant  in  the  community,  but  like  thousandsof  others  his  business  suffered 
heavily  by  the  panic  of  1873,  and  liquidating,  he  continued  a  smaller  business  until 
1891.  Since  1896  he  has  been  the  local  representative  of  the  government.  Few  men 
have  enjoj'ed  as  wide  a  personal  acquaintance  and  friendship  with  and  for  the  men 
who  have  been  more  in  public  view  in  Michigan  during  the  last  quarter  century. 
His  own  connections  with  public  interests  has  been  extensive,  especially  during  the 
war,  and  few  men  in  Wayne  county  did  more  according  to  his  environments  than 
Mr.  Park.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  village  and  held  other  positions.  Mr. 
Park  was  first  married  to  Lois  Cleveland,  who  died  in  1872.  Of  this  union  three 
children  survive:  Mina,  who  is  Mrs.  Snyder  of  Hancock,  Mich.  ;  William  B.,  a  real 
estate  operator  of  Pasadena,  Cal. ;  and  Charles,  a  merchant  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal. ; 
also  Helen  M.,  who  married  Arthur  Chase,  son  of  Captain  Chase  of  Trenton,  and 
since  deceased.  Mr.  Park  married,  second,  Kate  Keyes,  but  she  too  was  taken  from 
him  in  less  than  two  years.  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Alvord  (nee  Roberts),  and  widow  of 
Lieut.  George  R.  Alvord  of  the  1st  Mich.  Cavalry,  Custer's  famous  regiment,  is  the 
present  wife  of  Mr.  Park.  Two  daughters  bless  this  union:  Mabel,  a  teacher,  and 
Letitia,  a  student  in  the  Wyandotte  High  School.  Mr.  Park  has  met  with  his  share 
of  adverse  fortune  and  cause  for  grief,  but  through  the  vicissitudes  of  a  varied  career 
he  has  ever  preserved  his  manly  bearing  and  upright  conduct  that  has  retained  firm 
hold  on  the  affections  of  numerous  friends. 

Riggs,  Gilbert. — The  gentleman  whose  life  we  will  attempt  to  review  is  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  western  section  of  Wayne  county,  and  one 
whose  life,  while  largely  devoted  to  the  arduous  cares  incident  to  a  successfully  con- 
ducted farm,  has  ever  exerted  an  influence  for  good  and  the  larger  enlightenment  of 
the  community  and  its  moral  advancement.  The  Riggs  family  furnishes  several  re- 
spected and  influential  citizens,  and  m  many  respects  it  has  largely  contributed  to 
the  commercial  prosperity  of  the  town,  and  in  every  instance  its  members  have  filled 
with  credit  every  position  of  trust  or  honor  that  has  been  demanded  of  them.  The 
particular  member  of  the  family  under  consideration  was  born  in   Lyons,  Wayne 

234 


county,  N.  Y.,  January  3,  1822.  His  father,  Peter  Riggs,  was  a  son  of  David  Riggs, 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  from  New  Jersey,  and  who  settled  soon  after  in  the  new 
western  New  York  country.  Peter  himself  served  with  credit  in  the  war  of  1812, 
wearing  a  first  sergeant's  bars.  He  participated  in  the  battles  fought  in  New  York 
and  Canada,  particular  that  memorable  action  at  Lundy's  Lane.  He  married  Har- 
riet Dunham,  who  was  born  on  the  Mohawk.  After  some  years  spent  in  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania  they,  in  1836,  migrated  to  Michigan,  settling  on  the  farm  in  Van 
Buren,  where  his  son,  the  late  Dunham  Riggs,  resided.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  community,  and  was  thenceforth  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  a  farm.  He 
died  May  6,  1863,  in  his  eighty-seventh  year,  having  survived  his  wife  but  about  one 
year,  her  death  occurring  April  14,  1862,  aged  seventy.  She  had  been  a  patient  suf- 
ferer for  twenty  years,  being  nearly  helpless  after  a  paralytic  stroke.  Gilbert  Riggs, 
coming  to  the  State  as  a  boy  of  fourteen,  passed  his  youth  in  farm  work  with  his 
father  and  working  for  other  men,  his  wages  being  turned  over  to  his  father.  Upon 
arriving  at  his  majority  he  returned  to  New  York  to  visit  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood, 
passing  two  years  there  doing  farm  work  and  receiving  from  $7  to  §11  per  month, 
and  reaching  home  found  himself  the  possessor  of  $153  in  cash.  In  company  with 
his  elder  brother  they  purchased  160  acres  of  wild  land,  paying  §450  therefor;  here 
they  labored  for  ten  years,  cutting  and  burning  the  great  forest  trees  and  living  in  a 
primitive  manner  known  as  keeping  bachelor's  hall.  Being  so  far  .from  roads  and 
neighbors,  they  sold  this  place,  and  returning  to  his  father's  farm  operated  that  for 
ten  years,  when  he  bought  the  present  farm  of  100  acres,  paying  §15  per  acre.  It 
was  partially  improved,  with  a  small  house  and  barn.  On  the  first  of  September, 
1852,  he  married  Marion  H.  Ely,  who  was  a  commendable  helpmate,  contributing  in 
no  small  degree  to  their  prosperity,  and  after  sharing  his  joys  and  sorrows  for  six- 
teen years  passed  away  on  the  anniversary  of  their  marriage.  His  business  pros- 
pered and  he  invested  in  other  lands,  so  that  he  now  has  133  acres  in  the  home  farm, 
which  is  in  fine  cultivation  and  is  well  improved  with  a  large  and  tasty  residence, 
large  and  numerous  barns  and  tenement  house,  and  in  every  respect  it  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  farms  in  the  town.  He  owns  a  second  farm  a  few  miles  distant;  he 
has  also  been  a  dealer  in  real  estate  to  quite  an  extent,  and  has  realized  quite  a  rev- 
enue from  sales  of  the  valuable  timber  that  stood  on  his  land.  On  March  1,  1869,  he 
was  again  married  to  Frances  (Averill)  Babcock,  of  Hopewell,  N.  Y.,  who  is  a  lady 
of  refinement  and  who  takes  a  live  interest  in  the  social  and  religious  affairs  of  the 
community.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  daughters,  Clara  and  Hattie  Babcock,  the 
former  being  the  wife  of  George  T.  Clark,  of  Willow,  Mich.,  and  the  latter  is  Mrs. 
Albert  Riggs,  of  Van  Buren.  Mr.  Rigg.s's  family,  all  by  the  former  marriage,  are 
Charles  Fordyce  Riggs,  who  is  now  operating  the  farm;  his  wife  was  Adel  Rappleye, 
who  at  her  death,  January  20,  1896,  left  two  children,  Lena  and  Gilbert;  Lizzie  Mary 
Riggs  (now  deceased),  aged  thirty-eight ;  George  Wood,  who  died  in  infancy ;  John 
Alanson  Riggs,  who  is  a  farmer,  and  Willard  Gilbert,  who  died  but  a  few  days  after 
his  mother,  aged  three.  Mr.  Riggs  is  a  staunch  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
though  never  an  aspirant  for  public  honor.  He  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
Methodist  church  and  with  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  being  the  one  whose  active 
interest  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  local  grange.  With  much  prosperity 
Mr.  Riggs  has  not  been  allowed  entire  freedom  from  trials,  though  the  love,  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  wide  circle  of  friends  has  not  been  shaken  in  his  integrity 

235 


of  life  and  honesty  of  purpose.     Few  men  of  Van  Buren  are  more  highh-  respected 
or  exert  through  daily  example  a  higher  influence  for  good. 

Riopelle,  Hyacinthe  F. — This  worthy  representative  of  one  of  Wayne  county's 
earliest  pioneer  families  is  in  many  respects  a  representative  man.  Identified  with 
the  best  thought  of  the  county  in  its  educational  interests  as  well  as  in  the  religious 
and  political  life  of  the  time,  he  has  become  an  important  character  and  w^ell  worthy 
of  consideration  at  our  hands.  The  Riopelle  family  is  one  of  the  more  extensive  and 
interesting  ones  whose  ancestors  were  among  the  early  French  settlers  of  our  county 
and  State.  Ambroise  Riopelle,  son  of  Pierre  Riopelle,  an  extensive  farmer  and  vine 
grower  on  the  River  Loire  in  France,  filled  with  the  ardor  of  La  Fayette,  enlisted 
under  that  famous  general  to  cast  his  fortunes  in  America,  where  he  served  with 
energv  and  honor.  He  also  for  a  time  served  in  the  Colonial  navy.  He  finally 
found  himself  in  Detroit,  where  many  of  his  nationality  were  settling,  so  cast  his 
own  fortunes  with  them.  He  married  Miss  Campauand  had  ten  children.  His  sons, 
Dominique,  was  the  first  silversmith  in  Detroit,  Hyacinth,  John,  Baptiste  and  Joseph, 
were  all  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  gun  carried  by  Hyacinth  is  still  owned  by 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  has  an  interesting  histor5^  It  was  the  gun  with  which 
he  killed  the  Indian  chief,  who  advancing,  tomahawk  in  hand,  upon  Captain  Knagg, 
whose  gun  had  missed  fire,  would  surely  have  slain  him  had  not  Riopelle,  clubbing 
his  gun  when  his  shot  was  not  effective,  knocked  out  the  brains  of  the  Indian.  The 
blow  broke  the  gunstock,  which  shows  plainly  the  repairing.  Hyacinth  married 
Miss  Melosh,  a  lady  of  Scotch  origin,  and  had  two  children:  Hyacinthe,  jr.,  born  in 
1807  and  Frank  who  died  at  age  twenty.  Mr.  Riopelle  died  at  age  sixty-four,  after 
an  honorable  and  respected  life.  Hyacinthe,  jr.,  married  Mary  A.Vermette,  daughter 
of  Antoine  Vermette,  who  was  killed  by  the  British  and  Indians  at  the  battle  of 
Brownstown  at  the  crossing  of  the  Huron  River.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight.  He  had  become  a  successful  farmer,  owning  large  tracts  of  land,  part  of 
which  is  the  present  home  of  our  subject.  He  was  also  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  under 
Captain  Thayer  and  Colonel  Holbrook.  His  family  were  Hyacinthe,  Florence,  Joseph 
C,  Dominique  J.,  Joseph  L.,  James  C.  and  Magdalene.  Of  these  the  eldest  was 
born  August  8,  1836,  on  the  farm  where  he  resides  and  which  his  great-grandfather 
settled  in  1809.  Young  Riopelle,  showing  an  aptitude  for  learning,  was  given  the 
advantage  afforded  by  the  Capitol  High  School  in  Detroit,  and  Cochran's  Business 
and  Commercial  Law  Institute,  and  was  graduated  in  1855.  He  became  bookkeeper 
for  a  time  and  then  entered  upon  the  work  of  a  teacher,  a  profession  he  has  followed 
with  slight  intermission  ever  since,  or  until  within  a  few  years.  His  energies  have 
been  devoted  to  and  his  sympathies  have  been  with  the  cause  of  education ;  his  effort 
has  been  to  make  better,  stronger,  more  self-reliant  citizens,  to  prepare  boys  and 
girls  to  better  do  battle  with  the  difficulties  of  life.  He  has  little  sympathy  with 
much  that  is  found  attached  to  the  modern  educational  method  that  discourages  the 
individuality  of  the  boy,  making  him  a  machine,  grinding  out  so  many  percentages, 
but  doing  little  to  bring  out  and  develop  the  thing  that  is  in  him.  When  school  ex- 
hibitions were  to  show  something  that  the  pupil  knew,  those  given  in  his  school  drew 
crowds  of  interested  parents.  But  when  a  great  part  of  the  school  work  is  directed 
to  fads  and  preparation  for  .show,  with  but  poor  progressive,  actual  learning,  he  feels 
like  thousands  of  others  that  the  schools  have  largely  missed  their  purpose  and  there 

236 


is  need  for  an  overhauling.  Riopelle  is  a  staunch  Democrat  and  since  early  life  has 
been  closely  connected  with  the  party  organization.  He  is  generally  found  in  con- 
ventions and  his  voice  and  vote  are  ever  cast  for  the  general  good  as  he  sees  it.  To 
attest  to  his  personality  it  is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  his  election  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  1883,  from  a  district  strongly  Republican,  by  over  300  majority.  In  the 
house  his  attention  was  directed  particularly  to  the  Reform  School  and  the  Eastern 
Asylum  for  Insane,  as  he  was  placed  on  the  committee  having  these  in  charge.  He 
proved  himself  a  careful  argumentative  reasoner  and  in  more  than  one  instance 
showed  himself  able  to  cope  in  debate  with  more  experienced  men.  In  local  matters 
he  has  been  active  for  years;  at  only  twenty-two  he  was  elected  school  inspector; 
was  elected  supervisor  m  1867  and  held  that  ofifice  for  twenty  consecutive  years;  was 
elected  justice  in  1863,  serving  ever  since,  and  in  1893-94  he  was  chosen  supervisor 
to  revise  the  roll  of  his  township,  a  task  that  required  skill,  experience  and  judgment. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Farmers'  Mutual  Insurance  Company;  is  a  lover  of  a  good 
horse  and  is  generally  met  with  pulling  the  lines  over  a  good  one.  He  has  a  pleasant 
home  on  his  farm,  some  six  miles  south  of  the  city.  Few  men  are  surrounded  with 
more  of  the  comforts  of  life,  or  have  a  wider  and  more  intimate  circle  of  friends. 
Reared  a  Catholic,  Mr.  Riopelle  has  adhered  to  the  faith,  but  is  a  man  of  liberal 
views  on  that  as  on  all  other  matters,  and  recognizes  the  danger  of  narrowness  in 
this  as  in  all  subjects  that  pertain  to  the  general  welfare.  January  24,  1860,  he 
Annie  Jane  Roulo,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Rodobaugh)  Roulo  of  New  York, 
and  they  have  five  children:  Charles  H.,  James  F.,  Alex.  J.,  who  became  an  expert 
accountant  and  lumber  inspector  and  died  at  the  age  twenty-seven,  Mary  A.,  and 
Victoria. 

Salliotte  &  Ferguson.— This  establishment  is  located  on  the  River  Rouge,  near 
Delray,  and  its  business  is  commensurate  with  an  investment  of  $60,000  to  operate 
it.  Its  annual  output  is  from  seven  to  eight  million  feet  of  lumber;  six  million  of 
this  being  cut  at  this  mill.  Employment  is  given  to  from  seventy-five  to  one  hun- 
dred men  and  the  business  has  had  constant  increase  from  its  modest  beginning. 
The  plant  is  an  extensive  one,  covering  seventeen  acres  of  land.  The  company  own 
one  tug  and  a  lighter  vessel  used  on  the  Detroit  River.  Mr.  Salliotte  owns  large 
tracts  of  hardwood  timber  land  in  Gratiot  county,  Mich.,  as  well  as  a  great  deal  of 
village  property.  He,  anticipating  the  value  of  river  front  property,  has  purchased 
quite  a  tract  of  land  along  the  Detroit  River,  which  adds  to  his  other  land  holdings 
in  this  locality.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  plants  on  the  De- 
troit River,  doing  a  large  wholesale  business  and  giving  special  attention  to  cutting 
dimension  orders.  It  is  intended  to  add  a  salt  manufactory  the  present  year.  The 
entire  territory  where  the  plant  is  located  is  underlaid  with  a  valuable  bed  of  salt 
three  hundred  feet  thick,  and  several  salt  blocks  are  already  in  active  operation. 
Alexis  Moses  Salliotte  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ecorse,  in  August,  1837,  and  is  a  son 
of  Moses  and  Charlotte  (Cook)  Salliotte,  she  being  English,  he  of  French  ancestry, 
though  born  in  Michigan.  His  father  was  Alexis  Salliotte,  a  native  of  France,  who 
came  with  the  Hud.son  Bay  Company  to  Mackinaw,  where  he  remained  for  some 
years  in  the  fur  business.  Later  he  came  to  Ecorse  where  Moses  Salliotte  was  born. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  leaving  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  five 
survive.     A.  M.  Salliotte,  whose  residence  is  now  Ecorse,  Mich.,  spent  his  boyhood 

237 


on  the  farm ;  and  being  an  enterprising  young  man,  at  twenty-one  years  of  age  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  at  Ecorse,  where  he  conducted  a  successful  business  for 
twenty-three  j-ears.  During  this  time,  in  1877,  he  began  the  lumber  manufacture  in 
company  with  Gustav  A.  Raupp  at  Ecorse  village,  a  connection  that  was  unbroken 
for  nearly  twenty  years.  In  addition  to  their  large  mill  at  Ecorse  they  also  had  a 
mill  at  Alanson,  Emmett  county,  Mich.,  much  of  that  time.  This  business,  though 
started  on  a  small  scale,  proved  successful,  rapidly  assumed  large  dimensions  and 
became  a  source  of  profit  to  all  concerned.  Mr.  Salliotte  not  being  a  practical  lum- 
berman attended  more  directly  to  the  financial  conduct  of  affairs,  while  the  details 
of  the  mill  and  yard  received  the  attention  of  Mr.  Raupp.  Mr.  Salliotte  in  company 
with  Charles  E.  Chittenden,  as  Salliotte  &  Chittenden,  owned  and  operated  a  large 
hoop,  stave  and  lumber  mill  at  Ashley,  Mich.,  for  a  period  of  eleven  years  up  to  Jan- 
uary, 1890.  Mr.  Salliotte's  life  has  been  an  unselfish  one,  having  taken  in  each  in- 
stance an  employee  as  a  partner,  thereby  rendering  them  material  aid  on  the  road 
to  commercial  prosperity.  He  is  a  director  in  the  Commercial  Savings  Bank  of 
Wyandotte,  Mich.,  and  is  also  owner  of  Detroit  and  Wyandotte  city  property.  He 
is  a  Republican,  alive  to  his  party's  interest,  has  served  as  town  clerk  and  treasurer, 
although  in  a  Democratic  town.  He  has  not  sought  for,  but  often  refused  office. 
He  is  a  popular  man  socially  and  politically  and  has  been  delegate  at  times  to  vari- 
ous conventions  of  his  party.  He  was  married  in  May,  1867,  to  Mary  S.  Rousson, 
and  has  a  familj'  of  eight  children.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees, also  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Association,  and  Knights  of  Columbus.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Hoo  Hoo's,  that  association  of  lumbermen  of  which  so  little 
is  known  and  of  whose  secrets  its  emblem,  the  black  cat,  affords  so  little  information 
to  outsiders.  Mr.  Salliotte  is  a  Catholic,  being  reared  in  that  faith,  but  he  takes  a 
very  broad  and  liberal  view  of  religious  matters,  looking  more  to  the  actual  lives  of 
men  than  to  what  dogma  they  preach.  He  is  blessed  with  pleasing  address  and  a 
frank  open  countenance  that  bespeaks  the  high  minded  nature  that  his  unselfish  life 
has  .shown  him  to  possess.  For  the  last  three  years  he  has  been  shaping  his  matters 
so  as  to  confine  his  large  lumber  interests  at  the  one  point,  River  Rouge. 

Sanders,  WiUiam,  is  a  native  of  England,  being  born  in  Devonshire,  January  30, 
1841,  a  son  of  William  Sanders,  who  brought  his  family  to  Michigan  in  1852,  settling 
soon  after  on  a  farm  in  Mongagon  township  and  which  was  his  home  for  nearly  forty 
years,  his  death  occurring  in  January,  1892,  in  his  eightieth  year.  He  was  well  and 
favorably  known  and  had  a  wide  circle  of  warm  friends,  whose  memory  of  his  excel- 
lent character  and  that  of  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ehza  West,  and  who 
died  in  May,  1893,  aged  seventy-eight,  is  of  the  warmest  nature.  They  were  an  ad- 
mirable couple.  When  but  a  lad  of  thirteen  William  began  to  clerk  in  the  store  of 
the  late  John  Clee,  remaining  in  that  capacity  until  1865,  with  the  exception  of  a 
couple  of  years  that  he  clerked  in  a  Detroit  store.  In  1865  he  became  for  five  years 
a  partner  of  Clee,  doing  a  general  mercantile  business  at  Trenton,  but  with  but  small 
financial  benefits.  George  W.  Crook  then  became  his  partner  for  a  few  years,  under 
the  firm  of  Sanders  &  Crook,  when  he  became  sole  proprietor  and  remained  in  the 
mercantile  trade  until  1879.  In  those  days  business  was  done  almost  wholly  on 
credit  and  a  merchant  never  could  tell  just  where  he  stood,  so  Mr.  Sanders  decided 
to  liquidate  and  ascertain  his  true  condition.     This  process  was  slow  and  the  results 

238 


not  over  satisfactory;  however,  he  reopened  business  on  a  smaller  scale  in  a  differ- 
ent location.  In  the  course  of  years  he  became  largely  interested  in  handling  sew- 
ing machines,  and  for  some  time  made  that  the  leading  feature  of  his  business  and 
had  an  extensive  and  at  times  lucrative  trade.  For  some  thirteen  years  now  his  at- 
tention has  been  divided  between  the  various  ideas  we  now  find  him  connected  with. 
He  is  a  popular  public  official  and  conscientious  dispenser  of  justice.  He  is  not  ex- 
tremely partisan  in  his  political  views,  but  stands  on  broad  and  liberal  grounds, 
being  classed  in  national  affairs  as  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  Mason  and  formerly  took 
quite  an  active  part  in  the  work  within  the  lodge.  March  13,  1867,  he  married  Emma 
Stokes  of  Amherstburg,  Ont  ,  and  they  have  one  son,  Walter  F. ,  born  January 
10,  1868. 

Simonds,  Capt.  Eli  K.,  was  born  at  Walpole,  Cheshire  county,  N.  H.,  November 
16,  1828.  The  Simonds  family  were  among  those  who  first  settled  Groton,  Mass.,  in 
1648,  and  it  is  one  that  has  supplied  notable  men  to  almost  every  profession  and  to 
public  careers  all  through  our  country's  history.  The  captain  now  has  in  his  posses- 
sion the  conch  shell  brought  from  England  by  his  ancestor  and  used  to  summon  the 
Groton  men  to  town  meeting  or  such  other  gatherings  as  occasion  demanded.  Its 
intonation  brought  the  minute  men  to  arms  upon  the  alarm  from  Concord  and  Lex- 
ington, and  its  owner  at  that  time  was  a  soldier  during  the  memorable  struggles  that 
followed,  and  participated  at  the  Bunker  Hill  battle,  as  did  Captain  Simonds's 
grandfather  on  his  mother's  side.  Until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  Eli's  life  was 
similar  to  that  of  other  boys  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  River  where  the  home 
was  situated.  He  then  came  to  New  York  and  began  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store 
at  Penn  Yan.  The  excitement  of  1849  had  taken  an  older  brother  to  California  and. 
the  next  year  Eli  started  with  California  in  mind  as  his  destination.  He  came  via 
Detroit,  where  for  a  time  he  clerked  for  French  &  Co.,  who  were  then  laying  the 
first  pavement  in  the  city,  a  piece  of  Jefferson  avenue  from  Woodward  to  where  the 
Michigan  Central  depot  now  is.  With  California  in  view  he  went  as  far  as  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  was  stricken  with  the  cholera  and  when  able  returned  to  Penn  Yan, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  maker,  at  which  he  continued  until  his 
marriage  in  1855  to  Hattie  M.  Kidder,  and  at  once  came  to  Northville,  where  his 
brother  Edward  Simonds  had  come  the  previous  year.  He  started  a  carriage  shop, 
continuing  with  a  fair  and  growing  business  until  the  demands  of  the  war  called  him 
from  the  peaceable  vocation  to  one  of  arms.  In  1861  he  took  steps" to  raise  a  com- 
pany, intending  to  enter  the  14th  Infantry,  but  his  commission  not  coming  he  let  it 
pass  for  some  months.  August  14th,  of  1862,  he  received  his  commission  of  captain 
and  in  ten  days  had  recruited  eighty  men  and  with  them  was  mustered  as  Co.  D  into 
the  5th  Mich.  Cavalry,  August  27,  leaving  Detroit  for  the  front  December  5,  1862. 
Space  precludes  as  full  a  review  of  the  history  of  the  gallant  5th  as  inclination  de- 
mands ;  suffice  to  say  that  no  regiment  of  the  war  showed  more  meritorious  service 
or  had-  more  brave,  unflinching  men,  or  any  that  lost  as  many  in  killed  pro  rata  in 
the  whole  U.  S.  volunteer  service.  This  was  the  first  regiment  to  use  in  battle 
the  Spencer  rifle,  which  was  in  Hanover,  Pa.,  June  30,  1863,  against  Stewart's  cav- 
alry. Captain  Simonds  with  two  companies  drove  his  videttes  clear  within  his  lines 
nearly  to  his  headquarters,  but  Colonel  Alger  sending  orders  twice  to  fall  back  he 
reluctantly  obeyed ;  till  orders  came  from   General  Kilpatrick  to  hold  his  ground,  he 

239 


fought  the  same  field  over  and  reoccupied  his  advanced  position,  losing  some  men 
unnecessarily,  had  he  adhered  to  his  own  judgment  which  was  so  readily  seconded 
by  his  general.  Colonel  Alger  denied  to  General  Kilpatrick  giving  such  commands, 
but  reliable  witnesses  supported  Captain  Simonds  in  the  matter  and  the  Colonel 
rode  away  rather  crestfallen.  At  Gettysburg  the  A  Battalion  under  Captain  Simonds 
occupied  the  extreme  right  in  opposition  to  Stuart  during  the  hottest  part  of  the 
memorable  and  bloody  fight.  Major  Ferry,  who  was  killed,  was  immediately  at  his 
left;  Spencer  rifle  cartridges  (unexploded),  picked  up  twenty-six  afterward  years  at  the 
time  of  the  unveiling  of  the  Michigan  monuments,  proved  the  position  held  by  the 
battalion  was  the  most  advanced  of  any  of  the  Federal  troops,  as  no  other  troops 
were  around  with  the  Spencer  at  that  time,  or  until  October  19,  1863.  The  foresight 
and  coolness  of  Captain  Simonds  saved  his  battalion  from  capture  at  one  time  upon 
the  retreat  of  Lee  at  Newby's  Cross  Roads,  July  24,  1863.  Stuart's  Cavalry  with  A. 
P.  Hill's  Corps  had  completely  surrounded  the  5th  and  6th  Michigan  Cavalry,  as  the 
supports,  the  1st  and  7th,  had  let  an  opening  occur  between  their  advance  and  the 
rear  of  the  6th,  and  Stuart  had  slid  his  cavalry  into  the  gap  and  cut  off  the  1st  and 
7tb  Michigan  regiments.  Colonel  Gray  "  who  was  temporarily  in  command  that 
day,"  had  taken  two  companies  of  his  own  regiment  "the  6th"  and  attempted  to 
charge  out.  He  was  thrown  "or  fell"  from  his  horse,  and  his  command  repulsed. 
Then  becoming  thoroughly  convinced  that  he  was  in  a  tight  spot,  turned  the  entire 
command  over  to  Captain  Simonds  and  fell  into  the  ranks  of  his  own  regiment;  Cap- 
tain Simonds  assumed  the  command,  ordered  his  own  company  to  dismount  and 
fight  on  foot,  led  the  5th  and  6th  down  through  a  wooded  ravine  and  effected  the 
escape.  It  is  said  that  Longstreet  in  his  report  to  General  Lee  said  that  Hill  and 
Stuart  were  confronted  by  20,000  troops,  while  the  fact  is,  that  only  the  5th  and  6th 
Michigan  cavalry,  numbering  less  than  1,100  men,  fired  the  only  shots  that  day  ex- 
cept one  section  of  Battery  M,  2d  U.  S.  A.,  and  they  had  but  three  rounds  of  grape 
at  close  range,  and  only  his  own  company  exchanged  more  than  two  rifle  shots,  and 
they  guarded  that  retreat  dismounted  for  four  hot  and  dusty  miles  back  to  Aniss- 
ville.  General  Custer,  who  was  stationed  on  a  hill  some  distance  back  and  tempo- 
rarily commanding  the  division,  commended  him  highly  for  this  success.  After 
about  one  year's  service  sickness  compelled  his  resignation,  though  he  would  have 
found  his  major's  commi.ssion  ready  for  him  upon  his  return  had  he  remained  in  the 
service.  His  health  was  terribly  shattered  and  he  has  since  been  engaged  mainly  in 
the  insurance  business,  working  for  some  years  as  adjuster  and  special  agent.  He 
was  associated  as  vice-president  of  the  Globe  Furniture  Co.  at  its  organization ;  has 
served  two  years  as  village  president  and  at  various  times  as  trustee.  A  Black  Re- 
publican in  earlier  life,  he  glorified  in  the  name,  and  while  parties  have  changed  he 
remains  the  same  as  he  did  when  Chase  issued  the  first  greenbacks.  He  was  a 
greenbacker  in  the  days  of  Greeley  and  became  a  free  silver  man  in  the  earlier  cam- 
paign. He  sees  in  Governor  Pingree  the  logical  candidate  of  the  liberal  men  in 
Michigan  of  those  who  are  not  tied  hand  and  foot  to  the  party  of  trusts  and  combina- 
tions. Made  a  Mason  in  1852,  he  is  one  of  the  oldest,  and  has  been  a  worker  in  the 
various  Masonic  bodies  and  is  past  eminent  commander  of  Northville  Commandery. 
His  wife  died  in  1878  £  nd  on  October  13,  1880,  he  married  Addie,  daughter  of  John 
and  Catherine  (Ovenshire)  Morse,  a  family  that  came  to  Michigan  in  1838  and  her 
mother  is  still  living  with  her  aged  eighty.     No  children   have  come  to   Captain 

240 


Simonds,  yet  a  niece,  Belle,  now  the  wife  of  I.  A.  Fleming  of  the  Evening  Journal, 
was  reared  in  his  family  from  early  childhood  until  her  marriage.  Captain  Simonds 
is  a  man  of  many  fine  traits  of  character,  no  citizen  having  more  or  warmer  friends. 

Stellwagen,  George  H.,  was  born  in  Nieder  Salheim,  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany, 
August  12,  1840,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Michigan  at  the  age  of  ten  years, 
landing  at  Detroit  July  4,  1851,  where  he  attended  the  private  school  taught  by  Jo- 
seph Coon.  His  parents  were  Michael  and  Elizabeth  Stellwagen,  who  bought  land 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  the  village  of  Wayne  in  Nankin  township,  where  his 
father  died  not  many  years  after  at  the  age  of  forty-six;  his  mother  is  still  surviving 
in  her  eighty-first  year.  The  old  farm  has  always  remained  in  the  family,  one  of 
the  sons  operating  it.  George -H.  attended  primary  school  and  one  term  at  the 
Union  School  at  Ypsilanti  under  Prof.  Esterbrook,  as  superintendent,  and  Bj'ron 
Cutcheon  as  principal.  During  the  war  he  served  under  Colonel  Wright  for  a  term 
of  eighteen  months  in  the  construction  department  for  the  government,  being  at- 
tached the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  returned  to  the  farm  after  his  war  experi- 
ence and  remained  connected  with  the  farm  until  his  twenty-eighth  year,  when,  in 
1868,  in  company  with  James  R.  Hosie,  he  opened  a  general  store  at  the  village  of 
Wayne,  and  in  which  he  continued  until  1890.  Starting  in  an  unpretentious  way, 
they  became  the  largest  mercantile  business  house  in  the  county  outside  of  Detroit, 
as  proved  by  the  report  on  income  tax.  They  carried  all  lines  of  general  merchan- 
dise and  also  handled  grain,  having  built  an  elevator  some  years  ago  which  grew  to 
be  the  principal  feature  of  their  business,  and  which  in  addition  to  the  wool  business 
they  still  conduct.  The  still  own  the  store  buildings  which  they  erected.  They  be- 
gan with  about  $4,000  capital,  but  buying  on  credit  opened  with  large  stock  and 
business.  They  did  their  own  clerking  and  all  store  work,  cutting  their  own  wood 
and  in  every  way  managed  to  do  the  work  themselves.  They  were  both  young  and 
ambitious  and  were  bound  to  succeed  in  their  business  career.  The  business  grew 
until  1890  they  had  doubled  the  original  amount  invested.  In  October,  1890,  they 
organized  the  Wayne  Savings  Bank,  with  a  capital  stock  of  §25,000.  which  has  been 
a  successful  business  venture  and  has  paid  in  dividends  $12,500,  showing  that  its 
dividends  have  been  about  eight  per  cent.,  while  its  stock  is  worth  $150.  It  has 
proved  a  boon  to  the  citizens,  and  by  its  careful  conservative  management  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  conducted  institutions  in  Wayne  county.  Mr.  Hosie  has 
always  been  its  president,  while  Mr.  Stellwagen  has  been  its  cashier.  They  also 
hold  stock  in  the  Prouty  &  Glass  Carriage  Co.  This  company  after  two  years'  exist- 
ance  met  with  a  financial  disaster,  but  Messrs.  Stellwagen  and  Hosie,  inducing  other 
citizens  to  join  them,  came  to  its  rescue  and  succeeded  in  retaining  this  important 
enterprise  in  the  town,  thus  conferring  such  lasting  benefit  as  redounds  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  every  citizen.  They  have  stood  behind  it  with  their  money  and  counsel, 
giving  much  attention  to  the  detail  of  its  management.  Under  this  wise  direction 
it  has  become  a  source  of  lasting  profit  to  every  citizen.  Its  capacity  is  enlarged 
and  in  every  way  it  represents  Wayne  county's  most  prosperous  enterprise.  They 
own  Park  Place,  an  addition  to  Wayne,  and  have  stock  in  other  banks,  especially  in 
the  Michigan  Savings,  which  they  assisted  to  organize.  Mr.  Stellwagen  at  twenty- 
one  years  old  was  elected  town  treasurer  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  com- 
munity's afifairs,  being  supervisor  four  years.     When  but  thirty-two  years  old  he  was 

241 


elected  county  treasurer  in  1874,  holding  the  office  four  years.  In  1885  he  was  elected 
sheriff,  serving  a  term  of  two  years.  This  was  the  period  of  the  great  strikes,  most 
cities  had  blood  shed,  but  by  shrewd  management  Detroit  escaped  this  disgrace. 
Mr.  Stellwagen  made  friends  with  the  labor  element  and  kept  on  friendly  terms  with 
them ;  he  had  men  in  all  their  meetings  and  impressed  them  that  they  were  friends 
and  not  enemies.  He  is  entitled  to  much  credit  in  this.  He  was  inclose  touch  with 
the  police  force,  then  under  Chief  Pitman,  the  two  forces  acting  most  harmoniously. 
He  is  a  Democrat  and  never  found  lukewarm  to  his  party's  interest.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  free  silver  idea,  giving  the  issue  careful  study  and  ccjnscientious 
deliberation.  Mr.  Stellwagen  married  Isabel  Hall  and  they  have  a  family  of  four: 
Florence  E.,  a  graduate  of  Wayne  High  School,  and  a  teacher  of  music;  George  M., 
assistant  cashier  in  the  bank  with  his  father;  Isabel  and  Estelle  Louise  Mary.  Mr. 
Stellwagen  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  and  has  been  its  treasurer  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar  of  Detroit  Commandery 
No.  1.  He  was  formerly  in  the  renowned  drill  corps  of  that  commandery  and  at- 
tended several  national  conclaves  as  one  of  that  corps  and  helped  win  the  banner  at 
Cleveland.  He  is  fond  of  outdoor  sport,  baseball,  etc.,  and  each  year  takes  a  few 
weeks'  hunting  tour.  He  is  wide  awake  to  every  matter  relating  to  Wayne  and  has 
served  for  years  upon  the  School  Board.  He  has  a  pleasing  personality,  no  man 
having  more  or  warmer  friends;  he  has  not  allowed  financial  success  to  create  any 
feeling  of  superiority  over  those  less  successful  in  business,  his  warmest  friends  be- 
ing among  the  poor. 

Stewart,  James,  manufacturer  of  hardwood  lumber  and  charcoal  and  dealer  in 
cord  wood,  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  July  21,  1830.  His  parents  were  An- 
drew and  Mary  (Dickey)  Stewart.  Andrew  Stewart  was  one  of  the  first  men  en- 
gaged in  railroad  building,  in  fact,  he  with  one  other  man,  the  engineer,  made  the 
surveys  for  the  first  road  built  in  Scotland,  the  Gankirk  &  Glasgow  Railroad,  built  in 
18a7.  He  was  connected  with  its  building  and  his  success  gave  him  such  promotion 
that  he  soon  became  roadmaster,  a  position  he  occupied  for  eight  years,  when  he  be 
came  a  contractor  on  railway  constructions,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  deciding  to 
come  to  America,  which  he  did  in  1851.  James,  who  had  also  been  in  railroad  work  from 
fourteen  years  of  age,  first  in  the  locomotive  department  and  later  in  construction 
work,  having  charge  of  a  train  and  crew  devoted  to  building  and  repairing,  accom- 
panied his  father  to  this  country,  both  expecting  to  engage  in  railroad  contracting. 
They  remained  one  year  in  New  York,  James  doing  some  light  contracting  on  what 
is  now  the  Erie  road,  and  his  father  entering  into  a  large  contract  with  another  road, 
but  finding  the  work  would  be  delayed  at  least  a  year,  came  on  to  Michigan,  and 
liking  the  opening  in  the  new  West,  was  easily  prevailed  upon  to  invest  in  farming 
lands  and  a  saw  mill  in  connection.  James  soon  after  came  on  and  took  charge  of 
the  mill,  his  father  turning  his  attention  more  fully  to  farming.  He  continued  to 
carry  on  his  farm  until  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1859,  determined  him  to  return  to 
his  native  land,  which  he  did  and  where  the  latter  j'ears  of  his  life  were  passed  and 
where  he  died  some  seven  years  later.  The  timbered  conditions  of  this  country 
were  such  that  James  Stewart  decided  it  afforded  fine  opportunities,  and  his  interests 
in  that  line  of  industry  were  extended,  and  we  find  now  in  1898  that  for  nearly  half 
a  century  he  has  been  devoted  to  the  lumber  and  timber  business,  and  that  wholly  in 

242 


Wayne  county.  After  some  twenty-four  years  at  his  original  location  on  the  Huron 
River  he  erected  a  new  saw  mill  at  New  Boston,  and  in  1881  built  the  present  plant 
on  the  Wabash  Railroad  at  Belleville.  He  has  had  some  large  contracts  in  this  line, 
cutting  a  half  million  feet  of  oak  timber  for  the  Union  Elevator.  He  has  invested 
in  timber  lands  quite  extensively  and  has  cut  and  handled  a  good  deal  of  lumber 
from  his  own  land.  While  his  timber  interests  have  been  extensive  and  lucrative  he 
has  found  time  to  be  closely  identified  with  the  public  life  of  the  county.  Always 
Democratic,  he  was  the  representative  of  the  district  in  the  session  of  1868  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and  while  there  made  extensive  acquaintance  with  many  of  the 
prominent  men  of  the  State.  The  late  Senator  Stockbridge  was  there  serving  his  first 
term,  and  his  seat  was  close  to  Stewart's.  For  two  generations  his  voice  has  been 
heard  in  the  party's  councils,  conventions  and  all  public  sessions  of  the  leaders  of  the 
forces.  It  was  he  who  with  a  neat  and  graceful  speech  placed  in  nomination  the  pop- 
ular Grosse  Isle  lady  teacher  for  school  superintendent,  and  which,  striking  the  con- 
vention with  power,  was  endorsed  with  enthusiasm,  resulting  in  her  nomination  with 
a  handsome  majority.  Mr.  Stewart  was  again  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature  in  the 
free  silver  campaign  of  1896,  but  while  his  popularity  carried  him  ahead  of  his  ticket 
he  failed  in  sufficient  show  of  votes  for  election.  In  1864  he  married  Rachael  Stetson, 
whose  native  place  is  the  town  of  Plymouth.  Their  family  consists  of  two  daughters: 
Mary,  wife  of  Prof.  James  Sinclair  of  Detroit,  and  Linnie,  a  teacher  in  the  Detroit 
schools.  Mr.  Stewart  is  a  Mason  of  thirty-five  years'  standing,  served  as  master 
of  Myrtle  Lodge  of  Belleville,  and  belongs  to  Ypsilanti  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
and  Union  Council  at  Ypsilanti.  Himself,  wife  and  daughter  are  active  in  the  order 
of  the  Eastern  Star,  Mrs.  Stewart  having  served  not  only  as  worthy  matron  of  Belle- 
ville chapter,  but  also  grand  electa  of  the  grand  chapter.  Mr.  Stewart  has  been  as 
constant  in  his  reading  as  in  his  thinking;  he  has  read  the  "News"  from  its  first 
issue  and  for  twenty  years  has  received  the  Glasgow  Herald,  the  leading  paper  of 
"  Auld  Scotia,"  and  of  which  he  was  a  reader  sixty  years  ago.  Ever  with  a  warm 
feeling  for  the  hills  and  heather  of  his  native  land  he  has  twice  revisited  her  shores. 
Having  a  millionaire  cousin,  and  a  boyhood  friend,  a  successful  East  India  mer- 
chant residing  in  London,  he  has  been  his  guest,  and  has  accompanied  him  with 
other  invited  guests  upon  various  yachting  trips  along  the  Scotch  headlands  and 
into  Irish  lochs  and  rivers,  witnessing  in  company  with  congenial  spirits  many  of 
the  most  interesting  scenes  of  Great  Britain  made  famous  by  historic  incident. 
Like  all  true  Scots  he  is  an  admirer  of  Robert  Burns  and  has  passed  many  a  happy 
hour  along  the  banks  of  Ayr.  Among  other  scenes  made  famous  by  the  loved 
singer,  he  visited,  while  attending  the  funeral  of  an  old  lady,  the  famous  Alloway 
Kirk,  where  the  ghosts  and  goblins  made  their  home.  Space  disallows  further  and 
closer  review  of  the  career  of  this  respected  citizen,  whose  life  passed  amidst  the 
active  cares  of  a  busy  period  has  been  a  successful  one.  Few  men  have  more  or 
warmer  friends  and  none  has  ever  felt  and  shown  keener  interest  in  every  effort  at 
local  advancement  and  a  better  and  broader  civilization. 

Voorhis,  George  W.— To  the  race  track  frequenter  on  the  famous  courses  through- 
out the  northern  States  few  names  are  more  familiar  than  that  of  George  W.  Voor- 
his, one  of  the  old  time  famous  drivers— a  driver  and  trainer  when  only  high-minded, 
whole-souled  men  were  employed,  or  at  least  were  detained  on  the  turf,  and  whose 

243 


names  became  no  less  famous  than  those  of  the  noble  animals  whose  efforts  and  ac- 
complishments made  them  household  words.  For  nearly  thirty  years  Mr.  Voorhis 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  Michigan  trainers  and  drivers,  and  no  other  man  contrib- 
uted so  much  to  advance  the  racing  interests  of  this  city.  As  a  boy  he  rode  the 
quarter  races,  attaining  a  reputation  as  a  skillful  handler  of  the  race  horses  of  that 
day.  Ever  a  lover  of  the  horse,  he  has  never  slackened  in  his  enthusiasm  for  the 
advancement  of  that,  the  greatest  of  gentleman  sports.  Thirty  years  ago  the  fore- 
most merchants  of  Detroit  were  famous  for  their  love  of  hor.se  flesh ;  General  Alger, 
Dan  Campau,  Norton  Strong  and  many  others  were  enthusiasts.  In  1868  Mr.  Voor- 
his became  superintendent  for  Norton  Strong,  lessee  of  the  old  Park  House  grounds, 
and  at  his  death  in  1873  Mr.  Voorhis  succeeded  as  lessee,  and  for  the  next  ten  years 
made  the  old  grounds  the  most  celebrated  resort  for  true  sport  in  Michigan.  Not 
only  a  breeder  himself,  his  judgment  was  sought  by  the  lovers  of  horse  flesh  to  select 
animals  for  their  private  use.  Nearly  all  the  old  time  merchant  princes  have  been 
his  patrons.  The  Great  Black  Cloud,  2:17i4,  the  greatest  stallion  of  1880-83,  was 
the  result  of  his  skill  in  training,  and  in  one  season  earned  for  him  §18,000;  Cosette, 
another  familiar  2: 19,  was  his  property,  as  has  been  dozens  with  low  records.  As  a 
campaigner  he  probably  was  most  widely  known,  standing  side  by  side  in  reputa- 
tion with  the  most  famous  drivers  of  the  past,  those  whose  honesty,  skill  and  faith  m 
the  future  kept  racing  to  a  high  plane  and  made  it  the  national  sport.  Some  four 
years  since  he  took  charge  of  Highland  Park  grounds,  including  the  half  mile  track 
and  hotel.  This  track  was  converted  into  a  mile  track,  the  best  in  the  country,  and 
race  meetings  that  attracted  wide  attention  and  drew  thousands  of  visitors  were 
held.  He  is  more  particularly  attentive  at  present  to  the  conduct  of  the  Park  Hotel 
and  the  refreshment  privileges  on  the  grounds.  He  still  has  a  lively  interest  in  the 
horse,  and  now  has  in  his  own  stables  some  promising  animals,  one  being  out  of 
Pilot  Medium,  and  one  fine  mare  bred  to  Directum,  2:  05J:|.  He  makes  as  popular 
a  landlord  as  the  city  affords,  and  the  Park  House  is  the  recognized  headquarters  of 
horsemen.  Mr.  Voorhis  was  born  in  Oakland  county,  April  8,  1847,  and  at  ten  years 
of  age  was  dependent  wholly  upon  his  own  efforts.  He  served  two  and  half  years 
in  Co.  C,  13th  Mich.,  and  marched  with  them  to  the  sea.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and 
probably  no  other  man  is  deserving  of  so  much  credit  in  bringing  the  present  popu- 
lar governor,  H.  S.  Pingree,  forward  for  mayor,  and  has  ever  since  retained  his 
unyielding  loyalty  to  the  governor. 

Wilson,  Peter  R.,  was  born  October  16,  1838,  on  a  farm  in  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y., 
where  his  boyhood  was  passed.  After  working  two  years  in  a  grocery  store  he 
learned  blacksmithing  and  wagon  making,  but  did  not  follow  either  trade  for  a  live- 
lihood. He  came  to  Burr  Oak,  St.  Joseph  county,  Mich.,  where  he  remained  two 
years  dealing  in  patent  rights.  He  then  removed  to  Hudson,  Mich.,  becoming  land- 
lord of  the  Hudson  House.  He  is  liberally  endowed  with  the  essential  qualities  that 
make  a  popular  host  and  for  a  period  of  ten  years  his  attention  was  devoted  to  the 
entertainment  of  the  public.  During  this  time  he  was  married  on  April  21,  1870,  to 
Isabel  Harris,  a  native  of  Burr  Oak,  Mich.  Mr.  Wilson  has  always  been  a  lover  of 
horses  and  had  become  an  enthusiastic  student  of  the  Rockwell  system  of  training 
horses,  being  a  pupil  of  Prof.  Rockwell  himself.  He  went  to  California  as  a  teacher 
of  that  system  and  devoted  a  year  to  this  very  agreeable  work,  meeting  with  most 

244 


remarkable  success.  After  his  marriage  he  remained  in  the  hotel  until  1872,  when, 
having  exchanged  for  property  here  he  came  to  Wayne  county  on  a  farm,  and  en- 
gaging in  the  livery  and  horse  busmess,  conducted  his  livery  stable  until  one  year 
ago.  Being  a  great  admirer  of  horses  he  has  always  owned  one  or  more  and  has 
trained  driving  horses  that  he  has  exhibited  at  the  various  fairs  with  success  in  com- 
petition He  is  the  owner  of  Chandler,  a  horse  of  the  2:28  class,  that  has  a  wide 
reputation  among  lovers  of  horse  flesh.  He  has  bred  some  fine  colts  and  has  now  on 
his  horse  farm  three  or  four  promising  ones.  He  has  followed  the  race  courses  for 
years  and  has  been  a  competitor  in  many  places  with  high  honors.  He  has  an 
eighty  acre  farm  near  Wayne  that  he  devotes  to  the  breeding  of  horses.  Mr.  Wilson 
was  elected  supervisor  of  the  town  of  Nankin  in  1891,  serving  five  years  consecutive- 
ly. During  this  time  the  selection  of  the  site  of  the  new  County  Building,  now  in 
course  of  construction,  was  concluded.  His  own  action  was  opposed  to  the  final 
selection  which  the  majority  of  the  board  saw  fit  to  accept,  believing  the  interests  of 
the  people  would  be  better  served  with  a  different  location.  His  election  as  super- 
visor was  the  first  break  in  Nankin  township  in  the  Democratic  ranks  for  years,  but 
since  then  it  has  been  held  by  the  Republican  forces,  not  the  least  influence  being 
the  popularity  of  Mr.  Wilson.  He  resigned  the  office  of  supervisor  to  accept  mem- 
bership on  the  County  Poor  Commission,  now  serving  his  third  year  in  that  import- 
ant official  body.  He  is  chairman  of  the  committee  on  temporary  relief;  this  duty 
requires  constant  surveillance  of  the  county  farm  at  Eloise,  visiting  the  institution 
from  two  to  four  times  per  week.  He  is  a  stockholder  m  the  Proutj^  &  Glass  carriage 
factory  at  Wayne,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Wayne  Savings  Bank.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  no  family  except  two  adopted  children,  Mabel  E.,  taken  at 
the  age  of  three  and  who  is  now  Mrs.  Stellwagen  of  Wayne,  and  Belle,  adopted 
when  two  years  old  and  is  now  a. young  miss  of  six.  Fayette  Harris,  brother  of 
Mrs.  Wilson,  was  a  member  of  their  family  also  from  early  boyhood  and  until  grown 
and  educated.  He  is  now  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  Wayne  as  well  as  being 
the  town  supervisor,  having  been  chosen  to  succeed  Mr.  Wilson  to  that  office.  Mrs. 
Wilson  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  she  being  particularly  active  in 
its  affairs.  Mr.  Wilson  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the  Uniformed  Rank, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  Red  Cross.  In  addition  to  other  affairs  Mr.  Wil- 
son has  acquired  a  wide  reputation  as  an  auctioneer ;  he  is  widely  known  as  a  most 
successful  salesman  and  his  services  are  in  demand  when  it  is  desired  to  bring  out 
the  full  merits  of  stock  or  other  merchandise.  His  reputation  in  this  line  is  unex- 
celled in  the  State.  His  fine  physique  and  fluent  language  combined  with  great 
personal  magnetism  are  feuch  that  his  voice  and  manner  inspire  confidence  in  the 
audience  and  the  highest  prices  are  realized  under  his  excellent  exhortation.  Mr. 
Wilson  is  a  well  known  official  whose  pleasing  personality  and  outspoken  kindly 
manner  has  made  him  hosts  of  warm  friends,  whose  loyalty  is  unquestioned.  His 
conduct  of  the  county  afltairs  has  been  above  criticism.  He  known  all  the  details 
of  the  public  business  in  his  department  and  keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  means 
and  men  identified  with  the  care  of  the  poor. 

Wolf,  Frederick  H.,  of  the  F.  H.  Wolf  Brick  Co. — One  of  the  most  important 
manufacturing  industries  of  Detroit  and  one  that  has  an  immense  capital  invested 
and  that  probably  employs  more  men  than  any  other  in  the  brick  industry,  is  the  F. 

245 


H.  Wolf  Brick  Co.  Of  the  many  firms  engaged,  none  occupies  a  more  important 
place  among  the  industries  than  the  one  of  which  the  above  gentleman  is  the  lead- 
ing spirit  and  to  whom  its  existence  is  due.  Some  seventeen  years  since  he,  in  com- 
pany with  R.  H.  Hall,  established  the  plant,  which,  beginning  February  10,  1888, 
was  conducted  under  the  style  of  Hall  &  Wolf  Co.  for  a  period  of  over  nine  years, 
when,  in  June.  1897,  it  became  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $75,000,  owned 
almost  wholly  by  Mr.  Wolf  and  members  of  his  family.  The  plant  covers  about 
twelve  acres  out  of  forty-eight  connected  with  it;  its  annual  capacity  is  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  millions,  and  it  gives  employment  to  from  eighty  to  140  men,  with  a 
monthly  expense  in  its  conduct  of  about  $7,500.  These  statistics  can  give  but  a  faint 
conception  of  the  magnitude  of  the  business,  which,  while  it  is  one  of  the  most  ancient, 
has  had  to  keep  pace  with  others  by  the  adoption  of  improved  machinery  and  proc- 
esses, not  only  of  actual  mixing  of  material  and  shaping  of  bricks,  but  of  the  style 
of  kiln  and  of  manner  of  burning.  The  gentleman  to  whose  business  sagacity  and 
experience  this  immense  plant  is  due  and  whose  personal  attention  has  made  it  a 
financial  success,  even  during  times  of  depression,  came  from  Prussia  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  landing  m  Detroit  May  25,  1865.  His  father,  W.  F.  Wolf,  and  four  of  his 
brothers  were  in  the  employ  of  R.  H.  Hall,  the  largest  manufacturer  of  brick  of  the 
last  generation,  and  with  him  also  Fred  found  a  situation.  Here  began  a  friendship 
and  relationship  that  with  but  a  brief  interval,  from  1869  to  1871,  when  Wolf  was  in 
Minnesota,  and  in  a  saw  mill  at  Ecorse,  lasted  until  the  day  of  Mr.  Hall's  death. 
Beginning  at  the  bottom  round  Mr.  Wolf,  by  industry,  judgment  and  attention  to 
details,  soon  reached  a  position  of  trust  and  importance  in  the  estimation  of  his  em- 
ployer. He  succeeded  Conrad  Clippert  as  foreman,  and  remained  general  superin- 
tendent of  Mr.  Hall's  business  for  from  ten  years  before  to  his  death.  The  relation- 
ship with  his  father  extended  to  the  son,  with  whom  Mr.  Wolf  opened  up  the  busi- 
ness on  the  present  site,  a  relation  that  was  not  broken  until  1897,  when  Mr.  Hall 
retired.  The  business  has  prospered  until  now  Mr.  Wolf  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  successful  men  engaged  in  this  line  of  manufacture  in  or  about  the  city.  He 
has  erected  not  only  a  handsome  brick  residence  for  himself,  but  also  a  large  doubie 
hou.se  for  his  son.  Mr.  Wolf,  while  alive  to  local  affairs,  has  not  sought  nor  occupied 
public  office,  though  he  keeps  in  touch  with  the  Republican  part}'.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar,  having  taken  about  all  there  is  in  both 
York  and  Scottish  rite  Masonry,  and  in  some  of  its  bodies  has  been  honored  by  various 
official  positions.  August  16,  1867,  he  married  Mary  Kokesh,  and  they  have  seven 
children:  John  E.,  Fred  C,  Annie  L.,  Frank  H.,  Mamie  J.,  Charles  J.,  and  Rich- 
ard A.     All  live  at  or  near  home,  and  are  more  or  less  associated  with  the  business. 

Campbell,  William,  president  of  the  First  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  of  Wyan- 
dotte, Mich.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  June  22,  1859,  a  son  of  Gordon  Campbell  of  the 
firm  of  Campbell,  Owen  &  Co.,  predecessors  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock  Company,  who 
died  in  1874.  Gordon  was  born  in  Canada  and  followed  the  life  of  a  sailor  until  he 
came  to  Detroit  and  established  the  Campbell,  Owen  &  Co.  about  1856.  He  con- 
tinued with  this  corporation  until  his  death  and  was  the  active  manager  of  the  busi- 
ness. During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  he  spent  much  of  his  time  on  a  cotton  plant- 
ation in  South  Carolina,  of  which  he  was  the  owner.  He  was  married  in  Detroit 
to  May  Low,   who  still    survives.      He  left  six  children.      William   Campbell  was 

246 


educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Detroit,  where  he  received  a  business  education 
and  removed  to  Wyandotte  in  1879,  entering  the  employ  of  the  Detroit  Dry  Dock 
Company  as  storekeeper  and  was  later  promoted  to  the  situation  of  cashier.  He  re- 
mained with  this  company  until  1891,  when  he  engaged  in  dealing  in  real  estate, 
both  in  Wyandotte  and  Detroit.  In  1893  the  First  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  was 
organized  and  he  was  elected  its  first  president  and  has  been  continued  in  that  ca- 
pacity ever  since.  The  bank  has  a  capital  of  |50,000;  deposits  of  $120,000  and  a 
surplus  of  $5,700.  He  is  president  of  the  Business  Men's  Associatian,  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  manufacturing  establishments  to  locate  in  his  city,  and  has 
served  as  mayor  three  terms,  being  elected  in  1889,  1890  and  1891.  He  was  elected 
president  of  the  Board  of  Education,  serving  two  terms,  and  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Republican  party  in  his  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wyandotte  Athletic 
Club;  Wyandotte  Gun  Club  and  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Campbell  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Wyandotte  and  has  done  much  to  foster 
the  industries  of  his  city.     He  is  unmarried. 

Carey,  Hugh,  M.  D.,  son  of  Hugh  and  Margaret  (Hamilton)  Carey,  was  born  in 
Demerstville,  Ontario,  Canada,  June  6,  1852.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Demerstville  and  entered  the  Provincial  Normal  School  at 
Toronto,  Ontario,  in  1867,  where  he  remained  until  1871.  In  1872  he  removed  to 
Cobden,  Ontario,  and  engaged  in  teaching  until  1875,  when  he  removed  to  Renfrew, 
Ontario,  and  taught  in  the  village  school  until  1881.  In  October,  1881,  he  entered 
the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and  was  graduated  in  1884.  Dr.  Carey 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Romulus,  Mich.,  in  the  fall  of  1884,  where  he 
remained  one  year  and  then  removed  to  Delray,  Mich.  He  was  the  first  physician 
to  locate  in  the  present  village  and  has  established  a  large  practice.  He  was  elected 
township  clerk  in  1890  and  served  one  term ;  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  school 
board  in  1888  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  present.  He  is  a  member  of 
Zion  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  Knights  of  Pythias;  I.  O.  O.  F;  and  Maccabees.  August 
6,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Jennie  E.  Mulbaugh  of  Brockville,  Canada;  Mrs.  Carey 
died  in  1891  and  in  1892  he  married  Mrs.  Orme  E.  Mulbaugh  of  Cheboj'gan,  Mich. 
By  his  first  wife  Dr.  Carey  has  one  son,  Howard.  The  doctor  was  elected  a  trustee 
of  Delray  when  it  was  organized  as  a  village  in  November,  1897. 

Gauld,  John,  was  born  in  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland,  June  8,  1814.  His  parents, 
John  and  Barbara  (Sharan)  Gauld,  crossed  the  ocean  in  1832,  when  it  required  seven 
weeks  and  two  days  to  cross.  They  encountered  tremendous  storms  and  expected  the 
ship  to  sink  and  each  hour  to  be  their  last.  They  lay  quarantined  at  New  York  for 
three  days;  among  other  sickness  the  dreaded  disease  small-pox  was  on  board  ship. 
They  came  via  Erie  Canal  and  Lake  Erie  to  Detroit  to  relatives.  His  father  selected 
240  acres  of^  government  land  in  Dearborn,  of  which  John  now  owns  eighty  acres, 
settled  there  July,  1832,  being  among  the  very  earliest  settlers.  Both  parents  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  after  many  years  spent  in  the  old  log  house.  There  were 
nine  children  in  the  family,  three  of  whom  are  now  living:  John,  Barbara,  wife  of 
George  Troup  of  Dearborn,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Robert  Campbell,  Corunna,  Mich.  ; 
one  son,  James,  died  in  October,  1876.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  later  came 
to  the  farm.  This  community  has  borne  the  name  of  Scotch  Settlement  for  sixty 
years  and  Mr.  Gauld's  family  were  of  the  very  first  of  the  Scotch  settlers.    One  man, 

247 


Charles  Mason,  lived  close  by,  both  being  in  the  heart  of  a  heavy  forest  and  Mr. 
Gauld  became  his  most  intimate  friend,  he  being  one  of  nature's  noblemen.  The 
Scotch  began  to  come  rapidly  in  soon  after  the  Gauld  family  and  hence  it  began  to 
be  known  as  the  Scotch  Settlement.  Anna  Gauld,  eldest  of  the  Gauld  family, 
married  William  Loviner,  who  died  in  Detroit  of  cholera.  His  death  occurred  in 
the  night  and  his  body  was  buried  before  morning,  as  the  corpses  were  not  allowed 
to  lie,  but  were  buried  often  within  an  hour  after  death.  The  scare  was  such  that 
Detroit  was  nearly  depopulated.  His  widow  married  William  McCormock  some 
years  later  and  lived  where  her  son,  George  McCormock,  now  lives  on  a  part  of  the 
land  originally  secured  bj'  John  Gauld,  sr.  After  James  Gauld  died  John  came  to 
the  old  farm  and  has  since  carried  on  both  farms.  Neither  of  these  two  brothers 
has  ever  married.  John  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Gauld,  with  three 
other  men,  two  Irish  and  one  Scotch,  became  experts  with  the  axe  and  were  known 
as  the  four  corner  men.  They  were  chosen  far  and  near  to  cut  corners  of  log  houses, 
requiring  the  highest  skill  as  an  axeman,  and  Mr.  Gauld  excelled  in  it.  In  1860  he 
visited  his  old  home  in  Scotland,  remaining  there  many  weeks.  This  trip  is  re- 
membered by  him  with  great  satisfaction.  He  visited  many  places  of  historic  inter- 
est, such  as  the  Castle  of  Edinburgh.  Among  other  things  that  he  saw  was  the 
famous  gun,  "Mond  Meg,"  that  was  fired  but  once,  its  contents  destroying  hundreds 
of  English  soldiers.  He  cut  the  measurement  of  the  gun  in  his  cane  and  displays  it 
with  commendable  Scotch  pride.  His  niece,  Jennie,  and  her  husband,  John  Munger, 
have  been  with  him  for  three  years,  carrying  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Gauld  is  full  of 
incidents  touching  pioneer  life  and  can  tell  them  with  proper  elaboration.  He  is 
very  reserved  in  his  manner,  especially  with  strangers,  but  quite  talkative  when  once 
started  and  his  confidence  secured.  He  is  a  well  preserved  man,  though  bent  and 
somewhat  deaf,  and  has  fine  nerves  for  a  man  of  his  age.  He  has  filled  an  important 
niche  in  the  history  of  Dearborn  and  is  one  of  the  few  of  those  early  comers  still 
living.     No  citizen  has  warmer  friends  than  John  Gauld. 

Gray.  Theodore  C,  proprietor  of  the  Wyandotte  City  Mills,  was  in  early  years 
thrown  entirely  ui^on  his  own  resources  from  eleven  to  seventeen  years  of  age  and 
worked  at  farm  work  with  but  little  schooling.  Young  Gray  at  seventeen  began  to 
learn  engineering,  and  for  the  next  ten  years  was  engaged  in  running  an  engine, 
and  then  entered  upon  the  present  Ime  of  work,  becoming  a  practical  miller.  His 
skill  in  that  line  was  such  that  but  little  effort  was  needed  to  interest  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Wyandotte  in  his  proposal  to  establish  a  local  mill,  so  that  in  1893,  with 
their  assistance,  he  erected  the  present  mill  property  and  gave  to  the  town  an  in- 
dustry that  has  steadily  grown  in  value  and  popularity  and  has  done  much  to  revive 
the  business  of  the  place  and  bring  back  to  its  merchants  the  custom  of  many 
people,  especially  those  in  the  country  whose  trade  bad  gone  elsewhere.  His  mill 
has  a  capacity  of  sixty  barrels  daily  and  besides  doing  a  merchant  milling  business 
of  3,000  barrels,  it  converts  about  35,000  bushels  of  the  farmers'  grain  into  an  ex- 
cellent grade  of  '•  Gold  Medal"  flour  each  year.  Mr.  Gray  when  ready  to  operate 
his  mill  found  himself  $6,000  in  debt,  but  with  grim  determination  he  entered  upon 
the  duties,  and  by  careful  and  constant  attention  to  his  business  has  made  such  a 
marked  success  of  the  plant  that  his  indebtedness  is  not  only  nearly  wiped  out,  but 
he  has  entered  upon  improvements  of  the  property  as  well  as  building  a  comfortable 

248 


residence.  This  success  has  been  obtained,  not  with  the  universal  co-operation,  as 
would  be  expected,  of  all  the  citizens,  but  rather  in  the  teeth  of  bitter  opposition, 
especially  of  many  merchants  who  attempted  to  dictate  how  he  should  conduct  his 
business  and  thought  to  use  the  mill  only  to  further  their  own  selfish  interests. 
Since  finding  that  it  was  rule  or  ruin  policy  on  their  part,  Mr.  Gray  has  cut  loose 
from  them  and  now  sells  his  product  direct  to  his  customers  without  the  aid  of  the 
grocers,  and  has  -great  satisfaction  that  his  entire  output  is  readily  absorbed  by 
home  demand.  His  is  a  spirit  that  is  not  easily  downed,  but  opposition  only  brings 
out  the  latent  qualities  and  tends  to  insure  success.  In  1885  Mr.  Gray  married 
Minnie  Kreger,  and  they  have  three  children:  Christina,  Martha  and  Florence. 
Himself  and  family  affiliate  with  St.  John's  Lutheran  church. 

Haggerty,  L,  D.,  &  Son,  Brick  Manufacturers.— This  business  was  established  by 
Clifton  Floyd  and  John  S.  Haggerty,  and  is  situated  at  the  crossing  of  the  Flint  & 
Pere  Marquette  Railway  and  Michigan  Avenue.  In  1881  L.  D.  Haggerty  started 
business  nearer  the  city  on  Michigan  avenue,  and  remained  there  until  1894.  In  1897 
he  became  a  partner  with  his  son,  John  S.,  of  the  present  firm.  The  plant  has 
facilities  for  manufacturing  six  million  per  year,  and  the  business  has  been  a  con- 
stantly growing  one.  Their  yard  gives  employment  to  about  fifty  men ;  this  yard 
now  has  the  famous  clamp  kiln,  the  only  one  in  Detroit.  The  yard's  output  is  strictly 
building  brick ;  the  plant  covers  several  acres  and  its  sales  are  mainly  in  the  city. 
The  brick  in  the  new  County  Buildmg  came  from  this  yard.  The  Newton  Haggerty 
Ladder  Company  have  erected  a  building  for  the  manufacturing  of  combined  slip 
and  extension  ladders  near  their  yards.  This  is  anew  enterprise,  employing  about 
thirty  men,  and  promises  to  grow  rapidly  into  an  important  enterprise.  L.  D.  Hag- 
gerty was  born  in  Springwells,  April  30,  1808.  His  father,  Hugh  Haggerty,  came 
from  County  Derry,  Ireland,  to  the  United  States  in  1831,  and  married  Fanny  Otis 
of  New  York.  They  settled  in  Sprmgwells,  where  L.  D.  now  lives  in  the  old  house 
standing  near  the  present  one.  The  land  is  still  in  the  family,  though  he  lived  one 
mile  nearer  the  citj'  when  he  died  in  1853.  His  widow  survived  him  a  number  of 
years,  dying  at  the  age  of  ninety  in  1893.  They  had  six  daughters  and  three  sons, 
three  surviving.  L.  D.  Haggerty  went  to  Kansas  in  1856,  and  for  a  time  was  as- 
sociated with  the  Kansas  pro-slavery  leaders,  Jim  Lane  and  John  Brown.  He  had 
farmed  for  some  j'^ears  after  his  return  to  Michigan  and  made  pressing  hay  a  busi- 
ness for  several  years,  shipping  it  up  the  lakes.  December  27,  I860,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Strong,  born  in  Greenfield,  and  daughter  of  John  Strong,  and  settled  on 
the  original  place  of  his  father.  Mrs.  Haggerty  died  in  1896,  and  their  family  were 
two  sons,  Clifton  Floyd  and  John  S. 

Haigh,  Richard,  is  one  of  the  self-made  men  whose  lives  of  successful  business 
have  largely  been  the  result  of  the  native  genius  found  in  the  boy.  The  family 
originated  a't  Bemerside,  Scotland,  where  it  has  existed  for  generations,  one  branch 
getting  into  Wakefield,  Yorkshire,  Eng.,  where  Richard  was  born  on  May  4,  1811. 
In  1825,  when  a  lad  of  fourteen,  he  accompanied  an  uncle  to  the  United  States,  and 
was  soon  after  bound  until  twenty-one  years  of  age  to  Mr.  Williams  of  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y.,  to  learn  the  wool  busmess,  for  which,  from  a  boy  at  ten,  he  had  a  pre- 
dilection. As  a  boy  he  had  decided  views,  and  having  friends  in  the  wool  trade  he 
became  interested  and  decided  that   should  be  his  own  business.     He  had  scarcely 

249 


anj'  schooling,  never  having  been  a  student  in  a  school  after  nine  years  old.  But 
the  best  school  of  all  that  was  to  fit  him  for  an  active  responsible  life  was  the  one  he 
had  under  the  eye  of  his  employer.  At  twenty-one  he  had  mastered  the  details  of 
the  wool  business,  and  was  an  excellent  judge  of  wool  grades  and  value.  He  re- 
mained two  years  longer  with  his  old  emploj'er  and  then  took  a  position  at  Roch 
ester,  N.  Y.,  with  the  well  known  firm  of  E.  &  H.  Lyon,  with  whom  his  relations 
were  close  and  where  a  friendship  was  formed  that  can  terminate  only  with  life  itself. 
He  had  a  temper  and  qualities  that  had  ever  before  this  endeared  him  to  those  he 
was  associated  with,  a  fact  proven  by  his  marriage  in  1836  to  Bessie  Williams,  daugh- 
ter of  his  employer.  He  continued  in  the  wool  trade  until  1853,  for  some  years 
being  located  on  a  farm  near  Geneva,  Seneca  county,  N.  Y.  At  the  date  above 
mentioned  he  decided,  on  account  of  his  growing  family,  to  come  to  Michigan,  and 
was  soon  after  established  on  a  farm  that  is  still  his  home  at  Dearborn.  Wayne 
county.  He  bought  quite  a  large  tract  of  land,  most  of  which  he  has  lately  sold,  re- 
taining, however,  the  residence  which  to-day,  more  than  sixty  years  after  its  erec- 
tion, stands  a  monument  to  the  excellent  material  used  and  judgment  of  its  builder, 
Col.  Howard,  of  the  United  States  army,  then  in  command  at  the  arsenal  which  was 
established  about  that  time,  the  main  building  being  erected  the  same  year,  1863. 
Mr.  Haigh  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agriculture,  and  in  former  days  gave  consid- 
erable attention  to  fruit  growing,  planting  an  orchard  of  some  twenty  acres.  His 
life  of  forty-five  years  among  the  people  of  the  vicinity  has  made  him  with  few  ex- 
ceptions the  oldest  resident,  among  whom  none  is  more  highly  esteemed  than  he. 
Now  in  life's  decline  he  lives  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  society  of  friends  and  the  recol- 
lection of  a  well  spent  life.  Death  parted  his  wife  from  him  and  three  children  some 
nine  years  after  marriage ;  his  present  helpmate  was  formerly  Lucy  B.  Allen,  of 
New  York,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1845.  One  son,  George,  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  at  Mankato,  Minn, ;  Thomas  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  while  en  route 
home  from  a  season  passed  in  Florida,  where  he  went  on  account  of  poor  health ;  a 
daughter,  Bessie,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Gully,  formerly  of  Dearborn ;  Richard  and 
Henry,  sons  of  the  second  marriage,  both  reside  in  Detroit,  the  latter  bemg  one  of 
the  rising  young  lawyers  whose  name  has  had  frequent  mention  in  connection  with 
the  mayoralty.  A  lifelong  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church,  INIr.  Haigh  is  still 
serving  as  warden.  Mrs.  Haigh  is  also  one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  She  is  a  lady  of  rare  conversational  powers,  being  well  read  and 
possessing  a  personality  always  pleasing  and  congenial. 

Hally,  Rev.  James  A.,  rector  of  St.  Patrick's  R.  C.  church,  and  editor  of  the  Cath- 
olic Witness,  Detroit,  was  born  in  St.  Clair  county,  Mich.,  a  son  of  Patrick  Hally, 
who  for  thirty  years  was  a  well  known  resident  of  Detroit,  having  moved  there  when 
James  was  five  years  old.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  St.  Vincent's  School; 
Detroit  College  and  Assumption  College  at  Sandwich,  Ont.  He  took  the  theological 
course  at  St.  Mary's  Seminary,  Baltimore,  and  was  ordained  in  St.  Vincent's  church, 
Detroit,  August  18,  1888,  Bishop  Foley  presiding.  He  at  once  entered  upon  a  pas- 
toral life,  his  first  charge  being  St.  Mary's  at  Wilford,  Mich.,  from  where  he  was 
transferred  to  St.  John's  at  Monroe,  Mich.,  and  in  August,  1894,  took  charge  of  St. 
Patrick's  at  Wyandotte.  Here  he  has  a  live  interesting  charge  with  some  300  fam- 
ilies in  communion.     Father  Hally  is  a  wide  awake  progressive  thinker  and  repre- 

250 


sents  the  liberal  side  of  his  church.  While  having  a  parochial  school  where  excellent 
primary  work  is  done,  he  is  a  warm  supporter  of  the  public  schools  and  no  man  in 
Wyandotte  is  more  alive  to  their  needs  and  interests  than  he.  His  sympathy  and 
help  is  rapidly  extended;  his  liberal  views,  genial  and  sociable  personality  and  gen- 
eral interest  taken  in  all  that  tends  to  upbuild  the  community  makes  him  earnest 
friends  and  marks  him  as  one  of  the  live  and  progressive  characters  of  the  city.  He 
has  great  abihtyas  an  exponent  of  Catholic  truth  as  shown  in  the  columns  of  the 
Witness,  a  journal  whose  broad  views  have  made  it  a  power  in  the  State  and  de- 
mand for  it  ready  recognition  at  the  hand  of  all  denominations  and  parties  of  the 
State.  Father  Hallyis  a  ready,  fluent  speaker  and  besides  his  popularity  as  a  pulpit 
speaker  stands  in  high  estimation  in  the  inner  councils  of  his  church.  It  is  a  happy 
day  for  the  Catholic  church  that  its  great  officials  have  been  led  to  recognize  more 
and  more  the  material  found  in  men  of  his  stamp,  as  they  are  the  ones  whose  influ- 
ence is  constantly  growing  and  keeping  pace  with  modern  thought. 

Haltiner,  John,  sr.,  was  born  in  St.  Galleon,  Switzerland,  October  2,  1834.  In 
early  life  he  became  a  weaver  by  trade  for  six  years,  then  was  a  farmer  and  held 
various  public  offices  until  his  coming  to  America  in  1863.  He  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  living  on  his  present  farm  for  fifteen  years.  He  has  met  with 
financial  success  and  has  plotted  several  tracts  of  land  on  which  he  has  erected  sev- 
eral houses,  many  of  which  he  still  owns.  His  name  is  preserved  in  Haltiner's  Cor- 
ners where  much  of  his  property  lies;  in  addition  he  owns  farms  and  other  property. 
He  has  a  verj'  pleasant  home,  having  erected  a  pleasant  commodious  house.  He 
has  served  some  years  on  the  local  board  as  a  Republican,  but  in  local  matters  acts 
rather  independent  of  party.  The  Evangelical  church  at  Delray  has  found  in  him 
its  earliest  and  most  substantial  supporter.  It  was  first  organized  bj'  his  efforts. 
Mr.  Haltiner's  first  wife  was  Katharina  Dietrick,  who  died  in  1885;  his  present  wife 
was  Wilhelmina  Laskorfsky.  The  children  by  the  former  marriage  are  John,  Anna, 
Emma  and  Marie,  and  by  his  second  wife.  Bertha.  Mr.  Haltiner  is  a  master  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge  of  Detroit  for  fourteen  years. 

Higgins,  Frederick  W. ,  superintendent  of  the  Woodmere  Cemetery,  was  born  near 
Carthage,  N.  Y. ,  June  30,  1830.  His  father,  Archibald  Higgins,  was  frorrt  an  old 
New  England  family  and,  being  a  seventh  son,  was  credited  with  the  healing  power 
by  laying  on  of  hands.  Fred  being  the  child  of  his  parents'  later  years  went  when 
eleven  years  old  to  live  with  a  sister  and  husband,  and  for  the  next  five  years  did 
much  hard  work  in  assisting  in  clearing  up  a  farm.  He  struck  out  for  himself,  and, 
like  most  boys  of  that  day,  found  work  on  the  Erie  Canal  as  driver.  His  capabili- 
ties were  recognized  and  opportunity  was  soon  given  him  to  become  steersman  on  a 
packet  boat.  Circumstances  threw  him  at  the  close  of  navigation  into  the  family  of 
Judge  Porter  of  Allegany  county,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  and  a  half  years 
and  receivecJ  such  schooling  as  was  offered  at  the  time.  At  twenty-one  he  began  to 
teach  at  his  old  home  in  Jefferson  county  and  in  this  work  he  remained  until  he  had 
taught  twenty-two  terms.  In  1863  he  entered  the  commissary  department  of  the 
14th  N.  Y.  Artillery  and  served  in  the  arduous  duties  of  that  position  till  failing 
health  demanded  his  discharge  in  1864.  In  1865  he  came  to  Michigan,  teaching  in 
Clinton  county  for  ten  years  and  then  took  the  school  at  Delray,  where  he  was  teach- 
ing when  his  services  were  .sought  at  the  cemetery  there  just  being  opened.     He 

251 


was  soon  made  superintendent,  and  the  passing  years  have  but  emphasized  the  good 
judgment  of  the  trustees.  Having  studied  trigonometery.  surveying  and  landscape 
gardening  in  his  earlier  years,  they  come  specially  useful  to  him  in  laying  out  and 
beautifying  the  grounds  of  Woodmere,  which  is  considered  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive homes  for  the  dead  to  be  found  in  the  State.  His  life  for  thirty  years  has  been 
thus  devoted  and  every  foot  of  land  in  the  cemetery  grounds  bears  proof  of  his  skill 
and  efficiency.  He  was  married  when  twenty-one  to  Eunice  Graves,  also  of  Jeffer- 
son county  and  of  ancient  New  England  lineage.  Their  eldest  son,  Frank,  who  died 
in  1892  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight,  was  ever  in  closest  relationship  with  his  father, 
under  whose  personal  care  he  was  educated  and  with  whom  he  was  associated  as 
secretary  of  the  cemetery.  He  was  an  unusually  bright,  gentle  man,  whose  bearing 
and  manner  made  him  hosts  of  warm  friends  who  keenly  felt  his  loss.  Ella  is  the 
wife  of  Mathew  H.  Winters,  present  secretary  of  the  cemetery.  Mr.  Higgins  is  a 
member  of  Zion  Lodge  of  Masons  and  Monroe  Chapter  of  the  Royal  Arch,  as  well  as 
Rouge  River  Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  strong  character  and  one  whose  influence 
is  ever  on  the  side  of  the  good  and  the  beautiful.  Naturally  a  poet  and  lover  of  na- 
ture, he  has  ever  sought  to  beautify  Woodmere  in  harmony  with  nature,  allowing 
her  as  much  sway  as  possible,  thus  producing  the  most  pleasing  effects  in  the 
grounds  whose  beauty  is  but  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  Mr.  Higgins's  character 
was  cast  in  artistic  molds,  and  while  early  years  gave  him  some  bitter  experiences, 
the  better  part  of  life  has  run  along  the  pleasanter  lines  of  harmonious  existence. 

Holden,  Hiram,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Strathroy,  Ont,  and  enjoyed  in  boyhood  the 
excellent  advantages  of  the  collegiate  institute  in  which  he  was  well  fitted  for  the 
duties  of  a  teacher.  Two  j'ears  employed  in  this  capacity  convinced  him  that  other 
pursuits  were  better  suited  to  his  tastes  and  he  engaged  in  railroad  work.  He  spent 
some  years  in  this  work,  being  much  of  that  time  agent  for  the  Canada  Southern 
Railroad  at  Alvinston,  Ont.  He  was  also  for  a  time  in  the  drug  business  and  here 
his  former  ideas  of  medicine  were  emphasized  and  he  finally  embarked  upon  its 
study.  He  studied  for  one  year  at  Ann  Arbor,  but  completed  a  course  at  the  Detroit 
College  of  Medicine,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of  1883.  After  one  year's  practice 
in  Detroit  he  located  at  Trenton,  where  his  practice  has  acquired  handsome  propor- 
tions. Being  anxious  to  occupy  no  minor  position  in  the  ranks  of  the  profession,  he 
in  1890  was  graduated  from  Bellevue  Medical  School  at  New  York  city,  supplement- 
ing this  with  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Polyclinic,  being  assistant  house  surgeon 
in  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital  for  several  months,  and  then  resumed  his  old  practice.  Dr. 
Holden  stands  high  in  the  profession  and  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Detroit  Med- 
ical and  Library  Association.  His  time  has  been  given  to  the  demands  of  an  ex- 
tensive practice  which  has  allowed  him  but  little  leisure  for  other  matters.  However, 
the  demands  of  local  affairs  have  called  him  to  assume  some  of  the  more  important 
village  trusts,  such  as  trustee,  treasurer,  and  president.  He  has  also  attended  vari- 
ous conventions  of  the  Republican  party.  August  26,  1886,  Dr.  Holden  married 
Lizzie  E.  Fay,  of  Detroit,  a  lady  of  rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  She  was  a 
beautiful  personality  that  carried  sunshine  into  every  presence  and  with  a  warm 
vigorous  beauty  of  person  which  enhanced  the  cultivated  mind  and  the  true  loj'al 
heart.  Death  claimed  her  while  still  in  the  prime  of  life  on  the  4th  of  February, 
1895.     She  was  widely  loved  for  her  many  generous  traits.     She  was  an  accomplished 

252 


musician,  was  active  in  all  church  and  social  life  where  hosts  of  friends  mourn  her 
loss.  Dr.  Holden  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows  and 
Royal  Arcanum  societies. 

Horger,  Anthony,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Greenfield,  Mich.,  July  10,  1842,  a  son 
of  John  Horger,  a  native  of  Bavaria,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1837.  He  re- 
mained one  year -in  Detroit,  then  settled  in  Greenfield;  four  years  later  he  went  to 
the  Holden  road,  where  his  son  George  M.  now  lives  on  the  Greenfield  and  Spring- 
wells  line.  He  married  Margaret  Meisel,  who  was  also  born  in  Bavaria,  and  who 
with  her  brother,  Powell  Meisel,  came  on  the  same  vessel  as  John  Horger,  and  they 
were  married  some  months  later.  They  came  when  the  country  was  a  wilderness 
and  his  first  improvements  were  in  the  heavy  timber  untouched  by  man,  and  here  he 
succeeded  in  cleanng  quite  a  large  farm.  He  secured  eight  other  farms,  three  of  which 
he  had  improved,  about  600  acres  in  all.  He  paid  $5  per  acre  for  the  first  forty  acres 
that  he  bought  and  for  the  last  farm  $125  per  acre.  He  had  four  sons  who  remained 
on  the  farm  with  him  and  working  in  harmony  they  produced  important  results. 
Mr.  Horger  did  a  large  business  in  timber,  cutting  from  his  land  quantities  of  piles 
and  logs.  He  supplied  thousands  of  piles  to  the  Detroit  market  and  at  times  made 
$100  per  day  in  supplying  piles  to  the  city.  He  died  in  1876  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years.  Mr.  Horger  was  an  industrious  workman  and  good  manager,  exercising  his 
brains  as  well  as  his  brawn.  He  was  liberal  to  each  of  his  children,  encouraging 
them  to  work  in  harmony  with  the  rest,  and  gave  each  of  them  a  fine  farm.  He 
operated  three  of  his  farms  at  the  time  of  his  death,  so  he  was  in  the  harness  to  the 
last.  Mrs.  Horger  survived  her  husband  until  1884.  She  also  had  great  business 
ability  and  was  an  industrious  and  economical  woman,  making  an  excellent  com- 
panion to  such  a  shrewd  business  man.  She  was  very  charitable  in  helping  the  sick 
and  the  poor;  her  loss  was  keenly  felt.  They  had  a  family  of  seven,  six  surviving  in 
1898.  Catherine  M.,  married  Jacob  Esper,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years; 
Anthony;  Agatha  M.,  wife  of  George  Kramer;  John  Adam;  Mariah  Anna,  married 
Anthony  Ternes;  Joseph  C,  of  Springwells,  and  George  M.,  who  remained  on  the 
homestead.  Anthony  Horger  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  SeiDtember  25, 
1866,  when  he  settled  on  his  present  farm  that  his  father  had  bought  some  years  be- 
fore, and  had  made  improvements  amounting  to  $2,000  before  his  father's  death. 
He  has  added  ninety-two  acres  to  his  farm,  making  a  total  of  172,  and  the  production 
of  milk  has  been  one  of  his  chief  features  of  farming.  He  married  Anna  Mariah 
Eke,  who  was  born  in  Grosse  Pointe,  and  reared  in  Dearborn  by  her  parents,  George 
and  Regina  Eke.  Their  children  were  Mary  Regina,  married  Joseph  Therson  of 
Deaaborn ;  John  A.,  died  at  two  years  of  age;  Julia  M.,  wife  of  Frank  Esper  of 
Dearborn;  George  Frederick,  remained  at  home;  Emma  Sophia,  also  remained  at 
home ;  Louisa,  is  at  home,  her  twin  sister  Rose,  dying  at  the  age  of  seven ;  Bernard 
A.,  Matilda,  John  J.,  Christina  Isabella,  and  Eleanore  M.  Mr.  Horger  is  a  Democrat 
and  active  in  the  ranks  of  his  party,  though  he  would  not  be  designated  a  politician. 
Mr.  Horger  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  farmers  of  Dearborn,  having  a  fine  farm, 
well  improved  and  conducted  on  a  business  basis.  For  some  months  he  has  been  a 
sufferer  of  cataracts  forming  upon  the  eyes,  necessitating  an  operation  in  the  near 
future.  He  is  a  man  who  is  liberal  in  his  views  and  appreciates  similar  treatment. 
He  perceives  that  education  is  the  road  to  prosperity  and  has  given  his  children  the 

253 


advantages  of  the  best  schools;  like  his  father  holOing  it  wise  to  render  suitable  as- 
sistance to  them  when  starting  in  life  rather  than  to  defer.  He  proves  himself  the 
wise  counselor  and  partner  when  assistance  is  needed  and  most  appreciated. 

Kleinow.  Herman,  market  gardener,  was  born  at  Mt.  Clemens,  Mich.,  April  20, 
1848.  His  father,  Frederick  Kleinow,  who  came  from  Prussia,  was  a  resident  of 
Military  avenue  at  Wayne  until  his  death  February  9,  1898,  where  he  had  kept  a 
summer  garden  for  many  years.  For  thirty-five  years  Herman  has  resided  on  his 
present  farm  of  some  sixty  acres  and  where  he  has  been  engaged  quite  extensivelv 
in  the  business  of  market  gardening.  He  makes  the  growing  of  cabbages  and  onions 
the  main  feature  of  his  business  and  in  the  growth  of  these  important  vegetables  he 
has  met  with  much  more  than  ordinary  success.  He  grows  several  carloads  each 
season  and  is  doubtless  the  most  extensive  grower  of  these  products  in  Wayne 
county.  While  vegetable  growing  has  occupied  the  attention  of  Mr.  Kleinow  quite 
largely  it  has  not  done  so  to  the  exclusion  of  other  matters.  He  has  seen  over  six 
years'  service  on  the  School  Board,  where  his  ability  has  not  been  entirely  obscured 
by  others.  He  has  also  had  many  commendations  from  Detroit's  old  attorneys  upon 
his  ability  in  the  conduct  of  large  financial  matters,  even  when  complicated  with 
intricate  legal  questions.  He  is  the  administrator  of  the  Chultz  estate,  an  interest 
that  has  required  rare  executive  ability.  There  has  been  a  constant  litigation  pass- 
ing through  the  various  courts  in  each  of  which  Mr.  Kleinow  has  come  out  victorious 
and  the  interest  of  the  widow  and  others  has  been  sustained.  Those  attorneys  who 
have  watched  the  progress  of  this  interesting  case  have  passed  high  compliment  on 
the  skill  and  ability  displayed  on  his  part  all  through  the  intricacies  of  the  various 
suits.  January  25,  1872,  he  married  Mary  Willie,  and  they  had  seven  children: 
Willie,  Louisa,  Ada,  Herman,  Mamie,  a  pupil  in  music,  Allie  and  Viola.  Mr. 
Kleinow  is  a  member  of  Schiller  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  is  now  administrator  of  his 
fathers's  estate  and  has  also  served  two  terms  as  juror  in  the  city  of  Detroit. 

Loss,  Henry,  was  born  January  24,  1845,  in  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  his  father 
being  Frederick  Loss,  with  whom  when  Henry  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  he  came 
to  Michigan.  The  permanent  home  of  the  family  was  at  Dundee,  Monroe  county, 
but  it  was  but  a  short  time  when  Henry  was  required  to  shift  for  himself  and  at  the 
tender  age  of  twelve  he  became  his  own  supporter  and  director.  His  life  as  a  boy 
was  uneventful,  working  upon  a  farm  in  the  summer  season  and  for  his  board  in  win- 
ters, attending  school  pretty  regularly,  and  being  a  bright  and  intelligent  youth 
made  good  use  of  his  opportunities,  so  that  he  picked  up  a  fair  business  education. 
Fired  with  ambition  and  being  at  the  most  susceptible  age  when  war  alarms  re- 
sounded throughout  the  land,  he  decided  to  join  his  elder  companions  who  were  en- 
listing, but  here  he  found  his  desires  handicapped.  Young  and  short  in  stature,  the 
recruiting  officer  would  not  accept  him  for  the  ranks  and  he  sought  a  position  as 
drummer  boy,  and  in  August,  1861,  at  Saline,  Washtenaw  county,  he  entered  Com- 
pany E,  of  the  6th  Mich.  Infantry,  in  that  capacity.  He  served  with  honorable  dis- 
tinction with  the  historic  Sixth  during  its  memorable  campaigns  in  Louisana,  taking 
part  in  the  battle  at  Baton  Rouge  and  the  siege  and  fall  of  Port  Hudson.  He  was 
struck  on  the  temple  by  a  spent  ball  at  Baton  Rouge,  was  knocked  senseless  and  re- 
ported dead.  This  report  reached  his  friends  in  Michigan,  who  to  honor  the  soldier 
as  was  customary,  had  his  funeral  sermon  preached,  an   act  that  made  him  more 

254 


popular  when  it  was  learned  he  was  alive  and  well.  This  is  a  distinction  few  men 
can  claim.  In  June,  1864,  his  time  having  nearly  expired  and  having  been  sick  for 
some  months,  he  was  discharged  and  came  home  to  recuperate.  A  few  months 
among  friends  brought  recovery  and  with  it  came  the  old  desire  to  be  with  the  boys 
in  blue  and  on  the  fields  of  action.  Accordingly,  in  September,  1864,  he  re-enlisted 
in  Company  B  of  the  24th  Mich.,  as  a  recruit  in  the  ranks.  He  joined  the  regiment 
as  it  lay  before  Petersburg  and  participated  in  the  fight  of  Gaines  Mill  and  the  one 
at  Hatcher's  Run.  In  February,  1865,  the  24th  Regiment  was  sent  from  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  over  protest  of  the  men  to  Springfield,  111.,  on  guard  duty  in  recruit- 
ing camp  and  escorting  new  soldiers  to  the  front.  He  was  discharged  June  6,  as 
corporal,  which  he  had  been  for  five  months,  under  general  order  of  the  War  De- 
partment. He  had  many  narrow  escapes  but  was  never  captured.  He  is  a  member 
of  Corey  Post,  No.  261,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  the. work  of  the  post.  For  a  time  after  the  war  he  clerked  in  a  store  in  In- 
diana and  in  1870  came  to  Wayne  and  opened  a  hardware  store  in  company  with  T. 
E.  Denning,  conducting  that  business  successfully  for  a  period  of  thirteen  years. 
When  Dakota  was  opened  for  settlement  he  in  1883  went  to  Pierre,  South  Dakota, 
and  located  on  land,  remaining  there  until  he  had  "proved  up,"  requiring  about 
eighteen  months.  He  had  erected  a  shack  and  lived  upon  his  claim,  experiencing 
many  hardships  peculiar  to  that  new  country.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  returned  to 
Michigan  and  reopened  his  hardware  store;  he  has  just  closed  his  business,  being 
appointed  postmaster  and  taking  charge  of  the  office  October  1,  1896.  Mr.  Loss  is  a 
Republican  and  has  served  on  committees  and  in  conventions,  county,  district.  State 
and  congressional.  The  town  of  Nankin  has  formerly  been  Democratic  with  about 
seventy-five  majority.  It  has  now  and  for  some  years  over  one  hundred  Republican 
majority.  This  has  been  done  largely  by  the  solid  German  vote  which  was  formerly 
Democratic.  Mr.  Loss  has  had  great  influence  with  that  element  and  it  is  more  to 
his  elforts  than  any  other  man  that  the  change  has  been  effected.  He  has  not  sought 
office  himself,  but  has  used  his  greatest  endeavor  to  advance  the  Republican  party's 
interests.  He  has  served  as  town  treasurer  and  is  now  member  of  the  jury  commis- 
sion, being  one  of  two  country  members;  he  has  served  on  this  commission  both  un- 
der the  old  and  new  law,  his  last  appointment  being  for  six  years,  by  Governor  Rich. 
Mr.  Loss  was  married  in  December,  1879,  to  Ella  Cole  of  Shiawassee  county,  Mich., 
who  died  in  August,  1894.  Mr.  Loss  is  a  master  Moson.  As  a  sportsman  he  enjoys 
the  rod  and  delights  in  a  good  fishing  outing.  He  is  a  member  and  treasurer  of  the 
Congregational  church  and  has  always  been  an  active  worker  both  in  the  church  and 
Sunday  school.  He  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  of  men;  while  he  is  small  in  body  he 
is  large  in  mind.  His  ideas  are  for  a  large  and  better  civilization,  better  schools, 
and  more  exacting  and  sympathetic  home  training.-  Every  influence  for  good  finds 
in  him  a  warm  supporter.  He  has  proved  himself  a  careful  business  man,  a  valua- 
ble neighbor,  a  warm  friend  to  his  old  comrades  in  arms,  a  generous  citizen,  and  in 
every  walk  in  life  the  Christian  gentleman. 

McDonald,  John  C,  brick  and  tile  manufacturer,  began  to  manufacture  drain  tile 
some  eighteen  years  ago,  and  two  years  later  added  to  his  business  brick  manufac- 
turing. His  yards  are  located  on  Warren  avenue  one  mile  and  a  half  from  the  city 
limits.     His  manufactory  has  an  annual  output  of  §10,000  worth  of  drain  tile  and 

255 


three  to  four  million  brick.  Mr.  McDonald  employs  about  forty  men  during  the 
making  season  and  his  pay  roll  averages  $1,400  per  month.  His  market  is  princi- 
pally to  the  builders  and  he  has  about  two  million  brick  always  in  stock.  His  ap- 
pliances for  the  manufacturing  of  both  brick  and  tile  is  of  the  latest  and  most  approved 
make,  one  being  the  Brewer  tile  machine  which  makes  tile  from  two  and  a  half  to 
ten  inches  in  diameter.  The  business  has  proved  a  growing  and  satisfactory  one, 
and  Mr.  McDonald  is  also  farming  about  one  hundred  acres.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 29,  1835,  on  the  land  still  owned  by  him,  and  the  old  orchard  that  was  planted 
seventy  years  ago  is  still  standing  upon  his  land.  His  father,  Richard  McDonald, 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  came  to  Detroit  in  1809,  when  only  nine  years  old.  He 
married  Susanna  Longden  and  in  1818  he  and  his  wife's  eldest  brother  started  to 
clear  land  m  this  vicinity  for  the  Longdens  who  lived  in  Detroit.  Augustus  Long- 
den, her  brother,  had  been  a  butcher  in  Detroit  and  after  working  three  years  for 
him  Richard  was  given  one  hundred  acres  of  wild  land,  receiving  the  deed  for  the 
same  in  1822,  on  which  he  settled  and  made  his  permanent  home.  The  frame  house 
he  built  in  1831  is  still  standing  where  his  son  William  now  lives.  He  had  also  add- 
ed 160  acres,  for  part  of  which  he  paid  §4  and  part  $16  per  acre.  His  life  was  de- 
voted to  clearing  up  new  land  and  making  a  farm ;  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty  two, 
his  wife  surviving  him  twenty  years.  John  remained  on  the  farm  until  about  six- 
teen years,  when  he  spent  one  season  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  when  but  two  steamers, 
the  "Napoleon"  and  the  "Manhattan"  were  on  Lake  Superior.  His  work  there 
was  in  laying  a  plank  road  around  the  rapids;  this  road  was  one  and  a  half  miles 
long,  to  carry  goods  around  the  rapids.  There  was  then  a  horse  railroad  in  use  for 
the  same  purpose.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old  and  his  elder 
brother  being  in  California,  John  remained  at  home  and  carried  on  the  farm.  In 
1861  he  married  and  began  to  build  on  his  present  farm,  b^ing  a  part  of  his  father's 
tract,  and  some  twenty  years  ago  he  built  the  commodious  brick  house  and  has  one 
of  the  most  desirable  country  homes  in  Wayne  county.  Mr.  McDonald  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  for  some  years  was  an  active  participant  in  official  life ;  he  held  the  office 
of  town  treasurer  for  a  period  of  two  years,  also  school  director  twenty-four  years ; 
from  1879  to  1881  was  county  superintendent  of  the  poor,  and  took  a  prominent  part 
in  securing  the  legislation  under  which  the  affairs  of  the  county  respecting  its  poor 
are  conducted.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  have  a  family  of  seven:  Flora,  a  graduate 
of  the  State  Normal  School  and  who  was  a  teacher  for  a  time:  Fred  J.,  associated 
with  his  father,  married  and  has  a  family  of  four.  Myrtle,  Grace,  Clifford  and  an  in- 
fant; Mary  C,  assistant  superintendent  in  Woodmere  Seminary;  Katie,  Charlotte 
and  Clara.  Mr.  McDonald  takes  commendable  pride  in  his  interesting  family  and 
never  finds  greater  enjoyment  than  when  surrounded  by  them.  His  daughters  are 
all  living  at  home,  and  being  cultivated,  accomplished  ladies  of  refinement,  this  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  families  with  which  one  ever  comes  in  contact. 

Nordstrum,  John,  son  of  Andrew  and  Brigeta  (Erlandson)  Nordstrum,  was  born  in 
Jaonkoping,  Sweden,  August  23,  1835.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place  until  1851,  when  be  was  apprenticed  to  the  glass  blower's  trade.  This 
he  followed  until  1869,  and  then  came  to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  J.  N.  Albertson  &  Son,  with  whom  he  remained  until  1873.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  111.,  where  he  accepted  a  position  with  the  Mitchell 

256 


Glass  Works,  remaining  there  until  1879,  when  he  came  to  Detroit  and  entered  the 
employ  of  Louis  Blitz  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  at  Delray.  Mr. 
Nordstrum  remained  with  Mr.  Blitz  until  1895,  when  he  embarked  in  the  retail  gro- 
cery business  at  Delray  and  in  which  he  has  been  quite  successful.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  is  treasurer  of  Woodmary  Rolling  Lodge  No.  23.  December 
23,  1859,  he  married  Christine  L.  Johnson  of  Whoe,  Sweden,  and  they  have  two 
children:  Charles  A.,  and  Mrs.  R.  J.  Bueteller. 

Northrup,  James  I.,  M.  D.,  who  is  the  present  postmaster  at  River  Rouge,  is  one 
of  the  foremost  practitioners  of  Wayne  county.  Born  March  3,  1850,  in  Ontario,  he 
received  a  fair  classical  education  in  the  Canada  Literary  Institute,  and  in  1880 
graduated  in  medicine  from  the  Buffalo  University.  His  first  experience  in  practice 
was  for  a  time  in  lona  county  and  then  he  located  at  Stanwood,  Mecosta  county, 
where  he  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice  and  was  honored  with  many  expres- 
sions of  the  good  will  of  the  people.  Among  others  he  was  coroner  for  two  years, 
county  physician  for  seven  years,  and  also  held  several  minor  offices  and  attained  to 
an  enviable  position  in  the  ranks  of  his  party.  In  1891  he  decided  to  locate  at  his 
present  place  and  in  addition  to  his  practice,  opened,  owned  and  operated  a  drug 
store.  His  standing  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican  party  was  soon  known  and  he 
was  but  a  short  time  at  River  Rouge  before  he  was  selected  as  postmaster  and  except 
a  l)rief  administration  has  held  the  position  since  his  last  appointment  in  May,  1896. 
His  voice  is  heard  in  the  various  conventions  of  his  party  and  the  excitement  of 
politics  affords  him  pleasant  recreation  from  the  duties  of  a  professional  practice 
that  has  grown  to  handsome  proportions.  Being  a  staunch  Republican  Dr.  North- 
rup is  an  earnest  and  persistent  advocate,  but  his  advocacy  of  its  jjrinciples  is  not 
tinged  with  animosity  or  bitterness,  so  that  among  his  warmest  friends  are  those 
who  are  opposed  to  him  in  political  views,  but  who  have  found  in  him  a  man  of  large 
views  and  warm  heart.  His  party  keeps  him  in  active  harness,  having  placed  him 
upon  both  town  and  county  executive  committees.  The  doctor's  chosen  life  mate 
was  Mary  Powers  of  Aylmer,  Ont.,  and  three  children  were  born  to  them.  William 
F.,  aged  twelve;  Hubert  Earl,  aged  ten;  and  Murray  Homer,  aged  eight.  Both  the 
doctor  and  his  estimable  wife  are  identified  with  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  also  an 
active  member  in  the  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Ward,  William  M. — The  above  gentleman  is  one  of  the  progresssive  agriculturists 
of  his  community.  His  birthplace  was  near  the  Five-mile  House  in  Springwells  and 
the  date  of  his  birth  the  23d  of  May,  1843.  He  comes  of  Irish  parentage;  their 
names  were  Adam  and  Catherine  (Shaw)  Ward,  he  being  born  in  New  York  in  1827, 
where  they  were  married  and  ten  j^ears  later  came  on  to  Detroit,  settling  on  the 
farm  where  William  was  born,  and  in  1845  on  the  farm  that  became  their  perma- 
nent home  and  where  the  subject  now  lives,  which  was  covered  with  heavy  timber, 
and  an  imniense  amount  of  work  was  necessary  to  place  it  in  a  state  of  cultivation. 
Adam  Ward  was  a  man  whose  life  was  circumscribed  with  the  duties  to  his  familv 
which  He  fulfilled  to  the  letter.  He  had  many  warm  friends  who  keenly  felt  his  loss 
to  the  community.  He  died  in  July,  1862,  at  the  age  of  sixty- three;  his  widow  sur- 
vived him  nearljr  twenty  years,  dying  in  1881  aged  seventy-six.  Of  their  family  of 
seven  children,  four  are  living  at  this  date  (1898),  viz. :  Catharine,  wife  of  George 
Wood  worth  of  Midland  county,  Mich.  ;  John,  of  Ottawa,  Ohio;  Sarah,  wife  of  Peter 

257 


Peilow;  and  William,  who  at  his  father's  death  secured  the  farm,  buying  the  various 
interests  and  has  made  some  additions;  he  has  it  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
devotes  it  to  the  growing  of  mixed  crops.  Mr.  Ward,  while  being  a  Republican,  is 
not  an  aggressive  one  and  cares  but  little  for  official  designation,  feeling  that  the 
free  and  independent  life  of  the  farm  is  restricted  as  soon  as  a  man  becomes  am- 
bitious to  attend  to  the  business  of  the  public.  He  like  many  other  staunch  Repub- 
licans is  rather  disgusted  with  that  class  who  have  sought  to  use  the  party  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  trusts  and  monopolies.  April  4,  1872,  he  married  Martha, 
daughter  of  James  and  Lottie  (White)  Hawthorne,  and  their  children  are  Samuel 
Robert.  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  John  Ford,  and  William  John.  Both  Mr.  Ward  and  his 
wife  are  communicants  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Dearborn.  He  is  a  member  of 
Riverside  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Beach,  Elmer  H.,  son  of  Joseph  M.  and  Jane  M.  (Mansfield)  Beach,  was  born  at 
Memphis,  Mich.,  November  11,  1861.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Memphis  High 
School  m  1876  and  at  once  entered  upon  an  active  journalistic  career.  From  1876  to 
1879  he  edited  and  published  the  Richmond  (Mich.)  Review;  from  1879  to  1881  acted 
as  register  of  deeds  for  St.  Clair  county.  Mich.  ;  and  during  the  ensuing  sixteen  years 
served  the  firm  of  H.  D.  Edwards  &  Co.  at  Detroit,  as  bookkeeper  and  cashier. 
Aside  from  his  other  business  connections  Mr.  Beach  has  for  the  past  nine  years 
found  time  to  edit  a  monthly  magazine  known  as  "The  Book-keeper,"  the  official 
organ  of  the  National  Association  of  Accountants  and  Book-keepers,  published  by  The 
Book-keeper  Co.  (limited),  publishers  and  booksellers  of  Detroit  and  New  York  city, 
of  which  company  he  has  been  active  secretary  since  severing  his  connection  with 
H.  D.  Edwards  &  Co.  on  March  1,  1897.  In  1896  he  was  president  of  the  National 
Association  of  Accountants  and  Book-keepers  and  is  at  present  chairman  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  of  that  organization.  He  is  also  secretary  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  governors  of  the  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit.  On  June  27,  1889,  Mr.  Beach 
married  Anna  G.,  daughter  of  Royal  G.  Rumsey  of  Detroit. 

Biddle,  Andrew  P.,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Detroit  Mich.,  February  25,  1862.  He  is 
a  scion  of  the  oldest  families  of  Michigan,  a  son  of  William  S.  Biddle ;  grandson  of 
Major  John  Biddle,  formerly  a  member  of  Congress  and  one  of  the  first  mayors  of 
Detroit ;  and  a  nephew  of  Major  James  Biddle  of  Detroit.  His  mother  was  Susan 
D.  Ogden,  daughter  Judge  Ogden  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey.  Major 
Biddle  is  a  brother  of  Lieut.-Col.  John  Biddle,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  V.;  First 
Lieutenant  WilUam  S.  Biddle,  jr.,  14th  U.  S.  Infantry;  and  of  Eliza  (Biddle)  Wil- 
liams, wife  of  the  first  Bishop  of  Marquette,  Mich.  Andrew  P.  attended  the  pubHc 
school  of  Grosse  Isle,  the  summer  residence  of  his  father,  until  ten  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  sent  to  Geneva,  Switzerland,  to  study  under  private  tutors.  From  1874 
to  1877  he  was  a  student  in  the  Heidelberg  (Germany)  High  School  and  returned  to 
America  and  to  Detroit  in  the  latter  year.  For  a  time  he  attended  the  Detroit  High 
School  and  in  1880  went  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  to  be  prepared  by  private  instructors  for 
admission  to  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis.  He  successfully 
passed  the  competitive  examinations  and  became  a  member  of  the  class  of  1884,  but 
resigned  in  1883.  Returning  at  once  to  Detroit,  he  entered  the  Detroit  College  of 
Medicine  and  was  graduated  M.  D.  therefrom  in  1886.  From  1885  to  1887  he  acted 
as  resident  physician  to  Harper  Hospital,  serving  his  first  year  in  that  capacity  while 

258 


yet  a  student.  In  1887  Dr.  Biddle  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  with  Dr.  J. 
B.  Booii  and  was  successful  from  the  start.  In  1890  he  went  to  Europe  and  took  a 
special  course  in  dermatology  in  Leipsic,  Germany,  and  since  his  return  to  America, 
in  1891,  has  practiced  continuously  m  Detroit.  He  was  appointed  Lecturer  on 
Dermatology  in  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  the  St.  Mary's  Hospital  Clinics 
m  1892  and  still  retains  that  chair.  Smce  1892  he  has  been  Dermatologist  to  the 
Children's  Free  Hospital  at  Detroit  and  has  contributed  numerous  articles  on  derma- 
tological  topics  to  the  leading  medical  journals.  Dr.  Biddle  is  Secretarj^  of  the 
Section  on  Medicine  of  the  Michigan  State  Medical  Society;  President  of  the  Detroit 
Medical  and  Library  Association,  the  largest  local  medical  society  in  the  State  of 
Michigan,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine.  Since  1894  he  has 
been  Assistant  Surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  Captain,  to  the  4th  Regiment  Infantry, 
Michigan  National  Guard,  and  on  May  8,  1898,  was  commissioned  Major  and  Surgeon 
to  the  31st  Mich.  Vol.  Infantry,  the  first  Michigan  regiment  to  leave  the  State  in  the 
American  Spanish  war.  He  holds  the  position  of  United  States  Pension  Examining 
Surgeon,  to  which  he  was  appointed  upon  the  recommendation  of  John  L.  Chipman, 
M.  C,  in  1892.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  of  Union  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.  His  experience  with  life  insur- 
ance companies  is  extensive;  at  present  he  is  examiner  for  the  Travelers  Life  Insur- 
ance Co.  of  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  and  the  Man- 
hattan Life  Insurance  Co.  of  New  York;  the  Penn  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co.  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  Vermont  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  Vt.  October  20,  1892,  he 
married  Grace  Wilkins  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Beatrice 
Bradish,  born  September  0,  1897. 

Bolton,  Edwin  C,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  June  17,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  Rob- 
ert Bolton,  retired,  and  a  resident  of  Detroit.  Edwin  C.  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Detroit  and  studied  law  in  the  offices  of  Moore  &  Moore,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1891.  For  one  year  he  had  as  a  partner  Thomas  M.  McVeigh,  now  of 
the  New  York  Journal,  and  has  since  been  in  the  uninterrupted  and  successful  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  He  is  a  member  of  numerous  legal  and  other  organizations 
and  is  popular  in  business  circles.  November  27,  1895,  he  married  Therese  M.  Rols- 
hoven,  and  they  have  one  child,  Frederick  R. 

Dubois,  Henry  M.,  son  of  Philip  and  Deborah  A.  (Brewster)  Dubois,  was  born  in 
Red  ford,  Wayne  county,  Mich.,  August  14,  1850.  Mr.  Dubois  devoted  all  spare  time 
from  farm  work  to  the  district  schools  until  1865,  when  he  became  a  pupil  in  the 
Farmington  (Oakland  county)  private  school.  He  studied  there  three  years  and  de- 
voted two  years  to  a  high  school  in  Lapeer,  Mich.  In  1871  he  attended  the  State 
Normal  School  at  Ypsilanti,  Mich.,  and  returned  to  Redford  in  1872,  where  he  taught 
the  district  school  seven  years  and  devoted  one  year  to  farm  life.  While  in  Redford 
he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  school  inspector  and  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  his  township.  While  justice  of  the  peace  Mr.  Dubois  took  up  the  study 
of  law.  In  1880  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Sandhill,  and  in  1885  re- 
moved to  Hudson,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  millinery  and  fancy  goods  business. 
In  1887  he  removed  to  Detroit,  and  after  two  years'  study  in  the  oflfice  of  J.  Fuller, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1890.     Mr.  Dubois  is  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Sover- 

259 


eign  Consistory.     November  30,  1887,  he  married  Emma  L.  Harris,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Harold,  Sarah  and  Philip. 

Durfee,  Irving  W.,  son  of  Charles  D.  and  Josephine  (Wyckoff)Durfee,  was  born  in 
Plymouth,  Mich.,  November  30,  1868.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Plymouth  and  Ann  Arbor,  entering  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1888,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1893 ;  he  was  graduated  from  the  law  school  in  1894.  From  De- 
cember, 1890,  to  the  following  June,  he  served  the  Federal  government  on  the  Mis- 
souri River  and  Mississippi  River  commissions,  returning  to  college  in  February  of 
1892.  Subsequent  to  the  completion  of  his  education  he  removed  to  Detroit  and  en- 
tered the  office  of  Mr.  S.  S.  Babcock,  attorney,  with  whom  he  remained  one  year, 
when  he  established  his  present  practice.  In  1897  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Elmer  L.  Aller,  under  the  firm  name  of  Durfee  &  AUer.  In  November  of  that  year 
they  admitted  Mr.  George  A.  Marston,  son  of  ex-Judge  Isaac  Marston,  and  the  firm 
name  was  changed  to  Durfee,  Aller  &  Marston.  Mr.  Durfee  is  a  member  of  the 
Fellowcraft  and  Detroit  Boat  Clubs,  also  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Militia.  September 
1,  1897,  he  married  Jennie  L.  Walker,  daughter  of  George  L.  Walker  of  Flint,  Mich. 

Eyre,  George  F.  C,  son  of  John  and  Calista  A.  (Stevens)  Eyre,  was  born  in 
Brighton,  Ontario,  Can.,  October  9,  1866.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Brighton 
High  School  in  1882,  and  from  the  Upper  Canada  College  at  Toronto  in  1886.  After 
several  years  of  travel  through  the  United  States  he  returned  to  Canada,  and  in  1890 
established  the  G.  F.  C.  Eyre  Manufacturing  Co.  at  Lynn,  Ont,  which  he  conducted 
for  two  years.  In  1892  he  sold  out  the  business,  and  during  the  ensuing  years  acted 
as  a  traveling  salesman  in  Canada  for  a  large  Chicago  mercantile  establishment. 
Mr.  Eyre  spent  some  months  in  the  office  of  John  W.  Gordon,  barrister  at  Brighton, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1893  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  again  took  up  the  study 
of  law.  He  attended  the  Detroit  College  of  Law  for  one  year,  and  later  served  in 
the  offices  of  Judge  Philip  T.  Van  Zile  and  Brennan,  Donnelly  &  Van  Demark.  In 
September,  1894,  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  LL.  B.  in  1895.  After  a  sojourn  of  nearly  a  year  in  the 
West  he  finally  located  for  practice  in  Detroit  early  in  1896,  and  in  that  year  formed 
a  partnership  with  M.  Wallace  Bullock,  under  the  style  of  Eyre  &  Bullock,  attorneys, 
with  offices  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  has  since  been  active  and  successful 
in  the  prosecution  of  legal  business.  Mr.  Eyre  is  an  extensive  property  owner  and 
has  large  interests  in  lithographic  stone  and  asbestos  quarries  near  Belleville,  Hast- 
ings county,  Ontario.  He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  a  member  of  King  Cyrus  Chapter, 
Detroit;  of  the  K.  of  P.,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  an  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  having  at  one 
time  owned  the  famous  racing  yacht  "Atalanta,"  which  sailed  for  the  American 
cup  against  the  American  yacht  Mischief  in  the  fall  of  1882.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Canadian  Yacht  Club  of  Toronto,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Rochester 
and  Oswego  (N.  Y.)  Yacht  Clubs.  In  1888  Mr.  Eyre  married  Ada  B.,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Charles  Perry,  of  Toronto,  Ont.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Marie  G.  In 
politics  Mr.  Eyre  is  a  Republican. 

Goodell,  James  M.,  son  of  George  W.  and  Celinda  D.  (Chase)  Goodell,  was  born  at 
Le  Roy,  Genesee  county,  N.  Y.,  October  1,  1841.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Corunna,  Mich.,  whither  his  parents  removed  in 

WO 


1855.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  the  Hon.  Hugh  McCurdy 
(at  Corunna),  and  after  two  years  of  hard  work  and  study  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  on  SeiDtember  8,  186B.  He  at  once  began  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Corunna  and  continued  there  successfully  until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit. 
Mr.  Goodell  was  elected  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Shiawassee  county  from  1864  to 
1866,  and  from  1868  to  1870.  and  was  circuit  court  commissioner  from  186G  to  1868. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  a  period  of  two  years;  in  1875  he  was 
elected  as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Corunna,  and  held  that  office  until  1876.  He  also 
served  the  city  as  supervisor  for  ten  years,  and  from  the  time  of  his  admission  of  the 
bar  (in  1863)  has  been  a  notary  public.  Personally  Mr.  Goodell  is  one  of  the  most 
companionable  of  men;  genial  and  unpretentious  in  his  social  intercourse,  he  gains 
the  confidence  and  holds  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He  was 
married  in  1865  to  Helen  F.,  daughter  of  Hon.  George  S.  Hosmer,  of  Wisconsin,  and 
they  have  had  eight  children,  six  of  whom  survive:  Gertrude  K.,  Kate  C,  Eloise 
F.,  Genevieve  A.,  Maud  C,  and  James  M.,  jr. 

Kenny,  Geoi'ge  F. ,  son  of  Michael  and  Anna  M.  (Allen)  Kenny,  was  born  in 
Springport,  Jackson  county,  Mich.,  June  9,  1867.  He  attended  the  district  school  in 
his  native  village  until  1874,  when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Eaton  Rapids.  In 
that  town  he  was  a  student  in  the  public  and  high  schools  until  1885,  and  during  the 
latter  four  years  devoted  his  evenings  to  learning  the  printer's  trade.  He  was  an 
earnest,  hard  working  youth,  and  upon  his  leaving  school  in  1885  he  was  made  fore- 
man of  the  printing  rooms  of  the. Eaton  Rapids  Journal.  In  that  capacity  he  served 
until  January,  1889,  accepting  the  position  tendered  him  by  F.  P.  Elliott  &  Co., 
wholesale  paper  maniifacturers  of  Chicago,  as  their  Michigan  agent  and  traveling 
representative.  In  January,  1893,  Mr.  Elliott,  the  president  of  the  company,  died,  and 
the  business  being  closed  out,  a  new  company  was  organized  under  the  style  of 
Moser-Burgess  Paper  Co.  ;  Mr.  Kenny  was  elected  as  president  of  the  new  company 
and  acted  as  such  until  November,  1894,  when  he  induced  Frederick  S.  Dresskell  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  join  him  in  a  copartnership  and  thus  the  present  firm  of  Dress, 
kell  &  Kenny,  paper  manufacturers  and  general  agents  for  twenty-five  of  the  leading 
paper  mills  of  the  United  States,  came  into  existence,  with  their  headquarters  at  De- 
troit, Mich.  Since  May,  1895,  this  firm  has  been  furnishing  paper  of  all  descriptions, 
under  contract,  to  the  State  of  Michigan,  and  in  January,  1897,  they  were  successful 
in  securing  from  the  United  States  government  an  order  ror  sixty  car  loads  of  book 
paper  for  use  in  the  government  printing  office  at  Washington,  D.  C,  this  being  the 
first  United  States  government  contract  ever  successfully  competed  for  by  a  western 
firm.  Mr.  Kenny  is  prominent  in  business  circles  throughout  the  State  of  Michigan. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Fellowcraft  Club  of  Detroit;  president  of  the 
Grand  Pointe  Club;  holds  high  honors  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  K.T.,  A.  A. O.N. M.S.,  and  Scottish  Rite;  and  is  a  member  of 
the  K.  of  P.,  and  Royal  Arcanum.  While  a  resident  of  Eaton  Rapids,  Mich.,  Mr. 
Kenny  was  elected,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  as  chief  engineer  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment of  that  city,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  departments  in  the  State  of  Michigan. 
In  that  capacity  he  served  for  one  year,  being  the  youngest  chief  in  the  United 
States. 

Lane,  William  P.,  son  of  John  and  Ellen  (O'Donohue)  Lane,  was  born  in  Detroit, 

261 


Mich.,  February  13,  1860,  in  which  city  his  parents  had  previously  settled  in  1836. 
William  P.  Lane  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven  sons;  attended  the  pubhc 
schools  of  Detroit,  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1878  and  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1881.  In  1883  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk  of  Wayne  county,  retaining 
that  position  until  1886,  when  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  re-elected  in  1888, 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  January  1,  1891.  Since  that  date  he  has  prac- 
ticed his  profession  of  law  at  Detroit  with  gratifying  success,  and  in  1893,  wish- 
ing to  create  a  specialty  in  the  medico-legal  line  and  believing  that  a  necessity  for 
such  existed,  he  matriculated  at  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  May,  1897,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He  is  now  the  only  lawyer 
in  the  West  and  the  second  in  the  United  States  whose  practice  is  exclusively 
medico-legal.  The  choice  of  this  branch  of  his  profession  was  the  outcome  of 
several  years  of  deliberation  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Lane,  believing  that  in  it  he  would 
find  a  wide  and  pleasant  field  for  research  and  one  suited  to  his  tastes.  Aside  from 
his  membership  in  the  Detroit  Bar  Association  and  the  Detroit  Medical  and  Library 
Association,  he  has  allied  himself  with  but  one  organization,  the  Detroit  Light  In- 
fantry, of  which  latter  he  has  at  different  periods  held  the  offices  of  president  and 
secretary.  He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise,  of  the  strictest  integrity  of  char- 
acter and  domestic  in  tastes.  In  1885  he  married  Miss  Cora  B.  Webster  of  Detroit, 
and  they  have  four  children:  Ellen  M.,  Marguerite  L.,  James  E.  and  Pauline  F. 

Olin,  Rollin  Carolus,  physician  and  surgeon,  was  born  near  Waukesha,  Wis., 
August  17,  1839,  son  of  Thomas  H.  and  Sarah  (Church)  Olin.  His  first  American 
ancestor  was  John  Olin,  who  immigrated  from  Wales  in  1678.  On  the  maternal  side 
he  is  of  Irish  extraction ;  his  great-great-grandfather  was  a  soldier  under  General 
Greene  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Rollin  began  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Waukesha,  and  attended  for  a  time  Carroll  College  of  that  place.  Deciding  to 
prepare  for  the  profession  of  teaching,  he  entered  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Winona,  Minn.,  and  was  a  student  there  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war.  In  August, 
1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  B,  3d  Minnesota  Infantry,  was  promoted 
to  second  lieutenant  and  shortly  thereafter  was  made  first  lieutenant.  He  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Pittsburgh  Landing,  Shiloh,  and  at  Murfreesboro,  where  his 
regiment  was  captured  and  all  its  officers  who  were  present  at  the  engagement  ex- 
cept Lieutenant  Olin  and  two  others,  were  sent  to  Libby  prison.  Lieutenant  Olin 
was  paroled  with  the  regiment  and  sent  to  the  parole  barracks  at  St.  Louis.  From 
there  he  was  ordered  to  the  Minnesota  frontier  to  assist  in  quelling  an  insurrection 
of  the  Sioux  Indians.  At  the  close  of  that  campaign  Lieutenant  Olin  was  appointed 
judge  advocate  of  the  military  commission  which  tried  four  hundred  Sioux;  of  these 
twenty  eight  were  executed.  He  was  in  command  of  eight  companies  of  his  regi- 
ment in  the  battles  of  Wood  Lake  and  Yellow  Medicine  River,  and  so  deported  him- 
self as  to  win  the  appointment  of  adjutant  general  on  the  staff  of  General  Sible5% 
with  the  rank  of  captain,  accompanying  that  officer  during  the  campaign  of  1863 
across  the  Dakotas,  during  which  the  battles  of  Pah-Ha-Tonka  or  "  The  Big  Hill," 
Rice  Lake,  Stony  Lake,  and  at  the  crossing  of  the  Missouri  River,  were  fought.  He 
continued  in  the  frontier  service  until  February,  1865,  when  he  resigned.  After  sev- 
eral years'  experience  as  a  bookseller  at  St.  Paul,  and  as  teller  of  a  bank  at  Owa- 
tonna.  Captain  Olin  came  to  Michigan  and  began  the  study  of  medicine;  he  entered 

262 


the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  and  received  the  degree  of 
_M.  D.  in  1877.  He  adopted  the  homeopathic  system  of  treatment  and  opened  an 
office  in  Detroit,  where  he  has  been  in  successful  practice  ever  since.  Although  still 
maintaining  his  general  practice  he  has  for  the  past  two  years  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  the  careful  study  of  diseases  of  children,  and  has  met  with  success.  Dr.  Olin 
has  been  president  of  the  Michigan  State  Homeopathic  Society;  a  member  of  the 
board  of  U.  S.  Pension  Examiners ;  member  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  Michigan ;  and  member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  Grace  Hospital,  Detroit,  and  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Homeopathy.  In  1864  Dr.  Olin  married  Georgia  A.  Dailey  of  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  who  died  in  1881,  and  in  1887  he  married  Grace  Eugenie  Hillisof  Syracuse, 
N.  Y. 

Wing,  Jefferson  T.,  son  of  Talcott  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Thurbur)  Wing,  was  born  in 
Monroe,  Mich.,  June  4,  1860.  He  attended  the  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  Mass., 
and  upon  coming  to  Michigan  attended  the  Michigan  Military  Academy.  Mr.  Wing 
came  to  Detroit  in  1881  and  began  his  career  in  the  hardware  business,  serving  for 
others  until  1886,  when  he  established  a  business  for  himself  known  as  J.  T.  Wing  & 
Co.,  one  of  the  largest  in  Detroit.  Mr.  Wing  is  a  member  of  many  societies,  the 
more  prominent  being  the  Knights  Templar,  Delta  Tau  Delta  of  Andover,  the  Unity 
Club,  Detroit  Boat  Club  and  the  Detroit  Yacht  Club.  In  1891  he  married  Minnie 
Axford  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  one  child. 

Clark,  Frank  N.,  superintendent  Michigan  stations  U.  S.  Fish  Commission. — 
Alpena  and  Northville,  Mich.,  have  the  honor  of  possessing  the  government  stations 
for  the  hatching  of  fish,  the  former  being  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  white  fish 
with  fifty  million  capacity,  while  the  latter  hatches  and  places  in  the  waters  in  and 
around  our  State  twenty-five  million  of  brook  and  lake  trout  annually.  The  gentle- 
man we  ai-e  considering  has  the  supervision  of  both  of  these  stations,  a  position  for 
which  his  special  education  and  training  make  him  admirably  suitable.  His  whole 
life  has  been  in  close  touch  with  pisciculture,  and  next  to  hatching  and  caring  for  the 
little  fish  there  is  but  one  greater  pleasure  in  his  compendium,  and  that  is  the  catch- 
ing and  eating  of  them  when  they  are  grown  and  suitable  for  the  sportsman's  needs. 
Probably  no  man  in  the  State  knows  more  about  fish  from  the  tiniest  minnow  that 
wiggles  in  the  rivulet  to  the  whale  that  sports  in  the  farthest  ocean.  Clarkston. 
Mich.,  was  named  for  N.  W.  Clark,  father  of  Frank,  who  started  in  1836,  having 
.settled  there  the  preceding  year.  He  it  was  who  began  in  Michigan  to  breed  fish 
and  established  the  first  hatchery  at  Clarkston  in  1865.  His  first  effort  with  trout 
resulted  in  hatching  twenty-five  or  thirty  out  of  1,000  eggs,  of  these  one  only  lived 
for  three  months,  but  from  this  almost  failure  he  kept  on  studying  the  subject  and 
persisting  jn  his  efforts  until  success  was  his,  and  he  became  widely  recognized  as 
an  authority  on  pisciculture.  In  1874  he  reared  two  and  one-half  million  of  trout  and 
white  fish  and  the  lakes  and  brooks  were  beginning  to  be  stocked.  His  agitation 
resulted  in  the  Legislature  establishing  the  State  Fish  Commission  and  the  subject 
attracted  wide  and  scientific  attention.  In  1874  he  and  his  son,  who  had  become 
deeply  interested,  removed  to  Northville,  starting  as  a  private  institution  what  was 
the  beginning  of  the  psesent  plant.  Much  of  the  output  was  for  the  State,  though 
many  private  individuals  were  supplied.     In  1880  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission  rented 

263 


the  plant,  with  Frank  N.  as  superintendent,  and  in  1891  it  was  purchased  by  the 
government,  since  when  it  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  fitted  with  most  approved^ 
accommodations  for  the  purpose  intended.  Mr.  Clark  has  been  connected  with 
private  and  government  exhibits  of  fish  at  various  international  exhibitions,  notably 
those  of  Berlin,  London,  Paris,  Philadelphia  and  Chicago.  He  has  received  many 
medals  and  expressions  of  honor  and  appreciation  of  his  contributions  to  pisciculture, 
both  in  practical  work  and  methods,  and  as  an  author  on  the  subject,  his  writings 
being  standard  works  of  reference  to  those  interested  in  the  work,  and  invaluable 
to  the  student,  especially  to  him  who  is  preparing  for  civil  service  examination. 
Not  confining  his  attention  wholly  to  the  demands  of  the  finny  tribe,  he  has  assisted 
in  various  mercantile  interests,  notably  the  State  Savings  Bank  and  in  the  public 
service  as  a  water  board  commissioner,  of  which  board  he  was  for  some  time  presi- 
dent. He  is  widely  known  throughout  the  State,  his  friends  not  being  confined  to 
either  party,  while  he  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Club. 
December  20,  1871,  he  married  Prudence  Bower,  and  their  children  are  Clarence  D., 
a  clerk  in  the  auditor-general's  office  at  Lansing;  Mabel,  a  teacher  in  the  Northville 
school  and  a  graduate  of  the  High  School,  and  Genevieve.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  few  men  having  taken  more  delight  in  the  work  in  the  chap- 
ter, council  and  commandery  than  he.  His  feet  have  been  parched  by  the  burning 
sands  traversed  en  route  to  rest  in  Moslem  Temple  of  the  Arabia  Mystic  Shrine. 
He  is  past  illustrious  grand  master  of  the  Grand  Council ;  past  grand  king  in  the 
Grand  Chapter,  and  is  the  present  deputy  grand  high  priest  of  the  Grand  Chapter, 
Royal  Arch  Masons. 

Barclay,  Thomas  Sterling,  M.  D.,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Sterling)  Barclay,  was 
born  in  Stewarton  (Ayrshire)  Scotland,  September  19,  1841.  Dr.  Barclay  attended 
the  parish  schools  of  his  native  town  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was  placed 
with  a  private  tutor,  who  continued  to  instruct  him  until  he  entered  Glasgow  Train- 
ing College  in  1859.  In  1860  he  entered  the  University  of  Glasgow,  remaining  until 
June,  1865,  when  he  received  a  license  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  Glasgow.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  assistant  to  Dr.  David  Cal- 
derwood,  of  Glasgow,  and  remained  with  him  until  the  fall  of  1867.  The  next  two 
years  were  spent  in  travel  on  the  continent,  and  on  his  return  he  came  to  Canada 
and  settled  in  St.  Catherines,  Ontario.  He  entered  the  University  of  Michigan  in 
October,  1869,  and  remained  until  March,  1870,  when  he  returned  to  Canada  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Hamilton.  In  September,  1871,  he  entered 
the  Toronto  branch  of  Victoria  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  May,  1873, 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  which  he  received  from  the  parent  institution  at  Coburg 
Ont.  He  then  returned  to  Hamilton  and  resumed  his  former  practice,  where  he  re- 
mained until  June,  1875,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  established  his 
present  practice.  Dr.  Barclay  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity;  of  Myrtle 
Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias;  and  of  St.  Andrew's  Society,  of  which  he  held  the  office 
of  surgeon  for  nine  years,  and  in  1877  was  made  an  honorary  member  of  that  body. 
There  being  but  few  honorary  members  of  the  society,  it  is  considered  a  high  honor, 
which  he  gained  by  actual  service  for  the  society  and  not  by  money  consideration. 
In  1882  he  was  elected  grand  prelate  of  Michigan  Grand  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  in  1883  was  made  grand  vice-chancellor.     He  was  elected  surgeon  of  the  Uni- 

264 


form  Rank  and  in  1886  was  made  colonel  of  the  same  body,  retiring  with  this  rank 
in  1890. 

Tillotson,  Frank  F.,  son  of  Miles  W.  and  Parnel  (Butts)  Tillotson,  was  born  in 
Elyria,  Ohio,  January  21,  1865;  came  to  Ovid,  Clinton  county,  Mich.,  when  about 
two  years  of  age  with  his  parents.  His  father  having  been  accidentally  killed  by 
mill  machinery  when  he  was  four  years  of  age,  and  his  mother  a  few  years  afterward 
marrying  a  farmer,  Mr.  John  Marshall,  Mr.  Tillotson  received  his  early  training  in 
farm  work,  attending  district  school  in  winter,  and  working  upon  the  farm  in  sum- 
mer. After  graduating  at  the  village  school  at  Ovid  in  1883  he  then  taught  district 
school  in  the  North  woods.  Wishing  for  a  commercial  life,  he  entered  business  col- 
lege at  Detroit  in  1884,  and  while  there  entered  the  private  banking  firm  of  Roberts, 
Austin  &  Co.  as  messenger  in  1885,  remaining  until  it  was  reorganized  into  a  State 
bank,  known  as  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank.  He  has  since  earned  promotion,  by 
faithful  application,  occupying  every  position  in  the  bank  from  messenger  to 
cashier,  receiving  his  present  office  in  July,  1898.  From  ploughboy  to  his  pres- 
ent position,  starting  without  financial  aid,  he  has  been  successful  in  accumu- 
lating considerable  real  estate  m  addition  to  his  bank  stock,  and  by  determination, 
pluck,  energy,  and  uprightness,  has  illustrated  the  matchless  opportunity  this  coun- 
try affords  to  her  young  men.  He  married,  in  1891,  Isabelle  1.  Haight  of  Lansing, 
Mich.,  and  they  have  two  sons.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  also 
the  Maccabees. 

Chiera,  William  J.,  son  of  Gabriel  and  Sclema  (Frasier)  Chiera,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  October  24,  1870.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  Detroit  public 
schools,  in  Assumption  College  at  Sandwich.  Ontario,  and  received  a  thorough  busi- 
ness training  in  the  Notre  Dame  (Ind.)  University.  Following  his  graduation  from 
the  latter  institution  in  1889,  Mr.  Chiera  returned  to  Detroit,  which  city  has  since 
been  the  headquarters  of  his  business  operations.  For  many  years  Mr.  Chiera's 
father  has  been  one  of  Detroit's  most  progressive  business  men,  being  proprietor  of 
the  Parisian  Steam  Laundry  and  Chiera's  famous  hotel  and  bath  house.  From  1889 
to  1892  Mr.  Chiera  acted  as  foreman  of  the  former  establishment  and  in  February  of 
the  latter  year  departed  into  his  present  business,  and  conducts  the  only  exclusive 
lace  curtain  cleaning  and  tinting  works  in  the  State  of  Michigan.  He  is  an  ener- 
getic and  enterprising  young  man  and  he  has  built  up  for  himself  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive business.  In  1894  he  married  Annie  M.  Patak,  who  died  in  Jul}',  1895,  leaving 
one  child,  Irene  Annie,  and  in  1898  he  married  Augusta  Walton,  formerly  of  Pon- 
tiac,  Mich. 

Balsley,  PhiHp  H.  A.,  son  of  Theodore  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Aspinall)  Balsley,  was 
born  August  13,  1860,  at  Detroit,  Mich.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at 
Detroit,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
his  father,  proprietor  of  the  Detroit  Flower  Pot  Manufactory.  Beginning  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder,  he  soon  mastered  the  details  of  the  business,  and  gaining  the 
confidence  of  his  father,  was  in  a  short  time  made  his  traveling  salesman,  con- 
tinuing in  this  capacity  until  January  1,  1892,  when,  with  his  brother,  George  S. 
Balsley,  he  was  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  business.  Mr.  Balsley  is  a  Repub- 
lican,  and  on   matters  of  national  concern   has  ever  been  one,  but  as  regards  local 

2G5 


affairs,  he  believes  in  the  man  rather  than  his  political  creed.  In  1896  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Mayor  Pingree  a  commissioner  of  parks  and  boulevards,  and  has  since 
served  in  that  capacity  with  credit  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public  at  large.  He 
is  a  member  of  Palestine  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  a  past  chancellor  of 
that  body;  a  member  of  Michigan  Lodge  No.  1,  L  O.  O.  F.  ;  Detroit  No.  6,  A.  O.  U. 
W. ;  the  Western  Club  and  the  Detroit  Bowling  Club.  He  was  married,  Novem- 
ber 14,  1894,  to  Miss  Mabelle  Reeves,  daughter  of  A.  B.  Reeves,  of  Detroit. 

Balsley,  Theodore  S.,  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  (Gray)  Balsley,  was  born  October 
19,  1830,  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He  is  of  Swiss-Irish  ancestry,  being  descended  on  the 
maternal  side  from  John  Gray,  whose  wife.  Rose  St.  Clair,  was  a  sister  of  Gen. 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  U.  S.  A.,  who  commanded  the  armies  of  the  United  States  in  the 
Middle  States  during  their  early  settlement.  Jonathan  Balsley,  his  great-grand- 
father, was  a  landed  proprietor  of  Switzerland  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  town 
of  Basil.  During  the  Revolution  in  that  country  he  incurred  the  enemity  of  the 
ruling  faction,  and  was  expelled  and  his  estate  confiscated.  He  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica and  located  in  Pennsylvania.  Theodore  S.  Balsley,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Pittsburg,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of 
sixteen,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  A.  M.  Stromberg  of  that  city,  an  importerof 
cigars  and  tobacco,  where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1849  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  hardware  firm  of  John  Walker  &  Co.,  resigning  his  position  in  1852  to  remove 
to  Detroit,  where  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale  glass  and  earthenware  business  at  the 
foot  of  Cass  street,  and  later  at  the  corner  of  Cass  street  and  Jefferson  avenue.  He 
continued  this  business  until  1853,  when  he  closed  it  out,  and  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  pottery.  Establishing  a  factory  at  the  corner  of  Fort  and  Fourteenth 
streets,  he  began  the  building  up  of  what  has  since  become  the  only  successful  plant 
of  its  kind  in  the  State.  To  his  and  his  sons'  untiring  energy  and  strict  business  in- 
tegrity, as  well  as  ability  of  a  high  order,  the  present  business  of  the  firm  is  mainly 
dae.  January  1,  1892,  he  took  into  partnership  his  sons,  Philip  H.  A.  and  George  S. 
Balsley,  since  which  time  he  has  placed  the  more  active  management  on  their  should- 
ers. Mr.  Balsley  was  married  in  1855  to  Elizabeth  Aspinall,  daughter  of  Philip 
Aspinall,  of  Detroit.  They  have  a  family  of  three  children:  Philip  H.  A.,  George 
S.,  and  Florence  D.,  the  wife  of  George  S.  Hazard,  of  Detroit. 

Broock,  Max,  son  of  Julius  and  Mary  (Schoeber)  Broock,  was  born  at  Toronto, 
Ontario,  Can.,  October  20,  1870.  In  1872  his  parents  removed  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  and 
in  that  city  Max  attended  the  public  schools  until  ten  years  of  age.  After  leaving 
school  his  first  employment  was  with  Newcomb  &  Endicott  as  cash  boy  at  $1.50  per 
week  ;  later  was  with  C.  R.  Mabley  and  Charles  Root  &  Co.  He  learned  the  ruling  and 
stationery  trade  with  Richmond  &  Backus,  at  Detroit,  and  later  was  identified  with 
the  Schoeber  Printing  and  Stationery  Co.  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  of  a  saving 
disposition,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  through  careful  investments,  found  him- 
self possessor  of  several  pieces  of  real  estate.  In  1892  he  entered  the  real  estate 
business  with  John  B.  Moloney  of  Detroit,  and  upon  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Mo- 
loney as  collector  of  customs,  Mr.  Broock  assumed  entire  charge  of  the  business, 
known  as  the  Moloney  Real  Estate  Exchange.  On  March  1,  1896,  Mr.  Moloney 
withdrew,  and  until  September  1,  1897,  Mr.  Broock  operated  it  entirely  alone  and 
with  gratifying  success.     On  the  latter  date  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Broock  was  organ- 

266 


ized,  the  senior  partner  being  Mr.  Joseph  B.  Moore,  formerly  cashier  of  the  Penin- 
sular Savings  Bank  of  Detroit.  The  firm  of  Moore  &  Broock  was  dissolved  by  mu- 
tual agreement  December  1,  1897,  since  which  time  Mr.  Broock  has  operated  under 
his  own  name  and  at  the  same  location,  doing  a  general  real  estate  and  insurance 
business.  Mr.  Broock  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social  circles  in  Detroit,  and 
is  a  member  of  numerous  fraternal  and  other  organizations.  He  was  married  on 
June  7,  1891,  to  Elizabeth  Forkel  of  Detroit. 

Brennan,  Michael,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Comerford)  Brennan,  was  born  in  Queens 
county,  Ireland,  October  28,  1851.  At  the  age  of  ten  he  emigrated  to  America  with 
his  parents,  settling  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  attended  St.  Anne's  and  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  being  graduated  from  the  High  School  in  1868.  During  the 
ensuing  two  years  he  studied  under  a  private  tutor  in  preparation  for  admission  to 
the  University  of  Michigan,  but  the  death  of  his  father  about  that  time  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  change  his  plans,  and  he  was  obliged  to  earn  his  own  living, 
and  set  about  doing  so.  He  entered  the  freight  department  of  the  D.  &  M.  Rail- 
road, where  he  remained  about  one  year,  when  he  secured  a  position  in  the  law 
offices  of  Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,  as  a  clerk  and  student,  continuing  therefor  three 
years.  After  passing  the  required  examination  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  be- 
gan at  once  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  of  law.  In  1873  his  partnership 
with  John  C.  Donnelly  was  formed  and  has  never  been  dissolved ;  later  Mr.  Stewart 
O.  Van  de  Mark  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  and  ever  since  the  firm  of  Brennan, 
Donnelly  &  Van  de  Mark  has  been  one  of  the  busiest  and  most  successful  in  Detroit. 
Mr.  Brennan  is  attorney  for  the  Peninsular  Savings  Bank  of  Detroit,  and  is  one  of 
the  general  attorneys  for  the  Detroit  Citizens'  Street  Railway  Company.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  in  1894,  at 
Philadelphia,  was  elected  as  supreme  president  of  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit  Asso- 
ciation for  a  term  of  three  years.  In  1878  he  married  Margaret  P.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Healy  of  Detroit,  and  they  have  four  children. 

Fisk,  Charles  H.,  son  of  Henry  C.  and  Sarah  J.  (Graves)  Fisk,  was  born  in  the 
township  of  Manchester,  Mich.,  June  19,  1858.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
Henry  C.  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  Co.  "B,  17th  Mich.  Infantry,  and  was  killed  at 
Campbell's  Station,  Tenn.,  in  1863.  Charles  H.  remained  at  home  with  his  mother, 
attending  the  village  schools  at  Clinton  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  rented 
the  farm  of  eight  acres  of  his  maternal  grandfather  and  became  a  practical  and  in- 
dependent farmer.  For  four  years  he  successfully  followed  that  calling  and  during 
the  last  year  of  his  farm  life  attended  the  Protestant  Methodist  College  at  Adrian, 
Mich.  From  1876  to  1878  he  taught  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  township,  re- 
moving to  Detroit  in  the  latter  year,  when  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Alfred 
Russell  as  student  and  clerk.  He  diligently  pursued  his  studies  of  the  law  for 
eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  after  a  rigid  examination  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and  at  once  became  an  active  practitioner  of  his 
profession  at  Detroit.  In  1885  Mr.  Fisk  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Detroit  Furnace 
Co.,  manufacturers  of  steam  heaters,  and  was  made  president  of  that  company  for 
two  years ;  in  1887  he  withdrew  from  the  business  and  has  since  given  his  entire 
attention  to  his  law  practice.  From  that  time  he  made  a  careful  study  of  the  laws 
concerning  patents  and  has  applied  himself  almost  exclusively  to  that  branch  of  his 

267 


profession  for  the  past  ten  years.  Mr.  Fisk  is  an  able  lawyer  and  a  man  of  the 
strictest  integrity.  His  character  in  the  community  has  won  him  a  large  clientage 
in  the  special  branch  of  the  law  to  which  he  devotes  his  attention.  Mr.  Fisk  is  a 
member  of  the  Detroit  Bar  As.sociation ;  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  the 
Michigan  grand  chancellor  of  the  K.  of  P.  In  1883  he  married  Ida  J.  Dorr  of 
Clinton,  Mich.,  and  they  had  two  children,  a  son  who  died  in  1891  and  Isabelle  M., 
aged  fourteen. 

Greening,  George  B.,  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Conlan)  Greening,  was  born  at 
Chelsea,  Mich.,  May  4,  186').  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Chelsea  and  Ann 
Arbor,  and  the  Ypsilanti  High  School  and  State  Normal  School.  From  1882  to  1884 
he  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  latter  year  became  connected  with  the 
Omaha  (Neb.)  Herald,  as  a  reporter.  He  took  his  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  Uni 
versify  of  Michigan  in  1889,  and  practiced  his  profession  at  Alpena,  Mich.,  until 
June,  1895.  From  1889  to  1893  he  had  as  a  partner  Mr.  George  H.  Slater,  under  the 
style  of  Greening  &  Slater.  In  1892  he  was  elected  as  city  attorney  of  Alpena,  hold- 
ing that  office  for  two  terms,  until  January  1,  1894.  Since  1895  Mr.  Greening  has 
been  an  active  and  successful  practitioner  of  the  law  at  Detroit.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Michigan  State  and  Local  Bar  Associations,  and  is  fast  gaining  prominence  in 
both  professional  and  social  circles.  He  was  married  in  1892  to  Annie  Barium  of 
Detroit,  and  they  have  three  sons,  Thomas  B.,  George  W.  and  Andrew  J. 

Hammell,  David,  M.  D.,  druggist  and  pharmacist,  was  born  in  Seaforth,  Ont.,  m 
1848.  In  1876  he  became  a  resident  of  Michigan.  He  graduated  in  the  class  of  1877 
from  Long  Island  Medical  College  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  after  attending  medical  lec- 
tures at  Ann  Arbor.  His  classical  education  was  acquired  in  excellent  high  schools 
and  Toronto  University.  As  a  young  man  he  at  seventeen  began  to  teach,  a  profes- 
sion he  followed  for  eleven  years,  being  part  of  that  time  principal  of  the  school  at 
Mt.  Forest.  His  medical  practice  began  in  New  Baltimore,  Mich.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1893,  when  he  located  at  Trenton,  where  in  addition  to  his  practice  he 
has  conducted  a  druggist  trade.  The  doctor  has  ever  been  closely  identified  with 
matters  relating  to  education  and  those  things  that  tend  to  uplift  the  intelligence  of 
the  community.  He  served  for  some  years  on  the  School  Board,  was  elected  to  sev- 
eral municipal  offices  and  for  several  years  was  a  member  of  the  School  Board  of 
Examiners  of  teachers  in  Macomb  county.  Dr.  Hammell  is  a  live  citizen  and  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  city  of  Trenton. 
Being  of  a  studious  nature  be  has  given  careful  attention  to  local  geological  forma- 
tion and  chemical  research  in  connection  with  the  great  salt  and  .soda  industries  of 
the  region.  Dr.  Hammell  was  married  on  Christmas  Day,  1872,  to  Mary  Steep,  and 
one  daughter,  Gertrude,  a  graduate  of  the  Wyandotte  High  School,  is  the  only  child 
now  living.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  K.  O.  T.  M.  He  is  a  gentleman  of 
genial  nature  and  one  whose  presence  in  the  sick  room  would  inspire  confidence  and 
bring  a  cheer  that  would  go  far  toward  a  cure  of  his  patient. 

Kelly,  George,  son  of  John  and  Julia  (Rosdell)  Kelly,  was  born  in  Burlington,  Vt. , 
February  22,  1861.  During  the  year  of  his  birth  he  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  residing  there  until  1887,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools  the 
greater  portion  of  the  time.     He  entered  a  business  college  in  1887  and  acquired  an 

268 


excellent  education  in  that  line.  On  leaving  business  college  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Boston  &  Troy  Railroad  Company,  now  the  Fitchburg  Railroad.  In  1888  he 
removed  to  Detroit,  and  after  serving  about  six  years  as  agent  for  various  sewing 
machine  companies,  he  established  his  present  business  of  merchant  tailoring.  Mr. 
Kelly  is  vice-president  of  Branch  1,  C.  M.  B.  A.,  a  member  of  Co.  E,  Michigan  Na- 
tional Guards,  and  corporal  of  the  Montgomery  Rifles. 

Sibley,  Alexander  H.,  son  of  the  late  Alexander  H.  Sibley  and  Mary  L.  (Miller) 
Sibley,  was  born  in  New  York  city,  October  4,  1871.  At  an  early  age  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  until  ten  years  of  age  he  was  instructed  by 
private  tutors.  From  1881  to  1884  he  was  a  student  in  European  schools  (principally 
in  Germany),  and  upon  his  return  to  America  and  to  Detroit  in  1884,  he  at  once  pre- 
pared for  college  under  the  late  Thomas  H.  Pitkin,  one  of  the  ablest  instructors  of 
his  day.  In  1888  Mr.  Sibley  entered  Trinity  College  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  after 
completmg  the  classical  course  was  graduated  therefrom  B.A.  in  1892.  He  then 
spent  a  year  abroad  in  study  and  from  1894  to  1896  was  a  student  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  In  the  autumn  of  1896  he  re- 
turned to  the  Harvard  Law  School  and  was  graduated  LL.  B.  in  the  spring  of  1897, 
having  conferred  upon  him  at  the  same  time  the  degree  M.  A.  Since  his  graduation 
Mr.  Sibley  has  been  associated  with  the  law  firm  of  Russel  &  Campbell  at  Detroit. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi  Delta  Psi  college  fraternity;  Detroit  Boat  and  Wanikan 
Golf  Clubs  and  Country  Club  of  Detroit. 

MacFarlane,  Walter,  son  of  Archibald  and  Mary  (Southerd)  MacFarlane,  was  born 
at  Newark,  N.  J.,  June  15,  1862.  After  a  thorough  common  school  education  he 
took  up  the  study  of  architecture  and  in  1876  femoved  to  Detroit,  Mich  ,  where  he 
was  employed  for  some  time  in  the  office  of  Scott  &  Co.,  architects,  as  a  draftsman. 
He  later  pursued  his  studies  in  Boston,  New  York  and  in  the  laige  European  cities. 
He  located  permanently  in  Detroit  in  1888,  and  has  ever  since  enjoyed  prosperity  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Rogers  &  MacFarlane,  his  partner  being  James  S.  Rogers. 
The  business  of  this  firm  is  not  confined  to  the  city  of  Detroit,  as  they  have  erected 
numerous  co.stly  and  imposing  edifices  in  many  of  the  large  cities  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  They  are  the  architects  and  superintendents  of  the  large  Iro- 
quois Hotel  recently  finished  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.  Mr.  MacFarlane  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Institute  of  Architects;  and  of  the  Detroit,  Lake  St.  Clair 
Huntmg  and  Fishing,  Detroit  Boat  and  Detroit  Athletic  Clubs. 

McMillan,  Harold,  son  of  Hon.  Hugh  and  Ellen  (Dyar)  McMillan,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Mich..  November  11,  1871.  He  attended  public  schools  in  Detroit,  private 
school  at  Cornwall-on-Hudson,  N.  Y. ,  and  prepared  for  college  at  Lawrenceville 
(N.  J.)  Academy.  He  took  a  special  academic  course  in  Princeton  University,  being 
graduated  with  honors  in  1893.  Returning  at  once  to  Detroit,  he  became  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Detroit  Sheet  Metal  and  Brass  Works,  of  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  treasurer  and  general  manager.  The  Detroit  Sheet  Metal  and  Brass  Works 
are  manufacturers  of  brass  furniture,  car  trimmings,  marine  hardware  and  spe- 
cialties; contractors  for  heating,  ventilating,  plumbing,  copper  and  sheet  metal  work 
and  jobbers  of  pipes,  valves,  fittings  and  engineers'  supplies,  and  has  been  prosper- 
ous from  the  start.     Mr.  McMillan  is  also  president  of  the  American  Sanitary  Engi- 

2G9 


neering  Co.  of  Detroit,  and  otherwise  prominentlj'  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
ests of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit  Club;  Detroit  Riding  Club;  Detroit 
Athletic  Club;  Wanikan  Golf  Club  of  Detroit;  the  Ivy  Club  of  Princeton  University 
fame;  the  Old  Club  at  St.  Clair  Flats,  Mich. ;  and  the  Calumet  and  Brooklyn  Clubs  of 
New  York.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  As 
this  work  is  passing  through  the  press.  Mr.  McMillan  is  serving  in  the  U.  S.  navy  in 
the  war  with  Spain. 

Sayles,  George  M.,  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Ella  L.  (Wilcox)  Sayles,  was  born  in 
Chautauqua  county,  N.  Y. ,  April  28,  1865.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Forestville 
(N.  Y.)  Free  Academy  in  1880,  and  in  the  same  year  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Michigan,  settling  in  Tuscola  county.  He  taught  in  the  Vassar  (Mich.)  High  School 
for  two  years,  and  while  there  took  up  the  study  of  law  with  E.  H.  Taylor.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1885,  and  after  two  years'  practice  at  Vassar,  removed  to 
Flint,  Mich.,  early  in  1887.  He  practiced  successfully  at  Flint  until  the  autumn  of 
1894,  when  he  located  permanently  in  Detroit,  Mich.  From  1890  to  1892  Mr.  Sayles 
held  the  office  of  city  attorney  at  Flint,  and  is  select  royal  master  of  Washington 
Chapter,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  that  city.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  P., 
and  other  fraternal  organizations. 

Scott,  John,  one  of  the  leading  architects  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  was  born  in  Ips- 
wich, England,  May  10,  1851,  a  son  of  William  Scott,  who  immigrated  with  his  fam- 
ily in  1853  to  Windsor,  Canada,  where  John  attended  the  common  schools  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  began  studying  civil  engineering,  which  profession  he  followed  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  then  departed  into  architectural  work.  During  his 
career  as  a  civil  engineer  Mr.  Scott  had  charge  of  the  Detroit  and  Bay  City  Railroad, 
and  settled  permanently  m  Detroit  in  1875,  at  which  time  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father  and  brother,  who  were  also  civil  engineers  and  architects,  and  that 
partnership  existed  until  1889,  at  which  time  his  father  retired,  leaving  the  business 
entirely  to  the  Scott  brothers,  as  John  Scott  &  Co.,  and  under  which  firm  name  they 
have  been  eminently  successful.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  member  of  numerous  Masonic  and 
fraternal  organizations  and  is  a  very  popular  club  man.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Architects.  In  1874  he  married  Emma,  daughter  of  Lysan- 
der  Woodward  of  Rochester,  Mich. 

Scott,  George  G.,  son  of  the  late  Rev.  John  P.  and  Martha  J.  (Gifford)  Scott,  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  September  16,  1871.  He  was  graduated  from  the  National 
Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  in  1890,  and  spent  the  following  year  in  the 
law  department  of  that  mstitution.  He  then  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  in  1893.  In  the 
same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  both  Michigan  and  Ohio,  and  since  1894  has 
practiced  his  profession  continuously  at  Detroit.  Mr.  Scott  is  a  member  of  the  order 
of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  the  U.  F.  of  M.  ;  K.  P. ;  and  Webster  Society  of 
the  University  of  Michigan.  Since  becoming  a  permanent  resident  of  Detroit  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Fort  Street  Presbyterian  church,  is  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school  in  connection  with  that  church,  and  in  1895  was  president  of 
the  Presbyterian  Westminster  League. 

Jenks,  Edward  W.,  M.  D.,  LL.  D. ,  is  a  native  of  New  York  State  and  was  born  at 

270 


Victor  in  1833.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  La  Grange  (Ind.)  Collegiate 
Institute,  a  school  founded  and  in  the  main  endowed  with  a  generous  hand  by  his 
father  early  in  the  century,  and  during  its  many  years  of  existence  one  of  the  most 
famous  schools  of  Northern  Indiana  and  Southern  Michigan.  After  fitting  himself 
here  for  entering  upon  his  professional  studies  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  New  York  as  a  private  pupil  of  Professors  J.  R.  Wood  and  William 
Darling.  Subsequently  he  attended  the  once  famous  Castleton  Medical  College  in 
Vermont,  where  he  was  under  the  tutelage  of  the  late  Professor  C.  L.  Ford,  famous 
as  a  teacher  of  anatomy.  Upon  his  return  to  New  York  he  found  his  old  preceptor. 
Prof.  J.  R.  Wood,  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  and  preferring  to  remain  under  his  instruction 
he  entered  the  Bellevue  Hospital  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1864  with 
a  degree  of  M.  D.,  immediately  after  which  he  located  for  practice  in  Detroit,  Mich. 
His  sterling  worth  as  a  citizen  and  physician  was  soon  recognized,  and  shortly  after 
coming  to  Detroit  he  became  connected  with  Harper  Hospital,  and  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  first  staff.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Detroit  Medical  College, 
subsequently  the  Detroit  College  of  Medicine,  in  1868,  which  he  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  forming,  Dr.  Jenks  became  its  first  president ;  also  filling  the  chair  of 
obstetrics  and  diseases  of  women.  In  1871  while  filling  this  chair  he  was  called  upon 
to  occupy  a  similar  position  in  Bowdoin  College,  Brunswick,  Maine,  and  held  the 
same  for  four  years,  when  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  the  position  on  account  of  the 
arduous  labor  involved  in  connection  with  his  large  practice  in  Detroit.  In  1879  he 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  filled  the  chair  of  gynaecology  in  the  Chicago  Medical 
College,  but  the  climate  proving  injurious  to  himself  and  family  obliged  him  to  sub- 
mit his  resignation  of  this  position  and  return  to  Detroit,  where  he  has  .since  devoted 
himself  to  private  practice.  Previous  to  his  removing  to  Chicago  Dr.  Jenks  was  con- 
nected as  visiting  and  consulting  physician  with  Harper,  St.  Luke's,  St.  Mary's  and 
the  Detroit  Woman's  Hospital.  He  has  always  stood  in  the  front  rank  of  the  med- 
ical practitioners  of  Detroit.  Dr.  Jenks  is  a  regular  contributor  to  the  leading  med- 
ical journals  and  other  scientific  publications,  and  many  of  his  literary  productions 
have  been  translated  and  are  quoted  in  every  section  of  the  civilized  world.  One  of 
New  York's  most  distinguished  physicians,  Dr.  Fordyce  Barker,  has  said  that,  "  With 
obstetricians  and  gynaecologists,  both  m  the  United  States  and  Europe,  Dr.  Jenks 
has  long  born  a  high  reputation  as  a  most  efificient  and  useful  contributor  to  science 
and  practice  in  these  departments,  and  as  an  able  writer  whose  many  published 
papers  must  be  well  known  generally."  Dr.  Jenks  is  a  fellow  of  the  American 
Gynaecological  Society,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders ;  fellow  of  the  Obstetrical 
Society  of  London,  England;  member  of  the  American,  Michigan  State  (of  which  he 
has  been  president)  Medical  Associations;  the  Detroit  Academy  of  Medicine  (of  which 
he  was  president),  Detroit  Gynaecological  Society,  Wayne  County  Medical  Society, 
and  Detroit  Library  and  Medical  Association ;  honorary  member  of  the  Ohio  State 
and  Maine  Medical  Associations,  Toledo  Medical  Society,  Cincinnati  Obstetrical  So- 
ciety, and  Northwestern  Medical  Society  of  Indiana;  also  corresponding  member  of 
the  Societe  Francaise  d'Electrotherapie,  Paris,  France,  Boston  Gynaecological  So- 
ciety, and  other  learned  associations  at  home  and  abroad.  In  1866  he  became  one 
of  the  founders  and  for  four  years  was  a  member  of  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Detroit 
Review  of  Medicine,  which  was  the  predecessor  of  the  American  Lancet.  He  was 
for  some  time  an  active  member  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Health,   and  in  his  official 

271 


capacity  has  rendered  the  city  valuable  service.  He  is  connected  with  nearly  all  the 
prominent  medical  and  surgical  societies  and  associations  of  America  and  has  fre- 
quently held  official  positions  in  those  bodies.  Dr.  Jenks  is  actively  engaged  in 
practice,  devoting  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  to  the  specialty  in  which  he  has  ob- 
tained his  greatest  success,  and  in  which  he  is  regarded  by  the  profession  at  large  as 
a  recognizd  authority.  Dr.  Jenks  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Albion  (Mich.) 
College  in  1878.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Correction  and 
Charities.  He  has  been  married  twice;  his  first  wife  being  Julia  Darling  of  Warsaw, 
N.  Y. ,  and  his  second  wife  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  James  F.  Joy,  Detroit's 
"  Grand  old  man."  They  have  two  children:  Martha  and  Nathan,  who  has  nearly 
completed  his  medical  course  in  Bellevue  Medical  College,  New  York  city. 

Winder.  Daniel  Cory,  son  of  Prof.  Daniel  K.  and  Mary  J.  (Miller)  Winder,  was 
born  near  Urbana,  Ohio,  January  27,  1863.  He  was  educated  under  private  tutors 
at  Toronto,  Ontario,  Can.,  whither  his  parents  removed  in  1864.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  entered  the  office  of  his  father  at  Toronto  to  learn  the  printer's  trade. 
Upon  completing  his  apprenticeship  he  removed  to  Detroit  where  he  afterward  es- 
tablished the  well  known  Winder  Printing  Company,  an  establishment  that  has  been 
successful  from  the  beginning.  Mr.  Winder's  taste  and  skill  has  made  the  output  of 
his  office  noted  for  its  artistic  merit,  and  in  his  particular  sjDecialty — hotel  menus — 
he  practically  controls  the  work  of  the  city.  Mr.  Winder  is  a  member  of  various  fra- 
ternal and  social  organizations  and  is  also  a  Knight  Templar.  Mr.  Winder  was 
married  September  8,  1887,  to  Loia  J.  Atherton,  of  Northfield,  Vt.,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Daniel  C,  jr.  and  John  P.  The  Winder  family  is  of  English  origin, 
the  progenitor  of  this  particular  branch  coming  to  Maryland  at  an  early  date,  where 
Mr.  Winder's  father  was  born.  Mr.  Winder  has  in  his  possession  the  Winder  familj' 
crest  that  has  been  in  the  family  from  its  earliest  days. 

Gast,  Gustave  L.,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Smudt)  Gast,  born  June  18,  1868, 
in  Poplitz,  Prussia.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
place,  which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen.  In  1883  his  parents  removed  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  Detroit.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  was  apprenticed 
to  the  cabinet  maker's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  1892.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  associated  himself  with  Herman  F.  Bock  and  William  Schoenweg,  forming  the 
firm  of  Bock,  Schoenweg  &  Gast,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  and 
office  fixtures.  In  1895  he  organized  the  Detroit  Furniture  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  absorbed  the  former  firm,  and  removed  to  their  present  spacious  factory  build- 
ing at  803  and  805  Bellevue  avenue.  The  company  employ  twenty  hands,  with  a 
yearly  output  of  |25,000. 

Van  Wagoner,  Alvil  O.,  son  of  Philo  Van  Wagoner  and  Phoebe  (Tindell)  Van 
Wagoner,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Orion  township,  Oakland  county,  Mich.,  coming 
there  in  1836,  where  Alvil  O.  was  born  March  23,  1865.  His  early  education  was  ob- 
tained at  the  district  schools,  afterwards  graduating  from  the  Pontiac  High  School 
in  the  class  of  1887.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  for  two  years,  after  which  he  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  graduating 
in  1891.  He  located  in  Detroit,  opening  an  office  immediately  after  graduation, 
and  devotes  his  time  to  general  law  practice.     Mr.  Van  Wagoner  was  married  to 

272 


Josephine  M.  Clark  of  Milwaukee,  December  81,  1895.     Mr.  Van  Wagoner's  parents 
were  from  eastern  New  York  and  New  Jersey  and  were  of  Revolutionary  stock. 

Scotten,  William  E.,  was  born  in  Branch  county.  Mich.,  July  17,  1857,  a  son  of 
Walter  and  Martha  Scotten.  His  father  was  born  in  England.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  and  afterwards  in  the  Detroit  High  School,  at 
that  time  located  in  the  old  State  Capitol  building.  Mr.  Scotten's  first  business  en- 
terprise was  a  retail  hardware  store  in  Plymouth,  Mich.,  in  1876,  which  he  was  soon 
compelled  to  abandon  on  account  of  ill  health.  The  next  few  years  he  spent  upon 
his  farm  near  Detroit,  until  1887,  when  he  entered  the  tobacco  factory  of  Daniel 
Scotten  &  Co.,  in  a  subordinate  position,  but  by  strict  attention  to  the  various  details 
of  the  business,  accompanied  by  constant  industry,  good  moral  habits  and  sound 
business  instincts,  he  advanced  through  various  positions  till  he  was  admitted  to  the 
firm  in  1894.  Mr.  Scotten  was  married  in  1891  to  Florence  Fleming  of  Windsor, 
Ontario.  Mr.  Scotten  has  traveled  extensively  over  various  portions  of  the  United 
States  and  has  always  been  a  careful  observer  of  men  and  places. 

MacLaurin,  Rev.  Donald  D.,  son  of  Rev.  Duncan  and  Janet  (Drummond)  Mac- 
Laurin,  was  born  in  St.  Vincent,  Ontario,  Canada.  He  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  place,  which  he  attended  until  he  was 
about  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  did  not  resume  his  school  work  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-two, when  he  entered  the  academic  department  of  Colgate  University,  Hamilton, 
N.  Y.,  and  was  graduated  from  the  university  itself  with  the  class  of  '81,  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  In  December  of  that  year  he  was  ordained  at  Eaton,  Madison 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  the  theological  department  of  Colgate  University,  where 
he  remained  until  1883,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  young  Im- 
manuel  Baptist  church  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.  His  ministry  there  was  crowned  with 
large  success.  Between  six  and  seven  hundred  people  were  added  to  the  church. 
One  of  the  finest  church  buildings  in  the  city  was  erected.  In  1890  he  was  called  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  old  Baptist  Church  of  the  Epiphany  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
remained  until  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Detroit,  having  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
the  Woodward  Avenue  Baptist  church.  During  his  nearly  six  years'  (at  this  writing, 
June,  1898,)  pastorate  about  $180,000  of  money  has  been  raised  and  expended;  the 
church  has  made  a  net  increase  of  400 ;  and  mission  interests  in  the  city  have  been 
prosecuted.  He  was  chairman  of  the  City  Mission  Committee  for  five  years.  In 
1896  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1897.  In  that  year  he  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  He  was  united  in  marriage  June  26,  1877,  to  Florence  Eugenia  Page  at 
Triangle,  Broome  county,  N.  Y.     They  have  one  child,  Eugenia  May  MacLaurin. 

Shipman,  Ozias  Williams,  a  son  of  Horace  and  Abby  A.  Shipman,  was  born  at 
Pierstown,  "Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  January  29,  1834.  About  seven  years  after  his 
birth  his  parents  took  up  their  residence  at  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  seminary 
of  that  place  Mr.  Shipman  received  most  of  his  school  education.  After  four  years 
the  family  removed  to  a  farm  at  Union,  Broome  county,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shipman  moved  to  Athens,  Pa.,  leaving  O.  W.  and  a  brother  to 
manage  the  Union  farm.  After  two  years  spent  on  the  farm  Mr.  Shipman  went  to 
his  father's  home  at  Athens,  remaining  there  until  about  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

273 


Shortly  after  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business  at  Waverly  and  in  a  few  years  he 
worked  up  a  very  large  trade,  where  he  continued  until  1872,  when  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  New  York.  Not  long  afterwards  he  bought  a  quarter  interest  in  the  Shaw- 
nee Coal  Co.'s  business  and  since  that  time  has  devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  coal 
business.  In  1875  he  came  to  Detroit  and  quickly  built  up  an  extensive  trade,  so 
that  he  soon  had  the  largest  coal  business  in  Michigan.  July  1,  1897,  his  Detroit 
business  was  incorporated  under  the  style  of  the  O.  W.  Shipman  Co.,  a  number  of 
his  employees  who  had  been  with  him  for  a  number  of  years  being  admitted  as 
stockholders  and  members  of  the  company.  Besides  his  coal  business  Mr.  Shipman 
was  interested  in  the  Frontier  Iron  &  Brass  Works,  and  in  the  Fireproof 
Paint  Co.  at  Chicago.  He  was  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Commercial  National  and 
American  National  Banks  of  Detroit,  and  a  director  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank. 
Mr.  Shipman  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  perseverance  and  was  possessed  of  ex- 
ecutive and  administrative  ability  of  a  high  order.  In  commercial  circles  he  was 
always  considered  upright  and  honorable  and  his  private  life  was  without  a  stain. 
He  was  prominent  in  the  Masonic  circles  and  had  taken  the  highest  degrees  of  the 
order  obtainable  in  this  country.  He  was  an  active  member  of  St.  John's  Episcopal 
church  and  served  there  for  some  years  as  a  vestryman ;  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
Pingree  in  1893  as  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Commission  and  rendered 
most  valuable  services  while  occupying  that  position.  In  June,  1856,  Mr.  Shipman 
married  Miss  Emily  L.  Comstock  of  Newark  Valley,  N.  Y.  They  had  two  daugh- 
ters, Mrs.  F.  B.  Stevens  of  Detroit,  and  Mrs.  H.  S.  Lewis  of  Circleville,  Ohio.  Mr. 
Shipman  died  Jan.  28,  1898. 

Thompson,  William  B.,  was  born  March  10,  1860,  in  Detroit,  Mich.  His  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Bridget  (Barium)  Thompson,  who  emigrated  from  Ireland  in  1855 
and  located  in  Detroit.  William  B.  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Detroit.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  secured  a  situation  with  Thomas  Barium,  who 
was  located  in  the  Central  Market,  and  in  1880  was  admitted  to  partnership,  which 
connection  was  continued  until  1882,  when  Mr.  Thompson  embarked  in  business  for 
himself  in  the  old  Central  Market.  When  that  market  was  abolished  Mr.  Thomp- 
son, in  connection  with  Thomas  and  John  J.  Barium,  organized  the  New  Cen- 
tral Market,  where  Mr.  Thompson  now  has  his  retail  business.  He  has  been  an 
active  participant  in  Democratic  politics.  In  1890  he  was  elected  alderman  from  the 
Eighth  ward  for  two  years,  re-elected  in  1892  for  a  second  term,  but  in  1894,  although 
great  pressure  was  brought  to  bear,  he  declined  renomination.  In  1896  he  was  again 
elected  as  alderman,  and  in  1897  was  elected  city  treasurer  by  a  majority  of  over 
5,000,  leading  the  ticket.  Mr.  Thompson  has  achieved  his  business  and  political  suc- 
cess by  a  strict,  unswerving  fidelity  to  all  interests  intrusted  to  his  care.  He  was 
married,  April  26,  1887,  to  Nellie,  daughter  of  Francis  A.  and  Mary  (Gaffney)  Hymes. 
They  have  six  children:  Mary  V.  J.,  Kathleen,  Irene  Elizabeth,  William  Grover, 
Francis  Leo  and  Helen  Marion. 

Gartner,  George,  was  born  in  the  township  of  Grosse  Pointe,  Wayne  county,  Mich., 
on  October  10,  1850,  son  of  Bernd  F.  and  Catherine  Gartner,  of  German  nativity. 
His  father  came  to  this  country  in  1843,  locating  at  Grosse  Pointe,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  general  store  and  a  manufactory  of  boots  and   shoes.     George  Gartner's 

274 


early  education  was  necessarily  limited  to  the  brief  moments  he  could  snatch  away 
from  the  arduous  toil  of  those  early  days,  but  naturally  of  a  receptive  mind,  he  made 
the  best  of  such  opportunities  as  were  afforded  until  he  was  seventeen,  when  he  at- 
tended the  Normal  School  of  Ypsilanti.  In  the  winter  of  1869-70  he  taught  school 
near  Dowagiac,  Mich.  In  October,  1870,  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Uni-» 
versify  of  Michigan,  where  he  attended  for  two  terras  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
April  2,  1872 ;  he  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Detroit.  In 
the  spring  of  1883  Mr.  Gartner  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  for 
a  term  of  four  years,  during  the  third  year  of  which' he  was  president  of  the  board. 
During  the  years  1885-87  he  occupied  the  position  of  first  assistant  prosecuting  at- 
torney of  Wayne  county,  resigning  the  same  to  occupy  the  office  of  circuit  judge  of 
the  Third  Judicial  Circuit  on  January  1,  1888,  to  which  office  he  had  been  elected  at 
the  general  State  spring  election  in  April,  1887.  He  served  as  circuit  judge  until 
December  31,  1893,  when  he  again  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law.  Mr.  Gartner 
was  married,  November  6,  1879,  to  Lena  B.  Brooks,  and  they  have  surviving  one 
son^  Oliver,  born  September  22,  1887. 

Huston,  E.  Russell,  was  born  in  Dresden,  Ontario,  Can.,  July  17,  1870,  a  son  of 
Edward  Huston,  the  well  known  lumberman  of  the  province  of  Ontario,  Washington 
State  and  B.  C.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  and  was  graduated 
from  the  Chatham  Collegiate  Institute  in  1888;  he  spent  four  years  in  Toronto  Uni- 
versity and  one  year  in  Queen's  College,  where  he  took  special  work  in  philosophy 
under  Prof.  Watson  and  political  science  under  Prof.  Short.  In  1894  he  removed  to 
Detroit  and  entered  the  law  office  of  S.  Babcock,  also  becoming  a  student  in  the  De- 
troit College  of  Law,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1896.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  the  same  year  and  has  remained  in  Mr.  Babcock's  office  where  he  has  met 
with  well  deserved  success.  Mr.  Huston  is  of  the  good  old  Pilgrim  stock,  his  fore- 
fathers landing  in  America  from  the  boat  which  followed  the  Mayflower.  His  grand- 
mother on  his  father's  side  was  a  cousin  of  Rufus  Choate  and  his  father  is  one  of  the 
Ohio  race  of  Hustons,  who  originally  came  from  Ireland.  His  mother's  mother 
came  from  Ireland  and  father  from  England. 

Buhaczkowski,  Rev.  Witold,  vice-rector  of  the  Polish  Seminary  at  Detroit,  Mich., 
was  born  December  15,  1864,  at  Lublin,  Russian  Poland,  and  in  August,  1887,  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Detroit.  Father  Buhaczkowski  for  five  years  previous  to  his 
coming  to  America  pursued  his  ecclesiastical  studies  in  Rome,  Italy,  in  the  Gregorian 
University,  receiving  his  orders  as  priest  from  Cardinal  Parocchi,  vicar  of  His  Holi- 
ness the  Pope,  in  1887,  and  was  immediately  appointed  to  his  present  position  as 
vice-rector  of  the  Polish  Catholic  Seminary,  Detroit.  This  seminary  was  instituted 
a  little  before  the  coming  of  Father  Buhaczkowski,  and  was  founded  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Dombrowski  for  the  education  of  Polish  young  men  desiring  to  study  for  the  priest- 
hood, and  contains  two  departments— the  classical  or  collegiate  course,  and  the 
ecclesiastical,  and  its  body  of  students  includes  members  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
where  the  Poles  have  made  a  residence.  A  large  number  of  the  students  ordained 
in  this  school  as  priests  are  working  among  their  countrymen. 

Wight,  Sidney  B.,  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  February  10,  1856,  son  of  Henry  A. 
and  Sarah  Davenport  Wight.     Henry  A.,  his  father,  came  from  Sturbridge,  Mass., 

275 


at  an  early  age.  Sidney  B.  received  his  preliminary  education  in  private  schools  at 
Detroit,  and  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1878.  At  the  present  time  he  occupies  the 
position  of  assistant  purchasing  agent  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad. 


276 


INDEX 


Abbott,  Edward,  Capt.,  appointed   lieu- 
tenant-governor at  Fort  Sackville,  202 
James,   264,   266,   279.   280,  334,  347, 

441,  513,  523 
Robert,  262,   264-266,   269,   279,  347, 

490 
Samuel,  279 
William  S.,  469 
Abel,  Prof.,  602 
Abend-Post,  the,  540 
Acadians,  forcible  removal  of  the,  by  the 

English,  151 
Acts  of   the   United  States  government 

previous  to  the  war  of  1812,  304,  305 
Adair,  William,  596 
Adam,  John  J.,  5il 
Adams,  Derrick,  582 
Agnes,  Sister,  576 

Agriculture,  opposition  to  the  develop- 
ment of,  by  fur  traders  and  English 
tradesmen,  195 

unskillful,  of  the  French  settlers,  145 
Aikens,  Captain,  332 
Allgemeine-Zeitung,  the,  539 
Alger,  R.  A.,  481,  484,  508 
Algonquins,  the,  39 
Allouez,  Father  Claude,  10,  14,  32 
Alvord,  Henry  J.,  410 
American  District  Telegraph,  558 
Amherst.  Jeffrey,  Sir,  128,  129,  150,  153, 

166,  189 
Ancram,  Major,  commandant  in  1784-86, 

236 
Anderson,  John.  279,  293,  434,  491 
Lieutenant,  321 
T.  S.,  482 
Andre,  Joseph,  353 
Andrews,   George  P.,  Dr.,  493 
Angell,  George  R.,  507,  515 

James  B.,  Dr.,  512;  sketch  of  513 
Anjabram,  Father,  19,  20 
Antisdel.  J.  F.,  580,   581 
W.  W.,  580 


Anti-slavery  sentiment,   development  of 

the,  406 
Arbeiter-Zeitung,  the,  540 
Armstrong,  James  B.,  Capt.,  403 

John,  251 
Art  Museum  of  Detroit,  480-484 
Arzeno,  Alexander  M.,  408 
Ashley,  Walter,  427 
Askin,  John,  236,  262,  264,  265,  269,  270 

John,  jr.,  269 

John  B.,  142 
Aspinwall,  Joseph,  508 
Aster,  John  Jacob,  jealousy  of  the  British 

of,  296 
Athletic  and  sporting  associations  in  De- 
troit, list  of,  616,  617 
Athletics  and  sporting,  612-616 
Atkinson,  John,  538 
Attwater,  Reuben,  309,  396 
Audrain,  Peter,  262,  265,  332 
Avery,  Clara  A.,  482 

Elisha,  279 

Baby,   F.,  142 

Francis,  Col. ,  332 

J.  B.,  142 
Backus,  Henry  T.,  410 
Bacon,  Daniel  S..  397 

David,  Rev.,  522 

Leonard,  Rev.  Dr.,  530 

Marshall  J.,  439,  440 

Washington  A.,  514 
Badger,  Thomas,   Rev.,  522 
Badin,   Francois  Vincent,  Rev.,  518.  519 
Bagg,  John  S.,  379,  537 

Joseph  H.,  410 

Silas  A.,  415,  537 
Bagley,  John  J.,  443 

John  N.,  483 
Bailey,  John,  557 
Baker,  Daniel,  475 

H.  E.,  479 

S.  A.,  Rev.,  407 


277 


Baldwin,  Ethan,  280 

H.  P.,  383.  481,  493 

Lyman,  414 
Balfour,  James,  482 
Ball,  Colonel,  345 

Martin,  476 
Balloon  ascensions,  fatal,  G29 
Bank,  Detroit  City,  442 

Detroit  Savings,  442 

Farmers'  and  Mechanics',  436,   437, 
440,  441 

First  National,  442 

Michigan  State,  442 

of  Detroit,  the,  284,  285,  431-434, 

of  Michigan,   434-436,   440,    441;    in 
corporation  of  the,  356 

of  St.  Clair,  442 

of  the  Dwights,  the,  434 

Peninsular,  442 

United  States,  437 
Banking,  the  effects  of  wild  cat,  440 
Banks,  wildcat,  438-440 
Baptist  churches,  529,  530 
Barber,  George,  582 
Barbour,  George  H.,  507 
Barclay,  Robert  H.,  Capt.,  337,  338 
Barker,  K.  C.,609 
Barkley,  William,  423 
Barium,  Thomas,  467 
Barnard,  Henry  D.,  620 

John,  582 
Barnes,  Giles,  280 

Henry,  421,  536,  537 

Jacob,  537 
Barr,  Horatio,  515 
Barrett,  D.  T.,  612 

Lawrence,  597 
Barron,  Commodore,  of  the  Chesapeake 

302,  303 
Barrow,  Captain,  332 
Barstow,  Henry  A.,  579 

James  S  ,  536 
Baseball,  613,  614 

Bassett,  Henry,  Major,  190;   attempt  of, 
to  inclose  common  lands,  199 

commandant,    opposes    the    sale   of 
rum  to  the  Indians.  198 
Bates,    Frederick,   266,   267,   271;  sketch 
of,  275 ;  396 

George  C,  383 

Morgan,  461 
Bayard,  Robert,   Major,  commandant  in 

1767,  197 
Beall,  John  Yates,  427 
Beard,  David,  293 
Beaubien,  Antoine,  279 

Jean  Marie,  279 

John  B.,  353 


Beaubien,  Lambert,  353 

Beaugrand,  Jean  Baptists,  279,  280,  293 

Beauharnois,  Chevalier,  139,  140,  141 

Governor,  133 ;  efforts  of,  to  improve 
communications,  135;  136,  137 

Intendant,  68,  69 
Beaver  trade,  and  its  difhculties  and  pe- 
culiarities, 64,  65 

skins,  depression  in  the  price  of,  in 
1801,  58 

home  of  the,  63,  64 

revival  of  demand  for,  136 
Beck,  Louis  H.,  467 
Beecher,  Luther,  581,  600 
le,  Josiah  A.,  408 

)n,  Intendant,  135 
Behr,  Fred,  424,  605 
Beierle,  Constantine,  605,  606 
Belanger,  Joseph,  33 
Bell,  Alexander  T.,  408 
Belle  Isle  Park,  459-462 
Beller,  Jacob,  598,  599 
Bellestre,  Francis  Marie   Picote  de,  last 

French  commandant,  148,  156,  161 
Benedict,  Edwin  D.,  556 

Hiram,  407 
Benoit,  John,  607 
Berdan,  O.  F.,  594 
Berrien,  John  M.,  Col.,  390 
Berry  Bros.,  482 

Thomas,  467 
Berthelet,  Henry,  266,  293 

Peter,  447 
Bertrand,  Jean  Baptiste,  342,  343 
Beyer,  W.  P.,  585 
Bichan,  Robert,  538 

Biddle,  John,  361,  385,  391,  441,  581,  594 
Bidwell,  A.  F.,  Capt.,  422 
Bienville,  Pierre  de  Celeron  de,  147,  160 

ex-governor  of  Louisiana,  121,  122 
Bierce,  Lucius  V.,  Gen.,  402 
Bingham,  Kingsley  S.,  406,  408 
Bird,  Henry,  Capt.,  205,  208;  massacre  at 

Fort  Laurens  by  Indians  under,  209 
Birney,  James  G.,  406 
Bishop,  Levi,  383,  516 
Bissell,  A.  E.,  508 

George  W.,  508,  612 
Black,  Clarence  A.,  453 

Frank  D.,  453 

Joseph,  453,  481 

Hawk  war,  the,  372 
Blackburn,  Thornton,  fugitive  .slave,  416, 

417 
Blades,  F.  A.,  612 

Blainville,   Pierre    de  Celeron    de,    com- 
mandant, 142 
Blair,  Governor,  420 


278 


Blakeslee,  E.  S.,582 
Blanchett,  Charles,  602,  604 
Bland,  Pierce  M.,  613 
Blindbury,  John,  579 
Bliss.  Frekerick.  516 

W.  S.,  Capt,  423 
Blodgett,  C.  C,  482 
Blood,  Dr.,  wounded  at  Hull's  surrender, 

321 
Bloody  Run,  188 
Bloquelle,  Louis,  608 
Board  of  Education,  514 

of  Trade  of  Detroit,  508 
Boardwell,  Warren,  598 
Boise,  Professor,  512 
Boishebert,    M.   de,    commandant    from 

1728  to  1734,  134,  160 
Bond,  Lewis.  380 
Bonnecamp,  Father,  147 
Bonnet,  H.   F.,  605.  606,  608 
Boone,  Daniel,  prisoner  of  Simon  Girty, 

207 
Booth,  George  G..  536.  538 
Borgess,  Caspar  H..  Bishop,  519 
Borgman,  Martin  V.,  444,  445,  585 
Bourdeaux,  Joseph,  280 
Bourgmont.  August  de,  Lieut.,  159 

Louis,   Lieut.,   appointed    Cadillac's 
successor  in  1704,  68 

as  commandant,  77 

departure  of,  with  his  mistress,  81 
Bourn,  Allan.  453 
Boutell,  Alexander  A.,  508 
Bowles,  T.  L.  601 
Bradbeer,  George  J.,  615 
Braddock's  defeat  in  Virginia,  151 
Bradel,  Richard,  608 
Bradise.  Alvah.  390.  391.  395 

W.  K  ,  484 
Bradstreet,  John,  Col.,  arrival  of,  at  De- 
troit, 193 

personality  of,  195 
Brady,  George  N.,  484 

Hugh.   Gen.,  402 

Joseph,  293 

S.  P.,  609 
Brand,  Bishop,  138 
Brant,   Joseph,   the   Mohawk  chief,  245. 

316 
Brearley,  W.  H.,  480,  481,  507,  538 
Breboeuf,' Father  Jean  de,  10 
Brennan,  Michael,  555 
Bressani,  Father,  10 
Brevoort,  Henry  B.,  Capt.,  318,  337,  434 

Henry  J  ,  347,  348 
Brezee,  J.  Lloyd.  538.  539 
Bridge,  Henry  P.,  508,  576 
Briggs,  Captain,  233 


British  agents,  plotting  of,  with  the  In- 
dians of  the  west,  240,  341 

barbarities,  Benjamin  Franklin's  ap- 
peal    to     France     for     assistance 
against,  327 
demand  of  Hull  the  surrender  of  De- 
troit. 320 
evacuate  Detroit,  344 
excuse  for  holding  surrendered  ter- 
ritory after  treaty,  238-340 
expedition    under    Bird    and    Girty 

against  Louisville  in  1780.  228 
expedition  to  the  Ohio  valley,  311, 

213 
final  surrender  by  the,  of  the  disputed 

posts,  250 
governors  of  Canada,  list  of,  254,  255 
influence  with  the  Hurons,  34 
measures  to  strengthen  their  hold  on 

the  northwest.  203 
policy  with  the  Indians  in  the  war  of 

the  Revolution,  304 
posts  in  the  northwest  in  the  Revo- 
lution, 309 
sympathizers,   removal  of,  from  De- 
troit after  the  evacuation  in  1796, 
253,  254 
the.  evacuate  Detroit   in  1796,   251, 

252 
traders,  bad  practice  of  the,  with  the 
Indians.  164,  165 
Brock,  General,  dispatches  troops  against 

Hull,  316;  319-323 
Brock's  opinion  of  Tecumseh.  319 
Brockway,  Z.  R.,  445 
Brodhead,  Daniel,  expedition  under,  into 
Ohio,  210,  211;  219 
T.  F..  Col.,  379,  431 
Brooke,  F.  W.,  555 
Brooks,  Edward,  333 

Joseph,  600 
Brown,  Ammon,  410 
Brothers,  451 
Hiram,  583 
H.  B.,  483 

Henry  Huutmgdon,  390,  441,  442 
John,  280 

John,  the  abolitionist,  418 
Joseph,  Gen.,  388 
William,  434 
William,  Dr.,  332 
Brownlee,  William  R.,539 
Brubaker,  J.  S.,  581 
Brueckner,  Herman,  593 
Brush,    Edmund   A..  383,  449,  469,   513, 
581 

Elijah,   Col.,  266,   380,   310-312,  319, 
332,  347 


279 


Brush,   Henry.  Capt.,   arrival  of,  at  the 
River  Raisin,  316;  319 
escape  of,  322 

Electric  Light  Co.,  453,  454 
Br\-an,  Edward.  490 
Buhl.  C.  H..  481,  483,  493 

Fred,  424 

Theodore  D.,  484 
Building  statistics,  573 
Buildings,  list  of,  erected,  costing  $50.- 

000  or  more,  572 
Bull,  John.  Moravian  missionary,  230,  236 
Buncher,  Charles,  484 
Burger,  Joseph,  607 
Burke,  John,  584 
Burley,  Bennett  G.,  426-428 
Burnet,  James,  347 

Burnett,  Jacob,  description  of  Detroit  by, 
257,  258 

John,  279 
Burt,  John,  557 
Burtis,  John,  Capt.,  367 
Burton,  C.  M.,  22.  53,  61,  90-95,  116,  590 
Busch,  Charles,  424 
Bushnell,  C.  S..  542,  543 
Bussey,  Fred  J.,  476 

Butler,  Colonel,  heroic  death  of,   at  St. 
Clair's  defeat,  247 

John,  205;    massacres  at   Wyoming 
and  Cherry  Valley  by,  208 

Richard,  244 

William  A.,  493 
Butz,  Caspar,  608 

&  Schimmel,  539 
Byrne,  Frank,  613 

Cadillac,  Antoine  de  La  Mothe.  159 
a  conspiracy  against,  67-69 
affair    of,    with    Lieutenant    Sabre- 

vois.  28 
and   Champigny,    dispute    between, 

35-37 
and   the  Jesuits,    beginning  of    the 

quarrel  between,  33 
and  the  Jesuits,    bitter  accusations 

against  each  other  by,  57 
and  the  Jesuits,  trouble  between,  on 

the  liquor  question,  34,  35 
appointed  governor  of  Louisiana,  119 
as  a  courtier,  30,  31 
as   one   of    the    originators    of    the 

scheme  for  a  fort  at  Detroit,  17 
biographical  sketch  of,  21-31 
conpanions   of,   at   the   founding   of 

Detroit,  48 
criticises  the  Company   of   the   Col- 
ony, 66 
death  of,  124 


Cadillac,  description  of   Detroit  and  its 
surroundings  by,  49-52 

dismissal  of,  as  governor  of  Louisana, 
122 

division  of  lands  by,  55 

effortsof,  tosecurea  supply  of  food. 55 

grant    of    estate    called     Donaquec 
to,  39 

marriage  of,  29 

memorial  of,  in  relation  to  a  fort  on 
the  Straits,  38 

mythical   story  of  Gayerre  concern- 
ing Bienville  and,  122 

names  his  fort  Pontchartrain  and  the 
settlement  Detroit,  52 

permission  given  to,   to  establish  a 
fort  on  the  Straits,  38 

personal  characteristics  of.  79,  80 

purchase  of  the  interests  of  the  Com- 
pany of  the  Colony  by,  79 

recalled  from  Mackinac,  38 

receives    the   appointment   of    com- 
mandant at  Michillimacinac,  32 

reinstated  after  his  trial,  76 

succeeds  in   getting   thirty  .  Hurons 
from  Mackinac  to  Detroit,  65 

the  coming  of,  1-5 

treatment  of  conspiring  Iroquois  bv, 
34 

unable   to   realize   on    his    property 
when  sent  to  Louisiana,  119-120 
Cadillac,    Antoine,    eldest     son    of    the 

founder,  48 
Cadillac,  Madame,  arrival  of,  at  Detroit, 

54-55 
Cadillac's   arrangement   with  the    Com- 
pany of  the  Colony,  59,  60 

arrival  at  Louisiana,  121 

buildings  at  Detroit,  description  of, 
90,  91 

course  in  the  Le  Pesant   affair,   81, 
82 

dealing  with  Indians  in  1703,  61 

dislike  of  Jesuits  incurs  Vaudreuil's 
enmity,  83,  84 

denunciation   of  his   enemies  in  his 
letters  to  Pontchartrain,  80 

difficulties  with  Crozat,  122 

enemies  plot  to  have  Detroit  aban- 
doned, 85-87 

explanation  of  his  trouble  with  Des- 
noyers.  69 

family.  124 

friends  in  the  French  court,  87 

heirs  granted  his  former  estates  in 
Maine,  124 

home,  site  of,  61 

horse,  Colin,  56 


280 


Cadillac's  imaginary  conversation  used  at 
his  trial,  70-76 

life  after  his  final  return  to  France, 

123 
opinion  of  Indian  character,  80 
opposition  to  a  Jesuit  mission  at  De- 
troit, 56 
perquisites  .as  commandant,  94 
profits  from  trade  and  otherwise,  94 
project  to  have  his  soldiers  marry  In- 
dian wives,  56 
quarrel  with  Dubuisson,  120 
report  to  Count  Pontchartrain  of  his 

first  year's  work,  58 
return  to  France  after  being  deposed 

at  Detroit,  121 
scheme  of  marriage  of  French  sol- 
diers and  Indian  maidens  a  fail- 
ure, 70 
soldiers,  desertions  from,  66,  67 
stormy    governorship    of    Louisana, 

121,  122 
trial  on  charges  made  by  Clerk  Des- 
noyers,  68,  69 
Caldwell,   William,    Indian    leader,    205, 
235,  245,  331,  346 

Francis,   Ensign,  346 
Callieres,  Chevalier  Louis  Hector  de,  29, 

38,  60 
Campau,  Alexander  Macomb,  461,  482 
Barnabas,  280,  434,  461 
Charles,  mill  right  granted  to,  135 
Daniel].,  609 
Emile,  461 
Jacques,  petition  for  a  grant  of  land 

by,  192 
John  Barnabas,  461 
Joseph,  262,  265,  279.  434 
Louis.  279 
Campbell,  Alexander,  477 

Donald,  Capt.,  extract  from  letter  of, 
1760,  163,  164;  166,  167,  174 

career  and  death  of,  during  the 
Indian   siege  of  Detroit,  179- 
183; 185,  186 
made  deputy   commandant,   169 
Findlay,  490 
Gordon,  Capt,  424,  565 
Henry  M.,  442,  463 
James  v.,  70,  383,  410,  512 
Martin,  Dr.,  604 
Campus  Martins,  the,  462 
Canada  restored  to  the   French   by   the 

treaty  of  1632,  9 
Canadian  rebellion,  the,  398-403 
Canfield,  F.  H.,  482 
Caniff,  Abram  C,  617 
Capitol  building  in  Detroit,  the,  370,  567 


Carleton,  Guy,  Sir,  128,  206;  opposed  to 
theemplovment  of  Indians  in  the  Rev- 
olution, 204 

Carpenter,  W.  N.,  411,  612 

Cartier,  Jacques,  7 

Carr  &  Reeve,  585 

Casot,  John  Joseph,  129 

Cass,  Lewis,  70,  145,  267,  307,  310,  313- 
315,  319.  322,  326,  333,  345,  349,  351- 
3.54,  357,  358-360,  367,  368,  371,  376, 
383-385.  395,  412,  423,  424, 462, 491,  511, 
513,  528 

Catlin,  Henry  B.,  555 

Cavalier,  Joseph,  280 

Celebration  of  the  completion  of  the 
Great  Western  Railroad,  415 

Celeron,  Pierre  de,  commandant,  148 

Cemeteries,  455-459 

Census  of  1834,  82 

Centemeri,  P.,  594 

Central  Market,  Cass  Avenue  and  Third 
Street  Railway  Co.,  545 

Cession  of  lands  south  of  Grand  River  in 
1821,  359 

Chacornacle,  Lieutenant,  48 

Chaffee,  Amos,  415,  495 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Detroit,  507 

Chamberlain,   Dr.,  357,  358 
Lewis  H.,  515 
Marvin  H.,  620 

Champ,  Nathaniel,  579 
William,  579 

Champigny,  Intendant  de,  35-37 

Champlain,  Lieutenant,  340,  341 

Champlain,  Samuel,  alliance  of,  with 
the  Algonquins  and  Hurons,  9 

ambition  of,  to  make  New  France 
an  agricultural  country,  9 

Chandler,  Zachariah,  381,  407,  411-413, 
536 

Chanev,  Henry,  516 
W'illard,  Dr  ,  494 

Chapin,  Marshall,  469 

Chapoton,  Alexander,  424,  485,  487 

Charlevoix,  Father  Pierre  Francois  de, 
visit  of,  to  Detroit,  124-126 

description   of   an  Indian  coun- 
cil. 125 
report  on   the  Hurons  and  Otta- 
was,  126 

Chase,  George  N.,  453 

Chaumonot,  Father,  10 

Chauncey,  Commodore,  336,  337 

Chesapeake  and  Leopard  affair,  the, 
302,  303 

Chesne,  Pierre.  120 

Chidsey,  F.  G.,  452 
Frank  L..  613 


281 


Children's  Free  Hospital,  496 
Chipman,  Harry  A.,  571 

Henry,  369,  371,  373,  377,   378,  390 
J.  Logan,  424,  603 
Chippewa  Indians,   visit  of  the,   to  De- 
troit in  1826,  368 
Chittenden,  James,  347 
VV.  F.,   579 
W.  J.,  579 
Cholera  epidemics,  380-383 
Chovin,  Francois,  279 
Christ  Church  Home,  496 
Christiancy,  Isaac  P.,  407,  413 
Christie,  John,  Lieut.,  490 
Chubb,  Harvey,  4U8 
Church,  support  of  the,  at  Detroit,  under 

Cadillac,  94 
Churches,  miscellaneous,  533-535 

of  Detroit,  517-535 

Cicotte,  Francis,  Capt.,  353 

George  and  Edward,  353 

Jean  Baptiste,  279 

Citizens'  Yachting  Club,  611 

Claims,  conflicting,  of  the  English,  Dutch, 

French  and  Spanish,  17 
Clark,  Edward,  Gen.,  395 

Eliphalet  M.,  Dr.,  500,  600 
Ephraim,  425 

George  Rogers,  Gen.,  211,  212,  228, 
244 
capture   and  recapture  of   Vin- 

cennes  by,  214,  216,  217 
destructive  raid  by,  in  the  Shaw- 
nee towns,  235 
his   virtues,    faults    and    disap- 
pointments, 218,  219 
successful  expedition  under  com- 
mand of,  213-217 
John  P.,  426 
L.  E.,  442 
Park.  462 
Clarke,  H.  K.,  507 
Clay,  Green,  Gen.,  334 
Cleland,  Charles,  379 
Clemens,  Christian,  279 

Jacob,  262 
Cobb,  L.  H.,  478 
Cockran,  W.  D.,  407 
Codd,  George  P.,  615 
Colburn,  WiUiam  C,  570 
Cole,  C.  H.,  Maj.,  426,427 

Henry  S.,  383,  394.  469,  617 
James  L.,  394 
CoUins.  C.  H.,  584 
Charles  P.,  559 
James,  584 
Colonies,  dates  of  founding  the  first,  in 
America,  6 


Company  of  the  Colony  of  Canada,  58, 
59;  clerks  of,  charged  by  Cadillac  with 
robbery  and  mismanagement,  67 
profits  of  the,  66 
Comparet,  Jean  Baptiste,  490 
Conant,  Harry,  491 

Horatio,  389 

Shubael,  347,  353,  356,  383,  423,  441, 
449,  463,  479,  579,  617 
Concordia  Society,  the,  592 
Conely,  Edwin  F.,  444 
Confederate   plot   to    release    prisoners, 

426-428 
Congregational  churches,  530-532 
Congress  and  Baker  Street  Railway  Co., 

545 
Congress,  delegates  to,  1819-1836,  361 
Conner,  John,  490 
Connor,  James,  279,  293 
Conrad,  Ludwig,  605 
Conspirators,    railroad,  list   of   the,  414, 

415 
Constitution  of  1850,  409-411 
Constitutional  conventions,  attempts  to 

hold,  411 
Cook,  J.  M.,  603 

Levi,  415 

Orville,  617 
Cooley,  J.   P.,  463 

Thomas  M.,  512 
Cooper,  D.  M.,  469,  482,  527 

Tom,  612 
Copeland,  A   W.,  467 

T.  J.,  Col.,  422 
Copper   in    Northern    Michigan,    unpro- 
ductive efforts  to  mine,  197,  198 
Corbett,  M.  S.,  557 
Corcoran,  J.  P.,  Dr.,  575 
Corey,  N.  J.,  592 
Corliss,  John  B.,  452,  538 
Cornehl,  Fred,  540 
Cornell,  Ezra,  556 
Costello,  M.  D.,  604 
Cottava,  George,  293 
Cotter,  Philip  W.,  582,  584 
Cotterell,  George,  279,  281 

George,  jr.,  279 
Cottrell,  E.  W.,  529 
Councilors,  increase  of  territorial,  366 
Country  Club,  the,  616 
County  building,  the,  569 

farm,  the,  466 

Insane  Asylum,  465 

jail  and  sheriff's  residence.  571 

poor  and  provisions  for  their  main- 
tenance, 463-467 
Coureurs  de  bois,  the,  44,  45;  at    Detroit 
during  the  Revolution,  224 


283 


Couse,  Adam,  594 

Couteur,  Jean  BaptisLe,  280 

Coutumede  Paris,  the  lawof  New  France, 
119 

Craig,  Thomas  C,  514 
W.  H.,  598 

Crane,  William  S.,  508 

Cranshaw,  James,  jr.,  613 

Crary,  Isaac  E.,  391,  511 

Crawford,  William,  Col.,  expedition  un- 
der command  of,  in  1782,  against  the 
Indians,  233-235 

torture  and  death  of,  234,  235 

Crittenden,  Benjamin,  280 

Croghan,  George,  Maj.,  164,  336,  349,350 

Crooks,  Robert,  Gen.,  327 

Crosley,  Edward,  425 

Crozat,  Antome,  121-122 

Cueney,  Peter,  599 

Cuillerier,  Antoine,  181-183 

Mile.    Angelique,    and    Sir   William 
Johnson,  167;  174 

Gladwin's  informant  of  the  Pon- 
tiac  conspiracy,  190-192 

Cummings,  Julius  G.,  476 

Cunningham,  Michael,  582 

Curry,  Charles,  264,  266,  280 

Curtish,  Captain,  332 

Cutcheon,  Sullivan  M  ,  507 

Cutter,  Manasseh,  Rev.,  one  of  the  au- 
thors of  code  of  laws  for  the  northwest 
territory,  250;  416 

Cuyahoga,  capture  of,  by  the  British,  310 

Cuyler,  Lieutenant,  capture  of  the  expe- 
dition of,  by  the  Indians  at  the  siege 
of  Detroit.  183,  184 

Dablon,  Father  Claude,  10 

D'Aigremont  condemns  Cadillac  in  1703, 
85 

second  report  of,  88,  89 

Dailey.  Charles  M.,  545 
James  W.,  545 
J.,  545 

Daliba,  James,  Lieut.,  318 

Dalzell  Captain,  44;  futile  attempt  of,  to 
raise  the  siege  of  Detroit,  187,  188 
Murray,  582 

Dane,  Nathan,  one  of  the  authors  of  code 
of  laws  for  the  northwest  territory,  250 

Daniels,  J.  J.,Capt.,  422 

D'Anon,  Jacques,  Sieur  de  Muy,  148,  161 

D'Archambal,  A.  L.,  Mrs.,  498 

Darrow,  Archibald,  356 

Dartmouth,  Earl,  colonial  secretary,  ap- 
pointments made  by,  202 

Daureuil,  M.,  87 

Daurman,  Captain,  316 


Davers,  Sir  Robert,  and   party,  murder 

of,  by  the  Indians,  180;  460 
Davey,  Thomas  W. ,  600 
Davis,  C.  Wood,  424 

George  S.,  482,  483 

James  E.,  629 

Lemuel  H.,  451 

Phineas,  jr.,  448 

W.  C,  Col.,  421 
Dean,  Thomas,  451 
De  Bruyn,  Johannes,  Rev.,  519 
De  Caens,  the,  monopolistic  grant  to,  9; 

Dee,  M.  J.,  536 

Deerfield,  Mass.,  the  attack  upon,  149 
Dees,  A.  W.,  Capt.,  422 
Deginder,  Peter,  605 

Dejean,  Philip,  the  so-called  chief  justice 
of  Detroit,  197 

an    accomplice    of     Lieutenant- 
Governor  Hamilton  in  rascali- 
ty, 202 
character  of,  203;  217 
De  la  Balme,  Augustin  Mottin,  Col.,  ex- 
pedition of,  against  Detroit  defeated, 
225 
De  Lery,  Baron,  7 
Del  Halle,  Nichola  Constantine,   Father, 

48 ;  murder  of,  77,  78 
Dely,  Joseph  R.,  476 
De  Mill,  Peter  E.,  449 
Deming,  John  J.,  434,  469 
Denissen,  C,  Rev.  Father,  70,  116 
Dennis,  J.  H.,  Capt.,  422 
Denny,  Major,  315;  left  on  the  Canada 

side,  317 
Denonville,  Governor,  19,  20,  29,  30,  44 
Denton,  Samuel,  511 

De    Peyster,  Arent  Schuyler,  Col.,    129, 
230;  charges  against,  242 

personal  sketch  of,  243,  244 
rewards  the  Indians  at  the  end 

of  the  Revolution,  237 
seizure  of  Father  Potier's  papers 

by,  237 
succeeded  by  Lieut.  Jehu  Hay, 

242 
succeeds   Hamilton   at    Detroit, 
218 
D'Epinay,  successor  of  Cadillac  as  gov- 
ernor of  Louisiana,  123 
Dequindre,  Antoine,  Col.,  264,  279,  317, 
318,  332,  348,  349,  449 
Louis,  353 
Der  Arme  Teufel,  the,  540 
Der  Kicker,  541 

Desnoyers.  Peter,  266,  288,  347,  410 
Peter  J.,  264,  332,  434,  617 


283 


De  Soto,  Ferdinand,  7 
Detroit,    advantageous   situation    of,  on 
the  lakes,  56:J 

after  the  evacuation  by  the  British, 
347-349 

agricultural  work  in  the  first  few 
years  at,  55 

and  Cadillac,  extracts  from  reports 
made  to  Pontchartrain  derogatory 
to,  85-87 

and  its  natural  advantages  as  de- 
scribed by  Cadillac.  49-52 

annexed  to  the  province  of  Quebec, 
195 

as  a  commercial  city,  622-628 

Board  of  Councilmen,  620 

Board  of  Education,  514 

Board  of  Public  Works,  587 

boundaries  of,  under  first  charter, 
262 

British  take  possession  of,  in  1760, 
162 

calling  to  arms  at,  in  1812,  309,  310 

carrying  trade  of,  on  the  lakes,  564 

ceding  of  the  post  of,  to  the  Com- 
pany of  the  Colony,  58,  59 

cemeteries  of,  455-459 

census  of  in  1780,  226 

churches  of,  517-535 

city  government,  617,  618 

city  hall,  the,  568,  569 

condition  of,  at  removal  of  Alphonse 
Tonty,  133 

condition  of  the  fort  at,  when  occu- 
pied by  Hull  in  1812,  312 

condition  of  the  post  of,  after  the  sur- 
render by  the  French,  164 

cyclone  in,  478 

decrease  of  the  population  after  the 
first  year,  57 

demand  for  troops  at,  by  Beauhar- 
nois  and  Hocquart,  136,  137 

descent  of  Indians,  under  Mackinac 
(Turtle)  on,  145 

description  of,  by  Jacob  Burnett  257, 
258 

development  of,  after  the  peace  of 
1815,  355 

disastrous  fires  in,  471-478 

disposal  of  garbage  in,  488 

distress  in,  after  the  fire  of  1805,  278 

dress  of  the  residents  of,  during  the 
Revolution,  221,  222 

during  the  Revolution,  its  people, 
houses,  streets,  etc.,  220-224 

early  lighting  facilities  of,  450 

early  marine  interests  of,  500,  561 

early  ordinances  of,  265 


Detroit,  election    and   ordinances  of,  in 
1803,  265;  in  1804,  266,  267 
evacuated   by   the    British   in   1796, 

251,  252 
existing  choral  societies  in,  592 
existing  hotels  in,  list  of,  585-587 
failure  of  the  siege  of,  189 
feeble  attempts   to    strengthen    the 

post  of,  148 
Fire  Commission,  478 
Fire  Department,  468-479 
fire  of  June  11,  1805,  in,  276,  277 
fire    ordinances,    violations    of    the, 

264 
first  charter  election  in,  265 
first  charter  of,  262 
first  crop  of  wheat  at,  55 
first  dock  ordinance  of,  267 
first  fire  department  of,  263,  264 
first  money  in  circulation  at,  196 
first  public  building  of,  566 
first  public  m.arket  in,  264 
first  steam  fire  engine  in,  470 
fort  at,  strengthened  in  1784,  201 
fortifications  and  water  front  of,  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  223 
gaslighting  in,  451-453 
grist  mill  and  saw  mill  erected  at,  in 

1784.  244 
High  School,  515 
homeHfe  of  the  residents  of,  during 

the  Revolution,  220,  221 
hotels,  577-587 
in  its  first  year,  53,  54 
in  1800,  260,  261 
Indians  in,   during  the   Revolution, 

222,  223 
intrigues   at,    between    the    Hurons 

and  English  in  1703,  60 
Isaac  Weld's  description  of  in  1796, 

255-257 
judicial  affairs  in,  during  the  British 

occupation,  347 
lack  of  skilled  artisans  at,   199 
list  of  French  commandants  of,  159- 

161 
hst  of  the  mayors  of,  618-620 
list  of  the  original  colonists  of,  who 

paid  taxes,  with  the  amounts,  92-94 
little  help  from  the  home  government 

in  the  settlement  of,  48 
local  government  of,   measures  for, 

195 
loyalty  of,  in  the  Rebellion,  620 
Masonry  in,  489-492 
medical   colleges   and   hospitals    of, 

493-498 
music  in,  591-594 


284 


Detroit,  new  plan  of,  under  Hull,  after 
the  fire  of  1805,  278 

newspapers  of,  536-542 

night  patrol  of,  in  1804,  267 

official  report  of  various  officers  to 
Count  Pontchartrain,  showing  en- 
mity towards  Cadillac  and  disap- 
proval of  his  course,  85-89 

parks  and  boulevards  of,  459-463 

plan  of  an  expedition  against,  in 
1778,  208,  209 

plans  of  the  Jesuits  to  hamper  the 
progress  of,  57 

police  department,  442-446 

population  the  first  year,  53 

population  of,  at  time  of  surrender 
in  1760,   163 

population  of,  when  evacuated  in 
1796,  254 

preparations  for  the  recovery  of,  327 

public  buildings  of,  566-573 

public  schools,  513-517 

scalp  warehouse  at,  during  the  Rev- 
olution, 224 

second  fire  company  of,  469 

selfish  policy  of  British  commandants 
and  officers  at,  195 

sewers  and  pavements  of,  485-489 

slavery  m,  416 

small-pox  at,  in  early  years,  67 

street  railway  controversy,  the,  547- 
553 

street  railways  of,  542-555 
present  status  of,  553-555 

street  scenes  in,  in  Cadillac's  time, 
61,  62 
duiing  the  Revolution,  222 

surrender  of,  by  Hull,  321-323 

by  Bellestre   to    Major   Rogers, 
156-158 

system  of  petty  despotism  at,  under 
the  British,  197 

the  founding  of,  by  Cadillac,  1-5 

the  streets  of  early,  56 

theaters  of,  594-608 

under  British  rule,  during  the  decade 
after  the  Pontiac  siege,  194,  195 

under  Gladwin,  siege  of,  by  the  In- 
dians, 178-190 

visit  of.  Sir  William  Johnson  to,  166- 
168 

waterworks,  446-450 
Detroit  and  Grand  Junction  Railway  Co., 
545 

and  Lima  Northern  Railroad,  504 

and  St.  Clair  Rivers,  importance  of, 
to  early  traffic,  17 

Art  Museum,  480^484 


Detroit  Athletic  Club,  611,  614,  615 

Baseball  Club,  614 

Bicycle  Club,  612.  613 

Board  of  Trade,  508 

Boat  Club,  610 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  507,  508 

Citizens'  Railway  Co.,  547 

City  Railway  Co.,  482,  543 

College  of  Medicine,  493 

Crematorium,  459 

Cyclorama,  484 

Daily  Union,  the,  538 

Deaconess  Home,  496 

Driving  Club,  609 

Dry  Dock  Co.,  565 

Electric  Light  and  Power  Co.,  454 

Evening  Journal,  538 

Female  Seminary,  513 

Fort  Wayne  and  Belle  Isle  Railway 
Co.,  555 

Free  Press,  the,  379,  536-538 

Garden,  the,  596 

Grand   Haven  and  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road, 500,  501 

Grand  Rapids  and  Western  Railroad, 
504 

House  of  Correction,  445,  446 

International    Fair    and    Exposition 
Association,  628,  629 

Jockey  Club,  609 

Museum,  the,  596 

Musical  Society,  the,  592 

National  Horse  Association,  609 

Natural  Gas  Co.,  452 

Philharmonic  Club,  593 

Public  Library,  479,  480 

Sanitarium,  498 

Seaman's  Home,  498 

Symphony  Orchestra,  593 

Telephone  Co.,  559 

Thespian  Society,  the,  596,  598 

Times,  the  (morning),  539 

Times,  the  (evening),  539 

Tribune,  the,  536-538;    predecessors 
of,  the,  379 

Yachting  Club,  611 
Devereaux,  Mary,  434 
Deville,  John,  605 
Dey,  Alexander,  451 
Dibble.  Charles,  581 

Orville  B.,  579,  581 
Dickinson,  Asa  C,  401 

Don  M.,  484,  507 

Moses  F.,  545 
Diepenbeck,  Rudolf,  539 
Die  Stimme  der  Wahrheit,  541 
Directory,  a,  of  the  adult  white  residents 
of  Detroit  from  1701  to  1710,  compiled 


285 


by  C.  M.  Burton,  95-llG 
Dix.  John.  279 
Doflemead,  James,  280,  283 

Jane,  578 

John.  202,  264,  265,  279,  293,  490 
Dollier,  Father,   10 
Domedian  &  Kramer,  539 
Donaghue,  Michael,  Lieut.,  476 
Donaldson,  James,  490 
Dopp,  Raymond,  540 
Dorr,  Josiah  R.,  469 

Melville,  617 

Melvin,  469 
Doty,  James  Duane,  358;  sketch  of,  364; 

373,  396,  515 
Douglass,  Columbus  C,  397 

D.  B.,  Capt,  358 

Joseph,  490 

S.  T.,  383 
Drew,  John,  538 
Draeger,  Frederick  A.,  540 
Draft  riots,  424 
Drake,  Thomas  A.,  444 
Driggs,  Frederick  E.,  451,  544 
Drouillard,  Dominique,  280 
Dubuisson,    Joseph   Guyon,  Lieut.,   119, 
120,  159 

confronted  by  an   Indian  war  in 
1712   130,   131 
Ducharme,  F.  A.,  715 
Duchesnau,  Intendant,  18 
Dudley,  Colonel,  334 
Duester,  Captain,  421 
Dufheld,  D.  Bethune,  383,  424,  479,  544 

George,  Rev..  526 

H.  M.,  482 

S.  P.,  Dr.,  493 

W.  W.,  Col.,  421 
Dugue,  Lieutenant,  48 
Du  Jaunay,  Peter,  129 
Duncan,  David,  279 

William,  478 

William  C,  Maj.,  423,  609 
Dunham,  Josiah,  279 
Dunsmore,  John  Ward,  483 
DuPont,  A.  B.,  555 
Durantaye,  Commandant,  17-21 
D wight,  D.  F.,  482 
Dwyer,  J.,  482 

P.  H.,  467 
Dygert,  Kin  S.,  Capt,  433 
Dyson,  Samuel  T.,  393 

Early  discoverers  of  North  America,  6-8 
Eastman,  John  L. ,  Lieut.,  317 

T.,  393 
Eaton.  Ebenezer  C,  410 

Theodore  H.,  451 


Eberts,  Herman.  Dr.,  264,  490,  590 
Eddy,  Frank  W.,  615 
Edmonds,  J.  M.,  407 
Edson,  James  L.,  453,  481,  570 
Edwards,  Abraham,  356,  366,  434 

William,   Moravian  missionary,  230, 
336 
Eisenlord,  William,  583 
Elder,  Adam,  424 
Eldred,  Elisha,  596 

Election   of   first  delegate  to   Congress, 
360 

first  State,  1837,  398 
of  1835,  391 
of  1840,  375 
of  1856,  408 
Electric  lighting  in  Detroit,  453-455 
Elliott,  Colonel  (British),  319,  321 
at  Frenchtown,  328;  332 
Jesse  D.,  Capt.,  337,  339,  340 
Matthew,    Indian   leader,    142,    305, 
307,  224 

makes  prisoners  of  the  Moravian 
villagers   and   sends  them   to 
Detroit,  230;  233,  235,  337,  245 
Richard  R.,  71;  theory  of,  as  to  Glad- 
win's informant  of  the  Pontiac  con- 
spiracy, 172-174;  383,  596 
Ellsler,  John  A.,  597 
Elwood,  Isaac  R.,  557 

S.  Dow,  383 
Emerson,  Justin  E. ,  Dr.,  459 
Emery,  A.  H.,  583 
Emmons,  H.  H.,  383,  424 
Endfcott,  Charles,  481 
English  and  French,   beginning   of   the 
conflicting  claims  of,  7 

attempts  to  establish   a  fort  on  the 
Monongahela,  151 
England,  Richard,  Col.,  251,  253 
Erichsen,  Claus  D.,  584 
Erichson,  Hugo,  Dr.,  459 
Erie,  H.,379 

Erie  Canal,  impetus  given  to  lake  trans- 
portation by  the,  562 
Ernest,  Matthew,  279 
Esselen,  Christian,  608 
Esselstyn,  Henry,  565 
Etherington,   Captain,  slaughter  of  the 
command  of,  at  Mackinac,  in  the  Pon- 
tiac consjiiracy,  177,  178 
Eureka  Iron  and  Steel  Works,  564 
Evening  News,  the,  538 
Everett.  Henry  A.,  549,  555 
Ewers,  Alva,  449 
Ewings,  Alexander,  280 
Exploring  party  to  the  northwest  in  1832, 
376 


286 


Exploration   of   the   northern    peninsula 

under  Lewis  Cass,  358,  359 
Explorations  of  La  Salle,  12-16 

Fafard,  Jean  and  Francois,  48 
Fairbrother,  E.  W.,  583 
Familien-Blaetter,  the,  540 
Farmer,  John,  44 

Silas,  507 
Farms  of  the  early  settlers,  144 
Farnsworth,  Benjamin  S.,  581 

Elon,  383,  393,  511 

Fred  E.,  481,  484 

James  H.,  Dr.,  609 
Farrand,  Belhuel,  447 

D.  O.,  Dr.,  493,  495 

Jacob  S.,  443,  451 

Training  School  for  Nurses,  495 
Farwell,  J.,  293 

Jesse  H..  538 
Faulkner,  William,  not  over,  424 
Federal  building,  the,  569-571 
Ferguson,  Eralsey,  580 

T.,  482 
Fenton,  W.  M.,  Col.,  421 
Ferry,  D.  M.,  481,  483,  629 
Ferry,  the  first,  367 
Filban,  Richard,  Capt.,  475 
Field,  Moses  W.,  459,  482 
Financial  panic  of  1837,  438-440 
Fmdlay,  James,  307,  319 
Finney.  Jared  W.,  516 

Seymour,  583 
Fire  Commission  of  Detroit,  478 

Department  of  Detroit,  468-479 
Firearms  of  the  explorers  and  their  effect 

upon  the  savages,  45-47 
Firemen,  peculiarities  of,  470 
Fires,  disastrous,  m  Detroit,  471-478 

early  methods  of  fighting,  468 
Fisher,  G.  E.,  454 

James,   and  family,   murder   of,    by 
the  Indians,  180,  460 

Otis,  434 
Fisheries,  beginning  of  the,  369 
Fiske,  John,  comments  of,  on  the  cession 
of  French  territory  in  America  to  Great 
Britain,  158,  159 
Fitch,  William  H.,  451 
Fitzgerald,. Thomas,  511 

W.  H.,  454 
Flanagan,  Mark,  423,  424 

William,  284,  432 
Flattery,  Neil,  424 
Fleitz,  John  P.,  482 
Fleming,  Sampson,  490 
Fletcher,  M.  E.,  580 


Fletcher,  William  A.,  sketch  of,  393-395; 

511,  567 
Flint    and     Pere     Marquette     Railroad, 

504 
Flood,  C.  B.,  379 
Floquet,  Peter  Rene,  129 
Florence  Crittenden    Rescue    Home    for 

Women,  498 
Flowers,  Charles,  478,  559 
"  Flying    Roll,   the,  or   the    Latter  Day 

House  of  Israel,"  534,  535 
Foley,  John  S.,  Bishop,  519 
Foote,  Frank,  459 
Forgue,  Francis  de,  280 
Forsyth,  Robert  A.,  358,  469 

William,  first  tavernkeeper,  577 
Fort  Dearborn,  capture  of,  and  slaughter 
at,  325,  326 

Defiance,   Gen.   Winchester  at,   327, 

328 
Du  Quesne,   abandonment  of,  com- 
pelled by  General  Forbes,  151 
Finney  built  by   the   Americans    in 

1785,  245 
Laurens,     under     General     Gibson, 

massacre  at,  208,  209 
Meigs  campaign,  the,  333-336 
Niagara    captured    by   Sir    William 

Johnson,  153 
Poutchartrain,   52,   53;    enlargement 
of,  57 

enlargement   and    improvement 

of,  147 
enlargement   and    improvement 

of,  by  the  French,  166 
fire  in,  in  1703,  ascribed  by  Cad- 
illac to  the  Jesuits,  60,  61 
rebuilt  by  Henry  Tonty,  132 
St.    Joseph,    abandonment   and   de- 
struction of,  21 
building  of,  20 
William  Henry  captured    by  Mont- 
calm, 151 
Foster,  Harry  A.,  601 
Fountain,  J.  H.,  Q.-M.  Gen.,  421 
Fouquet,  Nicholas,  France's   minister  of 

finance,  152 
Fowler,  Alexander  D.,  538 
John  N.,  565 
Stephen,  415 
Fox,  Kittie,  600 
Fralick,  Henry,  410 
Frances,  Sister  Superior,  576 
Franchier,  Everest,  596 
Eraser.  Alex.  D.,  415 
Frazer,  Alexander  D.,  394 
Freer,  Charles  L.,483 


287 


French  and  English  campaign  of  1759, 
153-156 

struggle  for  acquisition  of  terri- 
tory, 147 
wars,  distressing  condition  of  the 
settlements  during  the,  149 
claim,  earliest,  to  Detroit  River,  21 
claims  to  territory,  attempts  of  the 
governors  of  New  York  and  Vir- 
ginia to  abate,  150 
commandants  of  Detroit,  list  of,  159- 

161 
dominion,  end  of,  in  1760,  156 
explorations  and  posts,  1640  to  1675, 

10,  11 
explorations,   early,   records   of,   but 

fragmentary,  11,  12 
failure  of  the,  as  colonizers,  161 
governors   at   Detroit,    character   of 

the,  149 
influence  of  the,  v^ith  the  Indians  at 

the  siege  of  Detroit,  185,  189 
measures  of  capacity  in  the  time  of 

Cadillac,  37 
money  in  the  time  of  Cadillac,  37 
residents  of   Detroit,  sympathies  of 
the,   with    the   Americans    in    the 
Revolution,  206 
revenge  of  the,  for  the  loss  of  Can- 
ada, 158 
French,  David,  463,  617 
Freidman,  C,  583 

Frontenac,   Governor,   18,   29,  30,  32,  37; 
New  York  ravaged  by,  in  1696,  34 
death  of,  38 
Frost,  George  S.,  493 
Fulton,  James,  356 

Fur  companies  and  their  influence  in  the 
west,  296,  297 
trade,  the,  under  British  rule,  194 
Furs,  prices  of,  in  1701,  58 

Gage,  Thomas,  Gen.,  164,  165 

Gallinee,  Father,  10 

Gallissoniere,  Marquis  de,  147 

Gallissoniere's  expedition  to  renew 
French  claims  in  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio,  147,  148 

Garrison,  H.  D.,  579 
John  J.,  578 

Garwood,  Charles  H.,  604 

Gascoigne,  Mark  H.,  598 

Gas  Light  Co.  of  Detroit,  451-453 

Gay  &  Van  Norman,  581 

Gearing,  J.  V.,  615 

General  Assembly,  election  of  first  dele- 
gates to  the,  258 

Genther,  Edward,  475 


Gentle,  John,  142,  283 

Geological  survey  of  the  State,  the  first, 

397 
George,  Cornelius,  477 
German  Lutheran  churches,  532 

Protestant  Home  for  Orphans,  498 
Gibson,  John,  396,  410 
Gies,  George  H..  601 

Paul,  588 
Gillenck,  E.,  566 
Gillett,  Rufus  W.,  508,  570,  609 
Gilpin,  Henry  D.,  386 
Girardin,  Charles  Francis,  262,  265 

Jacques,  263 
Girty,  George,  205,  224 
James,  205,  224 

Simon,  205,  207,  224,  235,  244,  245; 
at  Detroit  after  the  surrender  by 
Hull,  323 

at  the  end  of  the  Revolution,  237 
flight  of,  from  Detroit  upon  the 

surrender,  252 
forces   the   Moravians  a  second 

time  to  Detroit.  235,  236 
hatred  of,  for  the  Moravians,  230 
inhuman  conduct  of,  at  the  tor- 
ture of  Colonel  Crawford,  234 
235 
siege  of  Fort  Laurens  by  Indians 

under,  208,  209 
sketch  of,  324,  325 
Gladwin,  Henry,  Major,  made  command- 
ant, 166,  167 

during  the  Indian  siege  of  De- 
troit. 178,    179,    181-183,    185- 
187,  189 
informed  of  Pontiac  conspiracy, 

171-174 
outwitting  of  Pontiac  by,  174-176 
personal  characteristics  of,  169; 

170 
retirement  of,  193 
Glapion,  Augu.stine  de,  129 
Glegg,  Major,  320 
Godfrey,  Joseph,  424 
Godfroy,  Gabriel,  Col.,  279,  280,  332 
Goebel,  August,  588 
Goettman,  George,  540 
Gofhnet,  James,  585 
Goldsmith,  O.,  482 
Goodale,  D.  C,  582 
Goodman,  Alfi'ed,  580 

Fred  O.,  580 
Goodrich,  Enos,  508 

Ichabod,  415 
Goodwin,  Daniel,  410,  415 
Gordan   Antoine,  129 
Gordon,  J.  Wright,  375 


288 


Gouise,  Robert,  264 
Government,  advance  in,  363 

attempt  in  1809  to  secure  change  in 

the  form  of,  289,  290 
seat    of,    changed   from    Quebec   to 
New  York,  166 
Governor   and    judges,    activity    of    the 
grand  jury  against,  290-293 

difficufties  between  the,  288,  289 
disregard     of     justice     by    the, 
286 
Governors   of    Michigan    Territory    suc- 
ceeding the  British  surrender,  list  of, 
395,  396 
Governorship  of  John  S.  Horner,  390,  391 
Govin,  James  Knox,  424 
Grace  Hospital,  485 
Grand  Boulevard,  the,  463 

jury,  activity  of  the,  against  the  gov- 
ernor and  judges,  288,  290-293 
River  Street  Railway  Co.,  545 
Trunk  Railroad,  503 
Grant,  U.  S.,  Lieut.,  412 

W.  W.,  613 
Graves,  Major,  330,  332 

H.  W.,  581 
Gray,  Captain,  killed  at  the  siege  of  De- 
troit. 188 

William,  415,  582 
Gregg,  A.  E.,  604 
Greeley,  Horace,  407 
Greusel,  N.,  jr.,  588 
Griffin,  Daniel,  584 

John,  271;  sketch  of,   275,  276;  347, 

354,  363,  396,  511 
John  C,  583,  584 
Michael,  583 
Thomas  F..  482 
Griffith,  Armond  H.,  483,  484 

William,  280 
"  Griffon,"  the,  11 
Grisolon,    Daniel    (known    as    Duluth), 

characteristics  and  labors  of,  18-21 
Griswold,  Stanley,  271,  279,  281,  283,  396 

John  A.,  543 
Grummond,  S.  B.,  482,  585 
Guvon.  Denis,  29 
Guenther,  P.,  588 
Guffley,  Leo,  582 
Guion,  M.,  181 

Madame,  171 
Gunsalus,  John,  233 

Haas,  Charles  D.,  540 
Hahn,  J.  H. ,  594 
Hair,  Andrew,  454 
Hale,  William,  579 


Hall,  Edmund,  479 

George  Benson,  142 
T.  P.,  442 
Hallock,  Horace,  415 
Hamilton,  Henry,  Capt.,  appointed  lieu- 
tenant-governor of   Detroit,   202;  214- 
218,  225 

absurd  performances  of,  with  the 

Indians,  204 
and  Dejean,  indictment  of,  203 
and  Dejean,  an    instance  of  the 

inhumanity  of,  206 
and    his    lieutenants,    trial   and 

conviction  of,  217 
charges  of  barbarism  preferred 

against,  217 
chief  lieutenants  of,  in  his  bar- 
barous plans,  207 
employment     of      the      Indians 
against     the    Americans    by, 
sanctioned  by  Lord  Germain, 
204 
instances  of  his  abuse  of  author- 
ity. 202,  203 
statement  of  revenue.'^  collected 

at  Detroit  by,  241 
surrenner  of   Vincennes   bv,    to 
General  Clark,  217 
M.  W.,  508 
Hamlin,    Mrs.,    humorous   sketch    of    a 

militia  drill  by,  282 
Hammond,  Charles  P.,  616 
George  H.,  481 
George  H.,  jr.,  454 
W.  J.,  Dr.,  494 
Hamtramck,  John  Francis,  Col.,  249,  253, 

263 ;  sketch  of,  267,  268 
Hancks,  Porter,  Lieut,  316,  321 
Hand,  George  E.,  612 
Hands,  William,  142 
Hanmer,  J.,  578 
Hannaford,  Samuel,  570 
Hannifan,  John  J.,  584 
Haring,  S.  H.,  579 

Harmar,  Josiah,  Gen.,  defeat  of,  by  the 
Indians,  246 

force  massed  by,  at  Pittsburg  in 
1784,  244 
Harmon,  John,  537 

J.  H.,  379 
Harmonie  Society,  the,  592 
Harper  Hospital,  494,  495 
John  L.,  481 
Wesley,  494 
Harrington,  Ebenezer,  395 
Harris,  T.  H.,  442 
Harrison,  George,  489,  490 


289 


Harrison,  William  Henry,  Geu.,  and  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe,  298-300 

authorized  to  raise  troops  for  the 
Army  of  the  Northwest,  327; 
333 
campaign  of,  in  northern  Ohio, 

333-337 
invasion  of  Canada  by,  344-347; 
352,  395,  405,  406 
Hart.  Gilbert,  Capt.,  330,  331,  495 
Harvey,  Emerson  C,  &  Son,  583 

John,  283 
Hascall,  Charles,  410 
Hastings,  Eurotas  P.,   383,  434-436,  469, 

513 
Hathon,  A.  H.,  448 
Haven,  Erastus  O.,  Rev.,  512 
Hawks,  J.  D.,452 
Hawley,  Richard,  538 

Thomas  D.,  538 
Hay,    Jehu,    Lieut.,    214,    217;    succeeds 

De  Peyster  as  commandant,  242 
Hayes,  F.  W.,  452 
James  R.,  580 
Hazeur,  Francis,  33 
Headley,  David  S. ,  582 
Heald,  Nathan,  Capt,  325 
Health  Department  building,  571 
Heames,  Henry,  467 
Heberlein,  Hermann,  593 
Hecker,  Frank  J.,  452 
Heckewelder,  John,    Moravian   mission- 
ary, 230,  236 
Helm,  Leonard,  Capt.,  successful  ruse  of , 
214,  215 

Lieut.  L.  T.,  325 
Henderson,  David,  347 
Hendrie,  George,  482,  544 

George  M.,  610,  616 
Hennepin,  Father,  13,  15,  18 
Henry,   Alexander,  trader,   165,   178;  in- 
terested in  the  copper  deposits  of  north- 
ern Michigan,  197,  198 
James,  262,  264,  265,  379,  289,  293 
John,  584 

John,  the  traitor,  304 
Hergert,  Charles,  477 
Herzog,  P.,  588 
Hessler,  A.  W.,  424 
Hewitt,  L.  W.,  415 
Hickok's,  Nathaniel,  grave.  457,  458 
Highland  Park  Club,  610 
Race  Course,  610 
Higgins,  Sylvester,  397 
Hill,  G.  B.,  483 
Hinchman,   Felix,  469 
James  W.,  469 
Theodore  H.,  478,  612 


Hines,  James  W.,  536 
Hochgraef,  Max,  588 
Hocquart,  Intendant,  136 
Hofmann,  Alfred,  593 
Hoffman,  George,  280,  288,  289 

Michael,  511 
Holbrook,  De  Witt  C,  424 
Holden,  E.  G.,  Mrs.,  481 
Hollister  Y's,  498 

Holmes,  Ensign,  murder  of,  and  surren- 
der of  the  fort  on  Maumee  River,  in 
the  Pontiac  conspiracy,  177 

Major,  350 

S.  M.,  497 

William  L.,  559 
Home  of  the  Friendless,  498 

of  Industry,  498 
Honfleur,  Denis  de.  7 
Hopkins,  George  W.,  483 
Hopper,  WilHam  C,  555 
Horner,   John   S..   governorship  of,  390, 

391;  396 
Horse-racing  and  race-tracks,  609,  610 
Hotels,  past  and  present,  577-587: 

American  Hotel,  578 

Andrews's  Railroad  Hotel,   578,  580 

Biddle  House,  581 

Brighton  House,  583 

Bull's  Head  Hotel,  581 

Collins  House,  584 

Commercial  Hotel,  581 

Cotter  House,  582 

Dodemead  House,  578 

Eagle  Hotel,  578 

Eisenlord  House,  583 

Finney  House,  583 

Franklin  House,  583 

Grand  River  House,  580 

Hotel  Adams,  581 

Hotel  Cadillac,  585 

Hotel  Erichsen,  584 

Hotel  Gofifinet,  585 

Hotel  Henry,  584 

Hotel  Renaud,  584 

Hotel  Ste.  Clair,  585 

Howard  House,  582 

Kenrick  House,  582 

Earned  House,  583 

National  Hotel,  579 

New  York  and  Ohio  House,  578 

Normaudie  Hotel,  585 

Mansion  House,  578 

Mansion  House  (second),  578 

Michigan  Exchange,  579 

Miller  House,  584 

Merchant's  Exchange,  582 

Perkins  Hotel,  580 

Russell  House,  579 


290 


Hotels,  Sagina  Hotel.  578 
Steamboat  Hotel,  578 
Tifft  House,  585 
Union  Hotel,  584 
United  States  Hotel,  578 
Wayne  Hotel,  580 
Western  Hotel,  581 
Hotels,  existing,  list  of,  in   Detroit,  585- 

587 
Hough,  Garry  A.,  595,  597,  600,  GOl 

William  H.,  600,  601 
Houghton,    Douglas,   Dr.,   376,  377,  383, 

398,  441 
House  of  Correction,  Detroit,  445,  446 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  498 
of  Providence,  498 
Houses  of  the  early  settlers,  144 
Howard,   Charles,  442 

John  M.,  383.  391,  408,  415 
William  A.,  415,  423 
Howell  &  Schoaff,  581 
Hubbard,  Bela,  63.  145,  397,  481,  483,  568 

Collins,  B,.  491,  484 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  absorption  of  the 

Northwest  Company  by  the,  198 
Huguet,  Joseph,  129 
Hull,  Abraham  Fuller,  280,  318,  319,  321 

L.  C,  516 
Hull,  William,   Gov.,  sketch  of,  271-273; 
306,  307,  395,  431-434,  490 

arrival   of,    with   his    troops    at 

Frenchtown,  310 
crosses  the  river  to  Canada,  312, 

313 
indignation  against,  on  account 

of  the  surrender,  321 
infantry  and  legionary  corps  or- 
ganized by.  in  1805,  279,  280 
march  of  to  Detroit,  309 
mercenary  scheme  of,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  militia.  281 
not  informed  of  the  declaration 

of  war.  310 
part  of  in   the    Bank  of  Detroit 

swindle,  285 
presentment   of  the  grand  jury 

against,  288 
receives  orders  to  invade  Canada, 

311 
surrendered  Detroit,  321-323 
takes   command  of  Ohio  troops 

on  the  Miami,  307 
troubles  of,  with  his  militia,  280, 

281 
usurpation  of  authority  by,  283, 
284 
Hull's,  Governor,  disgrace,  326 


Hull's,  Governor,  halting  action  on   the 
Canada  side,  313,  314 

loyalty,    doubts   of,    among    his 

troops,  315 
officers,   futile  efforts  of,   to  get 
his  consent  to  oppose  the  Brit- 
ish, 320 
Ohio  troops,  eagerness  of,  to  at- 
tack the  British,  311 
operations  in  Canada.  312-315 
retreat  from  Canada,  317 
surrender  of  Detroit,  other  losses 

occasioned  by,  325,  326 
timidity,  first  sign  of,  311 
Hume,  John  J..  402 
Hungerford,  J.  H.,  613 
Hunt,  Charles  C.  P. ,  469 

Henry  J.,  264,  280,  832,  353,  356,  361, 

434,  447,  457,  523 
John,  supreme  justice,  sketch  of,  363, 

364;  369,  396 
Thomas  Col.,  267 
Hunter,  William  S.,  327 
Huntingdon,  Joseph,  280 
Hurd,  Alanson  M.,  469 
Hurlbut,  Chancey,  424,  449,  450,  485 

W.  B.,  613 
Huron   mission  at  Detroit,   founding  of 

the,  56 
Huron-Ottawa  feud,  ending  of  the,   142 
Harons,  the.  40 

andOttawas,  serious  quarrel  between 

the,  in  1738,  137-142 
at  Bois  Blanc  Island  in  1742,  127 
petition  of  property  owners  in  Am- 

herstburg  to  remove  the,  142 
the,  adhere  to  the  French  in  the  war 

with  England,  142 
the,  lands  ceded  by,   to   the    British 

government,  142 
the,  sided  with  the  British  in  the  war 

of  1812, 142 
the,  since  1836,  142,  143 
Huston,  Solomon,  425 
Hutchins,  J.  C,  555 

Impressment  of  seamen  by  Great  Britain, 

301-303 
Indian  alliances  with  the  whites,  42 
atrocities  at  Frenchtown,  328 
characteristics  of  the,  and  his  family, 
when  at  Detroit  for  trade,  194,  195 
conspiracy  of  1747.  145,  146 
foray   under  Joseph    Brant  in    New 

York  State  in  1780,  228 
homicide,  an,  369 
murders  between  1783  and  1790,  246 


291 


Indian  murders  and  tortures  in  the  latter 
years  of  the  Revolution,  228 

raids  and  murders  continued  after 
the  Revolution  under  British  insti- 
gation, 244,  245 

slaves,  163 

tribes  at  or  near  Detroit  before  1747, 
146 
Indians,  a  case  of  man-eating  by  the,  44 

alliance  of  different  tribes  of,  298 

appeal  for  pardon  for  two,  convicted 
of  murder,  359,  360 

boldness  of,  in  1811,  298 

British  instigation  of  the,  against  the 
Americans  before  the  Revolution, 
201 

British  leaders  of  the,  205 

cannibalism  among  the,  43,  44 

characteristics  of  the,  41-43 

defrauding  of  the,  in  trade  by  the 
whites,  42 

difference  in  French  and  English 
treatment  of  the,  after  the  sur- 
render to  the  latter,  162,  163 

lawlessness  of  the,  after  the  British 
evacuation,  348 

methods  of  the,  under  Hamilton's 
instructions,  205 

of  the  Northwest,  the,  39 

outlaw  leaders  of  the,  205 

possibilities  of  a  ioint  resistance  by 
by  the,  43 

punishment  of,  in  1814,  353 

restlessness  of  the,  under  Tecumseh's 
appeals  in  1806,  294 

rum  and  brandy  an  effective  power 
with  the,  43 

Sir  William  Johnson's  councils  with, 
166,  167 

treaties  made  and  broken  by  the,  in 
1784-86,  244,  245 

treaty  with  the,  at  Greenville,  in 
1795,  250 

troubles  with,  during  the  war  of  1812, 
351-354 
Industrial  School  for  poor  children,  498 
Infantry,  the  first  Michigan,  420 

reorganization  of  the  First  Michigan, 
420 

Second  Michigan,  420 
Ingersoll,  Isaac  W.,  Mrs.,  426 

Walter,  441 
Innes,  Robert,  269 
Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  the  40 

claims  to  the  Straits  of  Detroit,  con- 
veyance of,  to  the  British,  5 

condition  of  the,  after  the  close  of 
the  Revolution,  240 


Iroquois,  conference  with  the.  in  relation 
to  a  fort  on  the  Straits,  38 

opposition  to  French   occupation   of 
the  Straits,  20 
Irvin,  David,  369;  sketch  of,  373;  396 
Irwin,  Robert,  264 
Ives,  Lewis  T.,  481,  484 

Jackson,  Cyrus  W.,  424 

Lieutenant,  350 

President,  and  the  United  States 
Bank,  437 

S.  S.,  Prof.,  592 

William  A. ,  452 
Jacques,  Father,  10 
James,  Henry,  &  Son,  583 
Jene  Rose,  Sister,  576 
Jenks,  Edward,  Dr.,  493 
Jeraume,  Jean  Baptiste,  280 
Jerome,  George,  452 

Jesuits  and  Governor  Beauharnois, 
struggle  between,  over  the  Hurons, 
139-142 

coming  of  the,  10,  11 

escheating  of  the,  of  their  lands,  129 

heroic  labors  of  the,  16 

plans  of  the,  to  hamper  the  progress 
of  Detroit,  57 

production  of  theatrical  plays  re- 
sented by  the,  32 

regime  of  the,  128 

settlement  of  the  claims  for  lands  of, 
130 

suppression  of,  by  papal  edict,  128 

the,   at  Mackinac  thwarted  by  Cad- 
illac, 65,  66 
Jesup,  Major,  320 
Jewett,  Harry,  615 
Jewish  churches,  532 
Jobin,  Joseph,  280 
Johnson,  Colonel,  428 

H.  R.,  580 

John,  Sir,  advice  of,  to  the  Indians 
to  consolidate  against  the  Ameri- 
cans, 245 

Richard  M.,  Col.,  327,  344.  405 

S.  M.,  379 

Tom  L.,  548,  555 

William,  Sir,  142,  164-168,  190,  198 
Johnston,  Gordon,  604 
Joliet,  M.  Louis,  10 
Joncaire,  Chabert  de,  258,  279,  293 
Jones,  Czar,  580 

De  Garmo,  383,  434,  435,  513,  567 

George  W.,  361,  391 

Isaac,  283 

Richard,  332 
Jordan,  A.  H.,  612 


292 


Jouet,  Charles,  490 

Jourdon,  Andrew,  '-^80 

Joy,  James  F.,  384,  424,  441,  493 

career  of,    in  railroad   building, 
504-500;  012 
N.  H.,  415 
Justin,  598 
Judges,   Michigan's  early  supreme,  873- 
375 

territorial,  list  of,  396 
Jung,  Michael,  Moravian  missionary,  236 
Jungman,    John,    Moravian    missionary, 

236 
Justa,  Sister,  576 

Kaminsky,  Anton,  Dr.,  539 

Kanter,  Edward,  424 

Kauffman,  Adolph,  540 

Kearsley,  Jonathan,  435,  448,  513 

Keeny,  Charles  E.,  596 

Kellogg,  Charles,  424 

Kenrick  &  Co.,  582 

Kenton,  Simon,  prisoner  of  Simon  Girtv, 

207 
Kentucky  troops,  loyalty  of,  332 
Kibbee,  Henry  C. ,  609 
Kidd,  the  pirate,  48 
Kiefer,  Herman,  Dr.,  607,  608 
Kieler,  Henry,  606 
'•  King  George's  War,"  149 

Harvey,  487,  545,  583 

John  E.,  596 

Philip,  43 

R.  W.,  612 

S.  B.,  583 

"WilHam's  War,"  149 
Kinnucan,  H.  J.,  558 
Kinzie,  John,  469 
Kirby,  Stephen  R.,  Capt.,  665 
Kirkland,  William,  514 
Klein,  Peter,  Dr.,  589,  575 
Knaggs,  James,  Capt.,  354 

James  W. ,  44 

Joseph,  280 

Thomas.  280 
Knapp,  Thomas  A.,  371 
Knight,  John,  Dr.,  233-235 
Knowlton,  Thomas,  617 
Kramer,  Mathias,  540 

Philipp,  539,  540 
Kremer,  P.,  588 

Frank  J.,  613 
Krentler,  Edwin  O.,  478 
Kundig,  Martin,  Rev.,  382,  464,  497,  520 

Labadie,  Peter  Descompte,  44 
La  Caffiniere,   Rear   Admiral   Sieur   de, 
29,  30 


Lacey,  Bert,  604 
La  Chaise,  Pere,  35 
La  Croix,  Herbert,  279,  280 
La  Forest,  Francis  Dauphine  de,  18,  85, 
191-121,  160;  as  commandant,  1712-14, 
131,  132 
La  Foy,  Augustin,  263 

Lambert,  353 
La  Franc,  Louis  M.,  129 
La   Hontan,     Baron,    21 ;    extract    from 
journal  of,  describing  Indian  methods 
of  trade,  62,  63 
La  Joy,  Hyacinthe,  280 
Lake  Erie,  battle  of,  338-342 

preparations  to  obtain  the  control  of, 
836,  337 
Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern  Rail- 
road, 502,  503 
Lake  transportation,  560-566 
Lamson,  Darius,  469 
La  Mothe,  Guillaume,  Capt.,  214,  217 
La  Motte,  Sieur  de,  13 
Land-grabbers  and  their  operations,  269, 
270 

grants  to  the  university,  510 

sales  by  the  government  in  1818,  356 

syndicate  of  1835,  383 
Lands   awarded   to  the  renegades   near 

Amherstburg,  245 
Lanergan,  J.  W.,  599,  600 
Lang,  Christopher,  425 
Lanman,  Charles  J.,  434,  435 
Lanning,  Gideon,  Rev.    523 
La  Prosse,  Jean  Baptiste  de,  129 
Earned,  Charles,  394,  513 

Sylvester,  428.  609 
La  Roche,  Marquis  de,  7 
Lasalle,  James,  280 

Jean  Baptiste,  280 

Robert  Cavalier  de,  12-16,  33 
Lasselle,  Francois,  279,  280 
La  Touche,  Procureur-General  de,  86 
La  Tourette,  Grisolon  de,  18 
Laws,  new  code  of,  enacted  in  1815,  354 
Leadbeater,  A.,  581 
Leadley,  R.  H.,  614 
Le  Baron,  Francois,  279 
Lecuyer,  Philip,  264,  394,  434,  490 
Lederle,  Anthony,  445 
Ledyard,  Henry,  449 

Henry  B..  452,  480 
Lee,  Arthur,  244 

Lester,  582 
Leete,  Thomas  T. ,  jr.,  555 
Lefevre,  Peter  Paul,  Bishop,  423,  519 
Leffingwell,  C.  W.,  Col.,  421 
Leftwich,  Joel,  Gen.,  327 
Legal  practice,  difficulties  of  early,  258 


293 


Leggett,  Wells  W. ,  453 

Legislative  council  authorized,  803 

Leib,  John  L.,  394 

Leinger,  M.,  293 

Leland,  W.  H.,  582 

Le  Moyne,  Joseph,  Sieur  de  Longueuil, 
160 

Lennane,  John,  478 

Le  Pernouche,  Joseph,  160 
M.  C,  commandant,  133 

Le  Pesant,  the  slayer  of  Father  Del  Halle, 
78,  79 

Lernoult,  Richard  Beranger,  made  com- 
mandant, 205;  builds  the  fort  that  bore 
his  name,  211 

Le  Roy,  Daniel,  356 
David,  357 
Henry  H.,  449 

Lewis,  Alexander,  443,  482 
General,  329,  330 

Libel  suit,  first  in  the  State,  364 

Lieders.  Siegfried,  585 

Lincoln,  assassination  of,  430 

Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor,  498 

Little  Turtle,  Miami  chief,  253, 

Livandiere,  Hughes  Pean  de,  rascally 
commandant,  135;  160 

Livingstone,   Robert,  proposal  of,  to  es- 
tablish a  post  at  Detroit  in  1699,  5 
William,  539 

Lloyd,  Charles  W.,  623 

Lochry,  Archibald,  Col.,  massacre  of  ex- 
pedition under,  212 

Logan,  Benjamin,  successful  raid  led  by, 
upon  the  vShawnees,  246 

John,  Cayuga  chief,  199,  327 

Longueuil,  Joseph  Lemoyne  de,  com- 
mandant, 142,  146,  147 

Loomis,  C.  O.,  Capt.,  422 

Loranger,  Alexis,  280 

Lord,  Captain,  commandant,  opposed  to 
Hamilton's  orgies  with  the  Indians,  205 

"  Lord  Dun  more' s  War,"  199 

Lotbiniere,  Director,  of  the  Company  of 
the  Colony,  67,  68 

Lothrop,  G.  V.  N.,  383,  451,  481,  544 
Henry  B.,  445 
James  M.,  600 

Louisburg,  fall  of,  150 

Louisiana,  under  the  French  and  Span- 
ish, 168 

Louvigny,  Sieur  Francois  de,  33,  160; 
acting  commandant,  132 

Louvigny's  expedition  against  the  Foxes, 
132 

Lucas,  Ben,  353 

Governor,  of  Ohio,  388,  389 
Robert,  Gen.,  309 


Luce,  Theodore,  jr.,  615 
Lucker,  Henry,  604 
Lusigny,  M.  de,  18 
Lynch,  Arthur  D.,  477 
Lyon,  Edward,  579 

E.  M.,  453 

Isaac  L. ,  453 

Lucius,  361,  391,  447,  511 

McArthur,   Duncan,   Col.,  307,   312,"  315. 

318,  322 
McCabe,  Robert,  Ensign,  317 
McCall,  Michael,  581,  584 
McChesney,  M.  H.,  594 

Robert,  508 
McClelland,  Major,  233 

Robert,  412,  511 

R.,  Mrs.,  482 
McCloskey,  James,  361,  434-436,  510 
McConnell,  Daniel,  Col.,  421 
McCoskry,  Samuel  A..  Rev.,  423,  527,612 
McCracken,  Captain,  331 
McCrae,  Thomas,  266 
McCreary,  L   A  ,  579 
McCroskey,  William,  279 
McCullough,  William,  Capt,  317 
McDermott,  John,  Capt.,  421 
McDonald,  C.  S.,  539 

D.  J.,  539 

James,  Lieut.,  460 
McDonnell,  John,  332 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  320,  322 
McDougall,    Colonel,    British    command- 
ant at  Mackinaw  in  1814,  350 

George,  279,  281 ;  sketch  of,  290;  293, 
310,  394,  490,  590 

George,  jr.,  461 

George,  Lieut.,  460 

John  Robert,  461 

Lieutenant,  and  Captain  Campbell, 
attempt  of,  to  placate  the  Indians 
at  the  siege  of  Detroit,  181-186 
McDowell,  a  trader,  killed  by  an  Indian, 

198 
McEntee,  Thomas  N..  423,  424 
McEvoy,  Fred,  601 
McFarland,  Amasa,  597 
McFarlane,  Alexander,  415 
McGraw,  Alexander  C,  415,  482,  493,  570 

T.  A.,  Dr.,  493,  494 
McGregor,  Helping  Hand  Mission,  497 

Gregor,  590 
Mcintosh,  Angus,  142 
McKee,  Alexander,  Capt.,  Indian  leader, 
205,  207,  224;  asks  the  Indians  in  1780 
to  break  up  the  Moravian  Missions  in 
southern  Ohio,  229;  235,  237,  241,  245, 
321,  346,  348 


294 


McKee-Rankin,  Mrs.,  597,  598 
McKenna,  William,  612 
McKenney,  Colonel,  368 
McKenzie,  J.  U.,  558 
McKinstry,  Charles,  R.,  596 

David  C,  Col.,  264,  356,  567,  595,  617 

Elisha,  596 
McKnight,  Sheldon,  378,  587 
McL/iughlin,  J.  R..  508 
McLeod,  Alexander  I.,  559 

Norman,   commissioned     "town 
major,"  by  Hamilton,  206 
McMeacham,  G.  J..  615 
McMillan,    Ananias,    murder   of,  by  the 
Indians,  352 

Archie,  return  of,  from  the  Indians, 
354 

George,  482 

Hugh,  545 

James,  481-483,  495,  544,  629 

W.  C,  452,  615 
McNabb,  Allen  N.,  Col.,  401 
McOuade,  Nat,  603 
McRae,  Milton  A.,  538 
McReynolds,  Andrew  T. ,  408 
McVicar,  John,  487 
McVittie,  Alexander,  565,  566 
McWade,  Robert,  598 
Mablev,  C.  R.,  481 
Macauley,  Barney,  600 
Mack,  Andrew,  Col..  380,  385,  578 

Stephen,  Maj.,  332.  356-358,  434 
Mackay,  David  Pryse,  539 

Evans,  Lieut.,  358 
Mackinaw  capture  of,   by  the  British  in 
1812.  316 

disastrous    expedition    against     the 
British  at,  349,  350 
Macomb,  Alexander,   Gen.,  332,  356,  434 

David  B.,  461 

William,  347 

William,  and  sons,  461 
Macy,  J.  C,  594 
Madison,  Major,  330 
Magdalene,  Sister,  576 
Maire.  L.  E.,  Dr.,  494 
Maltz,  George  L.,  555 
Mansfield,  James  P.,  508,  545 
Mansion  House,  opened  as  a  hotel,  370 
Marantelle,  Patrick,  408 
Margry,  Pierre,  71 
Markey,  Patrick,  475 
Marquette,  Alexis,  129 

Father,  11,  33 
Marryatt,  Captain,  402 
Marsh,  Joseph  A.,  614 

M.  H.,  538 
Marschner,  Ed.  F.,  514 


Martin,  Ann  (Nancy),  494 

George  H.,  &  Co.,  583 

Jacques,  280 

John,  444 

John  F.,  467 

&  Borgman,  582 
Martindale,  Wales  C,  515 
Mary  Clair,  Sister,  575,  576 
Marxhausen,  August,  540.  608 

Conrad,  540 
Mason,  John  T.,  386,  396 

L.  M.,  443 

S.  E.,  469 

Stevens  T.,  372;  sketch  of,   384-386; 
388,  389,  391,  306-398,  401,  403,  437, 
438,  511 
Masonry,  489-492;  the  Morgan  affair  in, 

491 
Matthews,  Captain,  426 
Mattoon,  E.  S.,  594 

Maurepas,    Count,   endeavor   of,    to  im- 
prove the   settlements  and  encourage 
agriculture,  135 
Maurer,  George,  608 
Maxwell,  J.  M.,  581 

Thompson,  Maj.,  318 
May,   James,    defense  of  Moravian  girls 
by.   230;   264,   265,  269,  279,    281,   289, 
332,  347,  434,  490,  578 

W.  J..  Col.,  421 
Mayors  of  Detroit,  list  of,  618-620 
Mazurette,  S. ,  594 
Mead,  S.  P.,  407 
Meaurin,  Sebastian  L.,  129 
Meddaugh,  E.  D.,  544 

E.  W.,  451 
Medical  Colleges    and     Hospitals,    498- 

498 
Mehl,  Fred,  608 
Henry,  605 
Melchers,  Julius.  608 
Meldrum,  George,  265,  280 

William,  John  and  James,  353       i 
Melethon,  Father,  13  ' 

Meloche,  Pierre,  173,  182 
Menard,  Joseph,  280 
Meredith,  Eleanor,  598 
Merick,  Elbridge  G.,  565 
Merrill,  Charles,  462 
Merntt,  Adna,  617      ■ 
Mersac,  Jacob  I'Ommespron  de,  48 
Meserve,  W.  P.  F..  580 
Mesnard,  Father,  10 
Methodist  Episcopal  churches,  523-525 
Miamis,  difficulties  with,  arising  from  t 

Le  Pesant  affair,  83 
Michigan,   admission  of,  as  a  State,   3! 
393 


295 


Michigan  troops,  their  career  in  the  Re- 
bellion. 429 

Athletic  Association,  615 

Bell  Telephone  Co.,  558,  559 

Central  Railroad,  501 

College  of  Medicine,  493 

College  of  Medicine    and    Surgery, 

494 
Democrat,  the,  539 
Insurance  Co.  of  Detroit,  441 
Journal,  the,  540 
Volksblatt,  the,  539 
VolksZeitung,  the,  540 
Michigan's  railroad  loans,  437,  438 

"safety  fund"  banking  law,  438 
Michillimacinac,  condition  of,  when  Cad- 
illac took  command.  33 
Military  camps  during  the  Rebellion,  421 
reserve,  the,  donated  to  the  city,  368 
Militia  organizations,  587-589 
Miller,  Conrad  W.,  584 
James,  307 
James  W.,  Capt,  610 
J.  B.,  585 
I  Lieutenant-Colonel,    314,    315,    318, 

319 
Oliver  W.,  332 
SidnevD.,  482,  544,  545 
■    Mills  Merrill  B.,  610 
j  Merrill  I.,  493 

i  Michael  J.,  "  Prince  Michael,"  535 

/   Miner,  L.  H.,  579 
I    Minty,  R.  H.  G.,  Lieut. -Col.,  422 
•    Mitchell,  Nicol.  487 
\     Moffat,  Hugh,  424 

Mollinger,  W.  M.,  613 
.     Mondoron  (Joseph  White),  143 

Money  and  finance  in  early  days,  431 
Monroe,  John,  490 

Montcalm,  Louis  Joseph  de  St.  Verain, 
arrival  of,  151 

victory    of,    over    Abercrombie, 

152 
death  of,  156 
Montgomery,  A.,  583 
Monteith,  John,  Rev.,  510,  523 
Montreal,  surrender  of,  156 
Moody,  George  T. ,  507 
Moore,  Charles,  171,  539 
Franklin,  411 
George  F.,  481 
Jacob  Wilkie,  461,  604 
John,  582 

Joseph  B.,  454,  467 
J.  H.,  599 
Samuel,  280 

William  A.,  423,  424,  481,  570 
William  F.,  538 


Moors,  Jeremiah,  617 
Moran,  Louis,  533 

William  B.,  482 
Moravian  Indians,  massacre  of,  231,  232 

missionaries    harassed    by    the    In- 
dians led  by  the  renegades,  229- 
232 
Moravians,   the,  229;  and  Delaware  In- 
dians, 230 

the.  a  second  time  brought  to  Detroit 
and  their  final  disposition,  236,  237 

the,  turned  loose,  231 
Morrell,  George,  369,  374 ;  sketch  of,  374  ; 

394,  396,  511 
Morey,  A.  G.,  580 
Morgan,  William  B.,  454 
Morrison,  Robert,  307 
Morrow,  Henry  A.,  Col.,  422,  424 
Morse,  L.  L.,  379 

S.  F.  B.,  555,  556 

S.  L.,  537 
Mueller,  Henry,  540 
Miner,  Henry  C,  603 

Major,  318,  327,  328,  332 

W.  Howie,  616 

W.  K. ,  482 
Mumford,  Samuel  R.,  481 
Munday,  Edward,  391,  398,  511 
Municipal  building,  the,  571 

lighting.  454 
Munson,  J.  R.,  307 

Murphy,  Michael,  murder  of,  by  the  In- 
dians, 352 

Seba,  511 

Simon  J.,  508 
Murrin,  Patrick,  582 
Music,  schools  of,  in  Detroit,  594 
Mutual  Gas  Company  of  Detroit,  451 

Natural  gas,  use  of,  in  Detroit,  452,  453 
Navarre,  Catherine,  434 
Francois,  279 
Isidore,  280 
Jacques  W.,  280 
Mary,  460 
Peter,  329.  334 
Pierre,  280 
Robert,  134,  163 
Navy  on  the  lakes,  beginning  of,  in  1777, 

206 
Naylon,  John,  467 

New  France,  constituents  of  the  govern- 
ment of,  and  their  powers,  91 

establishment  of   the  colony  of, 

by  Champlain,  8,  9 
list  of  governors  of,  161,  162 
population  of,  in  1734  and  1760, 
161 


296 


New   France   under  the    control   of   Sir 
William    Johnson   and    Gen.    Thomas 
Gage,  164 
Newald,  Eugene,  541 
Newberry,  Charles  B.,  601 
John  S.,  495 
Oliver,  383-385,  563 
Truman  H.,-616 
Walter  L.,  469 
William  E.,  601 
Newcomb,  C.  A.,  481 
Newman,  L.  P.,  507 
Newspaper,  the  first,  378 
the  second,  368 
the  third,  378 
ventures,  1820-40,  379 
Newspapers  during  the  Rebellion,  428 
list  of  existing,  in  Detroit,  541,  542 
of  Detroit,  536-542 
Neyons,  M.,  French  commandant  in  Illi- 
nois, 189 
Niau,  Father  Constantino  de,  120 
Nichols,  J.  F.,  515 
Nicolai,  George  H.,  603 
Niles,  George,  583 
Nimock,  Charles  and  Walter  A.,  536 
Noah,  W.  G.,  597 
Noble,  Charles,  491 
Nolan,  Patrick,  588 
Norburg.  Private,  first  discoverer  of  silver 

ore  in  Northern  Michigan,  198 
Norris,  Lyman  D.,  511 
North  America,  early  discoverers  of,  6-8 
Northwest  Territory,  division  of  the,  in 
1800,  259 

legislation  concerning  the,  car- 
ried on  during  British  occupa- 
tion, 250 
Norton,  John,  jr.,  442 

Nicol,  598 
Norvell,  John,  391,  511 
Noyan,    Pierre   Poyande,    commandant, 

141,  160 
Noyelle,   Charles  Joseph  de,    command- 
ant, 133,  136,  137,  139,  160 

temporary  commandant,  132 
Noyes,  James  F.,  Dr.,  459 

William  R.,449 
Nye,  George  B.,  583 

O'Brien.  M.  W.,  508 

O'Donoghue,  Annie,  477 

O'Keefe,  George,  A.,  357,  371 

"  Old  French  and  Indian  war,"  149 

O'Neil,  James  F..  602 

Oregon,  explosion  of  the  boilers  of  the, 

563 
O'Reilly,  Henry,  556 


Orpheus  Society,  the,  592 
Osmun,  Gilbert  R.,  484,  539 
Oswego  captured  by  Montcalm,  151 
Oftawas,   atrocities  commited  by,   occa- 
sioned by  Bourgmont's  brutality,   77, 
78 

trouble  with  the,  in  1704-05,  69 
Ottley,  O.  S.,  598 
Overton,  Major,  330 
Owen,  John,  420,  423,  441,  493,  565,  566 

John,  jr.,  615 

J.  E.,  482 

Pacifica,  Sister,  576  ] 

Pack,  Albert,  549,  555 

Charles  L.,  555 

Greene,  549 
Packard,  C.  C,  538 
Pagel,  John  W.,  476 
Palmer,  C.  P.^  Dr.,  600 

Friend,  347,  421,  612 

J.  B.,  508 

Park,  462 

Thomas,  347,  448,  461,567 

Thomas  W.,  462,  481,  483, 
Palms,  Francis,  481,  482'    ' 
Park  system  of  Detroit,  459-463 
Parker,  A.  L.,  507  '■    ' 

Bernard,  280    ■   -'- 

Charles  M.,  539    ■• 

Dayton,  Dr.,  494 

Edward  H.,  478,  559 

T.  A.,  482  -'■'  nciJiV, 

&    Bradstreet,  'dnd'  ■•t'beir 
scheme,  431-483    '      - 
Parkman's  theory  of  Gladwin's  infolS^.-int 

of  the  Pontiac 'conspiracy,' 172 
Parmer,  W.  O.,  610 
Parsons,  Dr.,  338    -i    ,""'   \^ 

Philo,  466,  498  ?>.' 

Samuel  Holden/350':-' "^  • 
Patrick,  Alexander  L. ,  '488^ ■'- 
Pattinson,  Richard,  269      •"■■ 
PauUy,  Ensign.slaughterof  the  command 
of,  at    Fort   Sandusky,  Jti"-  the    Ponfiac 
conspiracy,  177      -   "    -'* 
Pelletier,  Louis,  262'  '  '■ '  -n-i - 
Peninsular  Cricket^ub,^'6i^ 
Penniman,  O.,  469 
Penny,  Orville  W.,"Qa:^.v«82 

William,  309  ^'^^'  '>■' 

Pepperell,  William,  Gfeti.,  !l'50 
Perkins,  William,  jr.,  580   ' 

William  B.,  580 
Perry,  H.  E.,  618 

Oliver  H.,  Com.,  336-M2,  345 
Petit,  William  W. ,  394 
Pettie,  John,  482 


bankiui 


297 


Pfeflfer,  Giis,  588 
Phelps,  Hugh.  583 
Ralph,  415 
Ralph,  jr.,  620 
Phillips,  Captain,  of  the  cruiser  Baltimore, 

and  the  British,  301 
Phips,  William,  Sir.  30 
Pierce,  John  D.,  Rev.,  511 
Pingree,   Hazen   S.,   452,  454,   508,   547- 
551,  559;  agricultural  plan  of,  for  help- 
ing the  poor,  621 
Pioneers  and  adventurers  on  the  borders, 
character  of  the,  201 

confusion  in  names  of  the,  116-118 
Pipe,  Captain,  Delaware  chief,  230,  234 
Piquett,  Angeline,  Mrs.,  461 
~"   ;her,  Zina,  Dr.,  511,  575 

''illiam,  rise  and  policy  of,  152 

James   E.,  Col.,  421,444,482, 
^612 
dt,  John  H.,  434 
Pol.ce  Department  of  Detroit,  443-446 
"  'itical  campaign  of  1810,  the,  404-406 
lard,  Richard.  Rev.,  142,  332,  522,  590 
,  M,^/V.shley.  452 
''^gt^r^rain.  Count,  30,  68,  76 
rP'^'^,  s;oa&doument  of  the   siege   of 
aaa      by,  189 


165 
assas 

a'  th^ 


ition  of  the  French  residents  of 

cfoit  with,  170 

•lis  plans  tQ  crush  the  British, 


sination  of.  192,  193 
^i..*-^  <!rf  Detroit,  179,  180,  182, 
] ss,  Ig9 

.,    to- gieze   the    schooner 
^'gca>'^v.uj  afcjtbe  siege  of  Detroit, 

eiiv'o^"^*^"^   "^'    ^^i°st  the   British, 

5  plans,  169-170 
or",    with   Major    Rogers, 

Gladwin's  informant  of 
j.rgfiy  of,  171-174 
;     .   uf.  to  secure   provisions   at 
\ege  of  Detroit.  184 
<„.,,  ..        -ed  by:;ltfajor   Gladwin,    174- 

t'OOi.    ixicr 

Poor  '^,.iraC<HnpRqy;"  the,  and  its  jollifi- 
i*opf      •    -;"''■'  -58' 
^S5 
Por;.  a,  the.  467 

Geoi  '-^0 

gus.usS.,  383,  384 
e  B. ,  c.;>pointed  governor,  371 ; 
865,  3'Jo 


Porter.  Geo.  F.,  469 
John  F.,  511 
Moses,  Capt.,  252 
William  M.,4o3 
Postal,  Fred,  580 
Postal  Telegraph-Cable  Co.,  557 
Posts,  improvement  in  outlying,   146 
Potier,  Father  Peter,  117-129,  167;  deatii 
of  237 

evidence  from  papers  of,  relative 
to  the  Pontiac  conspiracy,  173, 
174 
seizure  of  the  papers  of,  bv   Col. 
De  Peyster.  129, 130 
Potter,  Milo  M.,  581 
Poupard,  Simon,  469 
Powers,  D.,  407 
Presbyterian  churches,  525-527 
Presidential  elections  of  1844-1852,  406 
Prevost,  George,  Gen.,  Sir,  335 
Prideaux,  General,  killed  in   the  assault 

of  Niagara,   153 
Pridgeon,  John,  jr.,  620 
Prince,  John,  Col.,  403 
Printing  press,  the  first  in  the  Territory, 

289 
Prisoners  of  war,    treatment   of,    under 

Proctor,  347 
Proctor,  Henry,  Col.,  316,  329,   330,    332- 
335,  347.  348 ;  cruelty  of,  385 

effect    of  Perry's  victory  upon, 

342 
offers     reward      for     American 

scalps.  326 
retreat  of,  from  Maiden,  334 
retreat  of  to  the  Thames,   344- 
347 
Prophet,  the,  and  his  proselyting,  295,  296 
Protestant  Episcopal  churches.  527-529 
missionaries,  early,  522 
Orphan  Asylum,  496 
Prouty.  Nathaniel,  545 
Public  buildings,  566-573 

buildings,  capital  invested  in,  571 
lands,  price  of,  376 
Library  of  Detroit,  479,  480 
schools,    control   of,    transferred    to 
town,  370 
Purcell,  John  B..  Bishop,  519 

J.  W.,  424 
Purdy,  William  T.,  &  Co.,  581 

"  Quebec  act,"  the,   for  the  government 

of  the  colonies,  200 
Quebec,    detailed  account  of  the  assault 

and  fall  of,  153-156 

surrender  of,  to  the  English,  in  1629, 


298 


"  Queen  Ann's  war,"  149 
Quinby,  William  E.,  379,  537 

Radcliff,  Colonel,  401 
Railroad  building,  499-506 
conspiracy,  the,  414,  415 
termini  in  Detroit,  501,  502 
Railroads,    first,   planned  for  Michigan. 
499 
planned  in  1887,  437 
Randot,  Intendant,  86 
Rands,  W.  C,  613 
Rankin,  Arthur,  Lieut.,  461 
Ranney,  Rufus  P.,  428 
Ransom,  Epaphroditus,  394,  511 
Rathbone,  Charles  A.,  616 
Raymbault.  Father,  10 
Raymon,  Regina,  Mrs.,  143 
Raynor,  A.  C.,  620 

Rebellion,  causes  leading  up  to  the,  418, 
419 

effects  of  the  war  of,  on  the  country, 

424 
first  war  meeting  during  the,  419 
oiDposition  to  enlistments  during  the, 
422,  423 
Recreations  of  the  early  settlers,  143 
Reed,  Ebenezer,  364 
Reform  churches,  532 
Regiments  sent  out  in  1861,  421,  422 
Reid,  Duncan,  332 
Reilly,  C.  J.,483 

Charles  O.,  Rev.,  519 
Reitzel,  Robert,  540 

Relief  societies  during  the  Rebellion,  429 
Renaud,  E.  J.,  584 
George  P.,  584 
Rentz,  Theodore,  620 
Repentigny,  Legardeur  de  St.  Pierre  de, 
121 ;  fort  erected  by,  at  Sault  Ste.  Ma- 
rie, 163 
Republican  party,   history  of  the  incep- 
tion of,  406,  407 
Rese,  Frederick,  Bishop,  518,  519 
Reszke,  Frank  J.,  593 
Reuhle,  J.  v..  Col.,  424 
Reynolds,  Dr.,  killed  at  Hull's  surrender, 

321 
Riboirdier,  Father,  13 
Rice,  John  D.,  582 

R.  M.,  542 
Richard,  Gabriel,  Rev.,  279,  378,  380,  381, 
510,  518 ;  story  of  his  election  to  Con- 
gress, 361-363 
Richardie,  Father,  founding  of  a  Huron 
mission  by,  at  Sandwich,  126,  127 ;  139 
-141,  146 
Richardson,  Henry,  461 
I.  B.,  Col.,  420,  421 


Riley,  Peter,  James  and  John,  353,  354 
Riopelle,  Joseph,  353 
Riots  of  1863,  424-426 
Rivard,  Francois,  279 
River  Raisin,  attempts  to  relieve  Capt 
Brush  on  the,  316,  318,  319 
battle  of,  329-333 
Road  building,  355 
Roberts,  Elijah  J.,  395 

Horace  F.,  410 

John,  357,  415 
Robertson,  John,  Adj.-  Gen.,  420,  421 

William,  269 
Robinson,  Capt.,  460 

C.  W.,  629 

Frank  E.,539 

J.  C,  Col.,  420 

William  E.,  515 
Rochcmeutiex,  Father  Caurille, 
Rode,  Ed. ,  588 
Roehm,  Robert,  607 
Rogers,  Andrew  J.,  444 

Captain,  of  the  first  steamer 

Robert,   Major,-  encounter    of,   w 
Pontiac,  156,  157;   164 

at  the  siege  of  Detroit,  188  . 
selfish  plans  of,  196  -'.■•; 

sent  to  the  command  of  Machi 
nacm  1765,  196 
Roman  Catholic  churches,   517-521     '■ 
Romeyn,  Theodore,  423  '    ^ 

Ronan,  George,  Ensign,  325,  326 
Rose.  John,  233 
Rouville,  Hertel  de,   149 
Rowe,  Charles,  604  v^f 

Rowing,  610,  611  'i 

Rowland,  Thomas,  Capt.,  322,   355;  378, 

469,  617 
Roy,  Peter,  70 

Pierre,  120 
Rudolph  &  Shipman,  604 
Ruehle,  J.  V.,588 
Ruland,  Isaac,  279, 

John,  279,  353 
Rush,  Peter,  598 
Russell,  George  B.,  Dr.,  574,  575 

Henry,  616 
Russell,  Alfred,  428,  507 

Henry,  482 

John  A.,  commiercial  history  of   De- 
troit by,  622 

W.  H.,  579 
Ryder,  Henry,  495 

Ste.  Ann's  church,  destruction  of  the  first, 
by  fire,  60 

the  second,   burned  by  Dubuis- 
son,  131;  517-519 
St.  Bernard,  Louis,  279 


299 


St.  Clair,  Arthur,  appointed  governor  of 
the  Northwest  Territory,  250 

disastrous   defeat  of,    247;    254, 
395,  590 
St.  Clair.  Vc.ung,  596 
St.  George,  Col.,  British  commandant  at 

Maiden  in  1812,  309,  313 
St.  Jean,  Joseph  Cerre  dit,  279 
St.  Joseph's  Retreat,  496 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  496 
St.  Mary's  Home,  497 

Hospital,  496 
St.  Ours,  Jean  Baptiste  Deschallions  de, 

commandant,  133,  136,  160 
St.   Vincent's    Female  Orphan   Asvlum, 

497 
Sabrevois,   Jacques    Charles,   Lieut.    28, 
1G(»;  commandant  from  1714-17,  132 
return  of,  148 
scond  term  of,  as  commandant, 
135 
third  time  commandant,  147 
SaG8«tid  Foxes  attack  Detroit,   130,  131 
second  expedition  against,  136 
sager,  Abram,  397 
Salter,  M.,  580 
Sanger,  H.  K.,  441,  508,  542 
Sargent,  Winthrop,  appointed  secretary 
of  the  Northwest   Territory,   250,  254. 
396,  590 
Savage,  George  M.,  629 
Scalps,  an  invoice  of,  227 
Schaffer,  John,  605 
Scheiffelin,  Jonathan,  266,  269,  490 

Lieutenant,  217,  225 
Scheller,  George,  582 
Schemick,  John  Jacob,  230 
Schimniel,  F.  &  W.,  539 
Schlosser,  Ensign,  massacre  of  the  com- 
mand of,  by  Pontiac's  adherents,  173 
Schmidt,  T.,  482 
Schneider,  Louis,  613 
Scho<rfcraft,  Henry  R.,  358,  376,511,  567, 

574 
Sch«lt«,  Louis  F. ,  593 
Schwartz,  John  E.,  385 
Seott,  William,  Dr.,  266 

William   McDowell,    279,    280,    347, 
490,  522 
Scotten,  Daniel,  585 
Scripps,  Edward  W.,  538 
George  H  ,  481,  536,  538 
James  E.,  481,  483,  484,  536,  538 
W.  A.,  580 
Scully,  Eva  M.,  Mrs.,  143 
Secret  societies,  489-492 
Secretaries   of   Michigan   Territory  suc- 
ceeding the  British  surrender,  list  of,  396 


Seek,  Conrad,  347 
Seney,  George  L.,  482 
Seitz,  F.  L.,  537 

Senseman,    Gottlieb,   Moravian  mission- 
ary, 230,  236 
Seward,  William  H.,  415 
Sewell,  W.  E.,  613 
Sewers  and  pavements,  485-489 
Seymour,  James,  409 
John  W.,  469 
Joseph,  378 
Shaler,  Charles,  390 
Sharer,  George  C,  613 
Shaw,  Charles  A.,  G03,  604 

William,  581 
Shea,  Gilmary,  Dr.,  71 
Shearer,  James,  424,  485 
Shelburne,  Lord,  colonial  secretary,   ef- 
forts of,  to  have  the  Indians  restrained 
in  their  butcheries,  225 
Shelby,  Governor,  346 
Sheldon,  Allan,  481,  493 
E.  M.,  Mrs.,  70 
John  P.,  364.  366 

J.  P.,  affair  of,   with   Thomas   Row- 
land, 378 
John  P.,  contempt  of  court  case  of, 

377,378:379,  536 
Samuel,  557 
Sheley,  Alanson,  526 
Sherlock,  Edward  T.,  597 

James,  597 
Sheriffs  of  Wayne  county,  list  of,  591 
Ship  building,  562,  563 

and  dry  dock  industry,  565,  566 
Shipman,  O.  W.,  452 
Shipping,  cost  of,  owned  in  Detroit,  565 
Shrievalty  of  Wayne  county,  the,  598-591 
Sibley,  Alexander  H.,  616 
Ebenezer  S.,  434 
Hiram,  557 
Francis  E.,  482 
Lieutenant,  321 
Sarah  A.,  482 

Solomon,  258,  262,  264,  265;  sketch 
of,  266;  267,  279,  283,  289,  310,  354, 
356,  357,  359,  361,  363;   sketch  of, 
364;371,  373,  377,  394,  396,  434,  490, 
491 
Siege  of  Detroit  by  Pontiac,  178-189 
Sill,  J.  M.  B.,  514,  515 
Simmons,  Stephen  G.,  public  execution 

of,  370,  371 
Sinclair,  Commodore,  349 

Patrick,  Capt.,   13;   appointed    lieu- 
tenant governor  at  Mackinaw,  202 
expedition  under,  against  town 
m  Illinois  country  in  1780,  226 


300 


Sisserman,  G.,  582 
Sizer,  Henry  H.,  441 
Skinner,  Beecher,  538 

E.  C,  Mrs..  481 
Slavery    and    slave  hunting   in   Detroit, 

416-418 
Slover,  John,  233 
Small-pox  epidemics,  573-577 

hospitals,  574-577 
Smart,  Robert,  352 
Smith,  H.  H.  Crapo,  Mrs.,  481 

Jack,  353 

John  Hyatt,  596 

M.  S.,  481 

Rollin  C,  415 

William,  265 

William  P.,  397 
Smolk,  Abraham,  383 
Smyth,  John.  469 

Uly.sses,  G.,  469 
Smythe,  Richard,  280,  281,  490,  578 
Snelling,  Josiah,  Capt.,  318 
Snow.  Frank  E.,  452 

Social  festivities  of  the  British  and  Amer- 
icans in  1800,  259 
Sonntags-Herold,  the,  540 
Scop,  Fred,  583 
Spalding,  Voltaire,  617 
Spanish  attack  on  the  British  post  of  St. 

Joseph,  232 
Speaker,  W.  H.,  613 
Specie,  the  traveling  box  of,  439 
Speed,  John  J.,  jr.,  556 
Sperry,  Nehemiah  D.,  543 
Spiegel  Frederick,  606 
Spinning,  James  B..  538 
Stair.  E.  D.,  603.  604 
Stanley.  Albert  A.,  592 
vStansbury,  Dixon,  Lieut.,  317 
Stanton,  Captain,  426 

Stephen  K.,  444 
Starkweather,  C.  C,  444 
State  capital,  location  of  the,  408.  409 

Naval  Brigade,  the,  589 

university,  establishment  of  the,  393 
Stead.  Benjamin,  356,  434 
Steamboat,  the  first,  356 
Stearns,  Frederick,  481-484,  493 

Frederick  K.,  614 
Sterling,- James,  191,  192 

J.  T.,  Mrs.,  481 
Stevens,  Charles  B.,  593 

Frederick  H..  442 

H.  P.,  579,  581 

John,  581 

Marcus,  612 
Stewart,  Charles,  279 

Duncan,  423,  424.  508 


Stewart,  James  E.,  594 

Morse,  Dr.,  484,  576 

Morse,  Mrs.,  481 
Stickney,  J.  L.    536 
Stockton,  T.  W.  B.,  Col.,  421 
Stone,  James  A..  536 
Storey,  Wilbur  T.,  379,  537 
Street  railways  of  Detroit,  542-555 

suburban,  554,  555 
Strelezki,  Anton,  594 
Stroh,  Julius,  559 
Strong,  H.  N.,  609 

J.  W.,508 
Stuart,  David,  415 
Sturges,  §.ussell,  284,  431 
Sullivan,  Constable,  425 
Sunday  Sun,  the,  539 
Supreme  court,  organization  of  the  State, 

393 
Sutherland,  Thomas  J.,  Gen.,  402 
Sutton,  J.  W.,  478 
Swain,  Eleanor  J  ,  Mrs.,  495 
Sweeney,  John  S.,  538 
Swegles,  John,  jr.,  410 
Symmes,  John  C,  251 

Tabor,  J.  &  A..  581 

Tappan,  Henry  P..  Dr.,  512 

Taxation  in  Detroit,  under  French  rule, 

91 
Taylor,  C.  H.,  537 

F.  D.,  507 
Tecumseh,    316,   318,   321,   323,   333-335 
death  of,  347 

indignation  of,  at  Proctor's  coward- 
ice, 342,  343 
plan  of,  to  drive  the  Americans  out 

of  the  West,  293-300 
premonition  of,  346 
upbraids  Proctor  for  cowardice,  345 
Telegraph  facilities  and  companies,  555- 

558 
Ten  Brook,  Andrew,  Rev.,  512 
Ten  Eyck,  Conrad.  264,  347.  433 

Jeremiah  V.  R..  469 
Territorial  boundaries,  changes  in,  355 
changes  in  1804,  269 
council,    authorization  of,   363;  first 

work  of,  366 
occupation  by  the  different  nations 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  17 
Territory  of  Michigan,   organization  of, 
271 

division  of  the,  into  districts  and  ap- 
pointment of  justices  bv  Gov.  Hull. 
279 
Terry,  Henry  D.,  Col.,  421 
Thames,  battle  of  the,  345-347 


301 


Thebeau,  Prosper,  280 

Theatres  and  the  drama,  594-608: 

Atheneum,  the,  600 

Auditorium,  the,  603 

Beller's  Concert  Hall,  598 

Casino  Skating  Rink,  603 

Coliseum,  the,  002 

C.  J.  Whitney  Grand  Opera  House, 
001 

Detroit  Opera  House,  600 

Dime  Museum,  603 

Empire  Theatre,  604 

Gies's  Orchestrion  Hall,  601 

Harmonie  Society  Hall,  602 

Hough's  Detroit  Theatre,  601 

Jefferson  Theatre,  604 

Merrill  Hall,  599 

Michigan  Garden,  the,  5915 

National  Theatre,  the,  597 

Princess  Rink,  603 

Whitney's      Grand      Opera     House, 
604 

Young  Men's  Hall,  599 
Theatres, "^German,  604-609: 

Arbeiter    Unterstuetzungs    Verein, 
the,  607 

Deutsche  Theatre- Verein,  the,  608 

Funke's  Hall,  605 

German  National  Theatre,  605 

Kieler's  Hall,  606 
'Lucher's  Hall,  604 

Social  Turner  Society,  the,  607 

Stadt  Theatre,  607 

Thalia  Theatre,  605 

Tinnette's  Hall,  607 

Urania  Theatre,  506 

Waltz's  Hall.  605 
Thellar,  E.  A.,  Dr.,  401 
Thompson,  Edward,  Rev.,  512 

Home  for  Old  Ladies,  497 

Mary,  Mrs.,  497 

Thomas  M.,  477 

William,  356 

W.  G.,  602,  603,  614 

&  Rowe,  585 
Throop,  George  B.,  408 
Thurman,  Charles,  629 
Tibbetts,  John  S. ,  583 
Todd,   John,     Col.,    ambushed    by    Col. 

Caldwell's  expedition,  235 
Toledo  war,  the,  387-390 
Tomlinson,  S.  J.,  538 
Toms,  Robert  P. ,  407,  450 

Robert  P..  Mrs.,  481 
Tonty,  Alphonse  de,  Capt.,  48,  159,  160; 
as  commandant  in  1704-05,  68,  69 

commandant    for    seven   years, 
132,  133 


Tonty,  Alphonse  de,  connivance  of,  with 
the  Jesuits  against  the  development  of 
Detroit,  57 

mismanagement  of  the  post  un- 
der, 133 
treacherous  conduct  of,  towards 
Cadillac,  68,  69 
Henri,  13,  14,  33,  132,  160 
Madame,  arrival  of,  at  Detroit,  54,  55 
Topography  of  the   scene  of  operations 

during  the  war  of  1812,  307,  309 
Torrey,  Joseph  W.,  469 
Townships,  division  of  the  Territory  into, 

367 
Tran.sportation  as  affected  by  the  Erie 
Canal,  368 

dawn  of  the  era  of,  356 
Tray,  Martin,  582 
Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  150 
of  Ryswick,  34 
of  Utrecht,  150 
Treesise,  Oscar,  582 
Tregent,  August,  612 
Tremble,  Thomas,  579 
Trimble,  Francois,  279 
Troops  sent  out  in  1862,  422 
Trowbridge,   Charles  C,   258,   382,  383, 
398,  423,  436,  440,  441,  469,  513 
Luther  S.,  383,  482 
Truax,  J.  L.,  594 
Trumbull,  John,  367 
Tucker,  Giles,  582 
Tuesday  Musicale,  the,  593 
Turf,  the,  609,  610 
Turnbull,  George,  Capt. ,  commandant  in 

1767,  197 
Tuttle,  Christopher,  279 

Underground  Railway  in  Detroit,  417 
United  States  Marine  Hospital,  497 
University  of  Michigan,  the,  509-513 
Usurpation   of    authority    by   Hull   and 
Woodward,  283,  284 

Vaccination  in  early  days,  574 

Vail,  George  M.,  454 

Valliant  de  Gueslis,   Francis,  Father,  49, 

54,  56 
Van  Arman,  J.,  415 
Van  Derbeck,  George  A.,  614 
Van  Dyke,  Ernest,  Rev.,  519 

James  A.,  383,  415,  449,  471 
Van  Est  &  Graves,  585 
Van  Horn,  Captain,  350 
Van  Home,  Thomas  B.,  Maj.,  310 
Van  Husan,  Caleb,  493 
Van  Rensselaer,  Rensselaer,  401 
Van  Vliet,  Colonel,  389 


302 


Van  Voorhis,  Surgeon,  326 

Varney,  A.  C,  467 

Varnum,  James  Mitchell,  250 

Vaudreuil,   Governor,   67,  68,  76,  78,  79, 
86;  an  enemy  of  Cadillac,  83,  84 

censures  Cadillac  in  a  letter  to 

Pontchartrain,  83 
shirking  the  punishment  of  Le 
Pesant  upon  Cadillac  by,  81 

Vergennes,  Count  de,  prophecy  of,  158 

Vernor,  Frank  A.,  559 

Verrazano,  John,  7 

Vespucci,  Amerigo,  6 

Vessels  on  the  lakes  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, 210 

Villeneuve,  Stephen  Girault  de,  129 

Vincennes,  vSieur  de.  69,  131 

Vincennes,  conflicting  stories  of  the  re- 
capture of,  by  Hamilton,  214,  215 

Vineburg,  L.,  613 

Vinter,  Joseph,  477 

Viot,  Ed.  N.,  475 

Visger,  Jacobus,  258,  279,  293 
Joseph,  353 

Voigt,  E.  W.,  481 

Vollbracht,  Charles,  540 

Wadhams,  Ralph,  469 

Wait,  Obed,  567 

Wales,  Austin  E.,  578,  579 

Edwin  A.,  596 
Walk-in-the-Water,  the  first  steam  vessel 

on  the  lakes,  561 
Walker,  Charles  I.,  383,  424,  512 

E.  Chandler,  383,  423,  481 

HenrvN.,  379,  537 

Hiram,  481,  493 

H.  O.,  Dr.,  493,  494 

Willis  E.,  481 
Wall.  Bernard,  129 
Wallen,  Elias,  262,  265 
Wanikan  Golf  Club,  616 
War  of  1812,   causes  leading  up  to  the, 
301-303 

condition  of  the  northern  border  at 
beginning  of  the,  306 

declaration  of,  305 

reasons  for    the   United   State  con- 
quering in  the,  350 
War,   adventure  and  speculation  at  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
47,  48 

songs,  428 
Wars  of  the  French  and  EngUsh,  149 
Ward,  Eber,  Capt.,  453 

R.  A.,  615 
Warner,  Charles  E. ,  508 

J.  C,  583 


Warnick,  M.  W.,  583 
Warren,  Benjamin  S. ,  616 

John  L..  481 

Joseph,  406,  407 
Washington,  George,  151 
Waterman,  J.  W.,  612 
Waterworks,  Detroit,  446-450 
Watson,  John,  266 

Wayne,  Anthony,  Gen.,    brilliant    cam- 
paign of,  249,  250 
death  of,  253 
Wayne  county,  the  formation  and  naming 

of,  254;  290 
Webb,  James  Watson,  404,  594 
Weber,  Arthur,  477 

Carl,  605 

George.  582 
Welch.  Charles  M.,  589,  599,  601 
Welchers,  A.  C,  604 
Weld,  Isaac,  255 
Wellington,  I.  M.,  516 
Wells,  Captain,  325,  326 

Ensign,  332 

John  A.,  441 

Rufus,  447 

Samuel,  Col.,  329 

&  Cook,  415 
Wendell,  Abraham,  264 

Emory,  442,  482 
Wernecker,  F.  G.,615 
Wesson,  William  B.,  482,   493,   545.   583 

596 
West  End  Yachting  Club,  611 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Co.,  557 
Wetmore,  C.  H. ,  482 
Wheeler,  F.  F.,  589 
Whig,  origin  of  the  name  of,  404 
Whipple,  Charles  W.,  511 

James,  434 

John,  578 
White.  James  J.,  584 

Alexander.  143 

A.  E.  P.,  508 

Charles  O.,  601,  602 

Joseph,  143 

Joseph  (Mondoron),  143 

Thomas  B.,  143 

Solomon,  143 
Whiting,  Henry,  383 

John  L.,  356,  469 
Whitney,  Andrew,  G.,  356,  434,  617 

Bertram  C,  600 

C.  H..  600-602,  604 

David,  508 

O.,  583 

W.  G.,  394 
Whittemore,  George  O.,  511 
Whittlesey,  H.  M.,  Col.,  421 


303 


Whittmore.  J.  H..  594 
Whitwood.  D.  C,  542 
Wier.  J.  A.,  482 
Wight,  Buckminster,  415,  419 

O.  W.,  Dr.,  576 

Stanley,  G.,  424 
Wilcox,  E.  N.,  423 

O.  B.,  Col.,  420 
Wilkes,  Gilbert,  Lieut. -Com.,  589 
Wilkins,  Major,  loss  of  fleet  of.  bound  to 
Detroit,  193 

Ross.  369,  373,  374,  396,  423,  511 
Wilkinson,  Joseph,  266,  279 
Willebraud,  W.  H.,  613 
Willcox,  Eben  N.,  542,  543,  596 
Williams,  A.  S.,  Gen.,  421 

A.  W.,  Col.,  421 

Henry  N.,  603 

John, 280 

John  R.,  310,  361, 
617 

N.  G.,  jr.,  615 

N.  H.,  581 

Oliver.  490,  491 

Theodore,  469 

Thomas,  appointed  justice  by  Mayor 
Lernoult,  218 
Willis,  R.  Storrs,  Mrs.,  481 
Wilniot,  Allen  C,  279 
Wilson,  E.  E.,  584 

John  M.,  417 

R.  T.,  &  Co.,  548 
Winans,  Edwin  B.,  408 
Winchell,  Alexander,  398 
Winchester,     James,     Gen.,     327,     328; 
arrives  at  Frenchtown,  329 

massacre  of  the  troops  of, 329-333 
Winckler,  Fred  C,  613 
Wineman,  Henry,  581 
Wing,  Austin  E.,  356,  361,  386 
Winter   Edward  B.,  539 
WMshwell,  Silas,  258 
Witbeck,  C.  S.  579 
Witherell,  B.  F.  H.,  371,  394,  410,  423 


372,  412,  434,  490, 


Witherell.  James,  sketch  of,  287;  310,  347 

354,  363,  396,  423.  424,  433,  462,  511 
Withington,  William  H..  Col.,  422 
Wolcott,  Alexander,  Dr.,  358 
Wolfe,   James,    Gen.,    150;   assault   and 
capture  of  Quebec  by,   153-156 
death  of,  155,  156 
Wolverton,  Jacob,  565 
Womans's     Hospital     and     Foundling's 

Home,  497 
Wood,  Morgan,  Rev.,  531 
Woodbridge,  William,  356,  361,  371,  373; 
sketch  of,  375;  377,  394,  396,  434,  516 
William  L.,  596 
Woodbury,  D.  A.,  Col.,  421 
Woodward,  A.  B.,  13,  271,  279,  283,  284. 
288,  289,   332,  347,   348,  357,  361,   363, 
396,  431,  433,  434,  511,  567;  part  of,   in 
the  Bank  of  Detroit  swindle,  284 

pedantry  of,  in  connection   with 

the  university,  509 
presentment  against,  291-293 
sketch  of,  273-275 
"  Woodward  code,"  the,  286 
Woodworth,  Ben,  371,  378 
Woolfolk,  Captain,  332 
Wormer.  Grover  S.,  Capt.,  422 
Wreford,  WiUiam,  482 
Wright,  John,  397 
Wyman,  Hal  C,  Dr.,  404 
J.  E.,  603 

Yachting,  611 

Yarnell,  John  J.,  Lieut.,  340 
Yerkes,  William  P.,  424 
Young  Men's  Christian  Asso<;iali<-ii.  4uG- 
508 

Society,  the,  383 
Woman's  Home  Association,  497 
Yunck,  William,  593 

Zeisberger,  David,  Moravian  missionary, 

208,  230,  236 
Zenobe,  Father,  13 
Zug,  Samuel,  407 


304 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


Alger,  Russell  A..  633 
Anderson,  William  K.,  684 
Andrews,  Myron  H.,  M.  D.,  636 
Apel  Franz  A.,  636 
Armstrong,  Oscar  S. ,  M.  D. ,  638 

Barbour,  Edwin  S.,  639 
Barbour,  George  H.,  641 
Baumgartner,  F.  J.,  Rev.,  648 
Baxter,  William  H.,  643 
Beal,  Francis  R.,  644 
Bennett,  William  C,  646 
Berry,  Thomas,  647 
Bielman,  Charles  F.,  648 
Bishop,  Jerome  H.,  650 
Blackburn.  Joel  S.,  M.  D.,  651 
Bradley,  Herbert,  652 
Brodhead,  Thornton  F.,  Col.,  652 
Brooks,  David  W.,  654 
Buncher,  Charles,  656 
Burroughs,  Samuel  Whiteside,  657 

Campbell,  Henry  M.,  662 
Campbell   James  V. ,  659 
Carstens,  J.  Henry,  M.  D.,  663 
Case,  George  F.,  665 
Casgrain,  Charles  W.,  666 
Chandler,  Zachanah,  666 
Cheever,  Henry  M.,  668 
Chittenden,  William  J.,  670 
Clark,  Joseph  H.,  672 
Clippert,  Frederick  J.,  M.  D.,  672 
Conely  Edwin  F.,  Col.,  673 
Connor,  Leartus,  M.  D.,  674 
Cook,  James  P.,  677 
Crawford,  Samuel,  678 
Currie,  Cameron,  679 
Currie.  George  E.,  679 
Cutcheon,  Sullivan  W.,  680 

Davies,  Thomas  F.,  Rt.  Rev.,  682 
Davis,  Edgar  A.,  683 
Dempsey,  Morgan  J.  P.,  Rev.,  684 
Dick,  John  A.,  685 
Dickinson,  Don  M.,  686 
Dickinson,  Julius  C,  M.  D.,  865 
Dingwall,  George,  687 
Doherty,  James  G.,  Rev.,  689 
Doman,  Robert  F.  M.,  Rev.,  691 
Ducharme.  Charles,  692 
Du  Charme,  Charles  A. ,  698 
Duffield,  Samuel  P.,  M.  D.,  694 
Du  Pont,  Antoine  B.,  696 
Dwyer,  Jeremiah,  696 

Farrand,  Jacob  S.,  699 


Flowers,  Charles,  700 
Foley,  John  S.,  Rt.  Rev.,  701 
Fox,  William  D,,  702 
Eraser,  Elisha  A.,  703 
Frazer,  Robert  E.,  704 

Gott,  Edward  A.,  706 
Graham,  James,  707 
Greusel,  John,  708 
Griffith,  Armond  H.,  709 
Gue,  Arthur  E.,  M.  1).,  711 
Guelich,  Otto  E.  C,  711 

Haass,  Charles  F.  W.,  Rev.,  718 
Hahn,  Jacob  H.,  713 
Haigh,  Henry  A..  716 
Hamblen,  Joseph  G..  718 
Hamlen,  William  I.,  M.  D.,  718 
Hanna,  Valentine  C,  Lieut. -Col.,  856 
Harsha.  Walter  S.,  719 
Hayes,  Clarence  M.,  720 
Hendrie.  George,  721 
Henry,  Albert  M.,  724 
Hinsdale,  Nehemiah  C,  725 
Hodges,  Henry  C  ,  726 
Holmes,  William  L.,  730 
Humphrey,  IraG.,  731 
Hunt,  Wellington  O.,  732 
Hutchins,  Jere  C,  738 

Ives,  Percy,  734 

Janes,  Oscar  A.,  Col.,  734 
Johnson,  S.  Olin,  736 
Joslyn,  Charles  D.,  738 
Joy,  James  F.,  739 
Jupp,  William  C,  742 

Keep,  Wilham  J.,  743 
Kelly,  Ronald,  744 
Kessler,  William  H.,  746 
Knight,  Stephen  H.,  747 

Lang,  Otto,  M.  D.,  748 
Lathrop,  Joseph,  sr.,  D.D.S.,  749 
Lawrence,  George  C,  750 
Ledbeter,  Thomas,  751 
Leggett,  John  W.,  752 
Lennane,  John,  753 
LeSeure,  Oscar,  M.  D.,  753 
Lewis,  Alexander,  754 
Livingstone,  William,  jr.,  755 
Lodge,  Frank  T.,  756 
Long,  Charles  D.,  758 
Look.  William,  759 
Lothrop,  George  V,  N.,  760 


305 


Lothrop,  Henry  B.,  Geu.,  763 

McGregor,  John,  763 
McLeod,  Alexander  I.,  763 
McMillan,  James,  765 
McMillan,  William  C,  767 
McVittie,  Alexander,  768 
Marschner,  Ferdinand  W.,  769 
Martindale,  Wales  C,  770 
Marxhausen,  August,  770 
Maybury,  William  C,  772 
Mayhew,  David  P.,  773 
Mehan,  John  D.  776 
Meigs,  Alfred  E.,  777 
Mills,  Merrill  B.,  780 
Mills,  Merrill  I.,  778 
Moore,  George  William,  782 
Mulheron,  John  J.,  M.  D.,  782 

Newberry,  John  S.,  870 
Newcomb,  Cyrenms  A.,  788 
Ninde,  William  X.,  Rev.,  785 

Owen,  Orville  W.,  M.  D.,  786 

Paine,  George  H.,  787 
Palmer,  Thomas  W.,  788 
Parke,  Hervey  C,  790 
Parker,  Aaron  A.,  793 
Parker,  Dayton,  M.  D.,794 
Parker,  Ralzemond  A.,  796 
Patterson,  John  E.,  797 
Pingree,  Hazen  S.,  798 
Price,  Orrin  J.,  804 

Quinby,  William  E.,  805 

Radford,  George  W. ,  806 
Raymond,  Alexander  B.,  807 
Rich,  John  T.,  808 
Rogers,  Fordyce  H.,  810 

Safford,  Robert  C,  811 
Savage,  James,  Rev.,  813 


Schmid,  John  A.,  814 
Scripps,  James  E.,  866 
Shaw,  John  T.,  815 
Slocum,  Elliott  T.,  815 
Smedley,  John  H.,  818 
Smith,  Hamilton  E.,  M.  D.,  819 
Snow,  Edward  S.,  M.  D.,  820 
Snow,  Herbert  M.,  822 
Snow,  Frank  E.,  822 
Sprague,  William  C,  823 
Springer,  Oscar  M.,  824 
Stacey,  William,  825 
Standish,  James  D.,  828 
Standish,  John  D.,  826 
Starkweather,  George  A.,  829 
Stevenson,  Elliott  G.,  831 
Stewart,  G.  Duffield,  M.  D.,  832 
Stoepel,  Frederick  C,  833 
Swan,  Henry  H.,  834 

Tarsney,  Timothy  E.,  835 
Taylor,  Elisha,  836 
Taylor,  Joseph,  839 
Tefft,  William  H.,  640 
Thurber,  Henry  T.,  840 
Trowbridge,  Luther  S.,  Gen.,  841 
Tuttle,  Jonathan  B. ,  843 

VanAlstyne,  John  S.,  844 
Van  Dyke,  Ernest,  Rev.,  847 

Wadswortb,  Thomas  A.,  847 
Wagstaff,  Denman  S.,  Col.,  848 
Warner,  Carlos  E.,  850 
Weadock,  Thomas  A.  E.,  851 
Wilkins,  Charles  T.,  853 
Wilkinson,  Albert  H.,  854 
Williams,  Nathan  G.,  855 
Willis,  Richard  Storrs,  857 
Wilson,  William  H.,  Capt.,  859 
W^urzer,  Carl,  860 

Yawkey,  William  C,  861 
Yearick,  Cincero  R.,  865 


306 


PERSONAL  REFERENCES. 


Abel,  Frederick,  3 

Frederic  L.,  106 
Aikman,  William,  jr.,  3 
Alexander,  Charles  T.,  4 
Allison,  Williarii  H.,  107 
Anderson,  John  W.,  107 

Robert  Henry.  4 
Andrews,  Frank  'C,  5 
Andrus,  Frank  D.,  5 

Ward  L.,  5 
Armstrong,  Henry  I.,  107 

Thomas,  6 
Arnold,  Charles  L.,  Rev.,  108 
Atkinson,  James  J.,  7 
Atwater,  Almon  B.,  7 

Babcock,  Samuel  S.,  8 
Babst,  Earl  D..  8 
Baby,  Raymond  F.,  109 
Backus,  Charles  F.,  161 

Theodore  L.,  109 
Bacon,  Elbridge  F.,  9 
Bailey,  William  M.,  M.  D.,  9 
Baker,  Fred  A.,  162 
Balsley,  Philip  H.  A.,  365 

Theodore  S.,  266 
Barclay,  Thomas  Sterling,  M.  D.,  264 
Barker,  William  E,,  109 
Barnes  Edward  A.,  9 
Barton,  Frank  G.,  110 

James  G.,  10 
Bassett,  Arthur,  10 
Batchelder,  John  L.,  110 
Baubie,  William^  E.,  11 
Baumgartner,  Frank  W.,  162 
Baxter,  Charles  E.,  11 
Frank  G.,  13 
Isaac  C,  12 
Beach,  Elmer  H. ,  258 
Beals.  Davids.,  Ill 
Bean,  Wilbert  G.,  13 
Beardsley,  Carleton  A..  163 
Beaufait,  Francis,  13 
Beck,  George,  163 
Howard  C,  13 
Beckwitb,  Whitney  C,  164 
Belanger,' Frangois  Joseph  Denis,  111 

Henry,  M.  D.,  206 
Bennett,  Charles  T.,  M.  D.,  112 

Ebenezer  O.,  M.  D.,  164 
Bentley,  William  E.,  M.  D.,  165 
Biddle,  Andrew  P.,  M.  D.,  258 

James,  Major,  13 
Belles,  John  E.,  14 
Bolton,  Edwin  C,  259 


Book,  James  B.,  M.  D.,  14 
Bourke,  Fred  W.,  165 

Oliver,  15 
Bowers,  Joseph  F.,  jr.,  112 
Boynton,  Nehemiah,  Rev.,  16 
Brand,  Frederick  W.,  165 
Brandon.  Calvin  K. ,  16 
Brennan,  Michael,  267 
Brewster,  James  H.,  165 
Briggs,  F.  Markham,  307 
Briscoe,  Benjamin,  112 
Brodhead,  John  T.,  Lieut.,  113 
Brodie,  Benjamin  P.,  M.  D.,  17 
Broegger,  Francis,   Rev.,  17 
Broock,  Max,  366 
Brooke,  Flavins  L. ,  18 
Brown,  Cullen,  18 

Edwin  C,  18 

Mason  L.,  113 

Owen  C,  M.  D.,  19 

William  Rolston,  19 
Buchaczkowski,  Witold,  Rev.,  375 
Burdeno.  Augustus  I.,  M.  D.,  308 
Burke,  HyacintheC,  308 
Burt,  Lee,  19 

Lou,  Col.,  114 
Butzel,  Magnus,  80 

Cahalan,  James,  M.  D.,  308 
Campbell,  Walter  S.,  30 

William,  346 
Candler,  Claudius  H.,  114 
Canfield,  George  Lewis,  114 
Carey,  Hugh,  M.  D.,  247 
Carhartt,  Hamilton,  115 
Carpenter,  William  L.,  21 
Carran,  Charles  M.,  166 
Carrier,  Albert  E.,  M.  D.,  115 
Carson,  William,  115 
Carter,  G.  Lewis,  166 
Caughey,  Frank  T.,  31 
Champion,  Raymond.  Rev.,  32 
Chandler,  George  Whitfield,  Major,  116 
Chapin,  WilHam  W.,  22 
Chapoton,  Alexander,  jr.,  160 

Edmund  A.,  M.  D.,  23 
Chappee,  Birnie  G.,  33 
Chase,  James,  Capt.,  209 
Chiera,  WilHam  J.,  265 
Child,  Putnam  H.,  33 
Chipman,  J.  Logan,  167 
Chittick,  William  R.,  M.  D.,  168 
Cicotte,  Edward  A.,  310 
Clark,  Charles,  211 
Edward  B.,  313 


307 


Clark,  Frank  N.,  263 

Harvey  C,  117 

James  J.,  24 

John  E.,  M.  D.,  117 

John  Person,  212 

Rex  B.,  118 

Rufus  W..  Rev.,  118 

Willis  S.,  168 
Clawson,  Firman  W.,  119 
Clippert,  Conrad,  213 

George  H.,  24 
Codd,  George  P.,  24 
Collier,  George  X.  M.,  1G8 

James  M.,  M.  D.,  214 
Collins.  AlvahN.,  M.  D.,  25 

Charles  P.,  25 

Lucius  H.,  25 
Conger,  Norman  B.,  26 
Coomer,  George  W. ,  119 
Cooper,  David  M.,  Rev.,  26 
Corey,  Newton  J,  27 
Courtis,  William  M.,  27 
Cowles,  Israel  Towne,  119 
Crawford,  Frank  H.,  120 
Crocker,  George  M.,  169 
Cullen,  James  H.,  28 

Daly,  William,  215 

Dasef,  Alem  William,  216 

Davock,  Harlow  P.,  28 

Dederichs,  Peter,  169 

De  Forest,  Heman  Packard,  Rev.,  29 

DeGaw,  Frederick  E.,  29 

Delamater,  DeWitt  C,  29 

De  Lisle,  Peter  B.,  217 

Demine,  Rodolph  A.,  170 

Denissen,  Christian,  Rev.,  30 

Desmond,  John,  217 

Devendorf,  Charles  A.,  M.  D.,  30 

Dickinson,  Julian  G.,  Capt.,  31 

Dixon,  Sidney  B.,  31 

Dohany,  Emmet  E.,  Prof.,  218 

Frank  H.,  170 
Donaldson,  John  M.,  171 
Donnellv,  John  C,  172 

Thomas  M.,  172 
Douglas,  Charles,  M.  D.,  32 

Samuel  Townsend,  32 
Dresskell,  Frederick  S.,  33 
Dubois,  Henry  M.,  259 
Duddleson,  William  L,  218 
Duffield,  George,  M.  D.,  33 
Dunn,  Michael,  219 
Durfee,  Irving  W.,  33 
Dust,  William  T.,  34 
Dwyer,  John  Martin,  34 

Eby,  John  F.,  120 


Ellair,  Alexander  Joseph,  34 
Elliott,  James  R.,  121 
Ellis,  Griffith  Ogden,  35 
Elwood,  S.  Dow,  36 
Emerson,  Justin  E.,  M.  D.,  36 
English,  John  G.,  37 
Enright,  John  J.,  121 
Esper,  Mathias,  220 
Eyre,  George  F.  C.  260 

Farnsworth,  Frederick  Eugene,  Col.,  37 
Farrand,  Jacob  Shaw,  38 
William  Raynolds,  38 
Fenwick,  William  E.,  173 
Field,  Henry  George,  122 
Findlater,  James,  ;,9 
Fink,  Leon  C,  123 
Finn,  Matthew,  173 
Finney,  Sam,  40 
Fisher,  George  W.,  40 
Fisk,  Charles  H.,  267 
Forster,  Charles  R.,  41 
Foster,  Lemuel  H.,  173 
Eraser,  Oscar  A.,  221 
Freeman,  John,  123 
Frisbie,  Stephen  W.,  Rev.,  41 
Fuller,  William  P.,  42 
Fulton,  Charles  A.,  Rev.,  42 


Gage,  William  T.,  43 
Gailey,  John  Knox,  M.  D.,  43 
Gardner,  James,  221 
Garrison,  John  W.,  44 
Gartner,  George,  274 
Gast,  Gustave  L.,  272 
Gates,  Jasper  C,  44 
Gauld,  John,  247 
Gillespie,  Harrj^  B.,  45 
Gillis,  Ransom,  45 
Goebel,  August,  Lieut.-Col. ,   174 
Goodell,  James  M.,  260 
Goodfellow,  Bruce,  175 
Goodrich,  Frederick  A.,  124 
Gordon,  Clifton  D.,45 
Gourlay,  Alfred  L.,  176 
Graham,  Alfred,  M.  D.,  124 

Burke  M.,  125 

William,  46 
Grand,  Peter,  Rev.,   125 
Grant,  John,  176 
Graves,  John,  46 
Gray,  Theodore  C. ,  248 
Greening,  George  B. ,  268 
Griggs,  Stephen  A.,  47 
Grummond,  U.  Grant,  176 
Guenther,  Fred,  47 
Gulley,  Orrin  P.,  222 


308 


Haggerty,  L.  D.,  &  Son,  249 
Haigh,  Richard,  249 
Hall,  Abram  S.,  48 

Harry  C,  48 

Philo  E.,  177 

Richard  H.,  49 
Hally,  James  A.,  Rev.,  250 
Halt'iner,  John,  sr. ,  251 
Hammell,  David,  M.  D.,  268 
Hammond,  George  Henry,  125 
Hanmer,  Delia  A.,  Mrs.,  127 
Hannan,  William  W.,  127 
Harmon,  Henry  A.,  49 
Harrah,  Charles  W..  Capt.,  128 
Harris,  Samuel  S. ,  jr.,  49 

William  C,  129 
Hart,  Joseph  C.,177 
Hartz,  John  C,  50 
Harvey,  William  M.,  M.  D.,  50 
Hatch,  Charles  H.,  178 

Herschel  M.,  178 

William  B.,  50 
Hathaway,  Charles  S.,  51 
Haven,  J.  De  Alton,  223 
Hawley,  John  Gardner,  129 
Heffron,  John,  179 
Heidt,  Herman  D.,  52 
Heineman,  David  E.,  52 
Henderson,  Edwin,  179 
Herbst,  Charles  W.,  Col.,  130 
Higgins,  Frederick  W.,  251 
Hislop,  Robert.  M.  D.,  C.  M.,  52 
Hitchcock,  Charles  W.,  M.  D.,  130 

Horace,  53 
Holden,  Hiram,  M.  D.,  252 
Holmes,  Arthur  D.,  M.  D.,  C.  M.,  130 
Holz,  Charles,  180 
Hopper,  George  C,  Major,  53 
Horger,  Anthony,  253 
Horton,  Edward  S.,  224 
Howe,  Elba  D.,225 
Hurd,  J.  Stanley,  180 
Hurst,  William  A.,  180 
Huston,  E.  Russell,   131 
Hutter,  Charles  J.,  Rev.,  131 

Imrie,  Andrew  W.,  M.  D.,  C.  M.,   131 
Ingersoll,  Jerome,  180 
Irvine,  George  W.,  M.  D.,  54 

Jackson,  Harry  H.,  54 
Jamieson,  Robert  A.,  M.  D.,  54 
Jayne,  Delos  D.,  181 
Jeffries,  Edward  J.,  132 
Jenks,  Edward  W.,  M.  D.,  270 

Harrison  Darling,  M.  D.,  132 
Joncas,  Edmund,  133 
Jones,  Henry  K.,  54 


Joy,  William  S.,  181 

Kaple,  John  H..  55 
Keena,  James  T.,  181 
Kellogg,  Charles  C,  182 
Kelly,  George,  268 
Kendall,  John,  55 
Kennedy,  Johnston  B.,  M.  D..  133 
Kenny,  George  P.,  261 
Kinney,  Overton  L.,  133 

Roland  0.,56 
Kiskadden.  Henry  S.,  M.  D.,134 
Kleinow,  Herman,  254 
Kuhn,  Franz  C,  56 
Kurth,  Frederick  A.  W.,  225 

Lambert,  Walter  Clement,  M.  D.,  226 

Langdon,  George  C,  135 

Lane,  William  P.,  261 

Langlois,  Theophilus  J.,  M.  D.,  227 

Larned,  Charles  Pierpont,  135 

Lathrop,  H.  Kirk,  jr.,  D.  D.  S.,  182 

Joseph,  jr.,  183 
Lau,  George  H..  D.  D.  S.,  135 
Lawrence,  William  B.,  183 
Lee,  John,  jr.,  M.  D..  136 
Lennox,  Levi  J.,  M.  D.,  184 
Leslie,  William,  228 
Lewis,  Henry  B.,  184 
Leys,  Francis  T.,  M.  D.,  56 
Lightner,  Clarence  A.,  136 
Linn,  Alexander  R.,  184 
Lister,  James R.,  Capt.,  228 
Little,  Charles  H.,  136 
Littlefield.  Louis  B.,56 
Lohr.  C.  F.,  229 
Long,  John  R.,  57 
Look,  Henry,  57 
Loomis,  De  Witt,  57 
Loss,  Henry,  254 
Lutfring,  Casimir,  Rev.,  58 
Lydecker,  Garrett  J.,  Lieut. -Col.,  184 
Lynn,  James  T.,  185 

McAlpine,  William  W\,  136 
McBnde,  Robert  D.,  D.  D.  S.,  185 
McCollester,  Lee  S.,  Rev.,  186 
McDonald,  Charles  S.,  137 
McDonald,  John  C,  255 
McKay,  James  B.,  137 
McMath,  Frank  M.,  58 
McMillan,  Harold,  269 

James  H.,  59 
McQueen,  James  W.,  D.  D.  S.,  186 
McVicar,  John,  137 
MacFarlane,  Walter,  269 
MacLachlan,  Daniel  A.,  M.  D..  59 
MacLaurin.  Donald  D.,  Rev.,  273 


309 


Maclean,  Donald,  M.  D..  60 
Maire.  Lewis  E.,  M.  D.,  61 
Mansfield   George  A.,  186 
Man  ton,  Walter  P.,  M.  D.,  61 
Manzelmann,  Charles,  62 
Marr,  Maurice  R.,  189 
Martin,  Albert,  230 
Marx,  Oscar  B.,  62 
Mason,  George  D.,  63 

William  L.,  187 
Meginnity,  David,  63 
Meier,  Henry  J.,  187 
Metcalf,  William  F.,  M.  D.,  63 
Milburn,  Heury  J..  187 
Millen,  George  W.,  64 

James  W.,  Capt.,  188 
Miller,  Christopher  C,  M.  D.,  188 

John,  231 

Robert,  64 

Sidney  T.,  65 
Minock,  Edward,  189 
Moloney,  John  B.,  140 
Moody,  George  T.,  65 
Moore,  Charles  W.,  66 

George  E.,  231 

George  Whitney,  67 

Melford  B.,  67 

William  V.,  68 
Moreland,  De  Witt  H.,  189 
Moriarty,  Frank  C.  190 
Morris,  Scott  Harrison,  190 
Mott,  John,  191 
Murphy,  Alfred  J.,  68 

Navin,  Thomas  J.,  140 
Neithart,  Benedict,  Rev.,  69 
Newberry,  John  S. ,  69 

Truman,  H.,  69 
Noah,  Frank  A.,  140 
Nordstrum,  John,  256 
Northrup,  James  I.,  M.  D.,  257 
Nutten,  Wesley  L.,  70 

Oakman,  Robert,  71 
O'Connor,  Arthur  C,  191 
Olin,  Rollin  Carolus,  M.  D.,  262 
Osborn,  Francis  C. ,  141 
Osborne,  Frederick  S. ,  191 
Oster,  Joseph,  Rev.,  141 
Owen,  John,  192 

Paine,  De  Forest,  71 
Palmer,  Ervin,  71 

Jonathan,  jr.,  72 
Palms,  Francis  F.,  73 
Pardee,  John  W.,  232 
Park,  William,  234 
Parker,  Charles  Maxwell,  193 


Parker,  Clarence  L. ,  76 

Delos  Leonard,  M.  D.,  193 
Walter  R.,  M.  D.,  193 

Parshall,  J.  Harry,  76 

Partridge,  Levi  W.,  141 

Patterson,  Edward  H.,  142 

Payne,  Isaac,  N.,  76 

Peck,  Edward  T.,  142 

Peckham,  Cyrus,  T.,  M.  D.,  77 

Pendleton,  Edward  Waldo,  74 

Penton,  John  A.,  194 

Phelps,  Davis  S.,  195 

Pitcher,  Sheldon,  M.  D.,  77 

Pitkin.  Caleb  S.,  143 

Pittman,  James  E.,  Gen.,  77 

Pitts,  Alvah  Grenelle,  143 
Thomas,  75 

Post,  Hoyt,  195 

James  A.,  M.  D.,  78 

Powell,  John  H.,  196 

Prall,  William,  143, 

Prince,  Herbert  S.,  196 

Proud,  Charles  L,  79 

Rackham,  Horace  H.,  197 
Rayl,  Thomas  B.,  144 
Raymond,  Alonzo  C,  145 

Charles  L.,  145 
Reid,  John  Rev.,  79 
Reilly,  William  E.,  145 
Remick,  George  B.,  197 

Jerome  H.,  80 
Reves,  Frank  N.,  80 
Rice,  Zachariah,  197 
Riggs,  Gilbert,  234 
Riker,  Eugene  V.,  M.  D.,  197 
Riopelle,  Hyacinthe  F.,  236 
Robinson,  William  E.,  146 
Rorison.  Brainard,  80 
Ross,  William  A.,  81 
atudy,  Robert  C,  M.  D.,  81 
Russell,  Alfred,  82 

Francis  G.,  82 

Salliotte  &  Ferguson,  237 
Sanders,  William,  238 
Sargent,  Erie  H.,  M.  D.,  83 
Sauer,  William  C,  198 
Sayles,  George  M.,  270 
Schwab,  Francis  W.,  Rev.,  83 
Scott,  George  G. ,  270 

H.  Byron,  84 

John,  270 
Scotten,  William  E.,  273 
Scripps,  James  E.,  146 
Seitz,  John  H.,  198 
Sellers,  Elias  H.,  84 
Sherwood,  Theodore  C,  84 


310 


Shipman,  Ozias  Williams,  273 
Shook,  Edgar  H.,  Major,  149 
Sibley,  Alexander  H.,  269 
Simonds,  Eli  K.,  Capt.,  239 
Sloman,  Adolph,  151 

Eugene  H.,  151 
Smith,  Andrew,  jr.,  85 

Dudley,  W.,  85 

Edgar  B.,  M.  D.,  152 

Eugene,  M.  D.,  86 

Frank  G.,  jr.,  199 

Jesse  Merrick,  152 
Snyder,  Emil  William,  87 
Standart,  Joseph  G.,  87 

Robert  W.,  153 
Stanton,  Marvin  M.,  88 
Stearns,  Frederick,  153 

Frederick  Kimball,  153 
Steele,  Walter  D.,  88 
Steinbrecher,  Albert  H.,  M.  D.,  154 
Stellwagen,  George  H.,  241 
Sterling,  James  T.,  Col.,  199 
Stevens,  Charles  B..  88 

James  C,  D.D.S.,  199 

RoUin  H.,  M.  D.,  89 
Stewart,  Charles  C,  90 

James,  242 
Stockwell,  George  W.,  90 
Stoddard,  Elliott  J.,  90 
Stoflet,  Henry  L.,  200 
Stone,  James  H.,  91 
Stoneman,  Lewis  A.,  155 
Stuart,  Reed,  91 
Sullivan,  J.  Emmet,  155 
Summers,  Frank  D.,  M.  D.,  91 
Sutherland,  Davis  S.,  92 
Swan,  Thomas,  156 
Sweet,  George  H.,  D.D.S.,  156 


Tappey,  Ernest  T.,  M.  D.,  156 
Taylor,  De  Witt  H.,  200 

Frank  D.,  92 

George,  93 

Orla  B. ,  93 
Teagan,  John  B.,  93 
Ternes,  Anthony  P.,  Rev.,  93 
Thomas,  Emma  A.,  Mrs.,  157 
Thompson,  William  B.,  274 
Tibbals, -Frank  Burr,  M.  D.,  158 

William  I.,  94 
Tillotson,  Frank  F.,  265 
Towar,  George  W.,  jr.,  M.  D.,  94 
Trowbridge,  Alexander  B.,  95 
Turner,  William  H.,  95 


Utley,  Henry  M. ,  95 

Van  Antwerp,  Francis  J..  Rev.,  96 
Van  Deusen,  James  H.,  158 
Van  Wagoner,  Alvil  O.,  272 
Varney,  Almon  C. ,  96 
Vet,  Charles  M.,  158 
Voorhis,  George  W. ,  243 

Walker,  Frank  B.,  M.  D.,  96 

Henry  O.,  M.  D.,  201 
Walsh,  Joseph  J.,  201 
Walters,  Henry  C,  97 
Ward,  George  H.,  97 

William  M.,  257 
Warner,  Willard  E.,  159 
Warren,  Charles  B.,  159 

Homer,  201 

William  M.,  202 
Weed,  Odillion  B.,  M.  D.,  202 
Weiss,  Joseph  M.,  203 
Wermers,  Bernard  J.,  Rev.,  97 
Westcott,  John  W.,  98 
Wetherbee.  William  H.,  99 
Wetzel,  Henry  Adolph,  99 
Wheeler,  James,  Rev.,  100 
Whitaker,  Herschel,  100 

William  H.,  101 
Whitehead,  James  T.,  160 
Whitman,  Charles  Rudolphus,  101 
Whitney,  David,  jr.,  203 
Wicker,  William  W.,  102 
Wight,  Sidney  B.,  275 
Wilcox,  Alfred  F.,  204 
Wild,  WilHam  L.,  102 
Wilkinson,  Ralph  B.,  204 
WiUiams,  Morris  L.,  103 
Wilson,  Edward,  103 

Peter  R.,  244 

Thomas  Ledbeter,  103 
Winder,  Daniel  Cory,  272 
Wing,  Jefferson  T.,  263 
Wisner,  George  Y.,  103 
Wolf,  Frederick  H.,  245 
Woodbury,  Warren  H.,  105 
Woodruff,  Charles  M.,  104 
Wormer,  Clarkson  C,  160 
Wright,   Charles,  205 

John  MacNair,  105 
Wurzer,  Louis  C,  206 
Wyman,  HalC,  M.  D.,  206 

Youngblood,  Edward  B.,  105 

Zickel,  Harry  H.,  106 


311 


2829 


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